Chapter Summaries

Shuichi’s team tracked down Yazo’s Sunagakure team in the Forest of Death and launched a coordinated attack. Yazo shielded his teammates from a massive barrage of real shuriken, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Konoha’s teams were positioned around the Forest of Death to hinder Sunagakure’s plans, while Yazo’s team set out to meet Yukari’s near the Central Tower.
• Hyuga Akiha detected Yazo’s team, and Shuichi’s group advanced while she reported the enemies’ positions and abilities.
• Aoi sensed Shuichi’s team approaching, and Yazo arranged his squad into a defensive formation.
• Shuichi created a Shadow Clone and ordered his team to use their third combat plan as they closed in on Yazo’s group.
• Shuichi’s team attacked from the front and rear with a huge volley of shuriken, and Yazo raised two Earth Release barriers to protect Saki and Aoi.

Shuichi’s squad used explosive tags and coordinated attacks to split up the Sunagakure Ninja and gain the advantage. After Shuichi knocked Aoi unconscious, Yazo and Saki regrouped and switched opponents, leaving the battle at a stalemate.

• Explosive tags scattered the Sunagakure Ninja squad, allowing Shuichi and Sarutobi Kohei to attack Saki while Hyuga Akiha pursued Yazo.
• Shuichi and Sarutobi Kohei coordinated their attacks against Saki, while Hyuga Akiha used her Byakugan to bypass traps and strike Yazo with Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms.
• Shuichi tracked down Aoi as she tried to help her teammates, evaded her shuriken, and knocked her unconscious.
• Yazo escaped Hyuga Akiha’s close-range attacks and reached Saki, who broke off his fight with Sarutobi Kohei to regroup with him.
• Yazo and Saki switched opponents, but Hyuga Akiha and Sarutobi Kohei held their positions instead of advancing.

Shuichi’s squad defeated Yazo and Saki’s squad, took their Scrolls, and spared the injured Aoi. As several other squads gathered around them, Shuichi displayed the Scrolls and waited to see whether Sunaki’s group would attack.

• Shuichi threatened Aoi until Yazo and Saki handed over both Scrolls, then returned her to them.
• Hyuga Akiha spotted Sunaki’s squad approaching, and Sunaki ignored Yazo and Saki’s signals while weighing whether to engage Shuichi’s squad.
• Another Konoha squad arrived, and Shuichi recognized that it was likely there to oppose Sunaki’s group.
• Shuichi displayed the four Scrolls and challenged the gathered squads to take them, but no one made a move.

Shuichi’s team left Sunaki’s group and Mokui’s Konoha team to negotiate over their Heaven Scrolls and reveal their competing plans. The chapter then introduced Sōsuke’s team, whose river-side starting point gave them advantages in the Second Stage.

• Shuichi’s team announced they were heading for the Central Tower with the Byakugan active, then left without being challenged.
• Mokui and Sunaki showed each other their Heaven Scrolls and agreed to avoid fighting, while hinting that they might target teams from their own villages.
• Sunaki and his teammates left, and Mokui told Yao that they would follow the other team if it entered the third stage, as Sarutobi Hiruzen had instructed.
• Aburame Shihei said he had placed a female insect on another person so their team could track the others for three days.
• Sōsuke’s team reached the river near their entrance and recognized that its water, hunting opportunities, and route made it a favorable place to begin the Second Stage.

Sōsuke's team reached the Central Tower first by following the river and prepared an ambush, confident that their strategy would give them an advantage. Shuichi's team soon found them and decided to teach the fellow Konoha ninja a lesson without being too harsh.

• Sōsuke's team followed the river to the Central Tower and set traps along the riverbank.
• Sōsuke reassured his teammates that other teams would likely arrive exhausted the next day.
• Shuichi explained to Sarutobi Kohei why teams might ambush others near the Central Tower, but Hyuga Akiha spotted a Konoha squad already waiting there.
• Hyuga Akiha reported that the squad had followed the river and prepared traps, and Shuichi chose to confront them rather than go around.

Shuichi predicted that Sunagakure squads would gather near the Central Tower and attacked Sōsuke’s team before they could hand over their Scroll. He left the fight carrying Sōsuke’s Scroll as Sarutobi Kohei and Hyuga Akiha followed with the other defeated Genin.

