Chapter Summaries

A white-haired boy survived inside the thorn thicket he had created but had overdrawn his Chakra and meditated to recover. On the way back to Konoha, Jiraiya sensed a disturbance near the Death Forest and questioned an Anbu Ninja about it.

• The white-haired boy revealed himself inside the thorn thicket, sheathed his Ninja Swords, and decided to recover his Chakra there because he was too exhausted to escape.
• The boy entered a meditative state in the concealed center of the thicket.
• Jiraiya sensed a massive disturbance in the direction of the Death Forest while returning to Konoha with an Anbu Ninja.
• Jiraiya reflected that the Third Hokage had summoned him to secretly teach Naruto how to use Nine-Tails Chakra.
• Jiraiya asked the Anbu Ninja whether an activity was taking place in the Death Forest, suspecting that something had happened there.

Hada Ryuhiko and the Bearded Man’s group reached Kazuha’s hidden meeting place, where they set up camp and prepared a feast while waiting for another group. As Hada Ryuhiko worried about keeping everyone safe, a footstep sounded on a branch directly above them.

• The Bearded Man and two other ninjas arrived at the concealed clearing with a large dead animal, and Hada Ryuhiko confirmed it was the meeting place Kazuha had mentioned.
• The Bearded Man chose the clearing for camp and began assembling a large iron pot while the other ninjas gathered firewood.
• Hada Anna called down from the branches, then left after claiming she was going to find something; Hada Ryuhiko stopped the Bearded Man from following her by warning him to finish preparing the feast.
• Hada Ryuhiko found Kusagakure markings hidden among the tree roots and concluded that only one more group was likely to arrive in time.
• Hada Ryuhiko resolved to protect his companions as a footstep sounded on a branch above them.

Hada Ryuhiko watched over the reunited Kusagakure teams as they relaxed after encountering formidable opponents, then reassured A'ju that Kazuha could handle himself. The gathering ended with Hada Ryuhiko teasing A'ju about a beautiful Kumogakure woman, leaving everyone frozen as they watched her reaction.

• A female ninja arrived and stopped the Bearded Man from throwing his kunai, and the teams exchanged passwords before joining together to prepare a feast.
• Hada Ryuhiko climbed a branch to keep watch and realized his companions had relaxed because their earlier encounters had put them under immense pressure.
• A'ju asked Long Yan how Kazuha was doing, and the others teased her for worrying about him.
• Hada Ryuhiko assured A'ju that Kazuha's strength surpassed that of the ninjas they had encountered.
• Hada Ryuhiko teased A'ju about a pretty big sister from Kumogakure, and everyone went rigid as they watched her face.

The Kusagakure group discussed A'ju's feelings for Kazuha and her denial that she worried about him. As the group resumed their exam preparations, Hada Ryuhiko grew solemn and hesitant.

• A'ju denied worrying about Kazuha, but the Kusagakure group suspected she still cared about him.
• The group reflected on A'ju's abilities, family background, and close connection to Kazuha, and hoped she would not let their age difference trouble her.
• Hada Ryuhiko sincerely apologized to A'ju after believing her denial, and she secretly relaxed.
• The Bearded Man urged everyone to hurry because the exams had only two days left and they still had to travel the next day.
• Hada Ryuhiko grew solemn and hesitant, but suppressed his feelings.

Hada Ryuhiko and the others shared a meal while discussing how to reach the Central Tower and join Kazuha. A'ju persuaded the group to avoid hunting more teams and keep their success limited, while Hada Ryuhiko postponed deciding on a route until after they ate.

• The group came down from the branches and ate A'ju's meat broth, while A'ju privately worried about the Kumogakure lord's feelings for Kazuha.
• The Bearded Man praised Hada Anna's seasoning leaves and asked Hada Ryuhiko how they should reach the Central Tower.
• The others urged Hada Ryuhiko to choose a safe route and asked whether they should hunt other teams for scrolls.
• A'ju argued that two teams reaching the Central Tower would be enough and that too many Kusagakure candidates passing could make the major villages view them as a threat.
• Hada Ryuhiko agreed to think over the plan after the meal, and the group settled down to eat first.

