Chapter Summaries

Neji arranged for Hinata to stay beside him as the Chunin Exam match schedule changed and signs of an attack emerged. Shikamaru and Temari began fighting in the arena while masked Anbu moved through the stands, and Neji watched for trouble.

• The organizers postponed Sasuke's match and moved Shino and Kankuro's match forward, but Kankuro forfeited, bringing Shikamaru and Temari into the arena.
• Neji secretly pushed Shikamaru over the railing, humiliating him in front of the spectators and prompting him to suspect Neji.
• Tenten brought Hinata to Neji, who told Hinata and Tenten to stay beside him because he feared something might happen.
• A masked Anbu left Kiba and Hinata's group to attack and knock out ninja spectators, while Neji sensed the attacks and suspected Orochimaru's plan had begun.
• Shikamaru linked his shadow with Temari's and privately complained that whoever married her would be doomed.

Shikamaru surrendered to Temari after exhausting his chakra, and Sasuke returned with Kakashi just as her match against Naruto was about to begin. As the crowd reacted to Sasuke’s transformation, Orochimaru and Gaara watched with their own interest in her upcoming fight.

• Shikamaru surrendered after explaining that repeated use of the Shadow Imitation Technique had drained his chakra, making Temari the winner.
• Neji reflected on his growing affection for the people around him and sensed Gaara’s difficult circumstances.
• Sasuke and Kakashi returned to the arena, and Rock Lee joined Neji, Tenten, and Hinata after recovering more than halfway.
• Naruto challenged Sasuke, and Sasuke answered with a cold insult as Shikamaru suspected there might be something between them.
• Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, questioned the Third Hokage about Sasuke’s appearance, while Gaara watched her as his opponent.

Sasuke learned that his postponed match against Gaara would still take place, while Naruto and Shikamaru witnessed Gaara kill two Grass Ninja who tried to make him throw the fight. Neji anticipated the Konoha Crush Plan as Sasuke and Gaara prepared to battle.

• Kakashi confirmed with Shiranui Genma that Sasuke had not lost his qualification because his match was postponed.
• Naruto urged Sasuke not to lose to Gaara and entrusted him with defeating Neji.
• Gaara killed two Grass Ninja who demanded that he deliberately lose, frightening Naruto and Shikamaru as they passed nearby.
• Kakashi reassured Sakura that Sasuke's neck scar had healed, while Neji reacted nervously to her question.
• Neji watched the preparations and looked forward to Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan.

Sasuke fought Gaara in the Chunin Exam arena, using copied taijutsu to break through Gaara’s sand defenses and Sand Armor. As Sasuke pressed his attack, Kakashi explained that he had trained Sasuke to imitate Rock Lee after Sasuke failed to copy Neji perfectly.

• Sasuke dodged Gaara’s sand attacks as Gaara spoke to his mother and became increasingly bloodthirsty.
• Sasuke destroyed Gaara’s Sand Clone with a series of copied taijutsu moves, then struck Gaara and sent him flying.
• Sasuke taunted Gaara and continued attacking at Rock Lee’s unweighted speed, gradually stripping away his Sand Armor.
• Might Guy asked Kakashi about Sasuke’s training, and Kakashi explained that Sasuke had learned to imitate Rock Lee after struggling to copy Neji.
• Neji reflected that Sasuke had learned several of his moves despite lacking the abilities that made them possible.

Sasuke tried to stop Gaara from sealing himself inside a sand sphere, but Gaara’s sand spikes wounded him and the sphere’s Absolute Defense held. Sasuke pierced it with Chidori as the Konoha Crush Plan began unfolding in the audience, leaving Neji anticipating Shukaku’s appearance.

• Gaara enclosed himself in a sand sphere after Sasuke’s attack, and sand spikes wounded Sasuke when he tried to interrupt him.
• Naruto warned that Gaara was driven by killing intent and asked Kakashi to stop the match, but Kakashi reassured him that they had arrived late for a reason.
• Sasuke tested the sphere’s defense, then formed Chidori and charged at Gaara.
• Might Guy explained Chidori as Kakashi’s secret assassination technique, and Sasuke used it to pierce Gaara’s Absolute Defense.
• Neji sensed shinobi in the audience falling asleep as the Konoha Crush Plan began and anticipated Shukaku’s arrival.

