Chapter Summaries

Genma’s squads subdued Snow Hidden Village shinobi and searched the Daimyo’s residence for Kazahana Dōtō, whom they eventually traced to a hidden passage beneath a dry well. After an explosion drew Genma away, his Flying Thunder God mark was activated, leaving him to teleport toward the danger.

• Genma’s three squads knocked out the Snow Hidden Village patrols without killing them, then entered the Daimyo’s residence to search for Kazahana Dōtō.
• Genma’s team captured residents and learned where Kazahana Dōtō might be, but the building they searched was empty.
• Zabuza teamed up with three shinobi, and his squad discovered a hidden passage in a dry well.
• Genma warned the squad to use a marked Kunai if they encountered danger, then assigned a squad to keep watch as the four descended into the well.
• After an explosion, Genma found a charred pillar and sensed his Flying Thunder God mark activate, so he teleported away.

Genma and his group confronted Kazahana Dōtō in the Land of Snow, where the ruler used Chakra Armor to bolster his fighters. Genma quickly subdued Dōtō and bound him, while the battle around them continued.

• Zabuza attacked an armored ninja and discovered that the man's armor created a barrier that helped him block the blow.
• Genma told Zabuza to subdue the ninja and identified the armored leader as a possible Kazahana Dōtō.
• Kazahana Dōtō revealed that he was both the Land of Snow's ruler and the leader of Snow Hidden Village, then boasted about Chakra Armor.
• Genma mocked Dōtō's reliance on the armor as the rest of his group struggled against the opposing ninja.
• Genma kicked Dōtō behind the knee and bound him with a rope before Dōtō could react.

Genma subdued Kazahana Dōtō’s forces and interrogated him about the maker of the Chakra Armor. After Kazahana Dōtō’s failed escape attempt, Genma pinned him down again, but Kazahana Dōtō still withheld the information to protect his life.

• Zabuza and the others defeated the Snow ninja, using Exploding Tag decoys to turn the fight around.
• Genma threatened Kazahana Dōtō and demanded to know who made the Chakra Armor and where that person was.
• Kazahana Dōtō offered Genma anything in exchange for his freedom, then secretly used Lightning Release to break his bonds and attack him.
• Genma caught Kazahana Dōtō’s fists and forced him back to his knees, revealing that the attack had not harmed him.
• Kazahana Dōtō refused to identify the Chakra Armor’s maker because he feared losing his value and being killed.

Genma questioned Kazahana Dōtō and learned how the Land of Snow’s artisans developed the Chakra Armor, trains, and railways. He rejected Dōtō’s offer to govern the Land of Snow, explaining that he wanted its researchers and had no ambitions of his own.

• Genma pressured Kazahana Dōtō into revealing the Chakra Armor’s makers and promised he could leave the Land of Snow alive without fear of later pursuit.
• Kazahana Dōtō said the Land of Snow’s artisans had developed steam engines, trains, and railways, and that he had proposed combining technology with Chakra to create the Chakra Armor.
• Genma told Kazahana Dōtō that he would not let him rule the Land of Snow because his ambition and militarism would harm its people and hinder technological progress.
• Kazahana Dōtō offered to produce Chakra Armor for Genma in exchange for permission to govern the Land of Snow.
• Genma dismissed the offer and said he wanted the Land of Snow’s researchers, not its Chakra Armor, and had no ambition of his own.

Genma persuaded Kazahana Dōtō to surrender control of the Land of Snow and release the artisans’ families in exchange for a chance to live. He assigned Zabuza to carry out the release, while Zabuza remained wary of joining the Baoduoduo Merchant Association despite enjoying its hospitality.

• Genma explained that he had pursued Kazahana Dōtō to make money and sell the Chakra Armor.
• Kazahana Dōtō gave up his ambitions, offered to hand over the Land of Snow, and asked Genma to spare his life.
• Genma agreed to give Kazahana Dōtō a chance if he cooperated, and ordered him to release the artisans’ families.
• Genma assigned Zabuza to accompany Kazahana Dōtō and free the families.
• Zabuza objected to submitting to the Merchant Association, but admitted that its comfortable hospitality had made him reluctant to leave.
• Genma reminded Zabuza that he had spared him and Haku, then told him to follow Kazahana Dōtō and complete the task.

