Chapter Summaries

Hada Ichiba took his turn in the arena as the gathered ninja watched, while Kakashi assessed Hada Anna’s apparent knowledge of Cursed Seals and grew alarmed about Kusagakure’s strength. The chapter ended with Ichiba noticing that one person was missing.

• Hada Ichiba calmly left the stands and entered the arena as Anna cheered him on and Long Yan insulted him.
• Naruto and Sakura watched eagerly, curious about Ichiba’s strength, while Kakashi reflected on how much Ichiba resembled Chiba.
• Kakashi suspected Anna had experience with Cursed Seals and might bear one herself, based on her understanding of Sasuke’s condition and the sealing process.
• Kakashi concluded that Kusagakure’s strength could threaten the balance between villages and decided to report his concerns to the Third Hokage.
• After taking his position, Hada Ichiba furrowed his brow and noticed that someone was missing.

Hada Ichiba realized that Kusada Kakeru, the missing Hidden Rain ninja in the conical hat, was absent from the arena and suspected the disappearance was tied to Orochimaru. As Gekko Hayate prepared to declare Kusada’s forfeit, one of the two remaining Hidden Rain ninja jumped down and headed straight for him.

• Hada Ichiba noticed that the Hidden Rain man in the conical hat had vanished and suspected he might be Kusada Kakeru, his opponent.
• Gekko Hayate called for Kusada Kakeru to enter the arena, but Kusada did not appear and the spectators assumed he had fled.
• Gekko Hayate found Kusada Kakeru’s records identifying him as a capable ninja from Amegakure and gave the remaining Hidden Rain ninja one minute before declaring a forfeit.
• Anko Mitarashi warned the Third Hokage that Kusada’s disappearance might be connected to Orochimaru, and the Third Hokage said he had sent people to investigate.
• The two remaining Hidden Rain ninja agreed on a plan, and one leaped from the second floor toward Gekko Hayate.

Hada Ichiba won his preliminary match when Kusada Kakeru withdrew for supposed health reasons, leaving him to question Orochimaru’s motives. He realized Orochimaru may have preserved the substitute for a coming plan involving Sunagakure, though another possible motive also occurred to him.

• A Hidden Rain ninja whispered to Gekko Hayate, then apologized to Hada Ichiba and went upstairs.
• Gekko Hayate announced that Kusada Kakeru had withdrawn for personal health reasons, making Hada Ichiba the winner.
• Hada Ichiba reasoned that the withdrawal was likely an excuse because Orochimaru’s substitute should not have become ill.
• Hada Ichiba concluded Orochimaru no longer needed the substitute to test his identity or strength and may be preserving it for the plan with Sunagakure.
• Hada Anna congratulated Hada Ichiba on his easy win, while Hada Ryuhiko called it dumb luck, and Hada Ichiba agreed he had been lucky.

Hada Ichiba felt relieved that Kusada Kakeru had forfeited, since fighting his stand-in could have drained his Chakra and exposed his abilities. He reprimanded Hada Anna for interfering in Konoha’s internal affairs, leaving her in tears.

• Hada Ichiba considered how fighting Kusada Kakeru’s stand-in could have jeopardized his Chakra reserves and plans for Konoha.
• Hada Ichiba told Hada Anna that she had acted impulsively by interfering in Konoha’s internal affairs.
• Hada Ryuhiko stepped in to defend Hada Anna and threatened Hada Ichiba for upsetting her.
• Hada Anna apologized to Hada Ichiba, then burst into tears.

Hada Ichiba tried to warn Hada Anna about the danger of interfering in Konoha’s affairs, but she burst into tears, drawing the attention of the Chunin Exam crowd and the Third Hokage. Kakashi then offered to report on Anna.

• Hada Anna pleaded with Hada Ichiba not to lock her in a dark room or stop her from eating, and Ichiba was startled by her tears.
• Hada Ichiba reflected that Anna’s intervention in Konoha’s internal affairs could make the great ninja villages see Kusagakure and the Hada Clan as threats.
• The gathered spectators turned their attention to Anna’s crying, while Gaara and others were surprised to see her act like an ordinary child.
• The Third Hokage asked about the crying girl, and Anko Mitarashi identified her as Hada Anna.
• Kakashi appeared behind the Third Hokage and Anko and offered to give a report on Hada Anna.

After Kakashi reported Orochimaru’s attack and apparent interest in Second Pillar’s Sharingan, the Third Hokage confirmed Sasuke’s protection but recognized Konoha lacked the manpower to pursue Orochimaru. With the Fourth Kazekage due to arrive and the Chunin Exams underway, the village could only prepare defensively.

• Kakashi told the Third Hokage that Orochimaru had seemed extremely eager to obtain Second Pillar.
• The Third Hokage suspected Orochimaru had come for Second Pillar’s Sharingan after losing to Uchiha Itachi.
• Kakashi reported that Anbu Squad Six guarded Sasuke around the clock and Anbu Squad Fourteen watched over him with Barriers and Sealing Jutsu.
• The Third Hokage praised Kakashi’s deployment and reflected on Yukina’s contributions to Konoha’s specialized squads.
• Anko Mitarashi and a voice from the shadows confirmed that Konoha could not handle the added burden of pursuing Orochimaru.
• The Third Hokage concluded that Konoha could only focus on prevention while preparing for the Fourth Kazekage’s arrival and the Chunin Exams.