The Konoha Crush operation began as Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, took the Third Hokage hostage and sealed the rooftop with the Four Violet Flames Formation. Gaara’s backlash forced Maki to cancel the Sand Ninja’s planned operation and send Temari and Kankuro to take him away, while Maki stayed to fight.

• A claw burst from Gaara’s sand sphere, wounded Sasuke, and then withdrew as the sphere broke apart to reveal Gaara injured and in distress.
• Illusory feathers put most spectators to sleep, but Neji protected Hinata and Tenten, while Kakashi, Might Guy, Sakura, and other elite ninja dispelled the Genjutsu.
• Maki, Temari, and Kankuro recognized that the operation had begun as giant snakes attacked Konoha’s outskirts and Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, took the Third Hokage hostage.
• The Sound Four formed the Four Violet Flames Formation around Orochimaru and the Third Hokage, while Sound Ninja guarded Kabuto below.
• Maki realized Gaara’s backlash meant he could not carry out the operation, so he canceled it and ordered Temari and Kankuro to take Gaara away.
• Maki stayed to join the battle as Shiranui Genma watched, and the two prepared to fight.

The invasion disrupted the Chunin Exams as Sasuke pursued Gaara and Orochimaru revealed himself to the Third Hokage, preparing to fight him. Kakashi organized a team to track Sasuke, and Might Guy called on Neji, who stopped pretending to be unconscious and agreed to go.

• Genma told Sasuke the exams were over and sent him after Gaara, while Orochimaru revealed his identity to the Third Hokage and threatened to kill him.
• Kakashi spotted Orochimaru inside the barrier and killed two Sound Ninja attacking Sakura before joining Might Guy in the fight.
• Orochimaru admitted he wanted to use Konoha's destruction to set events in motion, and he and the Third Hokage prepared to battle.
• Kakashi asked Sakura to wake Naruto and Shikamaru and send them after Sasuke, then summoned Pakkun to track Sasuke's scent.
• Might Guy called Neji into the mission, and Neji stopped pretending to be unconscious and agreed to join the pursuit.

Neji and the other genin left the battle at the invasion site to pursue Sasuke while Kakashi and Might Guy held off the Sound ninja. Inside the barrier, Orochimaru summoned the First and Second Hokage to fight the Third Hokage, and Neji watched, convinced the Third Hokage’s death was necessary for Konoha to change.

• Sakura helped Naruto and the others recover from the Genjutsu, while Neji protected Tenten and Hinata as Kabuto watched without intervening.
• Kakashi ordered the genin to find Sasuke and stop him, and Neji led Tenten and Hinata out through the opening after Sakura’s group.
• Might Guy returned to Kakashi to defend the opening and the unconscious people as the two jonin continued fighting the Sound ninja.
• The Sound Four created another barrier inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, trapping the Third Hokage and Orochimaru together.
• Orochimaru used Impure World Reincarnation to summon the First and Second Hokage, and Neji observed their arrival from afar.

Neji stayed behind with Tenten and Hinata to hold off nine Sound ninja while the others pursued Sasuke. After Neji defeated them, Asuma arrived and mistook Neji’s Nen Barrier for a trap, leaving the group trying to stop him from breaking it.

• Naruto, Shikamaru, Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, and Neji followed Pakkun toward Sasuke as nine Sound ninja closed in behind them.
• Neji ordered Tenten and Hinata to help him hold off the Sound ninja while the others continued their pursuit.
• Neji raised a Nen Barrier around the three of them and used Shadow Clones and Phantom Explosion to defeat eight attackers.
• Neji killed the final Sound ninja after the man mistook the fight for Genjutsu.
• Asuma arrived, mistook the Nen Barrier for something trapping Neji and the others, and prepared to break it with his Chakra Blade.

Neji left Tenten and Hinata with Asuma and rushed to confront Gaara, who had half-transformed and seized Sakura. Neji revealed a powerful Nen-and-Chakra technique and attacked Gaara, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Asuma learned Neji had trapped Tenten and Hinata inside a protective barrier, then agreed to escort them to safety.
• Neji left his teammates with Asuma and sped toward the source of the evil Chakra.
• Neji passed through Shino and Kankuro's ongoing fight as Shino stopped Kankuro from pursuing him.
• Neji found Gaara pinning Sakura while Naruto and Sasuke were unable to stop him, and Naruto urged Neji to save her.
• Neji unleashed Nen Beast: Dragon Tiger Roar, stunned Gaara with Lion's Roar, and brought a lightning-charged strike down on the beast claw holding Sakura.

