Chapter Summaries

Genin from Konoha, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure gathered for a joint Chunin Exam on Enoshima, but the absent examiners and old national grudges fueled a confrontation. As the Konoha and Kirigakure groups faced off, an unidentified newcomer challenged the rain hat youth to repeat his insult.

• Genin from the three nations waited outside a White Building on Enoshima while no examiner appeared.
• A Kirigakure rain hat youth’s group mocked and insulted a Konoha Genin after he was shoved to the ground.
• The Konoha Genin challenged the rain hat youth to settle the dispute with a fight, and both nations’ groups moved into a tense standoff.
• The Seven Ninja Swordsmen remained apart, while Dodai kept the Kumogakure Genin out of the confrontation.
• An unseen newcomer said they had not heard the rain hat youth’s insult clearly and demanded that he say it again.

Kagura and his teammates arrived at the Chunin Exam grounds and confronted a Kirigakure youth who had provoked Konoha. After Juzō Biwa intervened, Kagura headed to the White Building and questioned why the examiners were still waiting outside its closed doors.

• Kagura, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and their teammates arrived late after completing a C-rank mission on the way to the Land of Water.
• Kagura demanded that the rain-hatted Kirigakure youth repeat his provocation, but the youth charged at him with a short sword instead.
• Kagura immobilized the attacker with his Sharingan, and Juzō Biwa kicked the youth away while apologizing on Kirigakure's behalf.
• Kagura walked to the White Building and asked the gathered participants why they had not gone inside, despite the examiners standing there.

Kagura exposed the genjutsu hiding the examiners, allowing the examinees to enter the White Building and pass the first trial. The examiners then began the second assessment, a written exam that left Kagura stunned by its questions.

• Kagura revealed that the wall beside the entrance concealed the examiners, then passed through it with Tsunade and the others following.
• The examinees entered the hall and learned from the Kirigakure examiner that breaking through the entrance genjutsu and reaching the examiners counted as passing the first trial.
• The examiners announced that everyone present had passed the first round and led the examinees to a classroom for the second assessment.
• The bald examiner handed out the written exam and gave the examinees one hour to score at least eighty points out of one hundred.
• Kagura examined the questions on his paper and froze in shock.

Kagura found the Chūnin exam’s physics and anatomy questions easy, while Jiraiya struggled because he had ignored Kagura’s lessons. Jiraiya summoned a knowledgeable toad to take the test for him, and the examiner allowed it because the rules had not forbidden Summoning.

• The bald examiner explained that examinees needed at least eighty points and could not cheat by looking at papers or exchanging answers.
• Kagura recognized the questions as familiar physics and anatomy problems, and Tsunade and Orochimaru quickly began answering them.
• Jiraiya struggled with the test, then summoned a Spectacled Toad and asked it to fill out his paper.
• The Spectacled Toad criticized Jiraiya while writing his answers and threatened to report his stash of books to the Toad Sage.
• A Kumogakure examinee asked whether using a Summoned Beast was allowed, and the bald examiner said the rules permitted it.

Kagura watched examinees use varied techniques to cheat on the written test, which the examiners ended by disqualifying those they caught. After passing scores were announced, the remaining genin followed the bald examiner to a vast forest for the next assessment, whose details suggested the danger was only beginning.

• A Konoha Jonin caught two examinees sharing answers and expelled them, while the bald examiner exposed and eliminated another who had used Earth Style to hide beneath the floor.
• Kagura finished his test quickly and watched Dodai, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, a Yamanaka Genin, an Aburame clan member, and a Kumogakure examinee use different methods to obtain answers.
• The bald examiner ended the test after an hour, and the examiners graded the papers before sending away those who scored below eighty points.
• The bald examiner warned the examinees who passed that the next assessment could involve casualties or death, but no one withdrew.
• The bald examiner led the remaining examinees through the woods to a vast forest and began explaining the next assessment, making Kagura realize the exam was about to become more dangerous.

The examiner announced a forest hunting assessment in which candidates had to reach a White Building by noon with two forehead protectors, making even teammates potential opponents. Kagura entered the forest alone after parting from his companions, eager to begin the hunt.

• The bald examiner explained that candidates had to reach the White Building by noon with two forehead protectors and could fight only outside his sight.
• The candidates entered the forest in batches, with Kagura noting that the strongest group had been assigned to the final batch.
• Kagura jokingly suggested that he, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya team up, but they each chose to take the assessment alone.
• Tsunade warned Kagura to watch out for ambushes, kissed him, and hurried into the forest.
• Kagura headed into the forest alone, determined to enjoy the Hunting Game.

Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade each faced their own encounters in the forest during the exam. Tsunade came upon the Seven People as the chapter ended.

• Orochimaru walked into a Kirigakure Genin's snare, escaped it, and defeated him before taking his forehead protector, but left him alive.
• Jiraiya used Gamatatsu to pin down a Kumogakure examinee, took his forehead protector, and left him restrained.
• Tsunade thought about her kiss with Kagura and decided she would beat him up if he denied being hers.
• Tsunade pushed through tall grass and found the Seven People waiting ahead.

