Recaps

Naruto gathered with the examinees who had passed the second stage and anticipated drawing Kabuto Yakushi as his opponent in the preliminary round. Kabuto withdrew before the matches began, disrupting Naruto’s plan.

• Twenty-one examinees from seven teams gathered in the Central Tower hall, and Naruto noticed Hinata and Ino looking at him.
• Sasuke felt itching from Orochimaru’s curse mark as Orochimaru watched him, while Gaara and Rock Lee focused on Naruto and the other strong opponents.
• Neji wondered how Naruto had become so strong and resolved to test him in the matches.
• Naruto recalled arranging through genjutsu to draw Kabuto Yakushi as his opponent in the preliminary round.
• Anko Mitarashi announced the end of the second exam, and the Third Old Man explained that the third stage would include individual preliminary matches decided by drawing lots.
• Gekko Hayate announced that examinees could withdraw, and Kabuto Yakushi immediately raised his hand, ruining Naruto’s planned matchup.

Naruto tried to keep Kabuto from withdrawing, and Uchiha Liutong arranged for the draw to pair them, but the malfunctioning screen was redrawn. Naruto was matched with Neji instead, and their preliminary fight began with Neji mocking Naruto’s supposed weakness and Naruto preparing to prove his strength.

• Kabuto Yakushi withdrew from the exam, and Naruto suspected he might be a spy while ordering Uchiha Liutong to find a way to change the result.
• Uchiha Liutong hurried off, and the electronic board first displayed Naruto against Kabuto, prompting Hiruzen Sarutobi to call the screen faulty and order a redraw.
• The board paired Naruto with Hyuga Neji, and both accepted the match before the other examinees moved to the viewing platform.
• Neji mocked Naruto as a dead last and claimed his Byakugan had revealed Naruto’s fate.
• Naruto rejected Neji’s fatalism and declared that being a genius was only the threshold to meet him.

Naruto challenged Neji to a taijutsu fight and secretly learned Gentle Fist by watching him. The chapter ended with Naruto copying Neji’s opening stance and declaring that he would demonstrate his own Gentle Fist.

• Naruto declared that genius was only the threshold for meeting him, enraging Neji and prompting him to demand proof of Naruto’s strength.
• Neji activated his Byakugan and explained that the Hyuga clan’s Gentle Fist attacked chakra pathways and acupoints.
• Naruto chose to fight Neji using only taijutsu, dodging his attacks while appearing unable to fight back.
• Neji taunted Naruto and prepared to stop holding back, but Naruto’s talent had already let him learn Gentle Fist through observation.
• Naruto explained how Gentle Fist worked, assumed Neji’s stance, and announced that he would show Neji his own Gentle Fist.

Naruto defeated Neji by rapidly mastering Gentle Fist and overwhelming him with powerful techniques. After Naruto revealed his immense Chakra and punched through the hall wall with a move he called Buddha’s Palm, Neji was left stunned, and Naruto offered to teach him.

• Naruto copied Neji’s Gentle Fist and quickly mastered it by deflecting his attacks and striking his acupoints.
• Neji used Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but Naruto countered with Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms and defeated him.
• Neji questioned how Naruto could locate Chakra pathways without the Byakugan, and Naruto said he could sense Chakra with his eyes closed.
• Neji rose again and challenged Naruto’s claims about fate, so Naruto released his sealed Chakra and shocked him with its immense volume.
• Naruto unleashed Buddha’s Palm, blasted a giant palm-shaped hole through the hall wall, and offered to teach the move to Neji.

Naruto encouraged Neji to reject fate, promised to help him change it as Hokage, and agreed to teach him the Gentle Fist. After revealing his talent to the arena, Naruto drew more attention and saw Hyuga Hinata matched against Gaara.

• Naruto helped Neji regain hope by promising to change his fate and teach him the Gentle Fist.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the watching Chunin recognized Naruto's talent after seeing him use the Gentle Fist.
• Naruto told Sasuke he had learned the Gentle Fist on the spot, and Sasuke asked whether he could learn it too.
• The electronic board announced Uchiha Sasuke versus Red Armored Armor, and Sasuke finished his match quickly.
• Naruto noticed Orochimaru and others watching him, then saw Hyuga Hinata matched against Gaara.

Hinata faced Gaara in the Chunin Exam and was nearly killed until Naruto intervened and declared himself Gaara’s next opponent. After encouraging Hinata as she recovered, Naruto learned through his clones that the other nations were preparing for war and resolved to use the coming conflict to pursue his goals.

