Chapter Summaries

Mirai and his friends prepared for the Chunin Exams, and Keiko encouraged Mirai to stay cautious. At the exam venue, Dongfang Chuan challenged a mocking Hidden Stone ninja, Cangyan, with a sharp retort.

• Dongfang Chuan, Mirai, and Qiu Yidao joked about the exam and planned to celebrate with a feast afterward.
• Mirai told Keiko that Miyamoto had signed them up for the Chunin Exams, and Keiko revealed that Uncle Hai Yi was one of the judges.
• Keiko warned Mirai to watch out for the varied techniques of other ninjas, and Mirai promised to be careful.
• On July 1st, Mirai met Dongfang Chuan and Qiu Yidao at the exam venue and headed for the examination hall.
• Cangyan and another Hidden Stone ninja mocked the young examinees, so Dongfang Chuan insulted Cangyan and stood his ground.

Mirai and Uchiha Itachi met during the Chunin Exam, where tensions with Cangyan and the Iwagakure teams continued to build. Itachi warned Mirai that two opponents posed a serious threat, including a boy with demonic eyes.

• Uchiha Itachi approached Mirai and invited him and his teammates to talk in a corner of the classroom.
• Cangyan complained about Mirai’s arrogance, while Longyan warned him that Itachi was a famous genius and urged him not to underestimate their opponents.
• Cangyan and Longyan discussed driving every opponent from the competition and noticed another formidable Iwagakure team led by an expressionless boy.
• Uchiha Itachi introduced Kohira's eldest daughter and Iwakubo Seiji to Mirai and his teammates.
• Itachi said that two opponents posed a tremendous threat to him and told Mirai to watch them, identifying the boy with demonic eyes as one of them.

Mirai and Uchiha Itachi discussed the unusual Iwagakure boy Ren Yan and a white-robed Grass ninja, while Itachi teased Mirai and tried to calm the tense examinees. The first selection exam began with Nara Shikaku laying out its rules.

• Mirai examined Ren Yan's vacant expression and discussed the Iwagakure boy's Magic Eye with Uchiha Itachi.
• Uchiha Itachi pointed out a white-robed Grass ninja, then admitted he had been teasing Mirai and had no useful information.
• Mirai decided to make Uchiha Itachi pay for a meal as revenge for the teasing.
• Nara Shikaku announced that fighting required the examiner's permission, killing was forbidden, and rule-breakers would be disqualified.

Mirai took the written exam, observed the candidates’ cheating methods, and completed his paper before pretending to sleep while using the Reverse Mind Technique. His teammate Qiu Yidao still had a blank paper, leaving Mirai’s team’s result uncertain.

• Nara Shikaku explained the written exam’s scoring rules and warned that a team would fail if any member scored zero.
• Mirai watched the candidates and confirmed that Uchiha Itachi answered the questions without cheating.
• Mirai noticed a Hyuga ninja using wide-ranging vision, two Grass ninjas secretly exchanging answers, and an Aburame ninja’s insects crawling across desks.
• Mirai saw that Dongfang Chuan seemed suspicious while Qiu Yidao’s paper remained blank.
• Mirai finished answering the questions, pretended to sleep, and secretly used the Reverse Mind Technique.

Mirai used spiritual possession to complete Qiu Yidao and Dongfang Chuan's test papers, and the first examination ended with twenty groups remaining. Morino Ibiki imposed a rule that failing the second exam would permanently bar candidates from taking the selection again, and a ninja from Celestial Dragon Village withdrew.

• Mirai took control of Qiu Yidao's body, completed his test paper, and returned to his own body.
• Mirai completed Dongfang Chuan's test paper using the same method as candidates were eliminated for cheating.
• Nara Shikaku ended the first examination and announced the results, leaving twenty groups in the running.
• Morino Ibiki introduced the second exam and warned that anyone who failed it could never take the Chunin Selection Exam again.
• A young ninja from Celestial Dragon Village raised his hand to withdraw, and Morino Ibiki told him he had made a wise choice.

