Chapter Summaries

Yukina faced Kinoi Kento in the third match of the second Chunin Exam test, where his hidden swordsmanship surprised the crowd. She dodged his attack with the Byakugan and defeated him with Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms, leaving the arena stunned.

• Chiba and Hirohiko discussed Kinoi Kento’s ordinary showing in the first test as Yukina went down to the arena.
• The examinees mocked Kinoi Kento and his teammates, while Chiba noticed Shiga Takeyoshi remained calm and confident in Kinoi Kento.
• The Third Hokage and the Sannin arrived, and Minato Namikaze started the match between Yukina and Kinoi Kento.
• Kinoi Kento rushed Yukina and used Sparrow Flash, but she read his movement with the Byakugan and blocked his sword wrist after narrowly evading the strike.
• Yukina countered with Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms, sent Kinoi Kento flying, and left the arena silent.

Hyuga Yukina defeated Kinoi Kento but left the match with a minor hand wound and lingering chest pain. The next match was set between Shirakawa Izumi and Mizutani Rin, who returned from the medical room despite a concussion and was allowed to compete.

• Minato Namikaze declared Hyuga Yukina the winner after Kinoi Kento passed out, and Yukina noticed a cut on her hand and a faint pain in her chest.
• Minato Namikaze suspected Kinoi Kento had nearly mastered Sparrow Flash, while Chiba wondered how much Shiga Takeyoshi knew about Yukina's strength.
• The draw selected Shirakawa Izumi and Mizutani Rin, and Minato Namikaze prepared to award Izumi the match because Rin was still recovering from Chiba's earlier attack.
• Mizutani Rin ran into the arena despite the Medical Ninjas' warnings about his mild concussion, and Minato Namikaze allowed the fourth match to proceed.

Shirakawa Izumi defeated an already weakened Mizutani Rin in the fourth match of the Chunin Exams. The draw for the fifth match paired Hyuga Yukyō with Taki Chiba, setting up their long-awaited confrontation.

• Shirakawa Izumi blocked Mizutani Rin's water attacks with a Water Wall, then used explosive-tag kunai to defeat him.
• Minato Namikaze declared Shirakawa Izumi the winner, and the medical team carried Mizutani Rin to the infirmary.
• Chiba discussed the exam's rules and the need to conserve strength and judge opponents calmly with Yukina and Hirohiko.
• The fifth-match draw selected Hyuga Yukyō, who exchanged hostile looks with Chiba while they awaited his opponent.
• The draw selected Taki Chiba as Hyuga Yukyō's opponent, drawing excited reactions from the examinees.

Chiba and Hyuga Yukyō began their Chunin Exam match, with Chiba unleashing his Gate of Life and using ninjutsu and feints to set up a powerful strike. The chapter ended as Yukyō activated a spinning blue barrier to defend against Chiba’s Monster Strength punch.

• Hyuga Shinsuke arrived to watch the match, and the Third Hokage assigned two Anbu to guard him.
• Minato Namikaze started the match, and Hyuga Yukyō activated his Byakugan as the fighters took their stances.
• Chiba opened the first three Eight Gates and fired a Water Bullet Technique at Yukyō.
• Yukyō dodged the water bullets and countered Chiba’s attacks, while Chiba used an Earth Wall and a Shadow Clone to conceal his plan.
• Chiba broke through the wall with a Monster Strength punch, and Yukyō spun up a blue barrier to block it.

Taki Chiba’s clever combination of ninjutsu and taijutsu impressed the crowd, but Hyuga Yukyō stopped his assault with Rotation and pressed the fight with lethal intent. Chiba countered Yukyō’s next attacks, but an Exploding Tag at his feet left him in immediate danger.

• Hyuga Yukyō used Rotation to deflect Chiba’s attack and send him flying, astonishing the spectators and revealing that he had mastered the Hyuga technique.
• Chiba rose with superficial injuries and a badly scraped right hand while Yukyō resolved to kill him before Minato could intervene.
• Yukyō took a Gentle Fist stance, but Chiba broke his charge with Earth Style: Earth Pit Technique and followed with a Water Wave.
• Yukyō dodged the wave and struck at Chiba with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, but Chiba sidestepped and fired three Water Arrows at him.
• Yukyō destroyed the water arrows with kunai, and Chiba retreated as an Exploding Tag on one kunai began to burn at his feet.