• Hinata chose to fight Gaara despite Kiba and Shino urging her to forfeit, hoping to understand the distance between herself and Naruto.
• Gaara’s sand overwhelmed Hinata and repeatedly slammed her into a wall as she refused to give up.
• Naruto entered the arena and dispersed Gaara’s Sand Coffin before it could crush Hinata, then challenged Gaara to fight him instead.
• Gaara withdrew, and Hinata was treated for her injuries before Naruto praised her determination and helped her recover emotionally.
• Naruto learned that the other nations were expanding their armies and preparing for war, and decided he could exploit the coming conflict.

The preliminary matches ended, revealing the ten finalists and their matchups for the next round. After the draw, Rock Lee confessed to Sakura and was rejected, while Might Guy comforted him by proposing five hundred laps around Konoha.

• Hinata thanked Naruto and Kakashi before leaving, and Naruto joked that she would cry if he punched her.
• Lee defeated the unlucky Choji when Choji’s spinning secret technique sent him crashing into the arena walls and knocked him unconscious.
• Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Gaara, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Shino, Kankuro, Temari, and Dosu Kinata qualified, and the final matchups were drawn, including Naruto versus Gaara and Sasuke versus Lee.
• Naruto invited Neji to seek guidance, while Sakura chatted with Tenten and Lee nervously made small talk with Sasuke.
• Lee confessed to Sakura and promised to protect her, but Sakura rejected him because she disliked his appearance.
• Might Guy urged Lee to recover his youthful spirit and proposed five hundred laps around Konoha, leaving Kakashi to reassure Sakura that she would get used to them.

Kakashi worried about training Team 7 after all three students advanced, while Naruto was drawn into a mysterious invitation from Sakura and Sasuke. Hiruzen summoned Kakashi after an Anbu report about genjutsu tampering and decided to entrust him with greater responsibility.

• Guy and Lee left for extra training after Guy urged Kakashi to work harder, and Kakashi worried about how to train his three successful students.
• Naruto asked about Karin, and Kakashi said her application to join Konoha was still being reviewed.
• An Anbu summoned Kakashi to the Hokage, leaving Naruto with Sakura and Sasuke, who invited him to visit an amazing place.
• Orochimaru watched Team 7, coveted Sasuke's Sharingan, and wondered whether Sakura had inherited Tsunade's strength and medical skills.
• Hiruzen heard that someone had manipulated the electronic bulletin board with genjutsu and suspected Orochimaru and Danzo before resolving to keep Naruto away from Root.
• Hiruzen praised Kakashi for leading three students to the final round and told him the village would put more weight on his shoulders.

Kakashi gave Naruto a Flying Thunder God scroll and later tested his interest in learning the technique. Meanwhile, Naruto discovered that Sasuke had bought a hot spring for the team, and the chapter ended with Naruto claiming his learning speed depended on Kakashi's Relationship Status Progress Bar.

• Kakashi left the Hokage Building with a Flying Thunder God scroll and believed Naruto could eventually master the technique.
• Naruto teased Sasuke and Sakura about their relationship before Sakura revealed that Sasuke had bought a hot spring and named it Naru-Sasu-Sakura's Hot Spring.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura enjoyed the hot spring, then Sasuke and Sakura locked Naruto between them in bed that night.
• Kakashi visited the hot spring the next day and asked Naruto how long he would need to learn Flying Thunder God.
• Naruto pretended to consider the question and told Kakashi that his learning speed depended on Kakashi's Relationship Status Progress Bar.

Naruto demonstrated that he had independently developed Ice Release from Kakashi’s explanation, shocking Kakashi and persuading him to try opening his heart again and pursue a relationship. Kakashi agreed to do what he could within a month, while Naruto asked him for more combinations to research into new Bloodline Limits.

• Naruto promised to master the Flying Thunder God Technique by the next day if Kakashi successfully held hands with a girlfriend, and Kakashi doubted his claim.
• Naruto reminded Kakashi of his explanation of Ice Release and used a technique to freeze the Uchiha Imperial Hot Springs into cola slush.
• Kakashi was stunned that Naruto had created Ice Release himself, and Naruto offered to develop Wood Release too.
• Kakashi conceded and said he would try to open his heart again, agreeing to do what he could within a month.
• Naruto asked Kakashi for more fusion-type Bloodline Limit combinations to record and research.

Naruto spent the day advancing his newspaper and business ventures, building his public image, and reviewing reports from his branches. After learning that Danzō had forced the Carefree Pill store to close, Naruto ordered an investigation, then ended the day by kicking a white-haired voyeur into the women’s hot spring.

