Chapter Summaries

After returning to the Hyuga Estate, Neji reassured Hinata and left for his laboratory while Hiashi reflected on the clan’s weakness and placed his hopes in the younger generation. Neji remained unaware of Hiashi’s plans and turned his attention to training and finding Izumi.

• Neji warned Hanabi not to tease Hinata and told Hinata she did not have to bear her burdens alone.
• Neji left for his laboratory, and Hinata and Hanabi went home to train.
• Hiashi considered how the Caged Bird Seal had weakened the Hyuga Clan and hoped Neji could improve it through his study of Sealing Jutsu.
• Hiashi kept Neji’s Byakugan secret for the time being and looked forward to Neji and Hinata becoming strong enough to protect the clan.
• Neji wondered why Orochimaru had not contacted him, then decided to find Izumi and gain experience by practicing other skills.

Neji studied Sealing Jutsu and Konoha’s barrier while preparing for events surrounding Naruto’s graduation and the Land of Waves mission. He paused missions to focus on his research, and Tenten asked him to give her an Eternal Youth tattoo once it was ready.

• Neji continued studying Sealing Jutsu, mastered ways through Konoha’s barrier, and considered how the Land of Waves and its inhabitants could benefit him.
• Naruto graduated, and about a month later his team received an escort mission.
• At Training Ground 7, Neji asked Might Guy to suspend missions while he worked on his research, and Might Guy and Rock Lee enthusiastically supported him.
• Neji told Tenten that his Eternal Youth research was nearly finished and asked her to inform everyone that he would be absent.
• Tenten asked Neji to tattoo her with the Eternal Youth treatment when it was ready, and Neji agreed.

Neji took Izumi out of Konoha and brought her to the Land of Waves to observe Team 7’s battle against Zabuza and Haku. As Naruto unleashed the Nine-Tails’ power, Neji prepared to enter the mist-shrouded fight.

• Neji told Izumi she could leave their hideout with him, and reassured her that he would not abandon her.
• Neji and Izumi disguised themselves in Root uniforms, left Konoha after dark, then changed into ordinary ninja attire outside the village.
• Neji and Izumi reached the Land of Waves and watched Team 7 recover at their client’s home before Zabuza and Haku attacked again.
• Neji identified Zabuza and Haku as their targets and explained their abilities to Izumi while they monitored the fight.
• After Sasuke was pierced by senbon, Naruto believed he had died and unleashed the Nine-Tails’ Tailed Beast Cloak.
• Neji judged the battle was nearing its end, formed the seals for the Mist Technique, and shrouded the area in mist as Kakashi ran low on strength.

Neji and Izumi secretly took Haku and Zabuza’s bodies from the bridge and used advanced medical techniques to keep them alive. With both recovering in nutrient tanks, Neji planned to give them time to awaken and find a base on a small island in the Land of Waves.

• Kakashi told Sakura and the others that the vanished Mist pursuit unit had likely left them safe for now.
• Neji and Izumi carried Haku and Zabuza to a hidden cave, where Neji explained that he could save them if they had been dead for less than half an hour.
• Neji treated Haku and placed her in a nutrient tank, while Izumi removed the weapons from Zabuza’s body.
• Zabuza briefly regained consciousness, mistook Neji and Izumi for Mist pursuers, and Neji knocked him out before treating his wounds and placing him in a tank.
• Neji told Izumi that the two would need several days to recover and decided to survey the nearby island for a base.

Neji used the Byakugan to find a site for a hidden base, then completed its construction with Izumi and revived Zabuza and Haku. After transforming both into women, he announced that the operation had succeeded, and they awakened to discover what had happened.

• Neji used the Byakugan to survey the Land of Waves and chose a mountain location for a base.
• Neji and Izumi left the temporary base and used the Mud Transformation Technique to build the new base over three days.
• Neji injected Haku and Zabuza with Female Hormone, transforming both into women before dressing them in hospital gowns.
• Izumi entered and questioned Neji after seeing the transformed patients, and he said they would wake soon.
• Zabuza and Haku awakened, recalled their deaths, and realized they had become women.
• Neji congratulated them on the successful operation, and they activated the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Neji explained that he had resurrected Zabuza and Haku as women and recruited them into his organization. Zabuza accepted the offer, and Neji gave them the codenames Zan and Haku before leaving them to recover.

