Chapter Summaries

Team 7 and other rookies entered the Chunin Exams classroom, where Kabuto Yakushi warned them to quiet down and shared information about the exam and the balance between nations. His account of Peach Country’s conquest of the Land of Hot Water angered Geng Hua, but Chino stopped him from confronting Kabuto so they could hear more.

• Team 7 entered the crowded classroom, where Ino Yamanaka and Yakumo Kurama argued over Geng Hua while the other rookies caused a commotion.
• Kabuto Yakushi warned the noisy students about the hostile ninjas around them, then introduced himself as a veteran taking the Chunin Exams for the seventh time.
• Kabuto showed the rookies his Ninja Info Cards and explained that the joint exams assessed the strength of neighboring countries to maintain a balance of power.
• Kabuto said Peach Country had destroyed the Land of Hot Water and accused its emperor, Shiraishi Yoshijo, of being called the Calamity Butterfly.
• Geng Hua grew angry at Kabuto’s accusations, but Chino held him back and urged him to hear what Kabuto had to say.

Kabuto Yakushi provoked the Peach Country ninja by condemning their emperor, Shiraishi Yoshijo, while Geng Hua struggled to hide his identity. Naruto’s misunderstanding broke the tension, and Kabuto went on to describe the powerful teams in the Chunin Exams, leaving Naruto to loudly declare he would defeat them all.

• Kabuto Yakushi described Shiraishi Yoshijo as a traitor and the cause of bloodshed, angering Geng Hua.
• Shiraishi Shingoro insulted the Konoha ninja and drew their hostility away from Geng Hua, while Chino warned Geng Hua that Kabuto might suspect his identity.
• Kabuto pressed Shingoro about the Shide Clan, but Naruto praised the emperor as his idol and made the classroom erupt in laughter.
• Kabuto listed the participating villages and their team numbers, warning that every genin present was an elite opponent.
• Hinata Hyuga worried about her chances, and Naruto shouted that he would never lose to any of the other ninja.

Naruto’s boast stirred up the examinees before the Otogakure team attacked Kabuto and the first-stage examiner, Morino Ibiki, took control. The written exam began with rules that made Naruto’s poor test skills a threat to Team 7.

• Naruto boasted that he would not lose, drawing mockery and hostile stares from the other examinees.
• Zaku Abumi, Dosu Kinata, and Kin Tsuchi attacked Kabuto Yakushi, whose glasses shattered and who collapsed after Dosu’s soundwave strike.
• Morino Ibiki appeared with Konoha Chunin, stopped the fighting, and announced the first stage of the Chunin Exams.
• Naruto panicked when he learned the exam was written, while Hinata encouraged him to do their best together.
• Ibiki explained that cheating cost points and that a team failed if even one member scored zero, prompting Sakura and Sasuke to glare at Naruto.

Peach Country's ninja outperformed the other candidates on Konoha's written exam, while Naruto struggled with the questions and faced Ibiki's final dilemma. Naruto refused to quit and inspired the remaining Genin to stay, so everyone who remained passed, though the examiners left disgusted by his praise of Shiraishi Yoshijo.

• Geng Hua, Chino, and their companions finished early and handed in their papers, with nearly all of Peach Country's ninja earning perfect scores.
• Naruto refused Hinata's offer to copy her answers, and the final question made the candidates choose between quitting or risking a lifetime as Genin.
• Naruto declared he would never back down and said he wanted to become a great ninja like the First Dean, Shiraishi Yoshijo.
• Naruto's declaration persuaded the remaining candidates not to withdraw, and Ibiki announced that everyone still in the room had passed.
• The examiners left after giving Naruto disgusted looks, and Sakura punched him for praising Shiraishi Yoshijo.

After Naruto passed the first exam, Kakashi and Iruka confronted him about his dream of becoming Hokage and explained Konoha’s hatred of Shiraishi Yoshijo. Naruto learned that the Academy statue he admired depicted Shiraishi and left determined to defeat him and become Hokage.

• Kakashi scolded Naruto for repeatedly declaring his dream, and Naruto stormed away after calling Kakashi an idiot.
• Kakashi told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Naruto’s dream could make life difficult for him, and Hiruzen asked Iruka to explain Shiraishi Yoshijo to Naruto.
• Naruto went to Ichiraku Ramen, where Iruka found him and offered to celebrate his passing the first exam.
• Iruka told Naruto the history of the Hokage and described Shiraishi Yoshijo as the villain who forced Konoha to relocate.
• Naruto learned that the statue he had admired was Shiraishi Yoshijo and vowed to defeat him, tear down his statue, and become Hokage.

During the Chunin Exams’ second stage, Geng Hua’s team acquired the scroll they needed and discussed his father’s brutal rule before heading toward a powerful battle. They found Orochimaru facing Naruto’s team, where Sasuke exposed an impostor disguised as Naruto.

