Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Cheng, Naruto, and Xiao Ying continued through the forest during the assessment, finding the bodies of several people from the Land of Lightning. They were then ambushed by three people from Sand Village, and the chapter ended as both sides began fighting.

• Uchiha Cheng told Naruto and Xiao Ying to hurry toward the center and avoid wasting time on other teams.
• Naruto, Xiao Ying, and Uchiha Cheng discovered several corpses and identified them as people from the Land of Lightning.
• Uchiha Cheng urged the group to stay vigilant, and he told them to hide after sensing danger nearby.
• Uchiha Cheng discovered Exploding Tags among the trees as three people from Sand Village appeared from their ambush.
• Naruto, Xiao Ying, and Uchiha Cheng prepared to fight, and the Sand Village team attacked them.

Uchiha Cheng used his Sharingan to spot the chakra threads controlling the Sand Village puppets, giving his team a way to fight back. But Gaara then attacked, and Uchiha Cheng struggled to find a weakness before the battle turned against them.

• Naruto warned Uchiha Cheng that Sand Village fighters were using Puppet Technique, and Uchiha Cheng urged the team to stay calm and resist being controlled.
• After Naruto suggested using his Sharingan, Uchiha Cheng spotted the chakra threads controlling the puppets and gained a tactic against them.
• A Sand Village fighter attacked Uchiha Cheng while his group had lowered its guard, and Uchiha Cheng recognized him as Gaara.
• Uchiha Cheng fought Gaara but could not find a way to defeat him, despite Naruto offering advice and trying to help.
• Naruto warned Uchiha Cheng to protect himself as they struggled to discover Gaara's weakness.

Uchiha Cheng injured Gaara’s real body, but Gaara’s companions knocked him unconscious and carried him away before Cheng could finish the fight. Cheng, Naruto, and Sakura reached the central Treehouse, where they confronted the Snake Man, whose intentions Cheng feared might hide another scheme.

• Uchiha Cheng found Gaara’s real body by chance and injured him, then prepared to press the attack with Naruto.
• Two of Gaara’s companions appeared, knocked Gaara unconscious, and took him away before Uchiha Cheng could defeat him.
• Naruto reassured Uchiha Cheng about the dangers they had faced, and the three continued toward the Treehouse.
• Uchiha Cheng, Naruto, and Sakura reached the central Treehouse and encountered the Snake Man again.
• Uchiha Cheng questioned the Snake Man about his purpose, then challenged him despite privately fearing a hidden scheme.

Anko-sensei arrived as Uchiha Cheng and the others faced the Snake Man, then Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei joined them after investigating trouble in the forest. The Snake Man fled after cursing Uchiha Cheng and Anko-sensei to follow him, and Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei moved to intervene.

• Anko-sensei arrived and recognized that the Snake Man had activated a Cursed Technique, so she and Uchiha Cheng transformed and prepared to defend themselves.
• Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei arrived after finding unusual activity and corpses throughout the forest, and Uchiha Cheng told them how brutal the examination had become.
• The Snake Man decided to flee when he saw the reinforcements, then cursed Uchiha Cheng and Anko-sensei, making them follow him.
• Naruto warned Kakashi-sensei that Uchiha Cheng and Anko-sensei were under a curse, and Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei approached them to intervene.

Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei rescued Uchiha Cheng and another person from a curse, and Kakashi-sensei completed their treatment in a special cave. After they woke, Kakashi-sensei warned them to be more careful and proposed taking them to train.

• Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei used their powers to treat Uchiha Cheng and the other person while Naruto watched and worried.
• Iruka-sensei stayed behind with Naruto as Kakashi-sensei carried the unconscious pair to a special cave.
• Kakashi-sensei infused them with True Chakra and placed seals on them, removing their curses and eventually waking them.
• Kakashi-sensei explained that a familiar person had cursed them and tried to take them away, and he warned them to guard against future attacks.
• Kakashi-sensei proposed taking them to train, while Anko-sensei questioned the many loopholes in the place.

After the examination, Kakashi-sensei trained Uchiha Cheng in the Sharingan and Lightning Blade, then approved his search for a sparring partner. Cheng confronted a white-haired man peeping into the women's bathhouse, only to discover the man could fight.