Neji fought Gaara’s transforming One-Tail form, overpowering him with a series of powerful attacks and bringing him down. Neji then plunged his tiger-headed arm into Gaara and began drawing out a force he had been searching for.

• Neji left Sakura with Naruto and told him to protect the others while he fought Gaara.
• Neji evaded Gaara’s attacks, deflected his Sand Shuriken, and struck him with Eagle Stomp and a lightning-charged follow-up.
• Naruto shielded Sasuke and Sakura from the shockwave while Sasuke watched Neji’s strength with renewed admiration.
• Neji found Gaara’s miniature One-Tail form lying on the ground and plunged his arm into it, beginning to draw out a force.

Neji discovered that contact with Shukaku had produced a new, still-locked system subpage before Shukaku broke free from Gaara and attacked him. As Naruto tried to summon Great Toad Boss to help, Neji fought Shukaku and prepared his strongest strike, the Spiraling Nen Field.

• Neji absorbed energy from Shukaku and gained a hazy new system subpage fragment instead of unlocking the Lion Head subpage.
• Shukaku emerged from Gaara, and Temari feared they would all die.
• Naruto summoned Gamakichi instead of Great Toad Boss, then promised Sasuke he would summon the boss and began gathering Chakra.
• Neji realized he had not truly defeated his opponent and dodged Shukaku's sand attacks with Moonwalk.
• Neji formed a Nen orb and struck at Shukaku with the Spiraling Nen Field.

Neji overwhelmed Sand Shukaku with a powerful Spiraling Nen Field, then withdrew when his energy ran low and left Naruto and Gamabunta to face the beast. As Gamabunta fought Shukaku, Neji rescued Sasuke, Sakura, and Temari from the battlefield.

• Neji struck Shukaku with a massive Spiraling Nen Field, pinning the tailed beast to the ground and draining his Chakra.
• Naruto summoned Gamabunta, and Neji told Naruto that Shukaku was his responsibility before escaping to Sasuke's side.
• Shukaku recovered, accused Gamabunta of witnessing his humiliation, and attacked him in a rage.
• Gamabunta drew his blade and leaped aside from Shukaku's tail, unleashing a gale across the battlefield.
• Neji carried Sasuke, Sakura, and Temari away from the battlefield as the gale uprooted trees.

Neji carried Temari, Sasuke, and Sakura to safety, treated Sasuke and Sakura, and told Temari to call out to Gaara. Her cries reached Gaara inside Shukaku, whose awareness began to stir as the chapter ended.

• Neji found a high tree where he could watch the battle, then treated Sakura and suppressed Sasuke’s Curse Mark.
• Sasuke asked Neji to teach her to become stronger, but he refused and urged her not to lose herself to the Curse Mark.
• Neji ordered Temari to keep calling Gaara’s name, and her shouts reached the battlefield.
• Shukaku heard Temari and sensed Gaara awakening, while Naruto noticed her cries before Gamabunta was struck away.
• Gaara heard Temari’s voice in his sleep as a figure formed from a different kind of sand and gently touched his face.

Neji, Naruto, and Gamabunta fought Shukaku while Temari's cries gradually awakened Gaara. Naruto finally woke Gaara and stopped Shukaku, leaving Neji to consider the consequences of revealing his strength and the new fragment in his mind.

• Gamabunta told Naruto that Gaara was Shukaku's medium and that waking him would suppress Shukaku's power.
• Shukaku attacked Neji, Sazuko, Sakura, and Temari with Air Bullets, but Gamabunta intercepted the attacks and transformed into the Nine-Tails to restrain him.
• Neji caught Temari as she fell, then helped Sazuko while Naruto ran toward Gaara.
• Naruto headbutted Gaara awake, and Shukaku collapsed into sand after sensing the Nine-Tails' Chakra.
• Neji noticed a new sub-page fragment and wondered how to unseal Lion Head, while Temari asked him to treat her and he reassured her that Gaara was fine.