Hada Long Yan drew a map of the Death Forest and insisted that their route had to be foolproof. He incapacitated everyone around him except A'ju, leaving his reasons unclear as he apologized for his selfishness.

• Hada Anna finished the meat soup, said she was going to search for something, and leaped away, leaving the Kusagakure Genin with almost no food.
• Hada Long Yan poured his untouched soup into the pot and showed the others a map of the Death Forest he had drawn on the ground.
• A'ju asked whether Long Yan was worried about their route, and he said there was no foolproof path.
• After A'ju called him a silly child, Long Yan trembled and muttered that the route had to be foolproof.
• The Bearded Man and the other Genin collapsed one after another, leaving only A'ju standing with Long Yan.
• Long Yan apologized for his selfishness as everyone but him lay unconscious.

Hada Ryuhiko had poisoned Bearded Man, A'ju, and the others, then lost his temper when Hada Anna hesitated to approach him. He realized she had only been avoiding stepping over A'ju, but her anger and his guilt over his decision left him panicking.

• Hada Ryuhiko erased the map he had drawn after failing to find a safe route through the Death Forest.
• Hada Ryuhiko shouted at Hada Anna for staying away, while the unconscious Bearded Man, A'ju, and the others lay nearby; he had poisoned them himself.
• Hada Anna explained that A'ju had collapsed behind Hada Ryuhiko and she did not want to step over her.
• Hada Ryuhiko apologized and left A'ju on the ground, but Hada Anna rejected his attempts to make amends.
• Hada Ryuhiko realized his guilt and fear over poisoning his companions during the Chunin Exams had caused him to lash out.

Hada Ryuhiko soothed Hada Anna by promising not to upset her again and answering her questions about the unconscious Kusagakure Genin. Meanwhile, a white-haired man arrived at Konoha and turned his attention toward the Death Forest.

• Hada Anna feared that Hada Ryuhiko's silence meant he was angry and might abandon her, while Hada Ryuhiko struggled to find a way to apologize.
• Hada Anna turned around, told Hada Ryuhiko not to upset her again, and demanded that he answer her questions; he promised to behave.
• Hada Ryuhiko explained that the Kusagakure Genin would wake after two days without lasting harm because he had poisoned their soup with a temporary anesthetic.
• Hada Ryuhiko showed Hada Anna a bottle of pale green liquid and said it would react with the grass she had found to produce an impressive result, distracting her from her anger.
• A white-haired man arrived outside Konoha's gates, thanked someone who had been watching from the shadows, and looked toward the Death Forest.

Hada Ryuhiko concealed the unconscious Kusagakure group inside a carefully trapped, camouflaged hollow in a giant tree in the Death Forest. As he finished hiding the entrance, Hada Anna asked why he had left lights inside, and he said they were for the group’s safety after waking.

• Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Anna reattached the bark over the hidden entrance and disguised the cuts with matching paint.
• Hada Ryuhiko explained that he had concealed the Kusagakure group in a lower chamber beneath an empty, trap-filled hollow.
• Hada Ryuhiko described how the camouflage and traps would deter searchers until the Chunin Exams ended.
• Hada Anna asked why Hada Ryuhiko had placed glowing lights inside the hollow.
• Hada Ryuhiko said the lights were meant to keep the Kusagakure group safe after they woke, leaving Hada Anna puzzled.

Hada Ryuhiko explained why he had lit the lamps and left instructions for the unconscious exam participants, while Hada Anna worried that they would be angry about being prevented from advancing. He reminded her of what they had heard that night, leaving their past conversation unresolved.

