Chapter Summaries

Sasuke watched a Sound ninja torture a wounded, fleeing ninja with bone spears before leaving him to die. The victim called for help and claimed he had a scroll, while Sasuke remained hidden and conflicted about whether to act.

• Sasuke hid in the treetops and watched a Sound ninja approach a man pinned by a bone spear.
• The Sound ninja mocked the wounded man, dismissed his plea for mercy, and drove another bone spear through his hand.
• The Sound ninja pierced the man’s leg with a third bone spear, then left him bleeding in the clearing.
• Sasuke watched the man struggle and call for help, saying he had a scroll, but remained concealed and conflicted.

Sasuke approached a dying Kusagakure ninja, who entrusted him with two scrolls for his younger brother, Gui Zhi, in Kusagakure before dying. When Kidomaru attacked and struck the corpse with another bone spear, Sasuke awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan and charged at him, prompting Kidomaru to recognize that Sasuke might be an Uchiha.

• Sasuke found the mortally wounded Kusagakure ninja and asked whether he had any final wishes.
• The ninja gave Sasuke two scrolls and asked him to deliver them to his younger brother, Gui Zhi, in Kusagakure.
• Kidomaru attacked Sasuke with a bone spear, and a second spear pierced the dying ninja, who died after repeating his request.
• Sasuke knocked aside the first spear, awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan, and charged toward Kidomaru.
• Kidomaru hurled more bone spears at Sasuke, then froze when he saw the Sharingan and suspected Sasuke was an Uchiha.

Sasuke attacked Kidomaru with lightning-enhanced speed and a powerful fire technique while observers from Las Noches assessed his talent and Kidomaru’s bone armor. The chapter left the fire dragon surging toward Kidomaru as he covered himself in Sticky Bone Armor.

• Kidomaru recognized Sasuke as the Uchiha clan’s Second Pillar and hesitated to harm him, deciding that his mission came first.
• Sasuke used lightning-enhanced speed and White Fang to shatter Kidomaru’s bone spears, then closed in on him.
• Sasuke climbed beneath Kidomaru’s branch and launched Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu at him.
• Gin praised Sasuke’s talent and suggested recommending him to Lord Aizen, while Ulquiorra watched in silence.
• Kidomaru covered himself with Sticky Bone Armor as Yammy compared it to Steel Skin, and Ulquiorra explained that it was an evolved ability rather than a Hollow power.

Kidomaru effortlessly defeated Sasuke and revealed that he had encountered other Uchiha, but refused to answer Sasuke's questions. He left Sasuke badly injured, warning that Sasuke was too weak to face even the ordinary children of Las Noches.

• Sasuke's Dragon Fire Jutsu failed to harm Kidomaru, who emerged from the flames protected by bone armor.
• Kidomaru struck Sasuke so quickly that Sasuke could not follow his movement, then dismissed the Uchiha Clan's power as useless against him.
• Sasuke asked whether Kidomaru had met other Uchiha, but Kidomaru said Sasuke was not qualified to ask.
• As Kidomaru turned to leave, he hurled bone spears at Sasuke, who deflected some but was slammed into a tree and gravely wounded.
• Kidomaru told Sasuke he could not handle even the ordinary children of Las Noches, then vanished into the forest.

After Kidomaru defeated Sasuke and left, Sasuke questioned his strength and decided to learn what Kidomaru knew about Itachi. Naruto and Sakura found him in the burned forest and were alarmed by his lifeless, unsettling appearance.

• Sasuke recalled Kidomaru's contemptuous words, doubted himself, and resolved to get information about Itachi from him.
• Yammy said he wanted to test his strength against Sasuke, while Gin Ichimaru and Ulquiorra discussed leaving him alone and Gin offered to recommend him to Aizen.
• Naruto and Sakura searched the burned forest for Sasuke, and Naruto promised to protect Sakura.
• Naruto and Sakura found Sasuke sitting on a tree branch, where he greeted them with a calm voice and a deathly, unsettling aura.