Chiba fought Hyuga Yukyō in the Chunin Exams, using a series of unexpected techniques to outmaneuver him. The chapter ended with Chiba trapping Hyuga Yukyō inside a Water Prison Technique.

• Chiba used Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, but Hyuga Yukyō deflected the attack with Rotation.
• Chiba struck Hyuga Yukyō with Shadow Dance Leaf and launched him into the air with a follow-up kick.
• Chiba grabbed Hyuga Yukyō and hurled him into a water-filled pit, where the water cushioned his fall.
• Chiba gathered the scattered water around Hyuga Yukyō and trapped him in a Water Prison Technique.

Taki Chiba trapped Hyuga Yukyō in a Water Prison after outmaneuvering him, but Yukyō broke free and struck Chiba with Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms. Chiba’s apparent defeat proved to be a Substitution Technique, and he launched a kunai attack at Yukyō from behind.

• Taki Chiba’s plan to gather water in the pit let him trap Hyuga Yukyō in a Water Prison, impressing the spectators with his tactics.
• Might Guy doubted that he could surpass Chiba and Kakashi, and Might Duy encouraged him to keep working hard.
• Chiba decided to attack Yukyō with a Water Arrow Technique, but Yukyō found the Water Prison’s weakness and broke it.
• Yukyō struck Chiba with Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms, sending him flying as Kushina Uzumaki cried out and Minato Namikaze rushed to intervene.
• Chiba’s body vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing a log, while the real Chiba attacked Yukyō from behind with a kunai.

Minato Namikaze stopped Chiba and Hyuga Yukyō from killing each other and said their conflict involved classified information. The Third Hokage ordered Anbu to take them away and promised to explain the matter, while the Chunin Exams continued without an announced result.

• Minato Namikaze seized Chiba's wrist and Hyuga Yukyō's hand, stopping their attacks, and the exhausted Chiba dropped his kunai.
• Minato Namikaze told Chiba and Hyuga Yukyō that the matter was classified and asked them to wait until the exams ended for an explanation, but both demanded answers immediately.
• Two Anbu Ninja arrived on the Third Hokage's orders and escorted Chiba and Hyuga Yukyō away for a personal explanation.
• Yukina worried about Chiba, while Hirohiko reassured her that Chiba had not cheated.
• The giant screen resumed moving, and Hyuga Shinsuke and Kushina Uzumaki headed toward the Third Hokage as the Third Hokage left for the Hokage's Office.

The Third Hokage and Hyuga Shinsuke revealed that Taki Shinya had been framed as a traitor after secretly sacrificing himself to protect Konoha and his companions. Chiba learned that Hyuga Sara had died protecting Shinya, while Hyuga Yukyō’s hatred had grown from a false account of his father’s death.

• The Third Hokage told Hyuga Yukyō that Taki Shinya had not killed Hyuga Sara, and Hyuga Shinsuke revealed that Sara and Shinya had both died protecting him.
• Hyuga Shinsuke explained that he had lost Konoha’s Defense Map, and Sara and Shinya recovered it before enemy ninja attacked them.
• The Third Hokage revealed that Shinya had pretended to defect so he could draw in the Iwa-nin after Konoha’s Eight Gates scroll was stolen.
• The Third Hokage and Hyuga Shinsuke explained that Shinya died with the village still believing him to be a traitor, honoring his final wish to protect Shinsuke and Konoha.
• Chiba reflected that Taki Shinya had been a great ninja who had inherited the Fire of Will.

After learning that his father, Taki Shinya, had been a village hero rather than a criminal, Chiba saw Snow Eagle abandon his hatred and ask Hyuga Shinsuke to tell him about his father. Kushina Uzumaki wanted to clear Chiba’s name, but Chiba asked her to let his father’s sacrifice remain undisturbed and returned his attention to the Chunin Exams.

• The Third Hokage explained that Taki Shinya and Sara had protected the village, and Snow Eagle realized that Chiba was not his enemy.
• Hyuga Shinsuke apologized to Snow Eagle and Chiba, while Chiba understood why Shinsuke had welcomed him into his home.
• Snow Eagle apologized to Chiba and asked Hyuga Shinsuke to tell him about his father after the Chunin Exams.
• Kushina Uzumaki said Chiba’s rumors should be dispelled, but Chiba stopped her from confronting the Third Hokage and said he was living well.
• Chiba reminded Kushina Uzumaki that the Chunin Exams were ongoing and asked her not to forget their promised barbecue.

