Chapter Summaries

Hada Ryuhiko inspected the fallen animals poisoned by the fumes while Hada Anna eagerly chose food. Before they left, Anna stabbed the two Hidden Rain corpses to ensure they could not get back up, then pulled Ryuhiko away with the animals and a Ninja Sword.

• Hada Ryuhiko tested the fallen animals for poison and gathered edible game while Hada Anna picked out food.
• Hada Anna remembered Big Brother Kazuha’s advice and approached the two Hidden Rain corpses with a Kunai.
• Hada Anna stabbed the corpses four times, striking their legs, then fled back to Hada Ryuhiko in fear.
• Hada Anna urged Hada Ryuhiko to leave, and he picked up a Ninja Sword before they disappeared into the trees.

Orochimaru survived the fight in disguise and learned that Hada Ichiba was likely connected to the message in his scroll. He sent a hidden operative toward Area A to investigate Taki Chiba or the newly risen second Hanzo.

• A little white snake emerged from Spectacles Man’s corpse, spotted something beneath the tree, and hurried away from the clearing.
• Orochimaru revealed himself and reflected on the curse mark he had planted on Second Pillar, planning to claim his body and eyes.
• The little white snake returned to Orochimaru with a scroll from Dosu, and Orochimaru read that the information concerned Area A.
• Orochimaru ordered the snake and a hidden operative to investigate, telling them to kill Taki Chiba if possible or gather as much information as they could.

Hada Ryuhiko cooked a meal for Hada Anna in a tree hollow while worrying about the other Kusagakure Genin in the Death Forest. Anna saw through his plan to enter the Chunin Exams and insisted that he explain what he intended to do next.

• Hada Ryuhiko cooked wild boar meat and mushrooms beside a stream in a hidden tree hollow, worrying that the other Kusagakure Genin might be in danger.
• Hada Anna eagerly drank boiling broth and ate the bones, astonishing Hada Ryuhiko with how little the heat seemed to affect her.
• Hada Anna asked Hada Ryuhiko what he planned to do next and revealed that she knew he had poisoned Obi and the others to secure their places in the Chunin Exams.
• Hada Ryuhiko explained that Obi's team was too weak to survive the exam and that he had also arranged for Hada Ichiba to participate.
• Hada Ryuhiko told Hada Anna to eat before they talked, but she insisted that he explain while she ate.

Hada Ryuhiko tried to delay explaining why he had helped Hada Anna qualify for the Chunin Exams until she had eaten, knowing her hungry memory was unreliable. After she finished eating, Anna remembered their reason for entering the exams and asked if they had done it to separate from Brother Kazuha and protect the others from their village.

• Hada Ryuhiko asked Hada Anna to eat before they talked, but she accused him of hiding something from her.
• Hada Anna angrily refused to listen, then shook her head so hard that she forgot what she had been upset about.
• Hada Ryuhiko told Anna to keep eating, silently watched over her, and ate only after she urged him to join her.
• After Anna finished the food, Hada Ryuhiko asked whether she remembered how they had poisoned Obi and the others to qualify for the Chunin Exams.
• Hada Anna remembered and asked if they had qualified so they could separate from Brother Kazuha, find their fellow villagers, and protect them.

Hada Ryuhiko planned how to find the scattered Genin in the Death Forest while Anna leaned against him and fell asleep. He chose to seek nearby teammates before heading to the gathering point, then went to sleep convinced his plan would work.

• Anna surprised Hada Ryuhiko by showing she already knew what he had planned to tell her.
• Hada Ryuhiko drew a map of the Death Forest and identified the gathering point Hada Ichiba had designated.
• Hada Ryuhiko decided to find the nearby Bearded Man and Denju first, expecting to meet them at a marked location the next day.
• Anna fell asleep against Hada Ryuhiko as he studied the map and considered his plan.
• Hada Ryuhiko laid Anna down, covered her, tended the fire, and went to sleep thinking his plan would work.