Juzō Biwa reflected on how he and the other six first-generation Seven Ninja Swordsmen valued missions and their weapons over companions as they gathered forehead protectors in the Chunin Exam. When Tsunade demanded they hand over a wounded Konohagakure examinee, Juzō prepared to fight her.

• Juzō recalled surviving a mission alone and being chosen by the Mizukage as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• The seven Kirigakure Genin entered the forest together and collected four forehead protectors by defeating other examinees.
• Tsunade approached the group and Juzō offered to let her leave unharmed.
• Tsunade recognized the wounded Konohagakure examinee and demanded that Juzō hand him over.
• Kuriarare Kushimaru and Munashi Jinpachi urged Juzō to kill Tsunade, and Juzō drew Kubikiribōchō to face her.

Tsunade fought Juzō Biwa and the other members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, but their combined attacks left her severely injured. Just as Juzō was about to finish her, Kagura rushed in and rescued her.

• Tsunade used Chidori Stream to charge at Juzō Biwa and sent him crashing through several trees with a punch.
• Kushimaru Kuriarare attacked Tsunade with Nuibari, but she dodged his blade and threads by smashing the ground and retreating.
• Munashi Jinpachi struck Tsunade with Exploding Blade Shibuki, blasting her away and injuring her.
• Juzō Biwa renewed his attack while the unnamed swordsman wielding Twin Swords Hiramekarei struck Tsunade with a Chakra Light Ball.
• Juzō raised Kubikiribōchō to kill the fallen Tsunade, but Kagura arrived in a burst of blue lightning, carried her away, and angrily confronted the swordsmen.

Kagura rescued the wounded Tsunade from the Seven Blade Group and turned to face them in fury. After swiftly defeating Kushimaru Kuriarare, he demanded that the other swordsmen leave one of their seven behind so he would let them go.

• Kagura used his Sharingan genjutsu to take a Kumogakure Examinee's forehead protector, then spared the unconscious man.
• Kagura spotted Tsunade being blasted away by Munashi Jinpachi's Exploding Blade Shibuki and rushed to save her.
• Kagura placed the injured Tsunade beside a tree and told her to heal while he dealt with the Seven Blade Group.
• Kushimaru Kuriarare charged Kagura with Nuibari, but Kagura dodged and kicked him flying.
• Kagura faced the surrounding swordsmen and demanded that they leave one person behind in exchange for letting the others go.

Kagura defeated the Seven Blade Group, killing the wielder of Twin Swords Hiramekarei and breaking Munashi Jinpachi with genjutsu. He let the survivors leave, and the group departed needing new members.

• Munashi Jinpachi charged Kagura but was trapped in genjutsu, while Juzō Biwa warned the others not to look into Kagura’s eyes.
• Kagura trapped Juzō Biwa in an illusion and killed the wielder of Twin Swords Hiramekarei with a lightning attack.
• Kagura took the dead ninja’s forehead protector and told the survivors he had chosen someone to leave behind.
• Munashi Jinpachi collapsed in terror, and Juzō Biwa asked Kagura if he would let them go.
• Kagura returned Twin Swords Hiramekarei, and Juzō Biwa and the others retreated into the forest.

Kagura and Tsunade escaped the Seven Ninja Swordsmen after Kagura’s bluff and genjutsu forced them to retreat, then sheltered in a cave to recover. Tsunade asked Kagura to hold her while they slept, and he eagerly accepted the suggestion.

• After the Seven Ninja Swordsmen left, Kagura collapsed from the backlash of the Eight Inner Gates and Sharingan, while Tsunade checked on him.
• Tsunade treated the wounded Konoha youth, and she and Kagura moved him to safety before leaving the scene.
• Kagura reflected that he had used genjutsu and a quick kill to frighten the swordsmen into retreating, avoiding a prolonged fight and the Mizukage’s anger.
• Before nightfall, Kagura and Tsunade found a hidden cave, where Kagura suggested they rest and go to the final destination in the morning.
• Tsunade asked Kagura to apply ointment to her back wound, then said she was cold and proposed that they hold each other while they slept.

Kagura and Tsunade reached the White Building after crossing the forest, where the other survivors gathered for the end of the assessment. The examiners announced that thirty candidates had passed the third round and led them inside.

• Kagura gave Tsunade his vest, and the two avoided traps and frightened opponents on their way to the finish line.
• Kagura and Tsunade reunited with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who noticed Tsunade's damaged clothes and asked if she was hurt.
• Kagura saw that thirty examinees had gathered at the White Building, including the remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen group.
• The bald Kirigakure examiner and a long-haired Kumogakure Jonin announced the assessment's end, collected the candidates' forehead protectors, and declared that thirty people had passed.
• The examiners led the successful candidates into the White Building, where Kagura recognized the scene inside.

The Fourth Exam was announced as a team battle, forcing Kagura, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru to split up because teams could only have three members. After Tsunade and the others registered together, someone unexpected invited Kagura to form a team.