Chiba and Hyuga Yukyō learned the truth behind their conflict and returned to the Chunin Exams after agreeing to keep Taki Shinya’s story confidential. Their hostility had eased, though Chiba still did not want to become friends with Yukyō, and the chapter ended with Shiga Takeyoshi winning his match.

• Chiba, Kushina Uzumaki, Hyuga Shinsuke, and Hyuga Yukyō left the Hokage's Office after agreeing to keep Taki Shinya’s story secret.
• Hyuga Yukyō told Hyuga Shinsuke he could not become close friends with Chiba, and Shinsuke accepted that while urging him to pass the Chunin Exams.
• Kushina Uzumaki knocked Chiba on the head at the training ground and warned him to pass the exams, while Hyuga Shinsuke left.
• Chiba and Hyuga Yukyō returned to the examinee stands, where they separated without the killing intent they had felt before.
• Yukina and Hirohiko checked on Chiba, and he reassured them that everything was fine before returning Hirohiko’s Ninja Tool Pouch.
• Shiga Takeyoshi defeated his opponent with a precise kick to a vital point, and Minato Namikaze announced his victory.

Chiba worried about Kinoi Kento and Shiga Takeyoshi, then recovered some stamina after eating Yukina’s rice balls. Kinoi defeated Okita Goro with a swift sword strike, and the next match paired Chiba against Hirohiko.

• Chiba learned that Shiga Takeyoshi had won three matches and secured advancement, while Kinoi Kento had lost one point.
• Chiba admitted he was hungry, and Yukina gave him two large rice balls filled with meat after he rejected Hirohiko’s Ration Ball.
• Kinoi Kento defeated Okita Goro instantly and left the arena after declaring that he was stronger than his opponent.
• The giant screen selected Hirohiko and Chiba for the next match, leaving both of them and Yukina stunned.

Taki Chiba and Uchiha Hirohiko fought in the Chunin Exams, revealing the speed, strength, and skill of both young shinobi. The match ended with them facing off again, each still ready to continue.

• The examinees and spectators debated whether Uchiha Hirohiko or Taki Chiba would win, while Kushina Uzumaki grew angry at the villagers' slander of Chiba.
• Minato Namikaze announced the match, and Hirohiko opened with Shadow Dance Leaf, a powerful kick, and the Great Fireball Technique.
• Chiba countered Hirohiko's attacks with taijutsu, then used substitutions and a rising kick to launch Hirohiko into the ground.
• Chiba dodged Hirohiko's shuriken and exposed that the Hirohiko he had struck was a Shadow Clone.
• The crowd marveled at the fight as Chiba and Hirohiko faced off again, and Minato Namikaze realized Hirohiko was the opponent Kushina Uzumaki had meant.

Chiba struggled against Hirohiko’s taijutsu and tactics, but Hirohiko cornered him with a combined Fire and Wind Release attack. The flaming gale swallowed Chiba, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Chiba assessed that Hirohiko had neutralized the water that could strengthen his Water Release and prepared for his next attack.
• Hirohiko threw eight shuriken, copied Chiba’s Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, and used the resulting distraction to strike Chiba with trick shuriken.
• Chiba raised an Earth Wall, but it collapsed to reveal two Hirohikos forming different sets of hand seals.
• Hirohiko combined Fire Release and Wind Release into an Exploding Wind Assault that swept toward Chiba.
• Kushina Uzumaki worried that the attack would endanger Chiba, but the flaming pillar swallowed him.

Taki Chiba and Uchiha Hirohiko traded hidden attacks after Hirohiko’s Combined Ninjutsu filled the arena with flames. Both survived the exchange and emerged exhausted, with neither having secured victory.

• Hirohiko’s Combined Ninjutsu engulfed the arena in flames, leading spectators to fear that Chiba had died.
• Chiba attacked Hirohiko from above while using the Headhunter Jutsu underground, but Hirohiko’s two Shadow Clones had concealed his real body.
• Hirohiko struck Chiba’s aerial Shadow Clone with shuriken, and Chiba’s underground attack failed to catch Hirohiko’s real body.
• Chiba and Hirohiko emerged from the smoke, each realizing the other had anticipated their tactics.