Hada Ichiba killed three Waterfall Village ninjas who ambushed him, then considered how Haneda Yu Ze’s actions were shaping the Chunin Exam and threatening to disrupt his own plan. He began mapping the Death Forest and preparing a communication network while wondering what Long Yan intended to do and whether Orochimaru would become a problem.

• Hada Ichiba killed three Waterfall Village ninjas, took their Heaven Scroll, and returned to his bonfire to eat roasted boar.
• Hada Ichiba concluded that the Konoha team had avoided him and that his attacks had likely discouraged other teams from targeting him.
• Hada Ichiba studied the scrolls and considered how Haneda Yu Ze had used him as bait while splitting up Kusagakure’s participants for an unknown purpose.
• Hada Ichiba wondered whether Long Yan had discovered his intentions, then decided to wait and see while establishing a communication network.
• Hada Ichiba drew a map of part of the Death Forest and marked his route, Haneda Yu Ze’s likely route, and the network’s range.
• Hada Ichiba thought Orochimaru had probably reached the Death Forest and hoped Long Yan would not interfere with his plan.

Hada Ichiba hid in the Death Forest and used a difficult sealing technique to locate nearby people and contact his allies. He confirmed that Long Yan and Anna were moving according to his plan, then opened a sudden communication with the teams.

• Hada Ichiba found a concealed spot among the trees and prepared to make contact, determined that he had to pass the exam.
• Hada Ichiba formed seals and sensed eight people nearby, arranged in two three-person teams and one two-person team.
• Hada Ichiba recognized Long Yan and Anna among the sensed people and saw that they were approaching a nearby team.
• Hada Ichiba completed another seal, turning the golden flames into humanoid figures that could speak.
• Hada Ichiba began the contact by asking whether everyone could hear him, while his allies reacted with surprise, complaints, and delight.

Hada Ichiba contacted the Kusagakure teams during the dangerous exam, endured their complaints, and warned them that Orochimaru might be disguised as a Hidden Rain ninja. He organized a plan for brief daily calls and intelligence sharing as the teams continued toward the Central Tower.

• Hada Ichiba’s sudden contact prompted the golden flame humanoids to curse and complain about his indifference.
• Hada Ichiba told the teams that the exam was more dangerous than ordinary missions and that they were at a disadvantage.
• Hada Ichiba revealed that Long Yan had given him two Heaven Scrolls, so a team with an Earth Scroll could head for the Central Tower while remaining vigilant.
• Hada Ichiba warned the teams to flee if they encountered the Hidden Rain ninja in a conical hat, who was likely Orochimaru.
• Hada Ichiba set a ten-minute limit for calls and arranged another call the next day so the teams could report enemies, locations, and scrolls.
• Hada Ichiba began an immediate exchange of information with the teams.

Hada Ichiba ended his exhausting Chakra communication with the other Kusagakure teams after sharing intelligence and urging them to flee dangerous opponents. As he began recovering in the tree hollow, the alarm wire suddenly snapped.

• Hada Ichiba severed the Chakra link after coordinating with the other seven people and telling them to stay in contact and hide the next day.
• Hada Ichiba reviewed the intelligence he had shared about Orochimaru, Second Pillar, Gaara, and other threats, warning the teams to flee if they encountered them.
• Bearded Man's group reported retreating after nearly meeting Gaara, while another team safely avoided Sasuke's battle with a giant snake.
• Long Yan and Anna reported killing their attackers but forgetting to take the attackers' scrolls.
• Hada Ichiba sat down to recover his Chakra, but the Steel Wire of the alarm device suddenly snapped.

Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Anna traveled through the forest to meet the Bearded Man's team. They reached the team after Anna knocked aside a mistakenly thrown Kunai, leaving the Bearded Man apologizing while his teammates bowed in embarrassment.

• Hada Ryuhiko reminded Hada Anna that they were heading to meet the Bearded Man, and she eagerly continued after hearing there would be a feast.
• A Kunai flew at Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Anna, but Anna knocked it away before it could hit them.
• Hada Ryuhiko recognized the Bearded Man as the likely source of the mistaken attack.
• The Bearded Man arrived with two Kusagakure Genin and immediately apologized for throwing the Kunai.
• The two Kusagakure Genin bowed in apology while the Bearded Man continued to apologize.