• Anko-sensei learned from Kakashi-sensei that resentment toward Uchiha Cheng and his companions had led people to target them during the examination.
• Kakashi-sensei began training Uchiha Cheng, teaching him to use the Sharingan and Lightning Blade.
• Kakashi-sensei let Uchiha Cheng train alone after seeing how hard he had been working.
• Uchiha Cheng demonstrated his Lightning Blade techniques, and Kakashi-sensei praised his progress and told him to spar with someone.
• Uchiha Cheng spotted a white-haired middle-aged man peeping into the women's bathhouse and confronted him.
• The man turned to fight Uchiha Cheng, who was surprised to learn that he knew martial arts.

Uchiha Cheng confronted a white-haired man for peeking at girls bathing, and the two began fighting. After noticing a seal on Cheng’s stomach that reminded him of a legend about White Tail, the man fought seriously, defeated Cheng, and considered taking him as a disciple.

• Uchiha Cheng challenged the man for peeking at girls bathing, but the man mocked his skills and tried to persuade him to leave.
• The two agreed to fight, and the man circled Cheng while studying his unusual Chakra instead of focusing on the battle.
• The man struck Cheng and tore his clothes, revealing a seal on Cheng’s stomach that reminded him of a legend about White Tail.
• The man attacked again, then declared he would test Cheng properly and fought with renewed seriousness.
• The man defeated Uchiha Cheng, leaving Cheng baffled and unconvinced by the peeping man’s strength.

A powerful man persuaded the Hokage to let him take Uchiha Cheng as his disciple, then defeated him in a fight to make the arrangement stick. After the man reset the seal on Uchiha Cheng’s body and restored his Chakra, Uchiha Cheng thanked him and accepted him as his master.

• The man brought Uchiha Cheng before the Hokage and asked to take him as a disciple, while Uchiha Cheng objected and accused him of peeping at girls bathing.
• The Hokage did not refuse the man, and the man took Uchiha Cheng away from the residence.
• Uchiha Cheng challenged the man to a fight, but he lost and was told he had to become the man’s disciple.
• The man struck Uchiha Cheng’s body and reset his seal, then walked away without explaining why.
• Uchiha Cheng discovered that his strength and Chakra had increased, realized the man had helped him, and thanked him.
• The man told Uchiha Cheng that he was now his disciple and the man was his master.

Uchiha Cheng learned that the legendary Jiraiya would consider taking him as a disciple if he passed a test, then trained hard and grew strong enough to defeat Naruto in a spar. When the one-on-one exam began, Uchiha Cheng fought through every opponent without holding back.

• Uchiha Cheng learned Jiraiya's name and agreed to prove himself by passing Jiraiya's test.
• Uchiha Cheng trained alone in a secluded forest, where Naruto found him and challenged him to a spar.
• Uchiha Cheng defeated Naruto, who accepted that he was now stronger and agreed to meet him in the exam arena.
• Uchiha Cheng and Naruto trained for the next few days as they prepared for the exam.
• Uchiha Cheng entered the one-on-one competition, fought every opponent seriously, and overcame every challenge.

Uchiha Cheng advanced to the round of sixteen and faced the Hyuga Clan genius Xiao Zhang, who was also called Neji. Their battle ended in a draw, then resumed with both using powerful techniques, and Uchiha Cheng rose again after Neji’s Byakugan venom brought him down.

• Uchiha Cheng won successive matches and reached the round of sixteen, where he was paired with the formidable Hyuga Clan genius Xiao Zhang.
• Kakashi-sensei favored Xiao Zhang, while Iruka-sensei defended Uchiha Cheng, until the Hokage stopped their argument.
• Uchiha Cheng and Xiao Zhang clashed head-on, but their attacks sent both fighters back without a winner.
• Neji and Uchiha Cheng prepared for a decisive battle, with Neji relying on the Byakugan and Uchiha Cheng activating the Ketsuryūgan.
• Neji’s Byakugan resisted Susanoo’s pull, wounded Uchiha Cheng, and poisoned him, causing him to collapse.
• Uchiha Cheng struggled back to his feet, and the referee allowed the match to continue, leaving Neji alarmed.

Uchiha Cheng defeated Neji with a surprise Sharingan attack but suffered poison damage and was sent to the hospital. He learned that his next opponent was Gaara, whom he recognized as the criminal from the forest, then heard from Kakashi-sensei that the evidence against Gaara had been destroyed and resolved to focus on defeating him.