• The examiners announced that the Fourth Exam would use teams of three in sequential 1v1 battles, with each team eliminated after all its members lost.
• The bald examiner singled out Kagura as a powerful contestant, drawing the other examinees' attention to him.
• Kagura realized that he, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru could not stay together because the rules allowed only three people per team.
• The four decided that Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru would form a team and leave Kagura to join another group.
• An unexpected examinee approached Kagura and asked to form a team with him.

Kagura and Dodai teamed up for the exam, then recruited Uchiha Shizuka to complete their team. As Kagura went to register, Dodai watched Shizuka with suspicion.

• Dodai directly invited Kagura to team up, and Kagura accepted.
• The long-haired examiner questioned the team-based rules, while the bald examiner defended them as a test of judgment and survival.
• Kagura and Dodai struggled to find a third teammate because their acquaintances had already formed teams.
• Uchiha Shizuka asked to join, and Kagura and Dodai agreed to form a team with her.
• Kagura went to register, unaware that Dodai was wary of Uchiha Shizuka.

Team 7 drew Ninja Sword Team 1 as its first opponent, and Tsunade faced Suikazan Fuguki in the opening match. Fuguki revealed Samehada’s ability to extend and drain chakra, leaving Tsunade wounded as the fight continued.

• The examiners drew lots and matched Team 7 against Ninja Sword Team 1.
• Tsunade and Suikazan Fuguki were chosen as the teams’ first fighters, and the referee began their duel.
• Kagura told Dodai that Tsunade would definitely win because she had grown stronger.
• Fuguki unwrapped Samehada and sent the living, barbed sword stretching toward Tsunade.
• Samehada grazed Tsunade’s arm and drained chakra through its blade, while Fuguki praised her taste.

Tsunade overwhelmed Suikazan Fuguki in the arena and won after smashing through his hair defense and knocking him into the audience seats. She challenged the remaining opponents, asking who would fight her next.

• Suikazan Fuguki complimented Tsunade's scent, angering her, and she launched a fierce assault that drove him toward the ring's edge.
• Tsunade kept Suikazan Fuguki on the defensive as spectators watched, while Jiraiya loudly cheered her on.
• Suikazan Fuguki formed a hardened shell of long orange hair and fired its spikes at Tsunade.
• Tsunade dodged most of the spikes, punched through the shell, and struck Suikazan Fuguki into the audience seats.
• The examiner declared Tsunade the winner, and she challenged the two remaining opponents to fight her.

Tsunade defeated Suikazan Fuguki and faced Munashi Jinpachi, whose explosive sword initially forced her to evade across the arena. After studying his attacks, she struck the ground and baited him into countering a shadow in the smoke, leaving him stunned when the blasts cleared.

• Tsunade decisively defeated Suikazan Fuguki, who accepted the loss calmly and left the arena.
• Munashi Jinpachi entered the arena, still shaken by Kagura's genjutsu from the previous day's battle.
• Munashi Jinpachi used the Exploding Blade Shibuki to pursue Tsunade with repeated blasts, while she dodged and studied his attacks.
• Tsunade slammed the ground to fill the arena with smoke, then drew Munashi Jinpachi into swinging at a shadow and detonating his weapon.
• The blasts cleared the smoke, and Munashi Jinpachi froze in shock at what he saw.

Tsunade defeated Munashi Jinpachi with a paralysis technique but, exhausted from her earlier battles, left the arena as Orochimaru stepped in. Orochimaru began his match against Kushimaru Kuriarare and turned the swordsman’s thread trap against him, appearing behind him with a chilling taunt.

• Tsunade paralyzed Munashi Jinpachi with her new ninjutsu and forced him to surrender, winning the second match.
• Tsunade’s exhaustion prompted Orochimaru to take her place, and the examiner declared that she could not return to the arena.
• The examiner restored the damaged arena, then announced Orochimaru’s duel against Kushimaru Kuriarare.
• Kushimaru Kuriarare attacked with Nuibari and bound Orochimaru in its threads, but Orochimaru split into small snakes and escaped.
• Orochimaru emerged behind Kushimaru Kuriarare, stretched his neck around to face him, and taunted him about bondage.

Orochimaru defeated Kushimaru Kuriarare, and the group matches continued with Juzō Biwa dominating a three-on-one fight and Kirigakure and Kumogakure trading victories. Kagura's team drew a Konohagakure team, and Kagura challenged all three opponents to fight him at once.

• Orochimaru defeated Kushimaru Kuriarare with a constricting hold, securing Team 7's qualification and shocking the spectators.
• Juzō Biwa defeated the Konoha Fighting Team in a one-versus-three match, demonstrating the strength of a Genin wielding a Ninja Sword.
• A Kumogakure team won a close five-battle match against Kirigakure, and its three temporary teammates embraced in tears.
• In the next Kirigakure-versus-Kumogakure match, a Kumogakure examinee lost both arms, but Kirigakure ultimately won after five battles.
• Kagura's team drew a Konohagakure team, and Kagura entered the arena and invited all three opponents to fight him together.