• Shingoro’s butterflies located a Takigakure team, and Keigen found the Earth Scroll among its unconscious members.
• Geng Hua questioned his father’s massacre of the Land of Hot Water, and Keigen urged him to prove Peach Country could prosper without dark methods.
• Keigen summoned a Cangying, and Geng Hua silently vowed to surpass his father and bring peace to the world.
• Shingoro sensed Orochimaru fighting nearby, and Geng Hua redirected the Cangying to see if they could help Naruto.
• Sasuke struck Naruto and exposed the boy as an impostor after noticing his healed wound and misplaced shuriken pouch.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura fought off a Rain Ninja and set a password to recognize each other if separated. The trio exposed a Grass Ninja who had transformed into Naruto, while another Grass Ninja remained nearby.

• A disguised Rain Ninja ambushed the team, but Sasuke wounded him and drove him away after Naruto freed himself and joined the fight.
• Sasuke warned Naruto and Sakura not to trust anyone while separated and taught them a long password; a bamboo tube quietly withdrew underground as they talked.
• A Grass Ninja attacked with a powerful gale, scattering Naruto and forcing Sasuke and Sakura to hide.
• Sakura and a disguised Naruto both answered Sasuke's password, but Sasuke recognized that the Naruto before him was an impostor and threw a kunai at him.
• The impostor dodged the kunai, revealed himself as the Grass Ninja wearing a conical hat, and dropped the Transformation Technique.

Orochimaru tested Sasuke and Sakura with overwhelming killing intent, forcing Sasuke to wound himself and flee with Sakura while Naruto escaped from a giant snake. The chapter ended with Orochimaru emerging from the snake and confronting Sasuke again.

• Orochimaru revealed himself to Sasuke and Sakura, swallowed the Earth Scroll, and overwhelmed them with his killing intent.
• Sasuke stabbed his thigh to break free of his fear, grabbed Sakura, and fled as Orochimaru gave chase.
• Naruto escaped from a giant gray snake by using Shadow Clone Technique to burst its stomach, then searched for Sasuke and Sakura.
• Sasuke and Sakura paused in a tree, where a giant gray snake attacked them and Sasuke struck it with a shuriken.
• Orochimaru crawled out of the snake's body and warned Sasuke that prey had to stay alert while he pursued them.

Naruto arrived to face Orochimaru, who had cornered Sasuke and Sakura during the forest trial. After Naruto’s power briefly awakened and he protected Sasuke, Orochimaru disrupted Naruto’s seal and knocked him unconscious, leaving Sasuke and Sakura facing him.

• Naruto interrupted Orochimaru’s attack on Sasuke, while Sasuke offered Orochimaru the scroll in hopes of sparing the team.
• Naruto rejected Sasuke’s plan, accused him of cowardice, and charged Orochimaru, who summoned a giant gray snake and sent Naruto crashing through trees.
• Naruto’s eyes turned red, and he struck the gray snake with enough force to make it recoil before Orochimaru engulfed him in flames.
• Orochimaru sent the gray snake after Sasuke, and Naruto shielded him, prompting Sasuke to recall Naruto’s earlier courage and their first mission.
• Orochimaru lifted Naruto with his tongue and used the Five Elements Seal on his abdomen, making Naruto lose consciousness before he threw him away.

Sasuke awakened his Sharingan after realizing he had to risk his life to pursue revenge, but Shingoro, Keigen, and Geng Hua interrupted his confrontation with Orochimaru. Shingoro’s powerful wind technique appeared to cut Orochimaru down, only for Orochimaru to emerge atop Manda as Shingoro prepared to fight him in earnest.

• Sakura caught the falling Naruto with a shuriken, and Sasuke awakened two tomoe in his Sharingan after resolving to risk his life in battle.
• Shingoro, Keigen, and Geng Hua arrived and challenged Orochimaru over his attack on Peach Country.
• Orochimaru identified Geng Hua as Shiraishi Yoshijo and Tsunade’s son, and Geng Hua introduced himself and warned Orochimaru not to underestimate him.
• Shingoro unleashed the Great Sickle Weasel Technique, slicing Orochimaru apart and clearing the trees around the group while sparing Naruto and the others.
• Manda burst from underground and attacked Shingoro, who flew out of reach with the Butterfly Wing Technique and challenged Orochimaru to show his true strength.

Orochimaru defeated Shingoro with a trap, leaving him badly injured, but Geng Hua and Guiyuan protected him. After Orochimaru turned his attention to Geng Hua’s Wood Release, Guiyuan struck him with overwhelming strength, forcing Orochimaru to shed his body and prepare to fight again.