After Konoha repelled the Sand Ninja and mourned the Third Hokage, Hiashi entrusted Neji with a scroll and a pair of Byakugan, leaving the Hyuga Clan’s future to his decision. Neji had yet to choose what to do with them.

• Neji suppressed Sazuko’s Curse Mark, then joined her in heading to Naruto while experience points brought him close to leveling up.
• Gaara called off his fight with Naruto, and Temari and Kankuro retreated with him and the other Sand Ninja.
• Two black-robed observers, one with shark-like teeth and one with a Sharingan, watched Konoha before vanishing as the Sand Ninja withdrew and Orochimaru escaped with the Sound Four.
• Two days later, Neji attended the Third Hokage’s funeral, then returned to the Hyuga Clan dojo to speak with Hiashi.
• Hiashi called Neji his nephew, gave him a scroll and the Byakugan he had once removed, and told him the clan’s future depended on his decision.

Hiashi told Neji why Hizashi had sacrificed himself and entrusted him with items that could help restore his Byakugan and change the Hyuga Clan. Neji accepted them, then visited Hizashi’s grave and vowed to change the clan before disappearing into the rain.

• Hiashi explained that Hizashi had died to protect Neji from the Caged Bird Seal and the threat of war, then asked Neji to accept two items and change the Hyuga Clan.
• Neji agreed to keep the restoration of his Byakugan and the sealed scroll secret, and Hiashi gave him both items.
• Neji left the dojo after lightly scolding Hanabi and reassuring Hinata with a nod, while Hiashi reflected on Hizashi’s sacrifice.
• Neji visited Hizashi’s grave, acknowledged his father’s sacrifice, left his eyepatch there, and vowed to change the Hyuga Clan before vanishing.

Neji returned to the Laboratory with an original Byakugan and a scroll containing the Caged Bird Seal formula, which he began studying for ways to change the seal. Meanwhile, Sazuko agonized over how to become stronger until unexplained pain and bleeding left her wondering when she had been hurt.

• Neji returned to the Laboratory, reassured Izumi that he was fine, and learned that Karin had reached the base in the Land of Rain.
• Neji examined the original Byakugan and opened Hiashi’s sealed scroll, which contained the Caged Bird Seal formula and a message supporting his efforts to change it.
• Neji analyzed the seal’s one-degree blind spot and began drawing and revising ideas for enlarging or altering its effects.
• Sazuko looked at the curse mark on her neck and considered seeking strength elsewhere if Neji refused to teach her again.
• Sazuko felt pain in her neck and abdomen, noticed blood between her legs, and wondered when she had been injured.

Sazuko punched Naruto after he annoyed her, while Jiraiya turned down the offer to become Fifth Hokage and agreed to search for Tsunade instead. Hiashi arranged for Neji to join the search, leaving Neji troubled because his Byakugan had already recovered.

• Sazuko ignored Naruto's greetings, then punched him in the stomach and told him to stop bothering her.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu told Jiraiya that Konoha needed a Fifth Hokage and that they had chosen him for the position.
• Jiraiya refused the office and offered to find Tsunade, whom the advisors agreed was a suitable candidate.
• Hiashi asked for Neji to accompany Jiraiya so Tsunade could restore Neji's eyes, and the advisors approved.
• Neji learned about Hiashi's arrangement and worried about explaining that his Byakugan had already recovered.

After the Third Hokage sealed Orochimaru’s hands, Orochimaru admitted that Uchiha Itachi was stronger than him. In Konoha, Itachi and Kisame confronted Asuma and Kurenai, and Kisame launched the first attack.

• Orochimaru told Kabuto that he had traded his hands and techniques for the Second Pillar, and that he had left the organization because Uchiha Itachi was stronger than him.
• Kakashi waited for Sasuke at a dango shop, where Itachi and Kisame were having tea before Itachi abruptly left.
• Asuma and Kurenai pursued the intruders to a riverbank and recognized Itachi and Kisame as S-rank criminals.
• Asuma confronted Itachi about returning to Konoha, while Itachi asked Asuma and Kurenai not to interfere.
• Kisame attacked Kurenai with Samehada, and Asuma blocked the strike with his trench knives.