Recaps

Naruto agreed to help Zabuza overthrow Yagura, while Itachi returned to the Akatsuki base and stood atop a streetlamp, gazing toward Konoha. Itachi looked forward to meeting his little brother again soon.

• Naruto became friends with Zabuza and agreed to help him overthrow Yagura in exchange for half the spoils.
• Zabuza told Haku that Naruto had accepted his request, and Haku worried that Zabuza’s allies might object to the promised payment.
• Naruto passed Sasuke training and continued on toward the waterfall to train.
• Itachi and Kisame returned to the Akatsuki base after a mission, and Itachi had Kisame plant and power a streetlamp.
• Itachi stood on the streetlamp facing Konoha and said he hoped his little brother would give him a big surprise when they met again.

Naruto took Kurama shopping with Hinata and Hanabi while Sasuke chose to train, and he treated the two sisters to a day of buying whatever they wanted. The group arrived at Ichiraku Ramen for lunch, with Naruto ordering their usual meal.

• Kurama prepared breakfast for Naruto and Sasuke, and Naruto invited Sasuke to join a shopping trip with Hinata and Hanabi.
• Sasuke declined to go shopping because he wanted to train, so Naruto left with Kurama.
• Naruto met Hinata and Hanabi at the Hyuga Clan residence, then took them shopping and bought the things they liked.
• Kurama joined the shopping spree by pointing out items for Naruto to buy, while Naruto wondered whether Kurama was female.
• After shopping until lunchtime, Naruto brought Hinata and Hanabi to Ichiraku Ramen and ordered their usual meal from Teuchi.

Naruto spent the day with Hinata and Hanabi, then sparred with Rock Lee and discussed the Chunin Exams and his Breeding Farm with Kakashi. When Naruto returned to the Back Mountain, Sasuke urgently asked him for help.

• Naruto took Hinata and Hanabi to Teuchi's ramen shop, then escorted them home and learned Hinata planned to take the Chunin Exams.
• Naruto and Hinata encouraged each other to do their best in the exams before Naruto said goodbye to the sisters at the Hyuga Clan gates.
• Naruto sparred with Rock Lee while Kakashi and Might Guy discussed the Chunin Exams; Guy fled when Naruto looked ready to challenge him.
• Kakashi offered to invest ten million in Naruto's Breeding Farm, and Naruto accepted his interest while teasing him about buying tissues.
• After spending the afternoon sparring with Rock Lee, Naruto returned to the Back Mountain, where Sasuke used Flying Thunder God to reach him and urgently asked for help.

Sasuke asked Naruto to use the dangerous Spirit Passage Fist to strengthen his Sharingan, but Naruto calmed him and urged him to train steadily. Zabuza then arranged for Mei Terumi to test Naruto as a potential ally against Yagura, and Naruto defeated her in their encounter.

• Sasuke told Naruto that he felt an urgent need to grow stronger and asked him to use Spirit Passage Fist to help improve his Sharingan; Naruto warned him about the danger and reassured him that he would help when needed.
• Zabuza and Haku met Mei Terumi, Chojuro, and Ao outside Konoha, where Zabuza explained that Naruto would help overthrow Yagura in exchange for half the spoils.
• Mei Terumi agreed to test Naruto before deciding whether to accept his price, and three days later Zabuza brought Naruto to meet her.
• Naruto greeted Mei Terumi and said she could test his strength; she covered the area in mist and attacked with Water Dragon Bullet and Lava Style.
• Naruto used Instant Movement to reach Mei Terumi and immobilized her with Thousand Jin Embrace and Vibration Force, prompting her to surrender.
• After Naruto released her, Mei Terumi accidentally drenched herself with a Water Dragon Bullet, and the mist cleared as she gave Naruto a resentful glance.

Mei Terumi admitted defeat to Naruto and confirmed their agreement to share the spoils from the operation against Yagura. Naruto promised to help after Konoha’s Chunin Exams, and Mei Terumi left believing he was the Yellow Flash’s son while privately resolving to learn his Vibration Force.

• Chojuro and Ao saw Mei Terumi emerge from the mist exhausted, and she admitted that Naruto had defeated her.
• Mei Terumi confirmed Naruto would receive half the spoils and asked him to help reduce Kirigakure’s casualties in the coming operation.
• Naruto said he would join after the Chunin Exams in Konoha, explaining that he wanted to make friends throughout the Ninja World.
• Mei Terumi and her companions returned to Kirigakure, where she explained that Naruto had tracked her through the mist and moved too quickly for her to follow.
• Mei Terumi concluded that Naruto was likely Minato Namikaze’s son and later decided she might learn Vibration Force from him once Kirigakure was restored.