Ibiza revealed that the candidates who had endured his ultimatum had passed the first test of the second exam, which measured their courage to make sacrifices under pressure. Nara Shikaku and Ibiza explained how the earlier exam tested intelligence gathering and why rule-breaking disqualified candidates, while Ibiza showed the scars left by torture as an example of the cost of obtaining intelligence.

• Ibiza pressured the candidates to withdraw, and more than a dozen raised their hands and left the hall.
• Ibiza announced that the forty-five candidates who remained had passed the first test of the second exam.
• Ibiza explained that the test assessed whether candidates could make sacrifices and overcome hardship when facing dangerous missions.
• Nara Shikaku said the first exam tested intelligence gathering and revealed that the candidates had been expected to cheat using two planted Chunin.
• Ibiza explained that candidates who committed misconduct lost their right to take the exam because intelligence could matter more than life, then showed his torture scars.

Sena explained that the first two tests had eliminated most examinees and warned that a more terrifying second test would begin the next morning. Mirai returned to Keiko’s flower shop, where he promised to be careful despite her warning that the endurance test was dangerous.

• Sena told the remaining examinees that forty-five had passed and ordered them to report to Training Ground 44 at eight the next morning.
• Dongfang Chuan taunted Cangyan, and Longyan restrained Cangyan from attacking him.
• Mirai told Keiko that he had passed the first test and that the second test would start the next day.
• Ino asked Mirai to do his best, and Keiko warned him that people were often injured or killed in the second endurance test.
• Mirai promised Keiko that he would be careful.

Mirai, White Emperor, and the other examinees gathered at Training Ground No. 44 for the second test, where Sena Ibiza explained the scroll and survival rules. The test began with the examinees facing five days in the Forest of Death, unable to withdraw and at risk of elimination if they lost their scrolls, died, or could no longer fight.

• Mirai arrived with White Emperor at Training Ground No. 44 and waited with the other examinees for Sena Ibiza.
• Dongfang Chuan and Qiu Yidao discussed the dangers of the forest, and Mirai warned them not to let their guard down.
• Sena Ibiza distributed the scrolls and warned the examinees not to open them before reaching the central tower.
• Sena Ibiza explained that examinees had to bring all three scrolls to the tower within five days and would be eliminated if they died or lost the ability to fight.
• Uchiha Itachi asked whether examinees could withdraw, and Sena Ibiza said they had to remain in the forest for five days even if seriously injured.

Mirai entered the second exam paired with Tiansen Zhangzhi, a Sunagakure ninja who expected an easy victory. Mirai quickly defeated him and demanded his scroll.

• Mirai discovered he was the forty-fifth candidate and was paired with Tiansen Zhangzhi.
• Tiansen Zhangzhi bragged about his strength and rejected Mirai’s offer of a temporary alliance.
• Five minutes after the second exam began, Mirai had beaten Tiansen Zhangzhi several times.
• Tiansen Zhangzhi begged Mirai to spare him, and Mirai demanded his scroll.

Mirai took Tiansen Zhangzhi’s scroll and warned him not to try anything again before setting off to find the remaining scrolls. He and White Emperor tracked candidates from Entrance No. 8, but had not caught up with them yet.

• Tiansen Zhangzhi handed Mirai his scroll and pleaded for his life, and Mirai let him go with a warning.
• After leaving, Mirai returned to tell Tiansen Zhangzhi that he would remember his name, frightening him into sitting down in relief.
• Mirai followed the barbed-wire fence through the Forest of Death in search of candidates carrying scrolls.
• At Entrance No. 8, Mirai asked White Emperor to track the candidates who had entered there, and White Emperor picked up their scent.
• After pursuing the candidates for about thirty minutes without catching up, Mirai told White Emperor to proceed carefully and assess their strength.