• Shuichi explained that Sunagakure squads would likely cooperate and gather near the Central Tower to help their teams advance.
• Sōsuke regretted waiting near the center of the Forest of Death after no teams came to his traps.
• Shuichi’s team destroyed Sōsuke’s traps and attacked his squad with Senbon from behind.
• Shuichi and his teammates rushed Sōsuke’s squad, beat them, and took their Scroll.

Shuichi’s team reached the Central Tower quickly, then waited outside so he could offer Mokui’s team extra Scrolls and help them prepare for trouble from Sunagakure. The chapter left Mokui’s group impressed by Shuichi’s strength and judgment as he headed inside to sleep.

• Shuichi defeated Sōsuke’s team, warned them to leave the central area, and took their Senbon before departing with Sarutobi Kohei and Hyuga Akiha.
• Sōsuke and his teammates recovered, abandoned their hopes of dominating the ninja world, and Sōsuke decided to aim to become the strongest Genin instead.
• Shuichi’s team reached the Central Tower in three hours and forty minutes, breaking the Second Chunin Exam record, but Shuichi chose to wait outside.
• After more than an hour, Shuichi called out to Mokui and his two companions, then explained that Sunagakure might target Konoha teams during the exam.
• Shuichi gave Mokui’s team two Earth Scrolls and one Heaven Scroll, then said he was going into the Tower to sleep.
• Aburame Shihei praised Shuichi’s intelligence and noted that his Chakra seemed stronger than a Chunin’s.

Shuichi gave Mokui’s team the Scrolls they needed, allowing them to focus on managing which Konoha teams advanced and on hindering Sunagakure. Shuichi’s team entered the Central Tower, where Sanada Tomohisa congratulated them on passing the Second Stage and delivered his final lesson before the Third Exam.

• Mokui and his teammates discussed using the Scrolls Shuichi gave them to help select strong teams for the Third Stage, then left the Central Tower.
• Shuichi’s team entered the Tower, opened the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, and summoned Sanada Tomohisa.
• Sanada Tomohisa congratulated Shuichi, Sarutobi Kohei, and Hyuga Akiha on passing the Second Stage and explained the tradition of teachers delivering a final lesson.
• Sanada Tomohisa taught the trio that Heaven represented the mind, Earth represented the body, and a Chunin had to shoulder the duties of leadership.
• Shuichi promised to crush the other villages’ competitors in the Third Exam, and Sanada Tomohisa said he would watch with anticipation.

Nara Rokujin, Yamanaka Sora, and Akimichi Jinsei ambushed a Takigakure team and obtained its Scroll of Heaven, completing their set. Mokui then warned them that Sunagakure teams had joined forces near the Central Tower, leaving the Ino-Shika-Cho squad facing a dangerous final stretch.

• Mizuho and his Takigakure teammates recovered at their riverside base after fleeing two Konoha teams.
• Nara Rokujin caught the Takigakure team by surprise with the Shadow Imitation Technique, and Yamanaka Sora and Akimichi Jinsei helped knock them unconscious.
• Nara Rokujin found a Scroll of Heaven on the Takigakure team, completing the squad's Scrolls.
• Mokui and his teammates appeared and told the Ino-Shika-Cho squad they already had all the Scrolls, so they had no reason to fight.
• Mokui warned Nara Rokujin, Yamanaka Sora, and Akimichi Jinsei that two Sunagakure teams were near the center and a third might also be there.

Sunagakure’s teams joined forces to ambush Uchiha Ryouya’s squad as it approached the Central Tower, forcing the Konoha team to attempt a breakout. Ryouya’s plan sent Yamada Yuki’s Meteor Hammer against Saki, whose sword caught the chain and nearly left him struck in the head.

• Mokui warned Nara Rokujin’s Ino-Shika-Cho team that Sunagakure was intercepting teams, and Rokujin decided to rest before approaching the Tower.
• Sunagakure’s Yukari and Yazo teams met near the Central Tower, exchanged information about Shuichi’s strength, and agreed to cooperate while Aoi remained injured.
• At dawn, Uchiha Ryouya’s team crossed the river toward the Tower and deflected Sunagakure’s opening barrage of ninja tools.
• Yazo’s Sandstorm Technique blinded Ryouya’s team, allowing Yukari and four other Sunagakure ninja to surround them and demand their scrolls.
• Ryouya chose to break through toward Saki, and Yamada Yuki’s Meteor Hammer wrapped around Saki’s sword and narrowly missed his face.