As Team 7 arrived for the Chunin Exams, Naruto’s friends gathered around him in the assembly hall, where Kabuto Yakushi tried to provoke the rookies and was immediately knocked into a wall by Naruto. Examiner Ibiki Morino arrived and stopped the commotion, while Naruto asked him to become friends after the exam.

• Kakashi met Team 7 at their training ground, encouraged Sakura, and sent Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to the examination building.
• Naruto reunited with his friends in the assembly hall, including Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Rock Lee, Neji, Tenten, and Hinata.
• Kabuto Yakushi approached the rookies to criticize their noise and planned to make contact with Sasuke, but Naruto swatted him into a wall.
• Ibiki Morino arrived, introduced himself as the first-round examiner, and warned the candidates that unauthorized fighting would result in elimination.
• Naruto asked Ibiki Morino whether he would be friends with him after the exam, and Ibiki challenged him to prove himself.

Naruto passed the Chunin Exam’s first round without answering a single question and challenged Ibiki Morino to a spar before they could become friends. As the candidates gathered for the second round, Orochimaru became interested in Naruto and Sasuke, and Anko Mitarashi’s encounter with them ended on a tense note.

• Naruto sat beside Hinata during the written exam, declined her offer to share answers, and passed with a blank paper.
• After the exam, Naruto challenged Ibiki Morino to a spar as a condition of becoming friends, but Ibiki told him to challenge him after becoming a Chunin.
• Anko Mitarashi arrived to announce the second round, while Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the candidates and ordered her to pay for the windows she had broken.
• Kabuto Yakushi reported to Orochimaru, who revealed she had watched the exam while disguised as a Kusagakure candidate and became interested in Naruto and Sasuke.
• The next day, Anko tested Naruto by throwing a Kunai at him, and Orochimaru intervened before Naruto objected to them standing behind him.

Naruto drove Anko Mitarashi and Orochimaru away with his Vibration Force before Anko explained the deadly scroll-and-tower rules for the second Chunin Exam. In the Forest of Death, Naruto’s team confronted a Sound Village team, and Naruto’s touch left Kin unable to move.

• Naruto unleashed Vibration Force on Anko Mitarashi and Orochimaru, forcing them to retreat and sit with their legs crossed.
• Anko Mitarashi handed out consent forms and explained that teams had to obtain Heaven and Earth Scrolls and reach the central tower, where battles could be fatal.
• Naruto entered the forest with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, then sent Sasuke to find another team and mark its location.
• Sasuke found a Sound Village team consisting of Zaku Abumi, Dosu Kinata, and Kin Karin, and Naruto’s team went to meet them.
• Naruto approached the Sound Village team claiming he wanted to make friends, but Zaku Abumi recognized that he wanted their scrolls.
• Naruto touched Kin Karin’s shoulder, and she jumped onto a rock and sat motionless with her legs crossed, prompting Zaku to warn that Naruto had witchcraft.

Naruto’s team defeated Dosu’s group in the Forest of Death, and Naruto took their scroll after demonstrating his Vibration Force. Team 7 left with both required scrolls, while Dosu and Kin stayed behind with the unconscious Zaku; the team then encountered someone else.

• Dosu attacked Naruto with a Wind Scythe when Kin was incapacitated, and Naruto asked Dosu and Zaku to hand over their scrolls.
• Sakura volunteered to fight Zaku, but his sound-based attack damaged her ears and left her unable to control her body.
• Naruto used Vibration Force to shatter Zaku’s arm guards and knock him unconscious, then Dosu surrendered his scroll.
• Naruto called Sasuke to help Sakura, and the three Team 7 members departed with the Heaven and Earth Scrolls.
• Kin regained control of her body, and Dosu and Kin discussed Naruto’s techniques while leaving Zaku on the ground.
• Team 7 encountered someone after leaving the area.

Naruto and Sasuke rested with Sakura after she recovered from a fight, then Orochimaru appeared and invited Naruto and Sasuke to join him. He offered Sasuke power and revenge against Itachi, and claimed he could help both boys reclaim what Konoha had kept from them.

• Naruto encouraged Sakura after she lamented how quickly she had lost, and Sasuke urged her to train hard.
• Naruto sensed someone hiding nearby, and Orochimaru emerged from the bushes and introduced himself.
• Orochimaru invited Sasuke to join him, offering power and help with revenge against Itachi, but Sasuke rejected his offer.
• Orochimaru challenged Sasuke's assumptions about Itachi and the Uchiha massacre, then asked whether Hiruzen had withheld the clan's inheritance.
• Orochimaru invited Naruto and Sasuke to join him, claiming he could help them reclaim what they had lost and declaring that he would soon kill Hiruzen.