Mirai followed the candidate for the eighth entrance exam and witnessed him kill a Sand ninja with a mysterious demonic-eye ability. After taking the dead ninja’s memories and learning a new Earth Release jutsu, Mirai planned to find Ao and investigate the ability.

• Mirai caught up with the demonic-eyed boy, who was fighting a bearded Sand ninja named Beard.
• The boy lifted Beard with a mysterious force and crushed him to death despite his offer to surrender the scroll.
• The boy took a blood-soaked scroll from Beard’s body and left the scene.
• Mirai removed Beard’s corpse and read his memories, but learned little about the boy’s power.
• Mirai learned Beard’s Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu and decided to find Ao for more information.

Mirai ambushed two Celestial Dragon examinees and took their scrolls, leaving them unable to continue the exam. A white-robed rabbit from Cao Ren Village heard the fight and noticed Mirai’s strength.

• Mirai hunted a deer, shared lunch with Betty, and then headed toward the Central Tower with White Emperor.
• Mirai quietly approached two Celestial Dragons and attacked them from behind, pinning one to a tree and injuring the other.
• White Emperor used Speed and Bite to knock down Dai Biao Da Hui, leaving both Celestial Dragons unable to fight.
• The two Celestial Dragons handed Mirai three scrolls, and he left with White Emperor.
• A white-robed rabbit from Cao Ren Village heard the cries and remarked that powerful fighters were present.

Mirai and Dongfang Chuan regrouped after Dongfang Chuan was attacked by Kusagakure ninjas, and Mirai healed his wounds. They left to search for Qiu Yidao, while the defeated ninjas recovered after they were gone.

• Qiu Yidao swallowed half-cooked boar meat and hurried to find Mirai and Dongfang Chuan.
• Dongfang Chuan lured Earth Village ninjas into a cave and obtained the second scroll before heading toward the central tower.
• Mirai joined Dongfang Chuan with the White Emperor’s help and took two scrolls from the Kusagakure ninjas who had attacked him.
• Mirai healed Dongfang Chuan, then the two set off to find Qiu Yidao.
• The two Kusagakure ninjas sat up after Mirai and Dongfang Chuan left and admitted they had underestimated the Leaf ninjas.

Mirai and Dongfang Chuan searched the arena for Qiu Yidao and eventually found him grilling meat. The three reunited and prepared to eat, while Qiu Yidao said he had not encountered any other candidates.

• Mirai and Dongfang Chuan used their entrance locations to guess where Qiu Yidao might be and searched near the arena wall.
• After finding no sign of Qiu Yidao, Mirai sent White Emperor after his scent from a discarded, bitten boar leg.
• Mirai and Dongfang Chuan followed the trail and found Qiu Yidao grilling meat.
• Qiu Yidao asked them to help barbecue because he was starving, and Dongfang Chuan began preparing the boar.
• Qiu Yidao told Mirai he had been circling the wall and had not seen any other candidates.

Mirai reunited with Akimichi Deren and Dongfang Chuan, warned them about the dangerous demon-eyed boy, and searched for information on him near the Central Tower. After discovering that Marumaru controlled air pressure, the group prepared to enter the tower.

• Akimichi Deren explained that he had stayed behind and asked Mirai and Dongfang Chuan to cook for him.
• Mirai told Dongfang Chuan and Qiu Yidao about the demon-eyed boy's ability to crush a Sand ninja with his eyes.
• Mirai and Dongfang Chuan grilled food for Akimichi Deren before the group reached the Central Tower that night.
• Mirai searched the surrounding forest with his Mind's Eye and found the hidden demon-eyed boy.
• Mirai reported that Marumaru was the only awakened member of the Bloodline family and could control air pressure.
• Mirai and Dongfang Chuan agreed to enter the Central Tower after completing their information-gathering mission.

Mirai's group entered the tower after completing the second exam and opened their scrolls. Kurenai Yuhi appeared from Mirai's scroll to deliver important information to the candidates.