• Zabuza attacked Neji, who fractured Zabuza’s newly healed arm and warned him against acting without information.
• Neji explained that he had saved Zabuza and Haku and transformed them into women, while Izumi showed them their reflections in a mirror.
• Neji identified himself as Nian and said he wanted to recruit them because his organization was short-handed and its goal was to live.
• Zabuza accepted that he and Haku had little choice but to join, and told Haku she was no longer his tool.
• Neji named them Zan and Haku, gave them masks bearing their codenames, and left them to recover.

Zabuza and Haku recovered at Neji’s base, where Neji entrusted them with its management and offered a contribution-point system for missions and rewards. As Neji prepared to leave, he showed Zabuza a way to become a man again and gave them upgraded masks that doubled as communication tools.

• After Neji and Izumi left, Zabuza reflected on being resurrected and transformed into a woman while Haku wondered whether she was still merely a tool.
• Neji and Izumi finished arranging the base, and Neji planned to take control of Gato’s trade while leaving the base to Zabuza and Haku once they recovered.
• A week later, Neji told Zabuza and Haku that he and Izumi would soon leave and that the base would be under their authority in exchange for completing missions and providing resources.
• Neji showed Zabuza a Male Hormone that could turn him back into a man and explained that it could be obtained with contribution points.
• Neji presented Zabuza and Haku with an exchange list and transformed their masks into necklaces that could be restored with Chakra and used for communication and protection from spying.

Neji assigned Zabuza and Haku to eliminate Gato, take over his merchant association, and open trade in the Land of Waves. Zabuza challenged Neji to test his strength, and their fight began with Neji countering Zabuza and Haku’s attacks before Zabuza unleashed a Great Waterfall Technique.

• Zabuza tested the chakra-powered mask and learned that it provided enhanced vision and communication.
• Neji gave Zabuza and Haku the mission to eliminate Gato, take over his merchant association and trade routes, and open trade in the Land of Waves for one hundred contribution points.
• Zabuza challenged Neji to prove his strength, while Haku adjusted Zabuza’s loose bandages.
• Zabuza threw the Kubikiribōchō at Neji and Haku attacked with senbon, but Neji caught the sword and used Observation Haki to locate Zabuza in the mist.
• Haku raised an ice wall to protect Zabuza from the sword, and Zabuza recovered it before unleashing the Great Waterfall Technique at Neji.

Neji overwhelmed Zabuza and Haku with powerful techniques, including Tempest Kick, Lion’s Roar, and Thunderclap Spiral Strike. He left both opponents engulfed in lightning and reached level forty from the experience they yielded.

• Neji split Zabuza’s Great Waterfall Technique with Tempest Kick, shattering the Kubikiribōchō and leaving Zabuza injured.
• Haku arrived to protect Zabuza and trapped Neji inside Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals, but his Nen Barrier blocked her senbon.
• Neji’s Lion’s Roar shattered Haku’s ice mirrors and injured her, forcing her to retreat to Zabuza.
• Zabuza attacked with Water Dragon Bullet Technique while Neji charged Thunderclap Spiral Strike and vanished from sight.
• Neji appeared between Zabuza and Haku and released lightning that engulfed them both without striking them directly.
• Neji gained enough experience from Zabuza and Haku to reach level forty.

Neji and Izumi returned to Konoha after spending two weeks away, and Neji collapsed when his Shadow Clone’s accumulated memories and fatigue hit him. After Izumi cared for him through the night, he recovered and prepared to study medical materials as the Chunin Exams approached.

• Neji turned the flooded Training Room into a Water Training Room, healed Zabuza and the other man, and ordered them to recover before beginning six months of missions.
• Neji and Izumi slipped back into Konoha through a hidden passage, evading Root members and patrolling Anbu.
• Neji dispelled his Shadow Clone and collapsed from the strain of receiving two weeks of memories and fatigue at once.
• Izumi stayed with Neji for three hours, massaged his head, and continued caring for him until he fell asleep.
• Neji woke refreshed the next day, ate the breakfast Izumi had made, and prepared to go out to study medical materials.