Orochimaru tried to recruit Naruto and Sasuke, but both refused, and Sasuke challenged him to a fight. After Sasuke’s Great Fireball failed to hurt Orochimaru, Sasuke awakened his Three Tomoe Sharingan and prepared to continue.

• Orochimaru confirmed that he planned to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Naruto insisted he still wanted to be friends with Hiruzen.
• Orochimaru asked Naruto and Sasuke to join his ranks, but Sasuke insulted him and Naruto firmly refused.
• Sasuke asked to fight Orochimaru, while Naruto promised to cover him and Sakura urged him to be careful.
• Sasuke attacked Orochimaru with the Great Fireball Technique, but Orochimaru escaped underground with a Snake Substitute and emerged unharmed.
• Sasuke’s eyes turned red and Three Tomoe formed in each eye as he faced Orochimaru.

Sasuke fought Orochimaru with his Three Tomoe Sharingan, Fire Style, Taijutsu, Flying Thunder God, and Rasengan before Naruto took over. Naruto shattered Orochimaru’s hand with one punch, then activated his Indestructible Body at full power and grew to twenty meters tall.

• Sasuke unleashed several Fire Style attacks, then battled Orochimaru with Kunai and Sharingan-assisted Taijutsu while Naruto and Sakura watched.
• Sasuke used Flying Thunder God to appear behind Orochimaru and hit him with a Rasengan, then followed with two more Rasengan that Orochimaru blocked with Triple Rashomon and his Body Replacement Technique.
• Naruto stepped in to fight Orochimaru, and Sasuke rested beside Sakura after secretly placing a Flying Thunder God mark on Orochimaru.
• Naruto punched Orochimaru, breaking the bones in his hand and sending him through a tree.
• Naruto announced he would use his full strength and activated his Indestructible Body, growing to twenty meters tall.

Naruto used his full-powered Indestructible Body to face Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, drawing the attention of the other examinees and Konoha’s leaders. Orochimaru’s attacks failed to hurt Naruto, but after asking whether Hardening could lead to immortality, he believed Naruto had fallen for his Genjutsu and promised to return.

• Naruto transformed into a twenty-meter-tall form, and his booming voice alerted examinees across the Forest of Death.
• Anko recognized Orochimaru’s name and ordered a report sent to Hiruzen Sarutobi before rushing into the forest; Hiruzen and Danzo also set out toward the commotion.
• Orochimaru struck Naruto’s knee with the Kusanagi Sword, but Naruto’s Hardening left him unharmed, and Naruto slapped Orochimaru into a crater.
• Orochimaru stabbed Naruto’s rear with the Kusanagi Sword, but the blade became trapped, so he abandoned it and summoned snakes to attack.
• Naruto destroyed Orochimaru’s snakes and emerged unharmed from their explosions, while Orochimaru asked whether Hardening could grant eternal immortality.
• Naruto said it could, and Orochimaru mistook Naruto’s confusion for the effect of Hell Viewing Technique before declaring that he would return.

Naruto defeated Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, and Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to overlook Naruto’s growing power as long as he did not threaten Konoha. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were promoted to Chunin, while Naruto agreed to leave with Hiruzen for a private chat.

• Naruto resisted Orochimaru’s Hell Viewing Technique, struck him with Netherworld Passage, and left him terrified of imagined insects.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, Anko Mitarashi, and the other candidates arrived; Orochimaru suddenly attacked Naruto and was killed by a single punch.
• Naruto pulled the Kusanagi Sword from his backside, gave it to Sasuke, and asked Hiruzen Sarutobi whether Orochimaru’s death earned him a bounty.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi promoted Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to Chunin, then ordered Danzo to clean up and Anko Mitarashi to continue the exam.
• Naruto said he wanted to make friends with the other candidates, then agreed to leave with Hiruzen Sarutobi for a chat and told Sasuke and Sakura to go back.

During the Chunin Exam, Naruto killed Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi exceptionally promoted Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to Chunin. Naruto went with Hiruzen to the Hokage Building, where his blunt remark about his mother left Hiruzen speechless.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Naruto left the exam site together, while Anko Mitarashi escorted Sasuke and Sakura out after Orochimaru's body was recovered.
• Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai rushed to the Forest of Death after hearing that something had happened, and Kakashi panicked when he learned Orochimaru had appeared.
• Sakura told Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai that Naruto had defeated Orochimaru and that Hiruzen had exceptionally promoted Naruto, Sasuke, and her to Chunin.
• Sakura recounted how Sasuke fought Orochimaru for more than three hundred exchanges before Naruto stepped in and defeated him.
• At the Hokage Building, Naruto told Hiruzen that his mother had told him to smash Hiruzen's head in.