Uchiha Ryouya's squad escaped a Sunagakure ambush by tricking them with damaged scrolls, then agreed to hear Mokui's plan to counter Sunagakure's alliance. Meanwhile, Shuichi's squad watched as Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho squad and a battered Amegakure squad reached the Tower, leaving Sunagakure furious outside.

• Ogawa Eri attacked Saki from behind, and Uchiha Ryouya kicked Saki while he dodged her kunai.
• Uchiha Ryouya threw away scrolls he had damaged with Fire-attribute Chakra, allowing his squad to escape while Yukari, Yazo, and the other Sunagakure Ninja retrieved unusable scrolls.
• Mokui revealed that Sunagakure squads had joined forces near the Tower and offered Uchiha Ryouya's squad a spare set of scrolls in exchange for hearing his plan; Uchiha Ryouya agreed.
• Shuichi's squad saw Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho squad enter the Tower, followed by three Amegakure Genin who slid inside despite their injuries.
• A badly injured Amegakure Genin told the furious Sunagakure Ninja that their mission was complete because the scrolls had reached the Tower, and Yazo stopped Saki from attacking him.

Shuichi heard how Nara Rokujin’s team and six Amegakure Genin joined forces to evade Sunagakure and rush into the Central Tower. Sunagakure’s squad was left outside with only one Scroll, and Yukari worried that their village’s other teams had not appeared.

• Nara Rokujin explained that his team had teamed up with six Amegakure Genin after learning Sunagakure was ambushing teams near the Tower.
• The Konoha-Amegakure alliance charged for the Tower when Sunagakure engaged Takigakure’s remaining team, and Sunagakure pursued them.
• A chaotic fight exposed the Sunagakure Genin’s combat abilities, and two Amegakure Ninja stayed behind to hold them off while their teammates handed over their Scrolls.
• Nara Rokujin’s Ino-Shika-Cho team and the remaining Amegakure team reached the Tower, leaving Sunagakure outside with only one Scroll.
• Shuichi told Nara Rokujin that his team had arrived early and rested, while Yukari noted that Sunagakure’s other teams had still not appeared by noon on the second day.

Mokui and Uchiha Ryouya joined forces to keep Sunagakure’s other squads from reaching the Central Tower, then followed Sunaki’s team inside at the last moment. Shuichi saw five teams arrive together and anticipated a selection match for the Third Exam.

• After defeating a Sunagakure squad and taking its Scrolls, Uchiha Ryouya agreed to help Mokui intercept the remaining Sunagakure teams.
• Mokui and Uchiha Ryouya’s squads searched the central area, while Sunagakure’s weaker teams were defeated or robbed elsewhere in the Forest of Death.
• As the Second Stage neared its end, Mokui and Uchiha Ryouya confronted Sunaki, Yukari, and Yazo’s teams outside the Central Tower.
• Sunaki entered the Tower with Yukari’s team and Aoi, and Mokui’s six followed them inside.
• Shuichi checked the clock at 15:55 and expected the five arriving teams to face a Third Exam selection match.

After eight teams passed the Second Chunin Exam, Sarutobi Hiruzen announced that they would face preliminary one-on-one matches to reduce the field before the Third Exam. The teams gathered in a hidden arena, where Kamizuki Ryūun began explaining the rules.

• The Second Chunin Exam ended with eight teams, including Shuichi's, passing, and the surviving teams took notice of Shuichi's group.
• Umino Ikkaku reported the results to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who decided to hold preliminaries despite objections from the Amegakure leader.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told the village leaders that the preliminaries would narrow the twenty-four candidates to a more suitable number, and Tosha defended the selection as a search for elites.
• A Konoha Ninja led the teams to a concealed arena, where Sarutobi Hiruzen announced the Third Exam preliminaries and urged them to compete for their villages' honor.
• Kamizuki Ryūun introduced himself as referee and began explaining the rules for the one-on-one preliminaries.

The preliminary matches began, and Yamanaka Sora faced Sunagakure’s Yukari. Yukari defeated him with close-combat techniques, advancing to the Third Exam.

• Kamizuki Ryūun announced the preliminary match rules and began the draw.
• The screen matched Yukari against Yamanaka Sora, whose team had expected a difficult opponent.
• Yamanaka Sora rushed Yukari and tried to force the fight into close combat.
• Yukari blocked his attacks, countered with practiced fan-assisted taijutsu, and struck him down.
• Kamizuki Ryūun ended the match and declared Yukari the winner.

