Chapter Summaries

Momoka Senju let Jueming and Sayuri choose C-Rank techniques, and Jueming asked to study swordsmanship. He revealed his pink Leaf Blade Sword, leaving Momoka stunned, and she began teaching him Basic Swordplay so she could test his ideas.

• Momoka Senju showed Jueming and Sayuri the C-Rank technique catalog and said their Chunin Exam performances qualified them to learn from it.
• Jueming chose swordsmanship, and Momoka Senju gave him books on Kenjutsu theory before demonstrating the basics.
• Jueming revealed his faint-pink Leaf Blade Sword and explained that it would grow pinker as his strength increased.
• Momoka Senju concealed her shock, opened a copy of Basic Swordplay, and prepared to test Jueming's ideas.

Jueming read the kenjutsu books at the Senju library and rapidly mastered Konoha Style: Basic Swordplay under Momoka Senju’s demonstration. His sword skill improved further, while Sayuri worried that he might surpass her before their third match.

• Jueming quickly read the kenjutsu books while Momoka Senju and Sayuri watched.
• Jueming finished the books and gained a deeper understanding of kenjutsu, raising his Grass Blade Sword to D-Rank.
• Momoka Senju demonstrated Konoha Style: Basic Swordplay at Jueming’s request.
• Jueming practiced the basic swordplay dozens of times and rapidly progressed from a novice to a skilled swordsman.
• Sayuri felt shaken by Jueming’s talent but resolved that he would not surpass her before the third match.
• Jueming mastered the basic swordplay, raised his Grass Blade Sword to D+-Rank, and gained more kenjutsu talent.

Jueming continued his sword training while learning that Aoki Senju had been murdered, raising suspicions of a larger plot. As he and Mito Uzumaki prepared for the Chunin Exams, news of Wood Release reached Iwagakure and prompted Ōnoki to reconsider his plans as war approached.

• Momoka Senju stopped Jueming’s sword training because of his extraordinary progress, then told him Aoki Senju had been killed and that Jiraiya had joined the investigation.
• Jueming and Mito Uzumaki wondered who had killed Aoki, and Mito urged Jueming to become stronger so he could withstand conspiracies.
• Mito demonstrated the C-Rank Puppet Blade technique, controlling five Kunai at once, while Jueming practiced swordplay and prepared to rely on himself in the third exam.
• Jueming trained with Momoka and gathered Mental Energy from his peers, while Obito did not reappear after their earlier clash.
• Iwagakure’s ninja reported the Chunin Exams and the return of Wood Release, prompting the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki to call a meeting and reconsider his plans as the Third Great Ninja War threatened to begin early.

Ōnoki learned that Senju Jueming had awakened Wood Release and convinced the Land of Earth’s leaders to approve a surprise attack on Konoha during the Chunin Exams. Black Zetsu and White Zetsu revealed that they had manipulated Ōnoki into starting a war, leaving Iwagakure preparing to send a thousand troops to Konoha.

• Ōnoki told the Land of Earth’s Daimyo and officials that Senju Jueming had awakened Wood Release, making them fear the Senju Clan might rise again.
• Ōnoki cited Konoha’s losses, including Nawaki Senju’s death, Tsunade’s departure, and Sakumo Hatake’s suicide, as evidence that Konoha was vulnerable.
• Ōnoki announced that Iwagakure would attack Training Ground 4 during the third round of Konoha’s Chunin Exams, and the war council approved the plan.
• White Zetsu, disguised as a Land of Earth official, told Black Zetsu that Ōnoki planned to send a thousand troops as a vanguard.
• Black Zetsu approved the plan, expecting the attack to plunge Konoha and the wider Ninja World into chaos.

Jueming completed more than twenty days of sword training under Momoka Senju and prepared to face Sayuri in the Third Exam. Meanwhile, Tekka Uchiha trained his Sharingan for the exam, and Kakashi visited his disgraced father’s grave and reaffirmed that he would choose his comrades over a mission.

• Momoka Senju praised Jueming’s rapid progress, checked his health, and urged him to give his all in the Third Exam while assuring him she would always be his teacher.
• Jueming promised Momoka Senju that he would defeat Sayuri and take first place for the Senju.
• Tekka Uchiha evaded a rain of ninja tools with his Sharingan and decided that ration pills could offset its chakra drain.
• Tekka Uchiha vowed to beat Kakashi Hatake and Senju Jueming in the exam the next day.
• Kakashi visited his father’s crude grave outside Konoha Cemetery, thanked Senju Jueming for saving his life, and said he would choose his comrades over a mission.