Genma brought the Land of Snow’s artisans to meet their freed families and Kazahana Koyuki, persuading them that Kazahana Dōtō had released them and that Koyuki would reclaim the daimyo’s position. The artisans recognized Koyuki and Sandayu and welcomed the hope of a new future for the Land of Snow.

• Genma learned the identities of Dōtō’s subdued followers and guarded them while Zabuza’s squad left with Dōtō.
• Genma visited the artisans’ workshop and saw the difficult, specialized methods they used to make machinery and Chakra Armor.
• Dōtō announced that the artisans would answer to Genma, provoking their anger, but Genma stopped him and prompted him to explain the families’ release.
• Genma told the artisans that he had helped Koyuki defeat Dōtō and took them to reunite with their families.
• Genma led the artisans to Koyuki, and they recognized her as Hayayuki’s daughter and welcomed her as hope for the Land of Snow.

Genma pressed Kazahana Koyuki to abandon revenge and govern the Land of Snow, then demanded its Steam Technology and Chakra Armor manufacturing techniques as payment for his help. He gave the artisans three days to agree before he would take the technology by force.

• Kazahana Koyuki demanded to know where Genma had sent Kazahana Dōtō and angrily insisted that she wanted revenge for her father's death.
• Genma argued that killing Kazahana Dōtō would not undo the past and urged Kazahana Koyuki to help rebuild the Land of Snow.
• Genma told Sandayu to persuade Kazahana Koyuki to govern, and Sandayu agreed after realizing the artisans were essential to the country's future.
• Genma demanded the Land of Snow's Steam Technology and Chakra Armor manufacturing techniques instead of money, angering the artisans.
• Genma gave the artisans three days to provide a satisfactory answer and warned that otherwise he would take the technology himself.

Genma secured the Land of Snow’s technology and brought its artisans to Baoduoduo to develop trains and advanced Chakra Armor. Back in Konohagakure, he was assigned to support the Shinobi World Chunin competition, where Gekko Hayate’s constant coughing irritated him.

• Kazahana Koyuki and the people of the Land of Snow agreed to hand over their technology in exchange for help improving their lives.
• Genma arranged for Land of Snow artisans to work at Baoduoduo’s research institute for about a year on a train and railway, while Oku Chengyan collaborated with them on Chakra Armor equipped with a miniature Chakra Cannon.
• Genma supported the joint research and brought the artisans back to Baoduoduo, shifting part of the company’s commercial network and supply teams to the Land of Snow.
• Genma returned to Konohagakure and took a peripheral support role in its Shinobi World Chunin competition, while Morino Ibiki, Anko, and White Fang handled the exam rounds.
• Genma became fed up with his subordinate Gekko Hayate coughing beside him and told him to get treated.

Genma oversaw preparations for the Chunin Exam’s second stage and grew suspicious when he spotted Sound Ninja among the candidates. He sensed no sign of Orochimaru, leaving him unsure why Orochimaru’s subordinates had come to the exam.

• Genma urged the coughing Gekko Hayate to rest while reflecting on Naruto’s abilities and the reasons Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had been assigned to one team.
• Anko smashed a window to make a dramatic entrance, and Genma arranged for a subordinate to repair it before heading to the Forest of Death with the scrolls and Life and Death Agreements.
• Genma watched Anko explain the second-stage rules and slash Naruto’s cheek, but saw no sign of Orochimaru.
• Genma noticed Sound Ninja among the candidates and used Sage Mode to search for Orochimaru, finding only a One-Tail Jinchuriki.
• Gekko Hayate offered to deliver the Life and Death Agreements to Minato, while Genma remained uncertain about the Sound Ninja’s purpose.

After the Genin entered the Forest of Death, Genma spoke with Anko about her past and her worries about how others saw her. He encouraged her to try dating Kakashi, and Anko began to show interest in the idea.