The Third Hokage reflected on the worsening political and military pressure around Konoha and accepted that holding the Chunin Exams was necessary to deter other villages and strengthen Konoha. He regretted failing to protect the children of Chiba’s generation, then turned his attention back to the ongoing matches.

• The Third Hokage learned that covert threats and tougher treaties from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure made holding the Chunin Exams unavoidable.
• The Third Hokage considered how the exams could display Konoha’s strength, train its shinobi, and win the cooperation of nearby small villages.
• The Third Hokage recalled Chiba’s support for the exams and worried that Konoha might not hold them perfectly without him.
• The Third Hokage thought of Kushina’s students, including Shiga Takeyoshi, and regretted that he had not protected them properly.
• Gekko Hayate called for the next match after the little girl’s crying drew everyone’s attention.

The next Chunin Exam match was announced as Ikeda Ichiro versus Hada Anna, while the Third Hokage grew increasingly suspicious of Kusagakure’s motives. The chapter left the arena focused on the upcoming fight.

• Hada Anna abruptly stopped crying and watched the screen, leaving Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Ichiba awkwardly frozen.
• The Third Hokage studied the Kusagakure team and questioned why three Hada Clan members, including the powerful Hada Ichiba, had entered the exams together.
• The Third Hokage considered whether Kusagakure was being coerced or pursuing its own plan and regarded it as a serious hidden danger to Konoha.
• The screen revealed the next match: Ikeda Ichiro versus Hada Anna.

Hada Anna entered the Chunin Exams arena, eager to fight despite having just cried. Kakashi said she might be stronger than Sasuke, while Naruto and Sakura doubted him as they watched her await her opponent.

• Anna said that if she beat Mizuta Ichiji, Kazuha could not lock her in a dark room or deny her food, then skipped downstairs toward the arena.
• Hada Ryuhiko put away his jars and silently hoped Anna would win safely or at least avoid a painful defeat.
• Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto watched Anna enter the fighting ground, while Kakashi told them she might be stronger than Sasuke.
• Naruto and Sakura doubted Kakashi because Anna's loose stance seemed full of openings, but Kakashi watched her seriously and waited to see her true strength.

Hada Anna waited eagerly in the arena for her opponent, while Gaara watched her with an unfamiliar sense of unease and confusion. Her opponent, Ikeda Ichiro of Amegakure, arrived, and Hada Ichiba relaxed after judging him to be an ordinary elite Genin.

• Hada Anna looked around the arena, eager to fight and hoping a win would spare her punishment.
• Gaara felt inexplicable pressure and unease as he watched Anna, unable to reconcile his instincts with her innocent appearance.
• Kankuro and Temari noticed Gaara's unusual look of confusion as he focused on Anna.
• Hada Ichiba spotted Ikeda Ichiro coming down to face Anna and recognized him as another Amegakure participant.
• Hada Ichiba judged Ikeda Ichiro to be an ordinary elite Genin and felt reassured about Anna's match.

Ikeda Ichiro faced Hada Anna in the Chunin Exams, and the spectators doubted he could reveal her true strength. Ikeda knew from her earlier performance that he was badly outmatched and focused on surviving the fight.

• Ikeda Ichiro walked down to face Hada Anna, drawing the spectators’ attention and disappointment.
• Kakashi judged Ikeda to be a capable but inadequate opponent for testing Hada Anna’s strength.
• Gaara and other spectators also doubted that Ikeda could challenge Hada Anna, despite their curiosity about her and the Hada Clan.
• Ikeda recalled intelligence about Hada Anna’s power and resolved to survive rather than pursue victory.
• Gekko Hayate raised his hand and began the match preparations.

Hada Anna stopped the match just before it began, making everyone think she was about to forfeit. Instead, she admitted she had forgotten the rules, leaving the venue stunned.

• Gekko Hayate prepared to start Hada Anna's match against Ikeda Ichiro, but Hada Anna called for a halt.
• Hada Ichiba and Hada Ryuhiko recognized Hada Anna's unusually serious expression and feared what she might do.
• Gekko Hayate asked whether Hada Anna intended to forfeit, while the spectators grew convinced she was about to surrender.
• Hada Anna raised her hand and asked what the rules were, then tapped her head, stuck out her tongue, and struck a cute pose.

Hada Anna stopped the preliminary match to ask about its rules, revealing that she had not listened to Gekko Hayate’s earlier explanation. After he reassured her and prepared to start the match, she interrupted again to ask whether she could use her full strength.

• Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Ichiba recognized that Hada Anna had forgotten something, while the spectators reacted with surprise at her asking about the rules.
• Kakashi, Gaara, and the rookie genin questioned Hada Anna’s competence after learning she had not listened to the earlier explanation.
• Gekko Hayate restated that there were no rules for the match, but he would intervene to prevent unnecessary casualties.
• Hada Anna asked whether she could use her full strength, leaving Gekko Hayate and the arena spectators stunned.