Neji completed the first successful application of the Healing Tattoo on Rock Lee, demonstrating that it could regulate his body and heal injuries by using Chakra released through the Eight Gates. The Third Hokage delayed officially recording the technique until its effects had been observed, while Team 3 prepared for the Chunin Exams and Neji privately wondered whether the Third Hokage would survive them.

• After emerging from seclusion, Neji told Guy that his research had succeeded, and Guy revealed that he had registered Team 3 for the Chunin Exams.
• With the Third Hokage observing, Neji completed the Healing Tattoo on Rock Lee and instructed him to test it by opening the First Gate.
• Rock Lee's wounds healed rapidly while the Eight Gates were active, and he reported that the tattoo used Chakra that would otherwise have dissipated.
• Neji explained that the tattoo's effects weakened when Rock Lee was not actively increasing his Chakra output, so the Third Hokage agreed to wait before officially recording it.
• The Third Hokage announced that Team 3 had completed its mission but would receive its reward after Rock Lee's Chunin Exams if no problems arose.
• As Team 3 headed to the training ground, Neji thought that the Third Hokage might not survive the Chunin Exams, while Rock Lee challenged Neji to a spar.

Neji defeated Rock Lee in sparring, then activated the One-Eye he had left with Orochimaru and spoke with him through its projection. Orochimaru agreed to trade the two hormones but demanded extra for the First Hokage’s cells and the Spirit Transformation Jutsu.

• Neji knocked Rock Lee out before he could open more than three gates, and Tenten warned Lee about the danger of pushing himself before the Chunin Exams.
• Tenten ran off after Neji began to address her, and Neji later left Lee to continue training with his Healing Tattoo.
• Neji sensed the One-Eye and used a Transformation Technique to activate it, projecting a masked figure to Orochimaru in Otogakure.
• Neji offered one bottle of each hormone in exchange for the First Hokage’s cells and the Spirit Transformation Jutsu.
• Orochimaru said the Spirit Transformation Jutsu would cost extra.

Neji traded hormones and a genetic-theory scroll to Orochimaru in exchange for Hashirama’s Cells and the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, using a modified summoning technique. After confirming the cells were genuine, Neji began studying them and considered the dangers and mysteries of investigating his soul.

• Orochimaru requested genetic research materials, and Neji agreed to trade them for Hashirama’s Cells and a scroll containing the Spirit Transformation Jutsu.
• Neji and Orochimaru activated their one-eyed devices, and Neji identified himself as Nian of the D Organization.
• Neji used Exchange Summoning Jutsu to swap the items, while Kabuto recorded the device’s markings for Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru examined the traded items and turned his attention to his plan involving his former teacher.
• Neji tested the Hashirama’s Cells, confirmed they were genuine, and studied the Spirit Transformation Jutsu while wondering what his soul would reveal.

Neji finished his research on Hashirama Cells and decided to postpone risky experiments until after the Chunin Exams. He met with Tenten and Rock Lee to discuss their approach to the exams, then sensed an unfamiliar presence he identified as Gaara on his way home.

• Neji decided not to fuse with Hashirama Cells and planned to experiment after the Chunin Exams, while considering White Zetsu Cells as a safer option.
• Neji visited Tenten and Rock Lee at Training Ground 7, where he fought Rock Lee and defeated him after five minutes.
• Neji asked Tenten and Rock Lee about their plans for the Chunin Exams, and Tenten shared intelligence she had gathered about visiting ninja.
• Rock Lee suggested hiding their strength, but Neji argued they were already concealing their abilities and recommended performing normally.
• Neji sensed unfamiliar presences on his way back to the Hyuga Clan and suspected one belonged to Sandstorm Gaara, the One-Tailed Shukaku.

Neji returned to the Hyuga Clan and found Hinata training for the Chunin Exams, then comforted her when she grew upset about worrying him. Hinata accepted his hug, while Hanabi secretly watched them from the veranda.

• Neji watched Hinata train and warned her that her vigilance was weak before reminding her that the Chunin Exams would include ninja from other villages.
• Neji and Hinata sat together in the courtyard, where Hinata noticed that he seemed more relaxed than before.
• Hinata blamed herself for Neji's worries and hid her tearful face, but Neji realized she was upset and comforted her.
• Neji reassured Hinata that he was worried she might get hurt, and she agreed to accept a hug.
• Neji teased Hinata about needing a bath after training, while Hanabi watched them with a smile.