The third round of the Chunin Exams began at Konoha’s Fourth Training Ground, with village leaders and dignitaries watching. Jueming’s first match against Aburame Chiharu started, and Jueming knocked him down with a single punch.

• Jueming and the other examinees arrived at the packed Fourth Training Ground, where Mito Uzumaki worried about the unusual venue and the crowd watched the proceedings.
• Minato Namikaze was revealed as the examiner, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Homura, and Utatane Koharu arrived to observe.
• Utatane Koharu opened the formal selection matches, and Minato announced that the one-on-one bouts would be decided by random draws and continue until surrender, incapacitation, or death.
• The screen paired Senju Jueming with Aburame Chiharu, a Root operative and Senju Sayuri’s teammate, while the Great Elder and Aburame clan leaders watched.
• Minato started the match, and Jueming struck Chiharu so quickly and forcefully that he was sent flying and fell to the ground.

Senju Jueming effortlessly defeated Aburame Chiharu, then was unexpectedly selected for a second match against Baki. Jueming and Mito Uzumaki suspected Konoha's higher-ups had arranged the pairings as part of a conspiracy.

• Senju Jueming sat down and defeated Aburame Chiharu after enduring his Kikaichū and striking him unconscious.
• Jueming sprayed insecticide to kill the Kikaichū before they could devour their injured owner, and Minato Namikaze declared him the winner.
• Jueming celebrated before the electronic screen selected him to fight Baki in the second match.
• Jueming sat down again and suspected the repeated match selection was a conspiracy, while Mito Uzumaki warned that Konoha's higher-ups might have trapped him.

Senju Jueming faced Sunagakure ninja Baki in the Chunin Exams and defeated him without leaving his seat. Baki conceded, and the spectators wondered whether Jueming had inherited Hashirama Senju’s extraordinary body.

• Baki charged Jueming with a powerful kick, but his leg struck Jueming’s seemingly iron-hard body.
• Jueming taunted Baki and invited him to use his strongest attack while remaining seated.
• Baki used Wind Scythe Formation, but the attack left Jueming completely unharmed.
• Baki conceded, and Minato Namikaze declared Jueming the winner.
• The spectators speculated that Jueming had inherited Hashirama Senju’s powerful body, while the Great Elder celebrated his victory.

Tekka Uchiha awakened his Sharingan and defeated Mangetsu Hōzuki, while the remaining first-round matches continued and Kakashi faced Jueming. Meanwhile, Konan and Nagato broke Yahiko out of the Torture Department as Iwagakure's main force attacked Konohagakure.

• Tekka Uchiha used his Sharingan to trap Mangetsu Hōzuki in an illusion and win their match, drawing concern from Konoha's elders.
• Senju Sayuri, Mei Terumī, and Kisame each won their matches with ease.
• Kakashi Hatake entered the arena in a wheelchair to face Senju Jueming, who admitted he would not use his full strength.
• Konan and Nagato reached Yahiko's cell and tried to free him, but Yahiko hesitated because his name had not been cleared.
• Konan urged Yahiko to escape, revealing that Iwagakure's main force was already attacking.

Nagato and Konan reached Konoha to rescue Yahiko, but an Iwagakure invasion led him to escape prison and warn his companions that the Third Great Ninja War was beginning. At the Chunin Exams, Jueming narrowly avoided Kakashi’s White Fang’s Short Sword as their fight began.

• Nagato explained that he and Konan had come to Konoha after learning Yahiko was imprisoned, and they had waited for an opportunity to free him.
• A message from Akatsuki companions revealed that more than a thousand Iwa Ninja had invaded the Land of Fire, and Yahiko recognized the threat of the Third Great Ninja War.
• Yahiko ordered Nagato and Konan to seek safety and alert their companions and Hanzō, then the three defeated Iden Morino and escaped.
• At the Fourth Training Ground, Jueming charged Kakashi, who revealed White Fang’s Short Sword and attacked him with its glowing blade.
• Jueming dodged Kakashi’s slash after Mito Uzumaki warned him, while Kakashi reflected on inheriting his father’s sword and will.

Senju Jueming challenged Kakashi to a sword fight and defeated him despite Kakashi's White Fang blade. After explaining how Kakashi's rebellion against his father had kept him from learning his swordsmanship, Jueming found Kakashi trembling and tried to keep him from giving up.