Hyuga Akiha defeated Yamada Yuki in the third match, overcoming his Meteor Hammer with her Byakugan and Gentle Fist. The tournament continued with Akiha advancing to the Third Exam, while Shuichi remained suspicious that the contestant draw might not be truly random.

• Medical staff examined Yamanaka Sora and said he would recover, though his lower-back injury would take at least a month.
• The draw matched Sunagakure teammates Tetsuishi and Tetsuki, and Tetsuki forfeited on Tosha's order.
• The next draw paired Hyuga Akiha with Yamada Yuki, who used a Meteor Hammer to keep her at a distance.
• Yamada Yuki threw the hammer, but Hyuga Akiha caught its chain and dodged his hidden second hammer.
• Hyuga Akiha struck Yamada Yuki with Gentle Fist Style: Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms and sent him flying, winning the match and advancing to the Third Exam.

Yamada Yuki lost to Hyuga Akiha, and the preliminary matches continued as Aoi surrendered to Mokui. Uchiha Ryouya then faced Yazo, who used Earth Release to limit Ryouya’s options and pressed the attack with Shuriken.

• Hyuga Akiha explained that her Byakugan let her read Yamada Yuki’s Chakra and muscle movements, and medical staff confirmed his injuries were not serious.
• Aoi surrendered to Mokui, allowing him to advance to the Third Exam.
• Uchiha Ryouya drew Yazo as his opponent and said he wanted to punish the Sunagakure ninja for their earlier clash.
• Yazo kept his distance and raised a massive boulder to block Ryouya’s Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
• Yazo used Earth Flow Wave to send earth and stone toward Ryouya, then threw Shuriken as Ryouya dodged using his Sharingan.

Uchiha Ryouya defeated Yazo after outmaneuvering his earth-based strategy and striking him with a series of powerful attacks. Tosha conceded, and the chapter ended with Shuichi explaining how Ryouya’s Shadow Clone had turned the match in his favor.

• Yazo used Earth Return to soften the ground and block Uchiha Ryouya’s view, hoping to restrict his movement and set up a counterattack.
• Uchiha Ryouya used Shurikenjutsu and steel wire to bind Yazo against a stone, but struck a Substitution Technique in his place.
• Yazo emerged behind Ryouya and stabbed him, only to discover he had struck a Shadow Clone.
• Uchiha Ryouya punched and kicked Yazo until Tosha conceded the match, and Kamizuki Ryūun stopped Ryouya from continuing the assault.
• Tosha told Saki that the Sharingan made one-on-one combat with an Uchiha extremely dangerous, while Shuichi explained that Ryouya’s clone had safely tested Yazo’s position.

Shuichi reflected on bloodline advantages, then prepared to face Tekki, Sunagakure’s Puppeteer, in the Chunin Exams. The match began with Tekki revealing a giant insect puppet, leaving Shuichi ready to study his opponent’s techniques.

• Shuichi considered how Kekkei Genkai and Orochimaru’s future experiments could offer powerful abilities.
• Sunaki defeated Ogawa Eri by wearing her down and knocking her unconscious.
• The seventh-round draw paired Takeda Shuichi with Tekki, the mysterious Puppeteer from Sunagakure.
• Shuichi chose to begin with techniques he had already revealed so he could observe how Tekki fought.
• Tekki connected chakra threads to his bundle and brought out a giant insect puppet.

Shuichi defeated Tekki with a startlingly fast Body Flicker Technique, shocking the spectators. He explained how precise Chakra control, practiced movement distances, and taijutsu transitions let skilled ninja avoid the technique’s landing recovery, while Hanzo could use Chakra alone to move continuously at any angle.

• Tekki sent poisoned needles from his insect puppet, but Shuichi dodged and accelerated toward him with a sharp sideways-to-forward movement.
• Shuichi kicked Tekki into the air, and the watching Jonin recognized his movement as an exceptional use of the Body Flicker Technique.
• Shuichi recalled that he had practiced the technique extensively and that Orochimaru had taught him how Chakra controlled takeoff, landing, and recovery.
• Shuichi explained that Orochimaru and other experts combined Chakra-based flickers with taijutsu movements to replenish Chakra and avoid stiffness.
• Orochimaru explained that Hanzo could perform continuous Chakra-based Body Flicker Techniques at any angle.