Taki Chiba and Uchiha Hirohiko exhausted their Chakra while matching each other’s tactics, and they chose to settle the fight in close combat. After their first exchange left them both dizzy, each reached behind their back and prepared to use something that could decide the match.

• The examinees and spectators wondered how Taki Chiba had avoided Hirohiko’s combined Fire Style attack, while Kushina Uzumaki recognized that Chiba had used a shadow clone and hidden his real body with the Headhunter Jutsu.
• Kushina reflected that Hirohiko’s Sharingan, Fire Style, Wind Style, and taijutsu made him as dangerous an opponent as Chiba.
• Chiba’s Gate of Life Mode shut down, leaving him with about half a Genin’s Chakra, while Hirohiko realized he had enough Chakra for only one more jutsu.
• Chiba and Hirohiko understood each other’s intention and rushed into close combat, clashing kunai, fists, and finally their foreheads.
• Both fighters sprang apart, dizzy, and reached behind their backs as Hirohiko prepared to use a technique carefully enough to avoid causing a serious accident.

Hirohiko trapped Chiba with the Sharingan: Windmill Technique and struck him with a weakened Dragon Fire Technique, seemingly winning their match. Chiba survived by opening the Fourth Gate and knocked Hirohiko unconscious with a single blow.

• Hirohiko used the Sharingan: Windmill Technique to bind Chiba with steel wires and prevent him from forming hand seals.
• Hirohiko sent the Dragon Fire Technique along the wires, and the spectators and officials believed Chiba had lost.
• Chiba's immense Chakra burst out, breaking the wires and scattering the flames as he opened the Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain.
• Chiba charged Hirohiko and sent him crashing through a tree into the First Training Ground wall.
• Hirohiko acknowledged Chiba's hidden trump card before fainting in the crater.

Taki Chiba defeated Uchiha Hirohiko by opening the Eight Gates, but the strain left him badly injured and unconscious. As Chiba and Hirohiko were treated in the infirmary, Yukina prepared to return to the exams and earn the points they could no longer win.

• Chiba closed the Gate of Pain after realizing the Eight Gates had torn the muscles in his right arm and damaged his body.
• Minato Namikaze declared Chiba the winner, and Chiba collapsed unconscious; Medical Ninja carried him and Hirohiko to the infirmary.
• Yukina hurried after the stretchers, encouraged Hyuga Yukyō to do well in his upcoming examination, and joined Kushina Uzumaki at the infirmary.
• The Third Hokage and the Sannin suspected Chiba had obtained the stolen Eight Gates scroll, but agreed to discuss it after the exams.
• Yuriko told Kushina that Chiba and Hirohiko could be healed but would miss the rest of the day's exam, and Yukina promised to earn three points.

Chiba woke in the infirmary and learned that Yukina’s three points had revived Hirohiko, allowing all three of them to advance. After Kushina Uzumaki scolded Chiba and Hirohiko for exhausting themselves in battle, she left to get food, and the team settled in to play cards while recovering.

• Chiba woke at dusk and learned from Hirohiko that Yukina had earned three points, revived him, and secured all three teammates’ advancement.
• Chiba and Hirohiko discussed how Chiba had used Hirohiko’s Ration Ball to restore his stamina and Chakra before opening the Gate of Pain.
• Kushina Uzumaki woke and hit Chiba and Hirohiko, then warned them that reckless tactics could leave teammates dead on a battlefield.
• Kushina Uzumaki told the injured team to rest before the final test the next day, then left to get food.
• Chiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina gathered on Chiba’s bed and began playing cards.

Chiba and Hirohiko recovered in the First Training Ground infirmary while their friends came to visit and filled the room with games and conversation. Kushina Uzumaki arrived with boxed lunches, saw them enjoying one another’s company, and quietly left so they could continue.

• Yukina and Hirohiko beat Chiba at cards while he recovered from his injuries and worried about the next day’s exam.
• Kakashi visited Chiba, followed by Rin, Obito, Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu, who greeted the injured boys and talked with them.
• Obito challenged Hirohiko, while Rin and Yukina welcomed Kurenai Yuhi into their conversation.
• Guy pulled Hirohiko and Obito into a card game, and the visitors soon filled the infirmary with lively conversation and laughter.
• Kushina Uzumaki arrived with boxed lunches, saw the children enjoying their friendships, and left the food outside before disappearing.