Hada Ichiba investigated a broken alarm wire while weakened from spending much of his Chakra. After discovering signs of a small snake and suspecting Orochimaru, he was caught by a Headhunter Jutsu and struck by a barrage of Rock Spears.

• Hada Ichiba noticed that his warning wire had snapped and realized an enemy might be nearby while he was in poor condition.
• Hada Ichiba decided to investigate the alarm rather than flee, then found no one at the clearing.
• Hada Ichiba spotted a small snake's trail and immediately suspected Orochimaru.
• Bandage-wrapped hands seized Hada Ichiba's ankles with the Headhunter Jutsu.
• Rock Spears erupted around Hada Ichiba and pierced him, spraying blood.

The Bearded Man apologized to Long Yan and Anna after nearly hitting Long Yan with a kunai, while the group continued through the Death Forest. Long Yan hoped to meet the other team at the rendezvous point before nightfall, though thoughts of Hada Ichiba briefly darkened his mood.

• The Bearded Man explained that his overtrained reflexes had made him throw a kunai at Long Yan, and he felt guilty that Anna had needed to deflect it.
• Anna accepted a big meal as compensation, while Long Yan dismissed the attack as too obvious to threaten him.
• Long Yan asked whether the Bearded Man had confirmed their location, and learned that the teams had been traveling in the same direction.
• Long Yan proposed continuing toward the meeting point until dark so they might encounter the other team, and Anna became excited at the prospect of dinner with eight people.
• Long Yan led the group toward the meeting point, then briefly thought of Hada Ichiba fighting while covered in blood.

Hada Ichiba was caught in Kotetsu’s ambush and realized Orochimaru had likely sent the rogue Sound ninja to kill him. Meanwhile, Orochimaru sent the Hidden Rain ninja to deliver a scroll and guidance to Dosu, Zaku, and Kin before Baki confronted him with questions.

• Kotetsu’s Earth Release spears pierced Hada Ichiba after a Shadow Clone seized him, and the bandaged ninja struggled to speak.
• Hada Ichiba recognized Kotetsu as an unregistered Sound ninja and suspected Orochimaru had arranged the ambush.
• Kotetsu pointed at Hada Ichiba’s pierced body and called him fake as a figure emerged behind Kotetsu with a lightning-fast kick.
• Orochimaru gave the Heaven Scroll to two Hidden Rain ninja and ordered them to deliver it to Dosu, Zaku, and Kin along with guidance for his heir.
• Baki confronted Orochimaru and demanded answers about the matter.

Hada Ichiba and Kotetsu fought at close range, with Kotetsu's speed and Chakra control forcing Hada Ichiba to use a sword technique that exploded. As the blast drove them apart, Hada Ichiba found Rock Spears surging through the smoke toward him.

• Hada Ichiba attacked Kotetsu, but Kotetsu twisted his neck to evade the first kick and caught Hada Ichiba's follow-up strike.
• Hada Ichiba realized Kotetsu had absorbed most of the kick's force and tried to escape as Kotetsu reached for his foot.
• Hada Ichiba drew his black Ninja Sword and slashed upward, but Kotetsu released his foot and blocked the blade with a Kunai.
• Hada Ichiba's sword runes ignited and caused an explosion that sent both fighters flying apart.
• Hada Ichiba adjusted his landing, then saw Rock Spears burst through the smoke and rush toward him.

Hada Ichiba faced Kotetsu’s relentless Earth Release attacks and realized too late that Kotetsu had struck his original body. As Hada Ichiba’s body melted into the earth, he recognized the extraordinary skill of the fighter Orochimaru had cultivated.

• Kotetsu sliced through the Rock Spears closing in on Hada Ichiba, then raised a black Rock Wall to block the barrage of stone pellets.
• A figure burst from the ground behind Hada Ichiba and struck him from behind, while the attacks continued pounding the wall.
• The Rock Spears piercing Hada Ichiba crumbled, and he fell as the smoke cleared to reveal the stone pillars and wall riddled with damage.
• Hada Ichiba pieced together Kotetsu’s movements and realized that Kotetsu had hit his original body.
• Hada Ichiba’s body began melting into an earth-colored liquid and sinking into the ground.