• Orochimaru attacked Shingoro with Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, but Shingoro burned the snakes with Scorch Flow Kill and then tried the Butterfly Explosion Technique.
• Orochimaru used explosive tags hidden in his snakes to blast Shingoro, and Geng Hua saved him with Wood Release, though Shingoro lost an arm and was badly injured.
• Orochimaru deduced that Geng Hua’s Wood Release came from Shiraishi Yoshijo’s research and became intent on capturing him for experiments.
• Orochimaru tested Guiyuan with kunai and snakes, and Guiyuan warned Geng Hua before powering up and punching Orochimaru through dozens of trees.
• Orochimaru shed his damaged body and claimed physical strength could not defeat him, but Guiyuan appeared before him again, wreathed in blood-red steam.

Guiyuan pushed Orochimaru with his life-burning Overload Mode, but Orochimaru repeatedly escaped injury through Snake Substitution. Guiyuan tried to retreat with Geng Hua and Shingoro, but Orochimaru paralyzed Geng Hua and stopped them.

• Guiyuan attacked Orochimaru at high speed, and Orochimaru used Myriad Serpent Formation and the Kusanagi Sword to defend himself.
• Guiyuan's punch collided with Orochimaru's sword, unleashing a shockwave that swept away Sakura and forced Sasuke backward.
• Geng Hua protected the injured Shingoro with Wood Release, then carried him after Sasuke ran toward the fight.
• Geng Hua bound Orochimaru with tree roots, letting Guiyuan land a barrage of blows, but Orochimaru escaped unharmed with another Snake Substitution.
• As his Overload Mode began to exhaust him, Guiyuan summoned a giant eagle and ordered Geng Hua and Shingoro to flee.
• Orochimaru paralyzed Geng Hua and said he wanted to have a heart-to-heart with him.

Shiraishi Yoshijo rescued Geng Hua and his companions from Orochimaru, then accepted Orochimaru’s apology gift. After Yoshijo left, Orochimaru gave Sasuke a curse mark, and Sakura found Sasuke unconscious beside Naruto.

• Orochimaru restrained Geng Hua, blew Shingoro away, and struck Guiyuan as they tried to rescue Geng Hua.
• Shiraishi Yoshijo arrived, rescued Geng Hua, and confronted Orochimaru, who offered him a scroll of genetic modification experiments as an apology.
• Yoshijo accepted the scroll, healed Shingoro and Guiyuan, and teleported away with them and Geng Hua.
• Orochimaru offered Sasuke power if he defeated three Sound Ninja, then paralyzed him and bit his neck, giving him a curse mark.
• Sakura found Sasuke unconscious in the forest and set Naruto down beside him.

Shiraishi Yoshijo scolded Geng Hua and urged him and his companions to complete the Chunin Exams without provoking Orochimaru. Across the forest, teams fought for their scrolls while Orochimaru defeated Anko and revealed his interest in an Uchiha child, leaving her with a threat against Konoha.

• Shiraishi Yoshijo scolded Geng Hua, told Shingoro not to provoke Orochimaru, and returned to Peach Country.
• Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino defeated an enemy and found the Heaven Scroll.
• Chino, Yakumo, and Haku watched Yakumo's illusion lead three Rain Ninja to kill one another, then took their scrolls.
• Gaara killed three Land of Water ninja and took the Earth Scroll as Kankuro and Temari followed him.
• Anko confronted Orochimaru, but he exposed her attack as a failure and activated the Cursed Seal on her neck.
• Orochimaru told Anko he had marked an Uchiha child with a Cursed Seal and threatened Konoha if it interfered with his plans.

Sarutobi Hiruzen resolved to restore the Will of Fire as the third Chunin Exam began, and Sasuke advanced by defeating Yoroi Akado without using Chakra or the Sharingan. Orochimaru, pleased with Sasuke’s performance, followed Kakashi and Sasuke backstage.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen decided that uniting the villagers around the Will of Fire could make Konoha’s false existence real.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen announced the third exam, and Hayate Gekko explained that preliminary matches would be selected on the electronic screen.
• When Shingoro drew Kawai Guiyuan, Shingoro forfeited, while Sasuke watched Guiyuan and wanted to challenge him.
• Kakashi warned Sasuke not to use the Sharingan or Chakra because the Cursed Seal could erode his mind.
• Sasuke defeated Yoroi Akado with his Lion’s Barrage, and Orochimaru approved of him as a potential vessel.
• Orochimaru quietly followed Kakashi and Sasuke into the backstage area.

Kakashi sealed Sasuke’s Cursed Seal, then confronted Orochimaru, who declared that Sasuke would eventually seek power from him. At the Chunin Exam preliminaries, Peach Country’s ninja repeatedly defeated Konoha’s contestants, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Konoha shinobi struggling with the village’s decline.