• Hada Ryuhiko explained that the lamps and letter would help the other participants wake safely, understand their surroundings, and find a way out.
• Hada Anna asked whether stopping the other teams from advancing would cost them delicious food, and Hada Ryuhiko said their own team could pass the third exam and attract enough attention.
• Hada Anna said she wanted everyone to pass together, but Hada Ryuhiko asked whether she wanted them to risk dying, and she shook her head.
• Hada Ryuhiko asked Hada Anna whether she still remembered what they had heard that night.

Hada Ryuhiko explained to Hada Anna that he had poisoned their companions to prevent casualties during the dangerous second exam and protect Anna from having to cover a retreat. He planned to head toward Central Tower, leaving the fate of the distant teams uncertain.

• Hada Anna remembered overhearing that the second exam would result in casualties, and Hada Ryuhiko explained that avoiding those losses was why he had poisoned their companions.
• Hada Ryuhiko described his plan to send the Earth Scroll back to Hada Ichiba, draw attention away, and gather as many teams as possible while seeking a safer alternative.
• Hada Ryuhiko admitted that the two distant teams might be impossible to reach, and Hada Anna worried about their safety.
• Hada Ryuhiko decided that he and Hada Anna would head toward Central Tower and try to meet up with Kazuha.

Jiraiya investigated a colossal bramble formation and immense destruction in the Death Forest, concluding that an outsider with extraordinary power had infiltrated Konoha during the Chunin Exams. He left the scene suspecting the attack was a deliberate provocation against the village.

• Jiraiya split from the Anbu escort to investigate an anomaly in the Death Forest during the Chunin Exams.
• Jiraiya found a huge, unnatural bramble thicket and deduced that a suicidal jutsu had been cast from its center, where the caster and possibly the target remained trapped.
• Jiraiya discovered ancient trees flattened and scorched across hundreds of meters, signs of a single jutsu with power beyond ordinary ninjutsu.
• Jiraiya wondered who had infiltrated Konoha and concluded that using such power during the Chunin Exams could be a show of force or a provocation.

Jiraiya discovered signs of an S-Rank battle and recognized the Wood Release as a possible trace of Uchiha Nobuhiko, so he hurried to report to his teacher. Hada Ichiba, who had hidden nearby, escaped to the Central Tower while Konoha was left to interpret the scene.

• Jiraiya concluded that an S-Rank-level battle at the Chunin Exams could provoke Konoha and risk starting a war.
• Jiraiya recognized the thorny flower as Wood Release and suspected Uchiha Nobuhiko was involved.
• Jiraiya left immediately to report his discovery to his teacher at the Hokage Building.
• Hada Ichiba emerged from hiding after Jiraiya departed and reflected that using ninjutsu had been necessary to survive.
• Hada Ichiba headed for the Central Tower and arrived without incident.

Hada Ichiba waited alone at the Central Tower on the final day of the exam, while the other surviving teams watched from hiding and avoided provoking him. Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Anna eventually arrived, allowing the team to proceed toward the tower.

• Hada Ichiba waited outside the sealed Central Tower after spending the previous day there.
• Hada Ichiba put away the Heaven and Earth Scrolls he had been using to bait other teams.
• Hada Ichiba realized the teams gathered nearby were too wary of him to attack or approach the tower first.
• Hada Ichiba considered delaying entry to provoke the other teams but decided to wait for Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Anna.
• Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Anna arrived behind Hada Ichiba.

Hada Ichiba reunited with Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Anna outside the Central Tower, where the three entered after confirming they were the only Kusagakure group still able to continue. Inside, Hada Ichiba praised Long Yan and asked about A'ju and the Bearded Man, leaving Hada Ryuhiko wondering whether Ichiba had seen through him.

• Hada Ichiba greeted Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Anna, who both snubbed him for failing to keep their meeting.
• Hada Ichiba explained that the other Kusagakure teams had withdrawn after members were badly injured.
• Hada Ichiba urged the two children to enter the Central Tower, and they agreed despite snorting at him.
• Hada Ichiba, Hada Ryuhiko, and Hada Anna entered the Central Tower and shut the doors behind them.
• Hada Ichiba praised Long Yan and asked whether A'ju and the Bearded Man were the ones involved.