Hada Ichiba realized Kotetsu had outmaneuvered him with a carefully prepared series of attacks, leaving both his arms broken and his body badly injured. As Hada Ichiba weighed escape and wondered why Kotetsu had not finished him, Kotetsu began to speak.

• Hada Ichiba assessed the damage to his arms and Rock Wall, then reconstructed Kotetsu's three-jutsu attack from his clone's memories.
• Hada Ichiba recognized that Kotetsu's combat skill was far greater than he had assumed and considered fleeing.
• Hada Ichiba noticed Kotetsu had stood motionless for nearly a minute despite his helpless condition.
• Hada Ichiba suspected Kotetsu had seen the fallback he had planted near the Rock Wall and began searching for an escape route.
• Kotetsu tilted his head and hesitantly began to speak.

Hada Ichiba realized Kotetsu’s repeated cries of “fake” might mean something beyond the substitute he had used to escape being pierced. As Kotetsu launched another instinctive attack, Hada Ichiba healed his injuries and raised a Rock Wall, but the battle remained unresolved.

• Hada Ichiba recalled that Kotetsu had called his substitute fake and reasoned that Kotetsu had recognized his Substitution Technique.
• Hada Ichiba healed his broken arms and other injuries with pale green chakra.
• Kotetsu roared “fake,” blasted the ground, and vanished as he charged Hada Ichiba.
• Hada Ichiba raised a black Rock Wall, but Kotetsu’s attacks battered it amid an explosion and falling debris.
• Hada Ichiba searched for Kotetsu and suspected that the bandaged man’s relentless attacks had been driven by instinct rather than thought.

In the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage reflected on an old pursuit in the Death Forest before hearing a report that Hada Ichiba had shown formidable taijutsu. He ordered the investigation to continue and learned that someone’s return to the village was imminent as he prepared for a meeting with the Kazekage.

• The Anbu Ninja reported that the Chunin Exams had reached the Death Forest survival test and were proceeding smoothly.
• The Third Hokage recalled a pursuit battle in the Death Forest from more than ten years earlier.
• The Anbu Ninja reported that Hada Ichiba had shown strong taijutsu and seemed powerful enough to make an operative retreat.
• The Third Hokage ordered the Anbu Ninja to continue investigating Hada Ichiba.
• The Anbu Ninja said the person the Third Hokage was waiting for should return to the village shortly, and the Third Hokage prepared for a meeting with the Kazekage.

Hada Ichiba survived Kotetsu’s chained ambushes by anticipating his attacks and turning them against him. He ended the fight, then sent a black lightning serpent into the forest, where a sudden flare of white light illuminated everything.

• Hada Ichiba caught and redirected two Kotetsus as they attacked from either side.
• Hada Ichiba dodged Rock Spears and a Kunai ambush, recognizing the lethal sequence of attacks and destroying the attackers with Rock Spears of his own.
• Hada Ichiba retreated beyond the black Rock Walls and filled the space between them with interlocking Rock Spears, dispelling more Kotetsu clones.
• Hada Ichiba declared the fight over and launched a black lightning serpent toward the giant trees, where an explosive burst of white light lit the forest.

Hada Ichiba blasted through Kotetsu’s chest, but Kotetsu’s body erupted into a thicket of thorn-covered trees before Hada could escape. Gaara and Naruto sensed something strange from the eruption, leaving the cause of their unease unresolved.

• Hada Ichiba’s attack tore open Kotetsu’s chest, and Kotetsu began cracking as something inside him struggled to break free.
• Hada Ichiba’s depleted Chakra left him unable to move as Kotetsu’s bandages exploded and thorn-covered trees burst across the forest.
• Gaara sensed the eruption and wondered whether the monster sealed inside him had reacted to it, but continued onward with Temari and Kankuro.
• Naruto’s stomach made a strange sound while he ate with Haruno Sakura and Sasuke, and Naruto looked toward the thorn thicket in confusion.