• Naruto met Kakashi at the hot spring, and Kakashi took Sasuke and Sakura away for specialized training.
• Naruto and Toma Taihei planned a thirty-photo collection and a newspaper campaign to promote Naruto’s image.
• Naruto bought Kakashi a new bestseller as a staged display of filial respect and reviewed reports on construction in the Land of Grass and Zabuza’s bid to become Mizukage.
• Xiong Fengshan told Naruto that Danzō had raided the Carefree Pill store to steal its formula and had forced it to close, so Naruto ordered an investigation into Danzō.
• Naruto signed a one-million-ryō endorsement deal with Old Daddy Fast Food and saw villagers respond to his growing fame.
• Naruto spotted Jiraiya peeping through a crack and kicked him into the women’s hot spring, where the bathers attacked him.

Naruto recognized the stranger caught peeping at the women’s bath as Jiraiya and saw him as a chance to advance his Hokage ambitions. The chapter ended with Naruto asking Jiraiya to take him as a disciple.

• Jiraiya realized the blond child who had kicked him might be Naruto, while Naruto laughed at his battered appearance.
• Naruto mocked Jiraiya for peeping and questioned whether he was an intruder from another village.
• Jiraiya introduced himself as the Toad Sage and showed Naruto his book, Make-Out Paradise.
• Naruto recognized Jiraiya as one of Konoha’s Sannin and decided that becoming his disciple could help him become the Fifth Hokage.
• Naruto called after Jiraiya and asked him to accept him as his disciple.

Naruto sought Jiraiya’s endorsement as his teacher to strengthen his claim to become Hokage, but Jiraiya’s test of learning the Rasengan in a week ended with Naruto astonishing him by producing several enormous versions and a Rasenshuriken. Jiraiya was left stunned by Naruto’s overwhelming ability.

• Naruto decided that becoming Hokage was a stepping stone toward taking the Land of Fire’s throne and sought Jiraiya’s support to gain legitimacy.
• Naruto asked Jiraiya to accept him as a disciple, and Jiraiya agreed on the condition that he learn the Rasengan within a week.
• Jiraiya demonstrated the Rasengan once and challenged Naruto to master it.
• Naruto immediately formed a Rasengan, then enlarged it into increasingly massive versions.
• Naruto infused Wind Style Chakra into the Rasengan to create a Rasenshuriken, leaving Jiraiya frozen in disbelief.

Naruto learned the Rasengan at a glance, signed a toad summoning contract, and accidentally summoned the Great Toad Sage, who repeated his uncertain prophecy about the Child of Prophecy. In Sunagakure, the Kazekage approved a plan to capture Naruto during the Chunin Exams and force the Nine-Tails to rampage.

• Jiraiya accepted Naruto as his disciple and had him sign the Mount Myōboku toad contract after witnessing his rapid learning and extraordinary healing.
• Jiraiya stopped Naruto from trying the Summoning Jutsu in the village and took him to a deserted valley to practice.
• Naruto used the Summoning Jutsu with all his strength and summoned the Great Toad Sage from Mount Myōboku.
• Jiraiya asked the Great Toad Sage whether Naruto was the Child of Prophecy, but the Sage said the child might bring peace or destruction.
• Baki told the Kazekage that Naruto was a powerful Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and proposed exploiting him during the Konoha Collapse Plan.
• The Kazekage ordered Baki to lead Operation Fox Capture, targeting Naruto during the Chunin Exams and forcing the Nine-Tails into a rampage.

Naruto summoned Gamabunta and beat him into accepting Naruto as his boss, then spent a month building influence while Konoha’s Carefree Pills returned and other rumors circulated. As the final round of the Chunin Ninja Exams approached, Naruto prepared for the stage he had been waiting for.

• Naruto summoned Gamabunta, who dismissed him and demanded to know where Jiraiya was.
• Naruto struck Gamabunta with an explosive punch, then repeatedly summoned and beat him until Gamabunta fled.
• After half a month of Naruto’s persuasion, Gamabunta pledged allegiance and brought Gamakichi and Gamatatsu into Naruto’s fold.
• Carefree Pills returned as a popular staple in Konoha, putting Danzo under pressure.
• Sakura spotted Kakashi strolling with Sister Hua, and Naruto’s friends teased them about their relationship.
• Naruto heard that someone was offering a high-priced job to find Uchiha Obito, then turned his attention to the approaching final round of the Chunin Ninja Exams.

The Chunin Exam preliminaries began, and Sasuke, Sakura, Shino, and Temari won their matches. Naruto entered the arena to face Gaara, leaving their anticipated fight about to begin.