Ichiba tested Ryuhiko and confirmed that he had secretly dealt with the Bearded Man and A'ju's teams. Ichiba declared the exam passed, and as he and the children left, an unseen voice reassured a Konoha shinobi that Uzumaki Naruto would arrive soon.

• Ichiba deliberately mentioned the Bearded Man and Sister A'ju to test Ryuhiko, who realized he had been caught and angrily turned away.
• Ichiba deduced that Ryuhiko had poisoned and hidden the two teams, and told him that he had grown stronger.
• Ichiba opened the Heaven and Earth scrolls, summoning a Konoha shinobi who confirmed that they had passed the exam.
• Ichiba, Ryuhiko, and Anna left through a hidden door, while the Konoha shinobi worried about Uzumaki Naruto.
• An unseen voice told the Konoha shinobi that Uzumaki Naruto would arrive soon, then the hidden door closed.

The Third Hokage inspected a woodenized body excavated from the Death Forest after Jiraiya reported signs of Uchiha Nobuhiko’s Wood Release. The body’s identity and village were unknown, leaving the Third Hokage to ask what else the corpse could reveal.

• The Third Hokage visited the Konoha Intelligence Office’s underground chamber to inspect the object excavated from the Death Forest.
• The Third Hokage recognized that the woodenized body was not Uchiha Nobuhiko, though it was connected to the Wood Release signs Jiraiya had reported.
• The intelligence ninja said the body matched no Chunin Exam participant and had no information identifying its village.
• The Third Hokage considered the possibility that an unknown S-rank infiltrator had entered Konoha and asked how much information the corpse could provide.

The Third Hokage examined a corpse completely transformed into wood and concluded that it pointed to Orochimaru’s continued Wood Release experiments. He left the investigation focused on another crucial lead: the person who had defeated the wood style user.

• The intelligence ninja told the Third Hokage that they could obtain almost no useful information from the corpse.
• The Third Hokage suspected Orochimaru had resumed his Wood Release experiments and feared the scale of the force he might command.
• The intelligence ninja explained that every cell in the corpse had turned to wood, leaving no conventional biological evidence to analyze.
• The Third Hokage blamed his past hesitation for Orochimaru’s defection and the suffering that followed.
• The Third Hokage changed the subject and asked about the person who had fought the wood style user.

The Third Hokage and Jiraiya realized Konoha had focused on the dead Wood Release user and overlooked the still-living opponent who defeated him. Jiraiya took charge of finding that opponent, with the intelligence division ordered to cooperate.

• The Third Hokage recognized that the intelligence division had neglected the person who fought the corpse, and the intelligence ninja apologized for the oversight.
• The Third Hokage accepted responsibility for overloading the intelligence division during the Chunin Exams and judged the living opponent to be the greater threat.
• Jiraiya reported that the opponent possessed S-rank-level ninjutsu and was still alive, but he had no further confirmed information.
• Jiraiya asked for the Chunin Exams intelligence so he could find the opponent, and the Third Hokage assigned the intelligence division to assist him.
• The Third Hokage left to continue overseeing the Chunin Exams.

After Anko reported her encounter with Orochimaru in the Death Forest, the Third Hokage revealed that he knew Orochimaru had targeted Sasuke. With the Chunin Exams’ second stage over and politics preventing him from investigating directly, he ordered the exams to continue while Konoha watched Orochimaru’s movements.

• Anko told the Third Hokage that her curse mark was almost better, though it still caused her severe pain.
• Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane wondered why Orochimaru had appeared in the Death Forest, and Anko suspected he had come for Sasuke.
• The Third Hokage confirmed that Orochimaru had contacted Team 7 and that Sasuke was his target.
• A communicator announced that twenty-seven candidates had passed the second exam and that the third exam would use a format unseen in five years.
• The Third Hokage ordered the exams to proceed as planned while Konoha observed Orochimaru’s movements.