• Mirai's group arrived at the tower with eleven scrolls and greeted Uchiha Itachi and Wan Cheng.
• Uchiha Qi told Mirai to enter the tower and open the scrolls, and Mirai led Dongfang Chuan and Qiu Yidao inside.
• Mirai explained the hanging scroll's lesson about developing both wisdom and physical strength to become a capable leader.
• Mirai opened his three scrolls, and Kurenai Yuhi appeared in the smoke.
• Kurenai Yuhi told Mirai that she had arranged to meet the second-exam candidates and deliver important information.

Mirai and his teammates passed the second exam early and had to wait in the tower until it ended, using the time to train and prepare food. As more examinees arrived, Wu Hao entered on the fourth day looking pristine, making Mirai and Uchiha Itachi wary.

• Kurenai Yuhi congratulated Mirai, Dongfang Chuan, and Qiu Yidao for passing the second exam and told them to wait in the tower until the other examinees finished.
• Kurenai Yuhi left Mirai and the others in charge of their food and supplies while they waited.
• Over the next four days, Mirai prepared food and practiced chakra techniques and combat with Uchiha Itachi as examinees reached the tower.
• Nikka Tetsuji, Cang Yan, and Sakaguchi Akiko arrived on the second day, followed by Otani on the third day and Kamisato Ashia and Takeuchi on the fourth.
• Wu Hao entered the tower uninjured and immaculate, prompting Mirai and Uchiha Itachi to become wary.

The twelve candidates who passed the second exam gathered in the central tower, where Sarutobi Hiruzen prepared to explain the third exam. The chapter ended as he began to reveal the exam’s true purpose.

• Uchiha Itachi joked with Mirai about the candidates, while Mirai teased him about his poisonous mouth.
• The final group from Sharen Village arrived shortly before the second exam ended, bringing the number of successful candidates to twelve.
• Sennaibi gathered the candidates in the central tower, and Sarutobi Hiruzen joined the other leaders and examiners.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen congratulated the candidates and announced that the third exam would follow.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told the candidates he would explain the true purpose of the exam, capturing their attention.

Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that the Chūnin Exams were a battlefield where shinobi represented their villages and sought to establish a balance of power. He announced a preliminary round for the third exam and entrusted Zhongli Kunyi with the trials.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen told the candidates that the Chūnin Exams began as a way for rival nations to settle disputes without wasting strength in open conflict.
• He explained that performances in the third exam could affect countries’ reputations and the commissions they received, and urged the candidates to fight in their own names.
• Shangri-La asked why the exam was supposed to promote friendship, and Sarutobi Hiruzen said that friendship meant achieving a balance of power through killing.
• Lun Yan demanded to know how the candidates were supposed to fight with their lives, prompting Sarutobi Hiruzen to explain that a preliminary round would be held.
• Zhongli Kunyi volunteered to oversee the trials, and Mirai, Dongfang Chuan, and Qiu Yidao were pleased to see him as the examiner.

Zhongli Kunyi announced that only eight of the twelve remaining candidates could enter the third exam, so they would face qualifying matches. The first group was drawn with Mirai, Renyan Wancheng, and Shinkawa Choshu, leaving Mirai to face the first choice of opponent.

• Zhongli Kunyi explained that the third exam was limited to eight candidates and offered the twelve remaining candidates a chance to withdraw before qualifying matches began.
• Shinkawa Choshu complained about the format, while Dongfang Chuan challenged him and Zhongli Kunyi ordered them to be quiet.
• Zhongli Kunyi explained the rules: candidates would be divided into groups of three, could reject one opponent, and would fight without rules until someone lost, fell, or died.
• All twelve candidates chose to continue, and the Yamanaka ninja began the draw for the first group.
• The notice board listed Mirai first, Renyan Wancheng second, and Shinkawa Choshu third; Mirai calmly looked toward Wancheng.