Ibiki watched footage of Naruto and Sasuke defeating Orochimaru and rushed out to pursue a mission, while Naruto collected his bounty and reward from Hiruzen Sarutobi. After Naruto visited Ibiki and found him gone, Mei Terumi summoned Naruto and asked him to teach her Vibration Force.

• Ibiki watched Anko Mitarashi's tape and learned that the Kusagakure ninja in the Forest of Death had been Orochimaru.
• Ibiki saw Sasuke and Naruto fight Orochimaru, including Naruto growing into a giant and blasting Orochimaru apart, then hurried out to pursue a mission.
• Naruto told Hiruzen Sarutobi he had killed Orochimaru, secured a reward and Orochimaru's bounty, and joked that his mother had told him to smash Hiruzen's head in.
• Naruto went to Ibiki Morino's office to fulfill his promise, but learned Ibiki had just left on a mission.
• Zabuza told Naruto that Mei Terumi wanted to see him, and Mei Terumi grabbed Naruto's arm and pleaded for him to teach her Vibration Force.

Danzo discovered that Orochimaru had survived by transferring into another body, then argued with Hiruzen Sarutobi about capturing him and handling Naruto. Naruto met Mei Terumi, who eagerly asked him to teach her Vibration Force, and he said it was not Ninjutsu.

• Danzo examined Orochimaru’s corpse, found a woman’s body beneath a face mask, and concluded Orochimaru’s immortality experiment had succeeded.
• Danzo questioned Kameda and Uehara about Naruto, then told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Orochimaru was alive.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi worried that Naruto knew his origins and ordered Danzo to apologize to Naruto if necessary; Danzo agreed reluctantly.
• Danzo urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to capture Orochimaru and seize his research, but Hiruzen refused, and Danzo left angrily.
• Mei Terumi asked Naruto to teach her Vibration Force, and Naruto told her it was not Ninjutsu and might be impossible to teach.

Naruto sparred with Mei Terumi, returned to the Breeding Farm, and learned that Sasuke had tracked Orochimaru with a Flying Thunder God mark. Orochimaru survived in a new vessel and abandoned the Konoha Crush Plan to pursue Naruto, devising a plan to seduce him and obtain his DNA.

• Naruto demonstrated Vibration Force to Mei Terumi, then sparred with her and asked Zabuza to tell her to wait until the Chunin Exams were over before taking action.
• Naruto returned to the Breeding Farm, where Kurama made dinner and Sasuke revealed that his Flying Thunder God mark had followed Orochimaru to a new location.
• Naruto and Sasuke decided to postpone pursuing Orochimaru until the candidates finished the Chunin Exams, and Naruto sensed that Hiruzen Sarutobi had withdrawn his watchers.
• Kakashi visited Naruto and congratulated him on becoming a Chunin, while Naruto proudly credited his teacher.
• Orochimaru reincarnated into a prepared female vessel, abandoned the Konoha Crush Plan, and devised the Naruto Capture Plan to obtain Naruto's DNA by using the vessel's beauty.

Naruto eagerly waited for the Chunin Exam candidates to leave the Forest of Death so he could greet his friends, while Sasuke sulked over Naruto being more excited to make new friends than he had been to befriend him. As the candidates reunited with Naruto, Orochimaru secretly ordered Kabuto to learn Naruto’s schedule, and Sasuke noticed Orochimaru watching them.

• Naruto woke early because he was excited to make friends with the candidates finishing the second exam, and he agreed to bring Kurama along.
• Sasuke grew upset when Naruto admitted he had not lost sleep before becoming Sasuke’s friend, but Naruto promised to lose sleep for him that night.
• Naruto and Sasuke went with Kurama to the Forest of Death, where Anko greeted them and Naruto waited for his friends to emerge.
• Naruto called Rock Lee, Hinata, Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino over when the candidates came out, and they happily reunited with him.
• Orochimaru, disguised as a woman in a cherry-blossom kimono, told Kabuto to find out Naruto’s schedule during his stay in Konoha.
• Orochimaru watched Naruto before leaving, and Sasuke recognized his gaze.

After the second Chunin Exam, Naruto stopped the examinees from leaving so he could make friends with them, delaying the third exam. Kakashi and Anko went to retrieve him, but Naruto was still meeting examinees when Kankuro introduced himself and asked to be his friend.