• Genma sent Gekko Hayate off to deliver the Life and Death Agreement and urged him to get checked at the hospital afterward.
• After Anko began the second exam and the Genin entered the Forest of Death, she sat on Genma’s worktable and asked what he thought girls should be like.
• Anko admitted that Orochimaru’s past influence had made people afraid of her, and Genma guessed that her unruly behavior helped her escape that impression.
• Genma suggested that Anko try pursuing a man and proposed Kakashi as a potential boyfriend.
• Anko questioned Genma about Kakashi and became interested as he described him as someone who might accept her without caring about her past.

Genma, Anko, and two ninjas entered the Forest of Death to observe the Chunin Exam teams, and Genma sensed Naruto in danger. They headed toward him after spotting a terrifying surge of Nine-Tails Chakra, leaving the group approaching the source of the disturbance.

• Anko decided to try winning over Kakashi after Genma encouraged her, and Genma’s subordinates packed his table and chairs into scrolls.
• Genma and Anko entered the Forest of Death with two ninjas, and Genma used Sage Mode to sense the forest and detect Shukaku’s and the Nine-Tails’ Chakra.
• Anko noticed a nearby fight, and the group watched Kusagakure ninjas battle a Konohagakure team before deciding the clash was uninteresting.
• Genma led the group toward Naruto, where they sensed a huge Chakra surge that Anko identified as the Nine-Tails’ Chakra.

Genma and Anko watched Naruto unleash the Nine-Tails’ power and defeat the Sound Ninja before collapsing. They then headed toward the smell of blood and saw Gaara crush an Amegakure ninja with his sand.

• Genma reassured Anko that the Nine-Tails’ seal would not break easily, and the group used telescopes to watch Naruto’s fight.
• Naruto fought through the Sound Ninja’s attacks in a weak Nine-Tails Mode, knocked one unconscious, and drove the other two away before collapsing.
• Anko judged Sakura’s team poorly equipped to survive the Forest of Death, and Genma led the group toward a strong smell of blood.
• The group watched Gaara use his sand to crush an Amegakure ninja, frightening the two accompanying ninja.
• Genma said Sunagakure had showered Gaara with so much love that it had backfired, leaving the two ninja uneasy about Genma’s smile.

Gaara turned his attention from Rock Lee to the Sound Ninja, and Zaku challenged him despite Kin and Temari’s warnings. The clash began when Zaku used Vacuum Wave to blast away Gaara’s sand, but Gaara’s sand shield blocked the counterattack.

• Genma and Anko watched Gaara prepare to leave, but rustling in the woods brought Rock Lee and the three Sound Ninja into view.
• Gaara surrounded Rock Lee with sand, but Rock Lee escaped, and Gaara shifted his attention to the Sound Ninja.
• Zaku provoked Gaara, while Kin urged him to retreat and Temari feared Gaara would attack anyone who tried to stop him.
• Dosu ordered Zaku to fight Gaara, and Zaku blasted the surrounding sand away with Vacuum Wave.
• Gaara’s sand shield blocked the sand rebounding toward him, and Zaku taunted him.

Gaara fought Zaku, whose powerful air attacks repeatedly scattered his sand but could not harm him. Dosu and Kin Tsuchi urged Zaku to retreat, and Zaku escaped after blasting apart Gaara’s sand, leaving Gaara furious and rising into the air.

• Gaara repeatedly sent sand after Zaku, whose Vacuum Wave and Great Vacuum Wave scattered it but left Gaara unharmed.
• After exhausting much of his Chakra, Zaku faced Gaara’s sand again as Gaara asked if he was ready to die.
• Kin Tsuchi’s Exploding Tags interrupted the sand’s advance, and Dosu urged Zaku to flee with them.
• Zaku told Dosu and Kin Tsuchi to leave first, then used a powerful blast to tear through Gaara’s sand and escape into the treetops.
• Zaku threatened Gaara before fleeing, while Gaara’s resentment grew and he rose into the air on sand despite Temari’s concern.

Gaara and the other survivors reached the tower, where Minato explained the third stage of the Chunin Exams and the matchups were announced. Kiba won the opening match, and Kankuro faced Choji as the chapter ended with their fight underway.