• Sasuke defeated Rock Lee by using his Three Tomoe Sharingan and lightning attacks after Lee opened the Eight Inner Gates.
• Sakura defeated Dosu Kinata with a single punch after wearing earplugs to counter his sound techniques.
• Kankuro surrendered to Shino, giving Shino the victory without a fight.
• Naruto pushed Shikamaru into the arena, where Shikamaru surrendered to Temari after a brief battle of wits.
• Naruto entered the arena to face Gaara as the crowd cheered for their match.

Naruto overwhelmed Gaara with a massive Water Release and turned Gaara’s protective sand against him, driving him into a rage. Gaara transformed and unleashed Shukaku, and Naruto prepared to reveal more of his strength.

• Genma Shiranui started the final match as Gaara fixed Naruto with murderous intent.
• Gaara clutched his head and cried out to his mother before attacking, and Naruto sent a massive Water Release sweeping through the arena.
• Gaara’s sand protected him from the flood, but the soaked sand became difficult to control, and Naruto’s Chakra influenced it to shield him instead.
• Naruto taunted Gaara by claiming that his mother loved him, and Gaara lost control and transformed into a half-human, half-sand monster.
• Gaara’s transformation released Sand Calamity Shukaku, and Naruto faced the Tailed Beast with confidence.

Naruto overwhelmed Gaara’s transformed Shukaku during the Chunin Exams, first severing its arms and then battering it with powerful attacks. Shukaku finally froze and fled, while the disguised Orochimaru remained among the spectators as Naruto tried to keep the larger plot from unfolding too soon.

• Shukaku appeared in the arena, and Hiruzen ordered the Sealing Team to raise the Four Violet Flames Formation around the battlefield.
• Baki began the invasion plan, but Naruto severed Shukaku’s arms with Wind Style: Super Vortex Shuriken and knocked it back with Water Style: Water Falling Rock.
• Gaara used the Sleeping Fox Technique, awakening Shukaku’s consciousness, and Shukaku countered Naruto’s next water attack with Air Bullet.
• Naruto decided to hold back so Orochimaru would not abandon his plans, then smashed Shukaku with a powerful punch that nearly broke through the barrier.
• Naruto chased Shukaku around the enclosed arena and repeatedly punched it, leaving the Tailed Beast badly damaged and unable to keep up with its own recovery.
• Shukaku finally went still and fled after enduring dozens of Naruto’s punches.

Naruto defeated Shukaku, then repelled a large Sunagakure attack during the Konoha Collapse Plan. The supposed Uchiha Obito vanished before joining the fight, and Naruto gave Kakashi a three-pronged kunai as a graduation gift.

• Naruto’s beating left Shukaku defeated and Gaara dazed as he emerged from the sand.
• Kabuto Yakushi’s sleep technique put nearly everyone in the examination venue to sleep, and Baki ordered the Fox Hunt Squad expanded fivefold to capture Naruto.
• Dozens of Sunagakure ninja attacked Naruto, but his Rotation-like defense blocked their strikes and his Shadow Dash knocked them all down.
• Baki looked for Uchiha Obito, but Uzumaki Goudan had already slipped away to avoid being recognized and to keep Konoha’s losses down.
• Kakashi reached the arena after Naruto had defeated the attackers, and Naruto gave him a three-pronged kunai as a graduation gift.

Naruto left the exam lounge after giving Sasuke, Sakura, and Shino Flying Thunder God kunai, then used his network of marked kunai to defend Konoha from invading Sand Village shinobi. After killing 188 enemies, he sensed two immense Chakras erupting at the Chunin Exam arena and turned toward the main battle.

• Naruto watched Kakashi relive memories triggered by a kunai, then sensed 333 enemies before teleporting into the lounge.
• Naruto gave Sasuke, Sakura, and Shino Flying Thunder God kunai, encouraging Sakura to keep training, then vanished as Kakashi arrived and assigned Sasuke and Sakura an A-rank mission.
• Naruto teleported across the breached Konoha battlefield and killed Sand Village elites, prompting Konoha shinobi to recognize him as the Golden Flash.
• Naruto used his network of marked kunai to kill 188 invading shinobi before sensing two vast Chakras erupt at the Chunin Exam arena.

Naruto summoned giant toads to fight on the battlefield, then used the Flying Thunder God to leave Kakashi and appear on the rooftop. Hiruzen Sarutobi was badly wounded by the resurrected First and Second Hokage when Naruto arrived and interrupted the fight.