• Jueming rejected Mito Uzumaki's suggestion to use the Flying Leaf Dagger and stood up to fight Kakashi head-on.
• Jueming drew the pink Macho Sword, startling the onlookers, while Kakashi recognized his veteran swordsmanship and attacked with kunai and shuriken.
• Jueming deflected Kakashi's projectiles, closed the distance, and matched the White Fang's Short Sword with his own blade.
• Jueming's sword struck Kakashi's wheelchair, toppling him to the ground, and Jueming explained that his blade had gained a defensive boost.
• Jueming told Kakashi that he had not inherited Hatake Sakumo's swordsmanship because he had rebelled against his father, then urged the trembling Kakashi not to give up.

Jueming helped Kakashi overcome his despair by treating him as a friend and defeating him in the Third Exam match. Kakashi learned that Nonō would treat him without requiring him to join Root, and Jueming gained a new skill.

• Kakashi confessed to Jueming that he had considered dying and joining Nonō's organization, but Jueming urged him not to abandon himself.
• Jueming lay down beside Kakashi to show that he understood his suffering, and Kakashi recognized his sincerity and regained his resolve.
• Kakashi charged Jueming with the Body Flicker Technique, and the two fought with their swords while Tekka Uchiha copied their movements with his Sharingan.
• Jueming disarmed Kakashi and held his blade at Kakashi's throat, winning their match.
• Jueming told Kakashi that Nonō would treat him after the Chunin Exams and that he would not need to join Root.
• Jueming's system announced that his Grass Release - Body - Fencing skill had evolved and his skin defense had improved.

Senju Jueming defeated Kakashi, then watched Uchiha Tekka face Senju Sayuri in a match between their clans. Sayuri outmaneuvered Tekka and won, leaving him shaken by how easily her Water Release could have blinded him.

• Minato Namikaze declared Jueming the winner over Kakashi, and Jueming returned to the platform without a scratch.
• The electronic screen paired Tekka Uchiha against Sayuri, and Jueming predicted that Tekka would lose because Sayuri was talented and more composed.
• Tekka activated his Sharingan and attacked Sayuri with a kunai formation, but she used the Body Flicker Technique to evade and strike him.
• Tekka used the Four Legs Technique and Earth Release: Hardening Jutsu to increase his speed and defense, then knocked Sayuri to the ground.
• Sayuri countered with Water Release: Heavenly Weeping, spraying Tekka in the face and making him realize she could have targeted his eyes, so he conceded.

Sayuri defeated Tekka Uchiha with a feigned weakness and surprise attack, then the draw matched Senju Jueming against Mei Terumī amid accusations that the Konoha leadership was targeting him. Jueming let Mito Uzumaki fight in his stead, and she revealed her control of the rare Puppet Blade technique as Mei prepared to face her.

• Sayuri pretended to be weak before defeating Tekka Uchiha with a surprise counterattack, leaving him depressed and Yashiro Uchiha furious.
• The electronic screen paired Senju Jueming with Mei Terumī, prompting spectators to accuse the exams of being rigged after Jueming was repeatedly selected.
• Utatane Koharu silenced the spectators, while Jueming told Mito Uzumaki that he intended to settle the Senju Clan dispute decisively.
• Mito Uzumaki volunteered to take Jueming's match, and Jueming agreed because Mei Terumī was from the Hidden Mist Village.
• Jueming dropped to the ground as Mito Uzumaki sent six Kunai circling around him with the rare Puppet Blade technique, making Mei Terumī tense.

Senju Jueming defeated Mei Terumī with Mito Uzumaki’s Puppet Blade and was immediately matched against Kisame Hoshigaki. Kisame shrugged off Mito’s kunai and flooded the arena, turning it into his home ground as the next fight began.

• Mito Uzumaki used Puppet Blade to pierce Mei Terumī’s Water Colliding Wave and cut her clothes, forcing Mei to concede without using her Kekkei Genkai.
• Minato Namikaze declared Senju Jueming the winner, and the audience cheered despite protesting his repeated matches.
• The screen paired Senju Jueming with Kisame Hoshigaki, who approached to carry out Lord Fuguki’s mission to kill Jueming.
• Mito Uzumaki sent ten kunai at Kisame, but they embedded in his body without stopping him.
• Kisame used Waterfall Technique to flood the Fourth Training Ground, then formed hand seals to create a Water Clone.