• Uchiha Cheng used his speed and Sharingan to strike Neji from behind and win their battle, though he suffered poison damage from the Byakugan.
• As medical personnel carried Uchiha Cheng away, the referee announced that he would fight Gaara for a place in the finals.
• Uchiha Cheng recognized Gaara as the criminal connected to the forest incident and swore to defeat him in their upcoming match.
• Kakashi-sensei told Uchiha Cheng that the evidence they had gathered in the forest had been destroyed.
• Uchiha Cheng became angry but agreed to focus on recovering and defeating Gaara before pursuing the case further.

Uchiha Cheng refused Kakashi-sensei’s advice to give up and fought Gaara, who he believed was responsible for destroying the evidence. After their evenly matched battle, Cheng taunted Gaara into using his ultimate move, then injured him with All-Cutting, leaving Gaara furious and ready to retaliate.

• Kakashi-sensei warned Uchiha Cheng that Gaara was too dangerous to challenge, but Cheng refused to back down and insisted on fighting for those who had been harmed.
• Uchiha Cheng and Gaara began their match with fierce attacks, but neither could injure the other or gain an advantage.
• Uchiha Cheng taunted Gaara about failing to defeat him, provoking Gaara to announce that he would use his ultimate move.
• Gaara prepared his ultimate move, but Uchiha Cheng countered with All-Cutting and injured him.
• Gaara swore to teach Uchiha Cheng a lesson, while Cheng braced for an even more dangerous attack.

Gaara encased himself in sand and unleashed a massive tail against Uchiha Cheng, who fought back with Chidori and pierced Gaara’s sand shell. Gaara lost control and disappeared amid the chaos, while Kankuro and Temari carried him away and prepared to deal with the aftermath.

• Gaara wrapped himself in sand as he grew increasingly furious, and Uchiha Cheng tried to break through the shell with Lightning Blade.
• A massive tail emerged from the sand and repeatedly attacked Uchiha Cheng, who called birds to distract it and used Chidori to strike Gaara’s shell.
• Uchiha Cheng’s Chidori pierced the shell and injured Gaara’s shoulder, but Gaara began suffering as he lost control of the Tailed Beast within him.
• Gaara screamed and vanished along with the sand shell and tail, leaving everyone confused.
• Kankuro and Temari carried Gaara away, and Kankuro complained while Temari urged him to focus on salvaging the situation.

The Kazekage launched a surprise attack on Konoha, using summoned snakes and genjutsu to devastate the village and taking the Third Hokage hostage. Kakashi, Guy, and Iruka rushed back to rescue the villagers, while Uchiha Cheng stayed behind to find Gaara.

• The Kazekage ordered his forces to attack the village after Konoha’s people left to respond to an emergency.
• The Kazekage’s infiltrators summoned snakes and cast genjutsu, leaving many Konoha residents unconscious as the village was destroyed.
• The Kazekage announced that he had captured the Third Hokage and threatened to kill him unless Konoha’s fighters returned.
• Kakashi, Guy, and Iruka decided to return to Konoha, while Kakashi told Uchiha Cheng to stay behind and find Gaara.
• Kakashi and Iruka divided the rescue effort, with Iruka leading people to save the students at the school.

Uchiha Cheng and his companions continued their search for Naruto after Kakashi helped free Uchiha Cheng from genjutsu and returned to Konoha. With Pakkun detecting the Sound Ninja Nine on their trail, the group tried to evade them but struggled to find a workable plan.

• Enemies attacked the group in Kimura while Uchiha Cheng was under genjutsu, and Kakashi helped him recover as Xiao Ying fought to protect him.
• Kakashi lent Pakkun to Xiao Ying and the others to help them search for Naruto, then returned to Konoha to aid the Third Hokage and the others.
• Xiao Ying noticed Shikamaru pretending to sleep and pressured him into joining the search.
• Pakkun sensed the Sound Ninja Nine following the group and warned everyone they were being tracked.
• The group tried retracing their footprints to mislead their pursuers, but Uchiha Cheng said the tactic wasted time and proposed an ambush.
• Xiao Ying rejected the ambush plan because Orochimaru's subordinates were skilled at ambushes.

Uchiha Cheng and his companions tried to escape Orochimaru’s pursuers by using Shikamaru as bait, but their ambush faltered when Uchiha Cheng could not restrain the ninth tracker. The group was forced into a fight and defeated all nine pursuers, with Shikamaru narrowly surviving.