• Orochimaru used Impure World Reincarnation to summon the First and Second Hokage, while Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped the coffin containing the Fourth Hokage from emerging.
• Naruto summoned Gamabunta, Gamatatsu, and Gamakichi and told them to handle the enemies and the three-headed snake.
• Naruto used a three-pronged kunai and the Flying Thunder God technique, prompting Kakashi to question where he had gotten the kunai.
• The First and Second Hokage overwhelmed Hiruzen Sarutobi, who crashed into an earthen wall and spat blood as Orochimaru celebrated his improved resurrection technique.
• Tobirama Senju sensed Naruto standing on a tree branch, and Naruto greeted the fighters after arriving on the rooftop.

Naruto entered and exited Orochimaru’s Four Violet Flames Formation with the Flying Thunder God, then used a huge Fire Style attack to distract the battle and move the First and Second Hokage to the Forest of Death. After learning they were Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, Naruto triggered the Impure World Reincarnation command and prepared to fight them.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi despaired over Naruto being trapped, but Naruto revealed he could cross the Four Violet Flames Formation with the Flying Thunder God.
• Naruto unleashed Fire Style: Majestic Fire Destruction, nearly overwhelming the barrier and stunning Hiruzen, Orochimaru, and the gathered spectators.
• Naruto marked Orochimaru, Hashirama Senju, and Tobirama Senju, then teleported himself and the two Hokage to the Forest of Death while their counterattacks damaged him slightly.
• Naruto released part of Hashirama and Tobirama’s Impure World Reincarnation restraints, and they mistook him for a possible grandson of Tsunade before he identified himself as Uzumaki Naruto.
• Naruto overrode the Hokage’s consciousness with an attack command, but Hashirama and Tobirama warned him to flee; Naruto refused and readied himself for the fight.

Naruto fought the First Hokage and Second Hokage, dodging their attacks and overwhelming them with powerful taijutsu and Fire Style. As Kakashi and Might Guy led reinforcements toward the Forest of Death, Naruto prepared to unleash his own Water Release against the Hokage brothers.

• Naruto activated a Chakra cloak, dodged the Second Hokage’s punches, and struck him with Super Strength Taijutsu: Justice Fist, shattering his Impure World body.
• The Second Hokage began regenerating, but Orochimaru’s control turned him into a killing machine, while the First Hokage also lost control.
• Naruto dodged the First Hokage’s kick, then countered the Hokage brothers’ Water Release with Fire Style: Majestic Fire Destruction, engulfing them and devastating the Forest of Death.
• Kakashi saw the massive blaze and feared Naruto had been killed, but Might Guy stopped him and joined him in heading to the Forest of Death.
• As more ninja joined Kakashi and Might Guy, Naruto worried that his attacks might harm them and prepared Water Release: Mazu’s Wrath against the First Hokage and Second Hokage.

Naruto overwhelmed the battlefield with enormous Water and Ice Release attacks, then fought Hashirama and Tobirama as Hashirama’s Wood Release repeatedly regenerated. Naruto used ice to halt the forest and unleashed a vast Fire Release, but the living woods continued to surge as the battle intensified.

• Naruto’s Water Release flooded the Forest of Death, and Kakashi, Might Guy, and over a hundred Konoha shinobi survived the wave by raising thirteen Earth Flow Walls.
• Tobirama and Hashirama emerged from the water, and Tobirama praised Naruto’s Water Release while warning him that Orochimaru’s control still bound them.
• Naruto froze the sea and its debris with Ice Release, but Hashirama shattered the frozen terrain with Wood Release and sent trees surging toward him.
• Tobirama attempted to attack Naruto with Flying Thunder God, but Naruto anticipated him and punched him into the ice.
• Naruto froze Hashirama’s advancing forest with Ice Style: Glacial World, then leaped clear as more trees erupted from underground.
• Naruto unleashed Majestic Fire Destruction across the forest, but the living Wood Release proved resilient against the flames.

Naruto tested the Impure World Reincarnation bodies of Hashirama and Tobirama, then unleashed devastating techniques that erased the Forest of Death. He continued bombarding the two Hokage with ninjutsu, ending the chapter after Dust Release wiped out Hashirama’s giant forest.

• Naruto judged Hashirama and Tobirama’s combat abilities satisfactory and claimed their services as interest on Orochimaru’s debt.
• Naruto used Black Hole: Rasenshuriken to erase the battlefield and the Forest of Death across a ten-kilometer area.
• Naruto repeatedly blasted Tobirama apart, while Tobirama watched him unleash hundreds of varied ninjutsu during his recovery intervals.
• Hashirama expanded his Wood Style forest into a towering mass of trees and vines to attack Naruto.
• Naruto used Dust Release: Annihilation to erase Hashirama’s forest, leaving a silent vacuum behind.