Recaps

Naruto’s infiltration reshaped the Hyuga Clan as Jiraiya uncovered Konoha’s corruption, while the Empire advanced its plans and the Chunin Exams began. The first exam ended with Naruto challenging Konoha’s beliefs about sacrifice, and the candidates entered the Forest of Death as Orochimaru adjusted his strategy.

• Naruto captured Neji, brought him to his counterpart, and Neji took control of their shared body before confronting the Hyuga Clan over the Caged Bird Seal.
• Nagato redirected Akatsuki toward capturing the tailed beasts, while Obito prepared contingencies and sought Orochimaru’s cooperation.
• Jiraiya persuaded Tsunade to help Konoha, then uncovered clan favoritism and missing medical funds and ordered village leaders to prepare for war.
• Naruto’s team captured Gaara and Kankuro, while Gaara and Kankuro helped gather resources for the Hidden Sand Village and Naruto prepared to replace them with duplicates.
• Neji seized control of the Hyuga Clan by using the Caged Bird Seal against Hiashi and the other clan members, while Rasa prepared to assassinate the Land of Wind’s Daimyo.
• Naruto challenged Ibiki’s written exam by arguing that ninjas should refuse missions likely to kill them, and Ibiki passed the remaining candidates despite Naruto’s disagreement with his speech.
• Chiyo uploaded her techniques to the Ten-Tails Server and earned Merit Points, while Uchiha Senju and Orochimaru discussed plans for expeditions into parallel Shinobi Worlds.
• Anko explained the Forest of Death’s scroll rules, Orochimaru changed his strategy, and the candidates entered the forest as a scream sounded.

The Empire’s teams survived the Chunin Exam and advanced to the finals, where Naruto, Shino, Sasuke, and Neji revealed startling strength. As the village leaders gathered, Orochimaru exposed his plan to destroy the Leaf and urged Jiraiya and Tsunade to join forces against a greater danger.

• Anko opened the second Chunin Exam, and Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura entered the Forest of Death with a Scroll of Heaven.
• Sasuke confronted Orochimaru, while Naruto gathered scrolls for several teams and gave Karin a Flying Thunder God Kunai for protection.
• Neji destroyed a needed scroll, delaying the Empire’s team, but the contestants eventually completed the tower stage and learned the preliminary match rules.
• Hiruzen invited the Five Kage to Konoha, and Jiraiya received them as acting Hokage before Orochimaru revealed that he had killed the Kazekage and planned to attack the village.
• Jiraiya began training Naruto in the Summoning Technique and Rasengan, then Itachi and Kisame went to watch Sasuke compete.
• Naruto beat Kiba, while Shino defeated Sakura’s team opponent, Kankuro won against Ino, Shikamaru outmaneuvered Temari, and Gaara overcame Tenten.
• Kankuro summoned thousands of puppets against Shino, who secretly marked them with bugs, while Gaara and Sasuke fought with powerful gravity and fire techniques.
• Neji defeated Rock Lee after revealing Shikotsumyaku and a transformed bone form, drawing the visiting leaders’ interest.

The Empire captured several Tailed Beasts as its forces clashed with the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone, while Naruto and Sasuke’s Chunin Exam match escalated into a confrontation with the assembled Kage and Itachi. Sasuke’s battle with Itachi continued under attack from other leaders.

• Naruto defeated Shino, and Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan to battle Neji’s Skeletal Titan before Neji conceded and Naruto urged Sasuke to reveal their identities.
• White vowed to become the strongest person in Snow Crystal Village after Zabuza left for the Water Province, while Luo Tie used a Homing Nuclear Exploding Tag against Deidara and Sasori and Rasa later defeated and captured them.
• Nagato defeated A and Killer B, extracted Gyūki, destroyed much of the Hidden Cloud Village with Shinra Tensei, then captured Yugito Nii and extracted Matatabi.
• Uchiha Setsuna and Obito hunted Tailed Beasts, with Setsuna defeating Nagato’s Paths and Obito capturing Han and Kokuō before destroying the Animal Path’s forces.
• At the Chunin Exams, Naruto and Sasuke challenged the assembled elites, and Sasuke fought Ōnoki, Mei Terumi, and Darui, killing Darui before Tsunade healed him and Naruto fought the challengers with Shadow Clones.
• Itachi intervened when Sasuke attacked Ōnoki, and Sasuke accused him of slaughtering the Uchiha before the brothers fought with their Susanoo and legendary weapons.
• Itachi deflected Sasuke’s Amaterasu with the Yata Mirror, but escaped flames killed Kimita and nearby Hidden Leaf hooligans, and Sasuke struggled against Itachi while Wind Kage, Mei Terumi, and Lord Ōnoki attacked him.

Naruto and Sasuke announced the Shinobi Empire’s plans to conquer their world, while the villages and Akatsuki scrambled to respond. In another dimension, Obito’s encounter with Rin’s call exposed his past to his counterpart, who broke into his space and attacked him.

• Sasuke and Naruto defeated Itachi and Kisame, then attacked Deva Path Pain and revealed their otherworldly origins to the gathered spectators.
• Naruto described the Empire’s peace and prosperity, demanded surrender within a month, and sealed Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru’s powers.
• Naruto assigned his allies to take control of Konoha, while Kakashi and Guy secretly gathered support for the Third Hokage.
• Nagato discovered that a group in black Scarlet Cloud robes had taken the Seven-Tails, while Neji and Shino uncovered Danzo’s Root experiments and his report about the Uchiha massacre.
• Hiruzen called a Five Kage Summit at Southern Red Island as the Hidden Mist, Stone, and Sand chose representatives and Obito and Orochimaru pursued the remaining Tailed Beasts.
• Obito tried to capture the Three-Tails, but his alternate counterpart and Uchiha Setsuna intervened, and the alternate Obito seized the beast.
• A damaged wristband connected Obito to Rin, who learned of his injuries and confessed that she missed him and wanted to marry him, and Grandma then told him he was going to be a father.
• Obito used Kamui to enter his counterpart’s dimension, where he attacked him with Susanoo and declared that he would take his eyes.