Hada Anna asked whether she could use her full strength against Ikeda Ichiro, unsettling the spectators with a remark that sounded like an insult to the other competitors. After Gekko Hayate told her to follow the rules, Anna said she would not use her full strength, leaving everyone shocked.

• Hada Anna asked if she could use her full strength, prompting the spectators to wonder whether she was naive or arrogant.
• The spectators considered how her words might offend the other competitors and cause political trouble, but Hada Ichiba, Hada Ryuhiko, and Amegakure showed no reaction.
• Ikeda Ichiro sensed the danger and privately hoped that Hada Anna would not use her full strength.
• Gekko Hayate told Hada Anna that she could act as she judged fit as long as she followed the rules, and that he would intervene if needed.
• Hada Anna said she would not use her full strength, shocking the spectators.

Hada Anna entered her preliminary match against Ikeda Ichiro, and her casual remark that she would not need to go all out stirred the crowd. When Gekko Hayate started the fight, Anna made a sudden move that left the arena and spectators stunned.

• Hada Anna said she would not need to go all out, prompting spectators to interpret her words as disrespect toward Konoha and Gekko Hayate.
• Ikeda Ichiro feared Anna's strength and inwardly cursed the people expecting him to push her to use her full power.
• Gekko Hayate considered Kusagakure's preparations and decided that Anna's strength would speak for itself in the preliminary match.
• Gekko Hayate announced the start of the match, and Hada Anna struck the ground with a thunderous step that stunned everyone.
• Ikeda Ichiro stared at Hada Anna, turned bluish with fear, and swallowed nervously.

Hada Anna’s stance and the damage caused by her single step stunned the Chunin Exam spectators, who realized that Kusagakure had produced a fighter with terrifying strength. The chapter left Konoha’s onlookers questioning whether Kusagakure could no longer be dismissed as a minor village.

• Hada Anna’s display shocked Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Kakashi, and the other spectators.
• Gekko Hayate remained frozen after announcing the match and stared at Hada Anna in disbelief.
• Kakashi wondered whether Hada Ryuhiko possessed strength comparable to Hada Ichiba and Anna.
• Hada Anna shifted into a flawless fighting stance, replacing her carefree expression with fierce concentration.
• Hada Anna’s forward step crushed the ground into a deepening depression, proving that she had the strength to back up her claim that she would not use her full power.

Anna’s display of strength alarmed Hada Ichiba and Hada Ryuhiko, who feared it would undermine Kusagakure’s efforts to secure aid from Konoha. In the arena, Anna charged at Ikeda Ichiro, and the chapter ended as a cry came from the dust cloud hiding them.

• Hada Ichiba confronted Hada Ryuhiko about Anna revealing her strength, and Ryuhiko defended her determination to help their village.
• Hada Ichiba and Hada Ryuhiko worried that Anna and Hada Ichiba’s power would make the great shinobi villages see Kusagakure as a threat.
• Hada Ichiba and Hada Ryuhiko watched the Third Hokage for a reaction but could read nothing from his expression.
• Ikeda Ichiro feared Anna’s attack would kill him as cracks spread across the arena floor.
• Anna charged through a burst of dust and smoke, and a clear cry suddenly sounded from within it.

Hada Anna’s frightening attack ended when she tripped over a stone kicked up by her own strike and fell flat on the ground. Her fall stunned the spectators, then turned the tense preliminary match into a wave of laughter.

• Hada Anna’s charge through the dust ended in a fall after she caught her foot on a stone she had dislodged.
• Ikeda Ichiro realized Anna had tripped and felt his fear and tension disappear.
• Kakashi, Gekko Hayate, Hada Ichiba, and Hada Ryuhiko stared in stunned embarrassment.
• The spectators began snickering, and even the old man lowered his pipe to cough and hide his reaction.

Hada Anna fell during the exam and mistook the accident for a trap set by Ikeda Ichiro, while the Third Hokage and his advisers debated how to handle Kusagakure. The chapter ended as another blast erupted from the cracked ground.

• Hada Anna got up after falling and searched for what had caused her to trip.
• Anko Mitarashi and Ibiki Morino urged the Third Hokage to decide Konoha’s stance toward Kusagakure, but he chose to keep watching.
• Hada Anna suddenly accused Ikeda Ichiro of setting a trap and announced she would use her full strength.
• A muffled blast erupted from the cracked ground, sending dust and smoke upward again.

Hada Anna overwhelmed Ikeda Ichiro with her speed and a powerful taijutsu kick, while the exam spectators watched closely. Just before her kick struck his face, it suddenly turned upward, leaving the outcome unclear.

• The spectators focused on the dust cloud, expecting Hada Anna to defeat Ikeda Ichiro in an instant.
• Ikeda Ichiro froze in terror, unable to track Hada Anna or evade her attack.
• Hada Anna appeared behind Ikeda Ichiro and launched a forceful side kick toward his face.
• Neji Hyuga saw Hada Anna's chakra surge and recognized that her kick rivaled Rock Lee's taijutsu power.
• Hada Anna's foot suddenly kicked upward before it hit Ikeda Ichiro's face.