Neji and Team 3 observed the tense start of the Chunin Exams as Morino Ibiki introduced the written test and its strict rules. Naruto’s teammates feared his poor performance, while the first exam began with every team at risk of disqualification.

• Team 7 entered the crowded application room noisily, and Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and others drew attention by acting boldly toward the other genin.
• Neji mocked the gathered ninja, while Rock Lee sensed dangerous killing intent from the Sand Ninja, including Gaara.
• Naruto loudly introduced himself, and the Sound Ninja Trio attacked Kabuto before Morino Ibiki arrived and warned them against fighting.
• Morino Ibiki began the written exam, explaining the scoring system, team-based results, and penalties for cheating.
• Ibiki announced that if any team member reached zero points, the entire team would be disqualified, leaving Sakura and Sasuke furious at Naruto.

The first Chunin Exam tested the genin’s knowledge and ability to gather intelligence, while Ibiki’s rules for the tenth question forced them to choose between risking permanent disqualification and withdrawing with their teams. The chapter ended as Ibiki ordered everyone to make their choice.

• Ibiki began the written exam, and Neji used Chakra perception to read the difficult questions despite being blind.
• Several genin used inventive techniques to copy answers, while Izumo disqualified one team for cheating too clumsily.
• Ibiki announced that choosing not to take the tenth question would disqualify the examinee’s entire team from this exam.
• Ibiki warned that anyone who chose to take the question and answered incorrectly would never be allowed to take the Chunin Exams again.
• Ibiki ordered the examinees to choose whether to take the tenth question, leaving them to face the decision under intense pressure.

Naruto refused to withdraw from the Chunin Exam’s first stage, restoring the other candidates’ resolve. Ibiki revealed that the tenth question had tested their conviction and announced that the seventy-eight remaining candidates had passed.

• Several candidates withdrew under Ibiki’s pressure, and their departures left the others wavering.
• Sakura began to raise her hand to withdraw, but Naruto slammed his hand on the desk and declared that he would keep pursuing his dream of becoming Hokage.
• Ibiki challenged Naruto to reconsider, but Naruto stood firm, and no more candidates withdrew.
• Ibiki announced that all seventy-eight remaining candidates had passed the first stage of the examination.
• Ibiki explained that the tenth question was the choice to continue or withdraw, while the first nine questions had tested the candidates’ information-gathering ability.

Neji and Team 3 entered the Forest of Death for the second Chunin Exam, where they had to collect opposing scrolls and reach the Central Tower within five days. Neji chose a concealed campsite and sent Tenten and Rock Lee to prepare it while he hunted, intending to wait and see what Orochimaru would do.

• Anko Mitarashi took over from Ibiki and led the 78 examinees to Training Ground 44, the Forest of Death.
• Anko explained the exam rules: teams needed both scrolls and had to reach the Central Tower within five days, with death or inability to fight causing elimination.
• Team 3 entered the forest and followed Neji's plan to keep a low profile on the first day.
• Neji found a hidden campsite near water and assigned Tenten to set traps and Rock Lee to gather firewood.
• Neji hunted a rabbit and planned to wait for Orochimaru's next move.

Neji disguised himself, collected a needed scroll, and watched Orochimaru attack Naruto’s team without interfering. Orochimaru gave Sasuke a Curse Mark that combined with the Female Hormone transformation, leaving Sasuke changing into a girl as Sakura watched in shock.

• Neji created a Shadow Clone to cover for him, changed his appearance, and left the shelter unseen.
• Sasuke saw through Orochimaru’s disguise, and Neji overheard their confrontation while moving through the forest.
• Three minor-village ninjas attacked Neji, who killed them and took their scrolls before continuing on.
• Neji watched Orochimaru defeat Naruto and decided to let events unfold so Orochimaru could confront the Third Hokage.
• Orochimaru revealed himself, injected Sasuke with a strange liquid, and gave him the Curse Mark of Heaven.
• Sasuke’s body began changing under the Curse Mark and Female Hormone, stunning Sakura as Sasuke became a girl.