Jueming defeated Kisame by escaping his Water Prison Technique and using his speed and Arhat Fist to knock him unconscious. The crowd was stunned by his strength, while the Great Elder revealed that Jueming had not yet used his full power.

• Kisame trapped Jueming in a Water Prison Technique, but Jueming burst out by unleashing water from his mouth.
• Jueming outmaneuvered Kisame across the water and followed him into the air with Shadow Leaf Dance.
• Jueming struck Kisame in the back of the head with Arhat Fist: Rock Strike, leaving him unconscious.
• Choza Akimichi, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Kakashi, and the students reacted with surprise to Jueming's strength.
• The Great Elder told the onlookers that Jueming had not even used his full strength.

Senju Jueming faced Senju Sayuri in the Chunin Exams’ final match, where their fight also became a contest over the Senju Clan’s future. Sayuri unleashed powerful attacks, but Jueming survived them and prepared to face her Water Release technique.

• Yashiro Uchiha asked whether the Great Elder had spent the clan’s resources raising Jueming, but the Great Elder said Jueming had grown strong on his own.
• Sayuri entered the arena to face Jueming and argued that mixed blood was the Senju Clan’s only path forward.
• Jueming challenged Sayuri’s belief in the clan’s leaders and declared that he would take first place and lead the Senju Clan’s revival.
• Sayuri attacked Jueming with eight explosive-tagged kunai, but he emerged unharmed from the blasts.
• Sayuri buried Jueming with Earth Release, but he escaped using the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique.
• Sayuri used Tobirama Senju’s Water Surge technique to raise a ten-meter column of water as Mito Uzumaki warned Jueming to be careful.

Jueming withstood Sayuri’s overwhelming Water Surge without being harmed, shocking the spectators and drawing the attention of Konoha’s leaders and rival villages. Sayuri then revealed the Thunder God Sword, the weapon once wielded by Tobirama Senju, and Jueming recognized its deadly history.

• Sayuri redirected her Water Surge onto Jueming, but his stacked defensive skills let him endure the attack while he boasted to his classmates.
• The Great Elder celebrated Jueming’s strength, while Kunugi Mokume warned him that the examination was not over.
• Shinobi from the other villages recognized Jueming as a threat, and their groups discussed killing, kidnapping, or otherwise dealing with him.
• Shimura Danzō, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura exchanged looks as the examination’s hidden preparations came into focus.
• Jueming asked Sayuri to surrender, but she refused and released the Thunder God Sword from a scroll.
• Mito Uzumaki recognized the sword, and Jueming recalled that Tobirama Senju had used it to kill Izuna Uchiha.

Sayuri used the Thunder God Sword in her match against Jueming while Konoha’s officials dismissed complaints that the weapon gave her an unfair advantage. Jueming struggled to counter its power until Kakashi lent him White Fang’s short sword, giving him a chance to fight back.

• Utatane Koharu declared the Thunder God Sword an ordinary ninja tool and ordered the match to continue despite the Great Elder’s protest.
• The Great Elder apologized to Jueming, while Tekka Uchiha, Kakashi, and Yashiro Uchiha recognized the officials’ political manipulation.
• Sayuri charged the Thunder God Sword with Chakra and attacked Jueming, who retreated to avoid its cutting and electrical power.
• Kakashi threw Jueming White Fang’s short sword and said he would expect it back afterward.

Utatane Koharu halted Jueming’s match and tried to make him surrender, but he rejected Sayuri’s defense of the Senju leadership’s plans and defeated her with a single sword strike. The system then awakened Grass Release - Illusion - Insight and revealed Jueming’s mutation level and tolerance limit.

• Utatane Koharu ordered Jueming to return White Fang's Short Sword, prompting spectators and foreign delegations to jeer at Konoha over the rule enforcement.
• Jueming handed the sword to Minato Namikaze and told Sayuri that Senju clan members should choose their own fate rather than be coerced or sacrificed.
• Sayuri charged Jueming with the Thunder God Sword, and he warned her that he would defeat her in one move.
• Jueming launched the Leaf Blade Sword past Sayuri and buried it in the arena wall, cutting a strand of her hair without injuring her.
• Jueming named his technique One Sword Comes from the West, Immortal Flying from Beyond the Heavens, and the system awakened Grass Release - Illusion - Insight, reporting his Wood Release Factor corrosion level as 5 and his mutation tolerance limit as 20.