• Shikamaru proposed using bait to mislead the pursuers, and the group chose him because he was easiest to disguise.
• Shikamaru imitated Pakkun’s footprints to lure the trackers away while the others hid and prepared an ambush.
• Uchiha Cheng used his Shadow Imitation Technique to restrain eight pursuers, but his shadow could not reach the ninth and his Chakra was running low.
• Shikamaru began to lose his grip, the pursuers attacked, and Uchiha Cheng, Shikamaru, Xiao Ying, Zhou Jie, and Pakkun joined the fight.
• The group defeated all nine of Orochimaru’s subordinates, and Shikamaru narrowly escaped death.

Orochimaru fought the Third Hokage and the reanimated First and Second Hokage, who countered his attacks and trapped the Third Hokage with Wood Release. Uchiha Cheng summoned Enma, and as Orochimaru pressed his attack, he drew the Kusanagi Blade to challenge the Third Hokage and Enma’s adamantine forms.

• Orochimaru challenged his former teachers, then used Reanimation Jutsu to summon the First and Second Hokage into the fight.
• The Third Hokage and the First Hokage countered Orochimaru’s techniques, and the First Hokage trapped the Third Hokage with Wood Release.
• Uchiha Cheng watched the battle, sensed something was wrong, and summoned Enma.
• Enma blamed the Third Hokage for letting Orochimaru act unchecked, but the Third Hokage defended his past decisions.
• Orochimaru ordered the First and Second Hokage to attack the Third Hokage, who transformed with Enma into adamantine forms.
• Orochimaru summoned the Kusanagi Blade and prepared to attack their transformed bodies.

Uchiha Cheng and the Third Hokage fought Orochimaru and the reanimated First and Second Hokage, using explosive tags to interrupt the battle. Uchiha Cheng’s group caught up with Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari and surrounded them, while the three Sand siblings began planning their escape.

• Uchiha Cheng woke the Third Hokage after Orochimaru had knocked him unconscious, then told him he had sent Orochimaru flying.
• The Third Hokage detonated the explosive tags he had attached to the First and Second Hokage, briefly stopping their movements.
• The Third Hokage tried to use a sealing technique, but Orochimaru’s mind-attack injured him and interrupted the attempt.
• Uchiha Cheng and his group caught up with Gaara and the others and surrounded them.
• Kankuro proposed that Gaara escape first, and Temari suggested that Kankuro follow while she stayed behind to cover them.

Temari was captured after briefly delaying the pursuers, while Orochimaru revealed his plan to steal bodies and live forever. The Third Hokage trapped the First and Second Hokage with a sealing technique as Uchiha Cheng unleashed the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, leaving the battle underway.

• Temari told Uchiha Cheng that her brief delay had still helped Gaara and the others, but Uchiha Cheng said they would be caught anyway.
• Orochimaru explained that Reincarnation Jutsu let him take other people’s bodies to preserve his soul and learn every ninjutsu.
• The Third Hokage escaped Orochimaru’s attempt to trap him, then created a clone and summoned the Death God.
• Uchiha Cheng unleashed the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, plunging the barrier into darkness, while the Third Hokage sought a safe place.
• The Third Hokage used the Fourth Hokage’s Corpse Soul Imprisonment with his clone to trap the First and Second Hokage inside the Death God’s body.

The Third Hokage drew Orochimaru into a sealing technique while Uchiha Cheng tried to protect him from Orochimaru’s Kusanagi Sword. Meanwhile, Uchiha Cheng and Naruto caught up with Gaara, and Kankuro stayed behind so Temari could take Gaara away.

• The Third Hokage argued with Orochimaru and reassured Uchiha Cheng that he was fine as the Death God began extracting Orochimaru’s soul.
• Orochimaru summoned his Kusanagi Sword and sent it toward the Third Hokage, but Uchiha Cheng intercepted it after it pierced the Hokage’s chest.
• The Third Hokage used himself as bait to lure Orochimaru into the Fourth Hokage’s sealing technique, and Orochimaru realized he had been tricked.
• Uchiha Cheng and Naruto caught up with Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari as they continued their pursuit.
• Kankuro stayed behind to hold off Naruto and the others while Temari took Gaara and fled.