• Gaara left after the confrontation, and Temari and Kankuro followed him while Anko and Genma headed for the tower.
• Genma and Anko observed the arriving Genin, and all twelve of Konohagakure's rookies reached the tower alongside the surviving Sunagakure and Otogakure teams.
• White Fang confirmed the participants, and Minato explained the third-stage combat rules before the display screen assigned six groups and nine matches.
• Kiba Inuzuka defeated a Konohagakure extra with Fang Over Fang and returned to the stands boasting about his win.
• Choji attacked Kankuro with an enlarged fist, but Kankuro dodged his blows without taking Dayong off his back.

Choji fought Kankuro, who used a puppet and evasive tactics to exploit Choji’s lack of experience. After Choji was injured and then enraged by Temari’s insult, he used Human Boulder, but Kankuro kept switching places with the puppet and wearing him down.

• Choji caught Kankuro between his enlarged hands, but the opponent was a puppet that pierced Choji’s palms when he squeezed it.
• Spectators explained Sunagakure’s puppet techniques, while Temari insulted Choji and urged Kankuro to finish him.
• Choji’s pain gave way to rage, and he used Expansion Jutsu and Human Boulder to charge at Kankuro.
• Kankuro repeatedly switched places with his spiked puppet to evade Choji, draining Choji’s stamina as Genma and Anko watched.

The preliminary matches continued as Naruto defeated Hinata and Rock Lee gained the upper hand against Sasuke after removing his weighted leg guards. Sasuke ended the chapter bloodied and struggling to breathe as Lee pressed his attack.

• Kankuro defeated Choji, who passed out after losing his Human Boulder form.
• Sakura lost to a seasoned Konohagakure shinobi, and Naruto defeated Hinata with Shadow Clones and a Wind Style Jutsu.
• Naruto forced Hinata to concede, while Genma suspected the two had held back because of an unspoken understanding.
• Rock Lee and Sasuke exchanged blows, with Sasuke using his Sharingan to keep pace despite falling behind.
• Rock Lee removed his weights, stunned the spectators with their impact, and became nearly twice as fast.
• Rock Lee kicked Sasuke into the air and struck him again, leaving Sasuke bloodied and gasping for breath.

Sasuke used shuriken, clones, and Fire Release against Rock Lee, but Lee opened the Eight Inner Gates and won their match. After the arena was reset, Ino and Temari began their match, with Temari knocking Ino back with a gust from her fan.

• Sasuke injured Rock Lee with wire-guided shuriken and used Shadow Clones to attack him.
• Sasuke launched a Fire Release fireball, but Rock Lee dodged it by opening the Eight Inner Gates.
• Rock Lee defeated Sasuke, and White Fang declared him the winner of the fourth match.
• Kakashi checked Sasuke's injuries before the medical staff took him away, while Genma's team restored the arena.
• Ino and Temari began their match, and Temari sent Ino flying with a gust from her fan before taunting her.

Ino fought Temari at close range but was defeated after cutting off her ponytail and enduring a series of attacks. Shikamaru then defeated Tenten with his Shadow Possession Technique, leaving the arena strewn with her ninja tools.

• Ino cut off her ponytail and used a substitution to evade Temari’s wind before closing the distance to fight her.
• Temari overpowered Ino in close combat, blew her across the arena, and was declared the winner after Ino passed out.
• Tenten overwhelmed Shikamaru with a barrage of ninja tools and launched two large scrolls into the air.
• Shikamaru used a black path among the scattered weapons to link his shadow to Tenten and control her movements.
• Shikamaru bent backward, causing the controlled Tenten to hit her head on the wall and pass out.
• Genma told Hayate to help clean up the ninja tools after the match.

Genma watched Shino Aburame fight Gaara after worrying that Gekko Hayate might collapse from overwork. Shino evaded Gaara’s sand and then shaped his insects into a drill to attack Gaara’s defensive shell.

• Genma returned to the stands after recovering the ninja tools and grew anxious about Hayate’s worsening health.
• Genma watched Gaara face Shino as Gaara’s sand attacked and enclosed him in a defensive shell.
• Shino transformed into a cloud of insects to escape the sand and charge toward Gaara.
• Gaara used a Sand Eye to track Shino while the sand continued trying to capture him.
• Shino dodged the sand, then formed his insects into a cone-shaped drill and flew toward Gaara’s shell.