• Kakashi used the Evil Sealing Method on Sasuke, who collapsed unconscious, before Orochimaru appeared and revealed his interest in Sasuke and Kakashi’s Sharingan.
• Orochimaru intimidated Kakashi and predicted that Sasuke would eventually come to him for power before leaving.
• Guiyuan defeated Shino, Kabuto forfeited to Naruto, Haku defeated Kankuro, Chino forfeited to Yakumo, and Geng Hua defeated Tenten.
• Choji defeated Kiba, Gaara crushed Rock Lee’s calf, Shikamaru forced Sakura to forfeit, and Yakumo gained the upper hand against Neji.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen left the exam grounds as Peach Country’s victories deepened Konoha’s shinobi’s despair over their village’s decline and the people Shiraishi Yoshijo had drawn away.

Danzo recruited Orochimaru against Sarutobi Hiruzen and gave him Konoha’s defensive map, while Orochimaru celebrated defeating Rasa before Kimimaro collapsed. At Hot Spring Street, Naruto watched Jiraiya defeat Ebisu, leaving Naruto stunned by the white-haired stranger’s strength.

• Danzo taunted Orochimaru about his rivalry with Shiraishi Yoshijo, then offered him Konoha’s defensive deployment map and proposed joining forces against Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Orochimaru accepted the map but warned Danzo not to deceive him, while Danzo privately planned to use Orochimaru to remove obstacles and seize Konoha Academy.
• Orochimaru defeated Fourth Kazekage Rasa, but Kimimaro collapsed, so Orochimaru ordered him sent to Peach Country for treatment.
• Naruto practiced walking on water under Ebisu’s supervision and spotted Jiraiya peeping into the women’s bath.
• Jiraiya summoned a toad whose tongue knocked Ebisu unconscious, leaving Naruto amazed by Jiraiya’s skill.

Naruto confronted Jiraiya after the Toad Sage knocked Ebisu unconscious, then persuaded Jiraiya to train him. As Naruto slept after their first day, Jiraiya reflected on Tsunade’s past, the Nine-Tails attack, and his changing view of Shiraishi Yoshijo.

• Naruto tried to wake Ebisu with Thousand Years of Death, then met Jiraiya, who introduced himself as the Toad Sage and admitted he had been peeping on women for research.
• Naruto called Jiraiya a pervert and demanded training; Jiraiya tried to leave, but Naruto chased him and eventually won him over with the Sexy Jutsu.
• Jiraiya trained Naruto, discovered Orochimaru’s Five Elements Seal, and removed it so Naruto could practice walking on water successfully.
• After Naruto fell asleep, Jiraiya watched over him and thought about Tsunade’s trauma, the Nine-Tails attack at Konoha Academy, and Shiraishi Yoshijo.

Jiraiya refused to reveal his return to Sarutobi Hiruzen or help Konoha against Orochimaru, while Konoha’s leaders debated the threat surrounding the Chunin Exams. Shiraishi Yoshijo prepared to travel to Konoha as Otogakure and Sunagakure forces gathered, leaving the planned conflict unresolved.

• Jiraiya told Ebisu to keep his return secret and insisted he had come only to find novel material, not to fight Orochimaru.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen informed Konoha’s jonin that Hayate Gekko had been found dead while tracking Kabuto Yakushi, and ordered them not to act rashly.
• Shiraishi Yoshijo learned that five hundred Otogakure ninja and two thousand Sunagakure ninja had gathered near the Land of Birds, and sent Right Red and the Anbu to wait there for his message.
• Shiraishi Yoshijo ordered Kimimaro sent to the laboratory for Tsuna to treat, then arranged to travel to Konoha by airship.
• Three days later, Shiraishi Yoshijo departed for Konoha aboard a luxurious airship as the Daimyo of the Land of Water also set out for the village.

Shiraishi Yoshijo arrived in Konoha for the Chunin Exams after disrupting the smaller countries’ Daimyo procession with an airship, worsening their already strained relations with Peach Country. At the viewing platform, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s return in Hokage regalia humiliated the Land of Fire’s Daimyo, while the Land of Water’s Daimyo sought help; Shiraishi told both that they needed strength of their own to restrain their ninja villages.

• Shiraishi Yoshijo ordered the airship to fly low over the smaller countries’ procession, startling the oxen and scattering the Daimyos’ entourages.
• Hayaka warned Shiraishi Yoshijo that his stunt would make the smaller countries see him as arrogant, and he reflected on how the massacre in the Land of Hot Water had damaged Peach Country’s diplomacy.
• Shiraishi Yoshijo joined the Daimyos of the Land of Fire and the Land of Water at the Chunin Exams viewing platform, where the Land of Fire’s Daimyo asked him to apologize for the airship incident.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared in Hokage robes and a hat, prompting the smaller countries’ Daimyos to whisper and leaving the Land of Fire’s Daimyo humiliated.
• The Land of Water’s Daimyo asked Shiraishi Yoshijo for help, and Shiraishi explained that the Land of Fire and the Land of Water had to build their own strength to control their ninja villages.