• Anko Mitarashi reported that eighteen examinees passed the second exam, in addition to Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno, who had been promoted by special exception.
• Naruto used Instant Movement to stop the examinees and explained that he wanted to make friends with them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Naruto had delayed the examinees and sent Kakashi to handle the situation; Kakashi told Anko that supporting Naruto's dream mattered more than hurrying to the exam.
• Naruto asked who would be the first to become his friend, and Kankuro stepped forward and introduced himself as a ninja from Sunagakure.
• Naruto told Kankuro that he had requirements for making friends, prompting the examinees to wonder what they were.

Naruto insisted that the Chunin Exam candidates become his friends by sparring with him, and he began a fight with Kankuro despite being told to proceed to the third exam. Naruto located Kankuro through his poisonous smoke and attacked him, leaving the other candidates dreading their turn.

• Naruto told the candidates that they had to spar with him before he would accept them as friends, making the Sound Ninja Trio and Kankuro regret turning him down earlier.
• Kankuro agreed to fight Naruto while pretending to be eager, and Naruto prepared to spar as Kurama watched from his shoulder.
• A proctor announced that the candidates had to leave for the third exam, but Naruto punched him away when he tried to stop the spar.
• Kankuro opened the fight with kunai and poisonous smoke, but Naruto used blood-energy perception to find him and charged through the smoke unharmed.
• Naruto used Instant Movement to reach Kankuro and struck his puppet, while the candidates listened to the blows from inside the mist.

Naruto stopped beating the examinees after Kakashi persuaded him to wait until they left Konoha to make more friends. At the third exam grounds, Kankuro reunited with Baki, and Hiruzen began explaining the exam’s purpose before the chapter cut off.

• Naruto declared Kankuro his friend, helped him apply ointment, and asked Sasuke and Hinata to look after him.
• Kakashi and Anko arrived, and Naruto agreed to stop making friends until after the exam; the examinees hurried to the third exam grounds.
• Baki mistook Kankuro’s bruised face for evidence that he had died, then recognized him when Kankuro identified himself.
• Naruto and Sasuke joined Kakashi to watch the eighteen examinees who passed, while Akamaru trembled at the sight of Kurama.
• Anko introduced Hiruzen, who began explaining that the exams promoted peaceful coexistence among allied nations and raised shinobi standards.

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained the Chunin Exams’ national significance before Hayate Gekko’s coughing prompted an emergency isolation and disinfection. Anko Mitarashi took over the exam and offered candidates the chance to withdraw; after Kabuto Yakushi left, Naruto followed him outside to apologize and seek his help.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained that the Chunin Exams showcased allied nations’ strength and that war made even a cough a serious concern.
• Hayate Gekko’s coughing led Hiruzen Sarutobi to isolate him and order the examination hall disinfected.
• Anko Mitarashi took over as examiner and gave the eighteen remaining candidates one minute to withdraw before the individual preliminaries.
• Kabuto Yakushi withdrew, and Hiruzen Sarutobi recognized him from earlier exams and decided to have Anbu investigate him.
• Naruto left the hall, caught up with Kabuto Yakushi, and sincerely apologized for slapping him into a wall.

Naruto forced Kabuto Yakushi to become his friend through a one-sided spar, while Kabuto secretly reported what he had learned to Orochimaru. The Chunin Exam preliminaries began with Neji Hyuga matched against Hinata Hyuga, and Naruto predicted Hinata would win because she had a good appetite.

• Naruto asked Kabuto Yakushi why he withdrew from the Chunin Exams, then insisted they become friends through a spar and left him bruised.
• Kabuto Yakushi visited Orochimaru and reported that Naruto trained at a Breeding Farm on the Back Mountain, while concealing that he had overheard Orochimaru practicing a seduction.
• Anko Mitarashi explained the preliminary match rules, and the seventeen remaining examinees stayed in the exam.
• Naruto returned to Sasuke as the electronic display selected Neji Hyuga and Hinata Hyuga for the first matchup.
• Naruto predicted Hinata Hyuga would win because she had a pretty good appetite.

Hinata defeated Neji in the first match of the individual tournament, while Naruto cheered from the stands. The next match was announced as Rock Lee versus Zaku Abumi, and Lee headed to the arena.

• Neji and Hinata were paired against each other, and they entered the arena for the first match.
• Hinata used the Gentle Fist to overwhelm Neji, repeatedly striking his face until he collapsed.
• Anko Mitarashi declared Hinata the winner, and medical staff carried Neji away for treatment.
• Naruto congratulated Hinata, and Kurenai praised her performance.
• The screen selected Rock Lee versus Zaku Abumi for the second match, and Lee leaped into the arena after receiving encouragement from Might Guy, Tenten, and Naruto.