After Sasuke’s battle, Naruto and Sakura found him withdrawn and unsteady, while he ignored their concern and retrieved two scrolls from the Grass Ninja’s corpse. Gin Ichimaru, Ulquiorra, and Yammy discussed Sasuke and Naruto as Aizen watched unseen; elsewhere, Kidomaru ran into Aizen in the forest.

• Sasuke told Naruto and Sakura that the enemies had left, then slapped away Sakura’s hand when she tried to help him.
• Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the collar, but released him after Sasuke stared at him coldly and Sakura urged Naruto to let it go.
• Sasuke walked to the Grass Ninja’s corpse, picked up two scrolls, and returned alone to the tree hollow, leaving Naruto and Sakura confused.
• Gin Ichimaru, Ulquiorra, and Yammy watched Sasuke, and Ulquiorra said he sensed something strange about Sasuke and Naruto.
• Aizen watched the scene unseen and wondered what covered the two boys before vanishing.
• Kidomaru stopped in the forest when he saw Aizen ahead and called out to him in surprise.

Aizen ordered Kidomaru to test Second Pillar again and have Kimimaro test the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Aizen then told Kyoka Suigetsu that the children gave him a feeling like Ichigo Kurosaki’s, which might help him uncover why this world’s powerful people had vanished.

• Aizen appeared before Kidomaru and ordered him to attack Second Pillar during the next examination, using enough force to reveal the child’s true abilities.
• Aizen instructed Kidomaru to tell Kimimaro to test the strength of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, promising him a reward through Orochimaru if he carried out the task well.
• After Aizen and Kyoka Suigetsu vanished, Kidomaru decided to find Kimimaro and relay the instructions.
• Walking through the air above the Forest of Death, Aizen told Kyoka Suigetsu that the two children gave him a familiar yet strange feeling.
• Aizen said the feeling resembled Ichigo Kurosaki’s and wondered whether the children could help him discover why the powerful people of this world had vanished.

Sasuke woke from a troubled night determined to learn about Kidomaru and Las Noches, then alerted Naruto and Sakura to an approaching team. As they hid and debated whether to attack, Naruto taunted Sasuke about his fight the previous day, and Sasuke admitted the scroll had been given to him out of charity.

• Sasuke left the tree hollow and resolved to discover who Kidomaru was and what Las Noches meant.
• Sasuke heard someone approaching, returned to wake Naruto and Sakura, and told them to prepare for battle.
• Naruto suggested ambushing the approaching team, but Sasuke argued that their noisy approach suggested they were confident and potentially strong.
• Naruto mocked Sasuke for refusing to attack and suggested Sasuke had lost the previous day and received his scroll out of pity.
• Sakura scolded Naruto for insulting Sasuke, and Sasuke calmly agreed that the scroll had been given to him out of charity.

Sasuke told Naruto and Sakura that a powerful Sound Ninja had easily defeated him and might be stronger than Kakashi. When Naruto prepared to attack the approaching Sand Ninja, including the red-haired boy carrying a gourd, another group rushed toward them.

• Sasuke said the Sound Ninja had tortured the Grass Ninja to death and defeated him with ease.
• Sasuke said the Sound Ninja might be stronger than Kakashi, leaving Naruto and Sakura incredulous.
• Three Sand Ninja emerged from the mist, and Sasuke recognized the gourd-carrying boy from a previous encounter in the village.
• Naruto decided to attack the Sand Ninja, but Sasuke warned that the gourd-carrying boy had an unusual aura.
• Someone rushed toward them from the bushes, and Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura lowered themselves to hide.

Kankuro confronted three Kirigakure examinees while Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watched from the trees. As the Mist ninja attacked through thickening fog, Kankuro summoned Crow.

• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura hid in the trees and watched as three Kirigakure examinees emerged from the mist before Gaara's group.
• Kankuro stepped forward, taunted the Mist ninja, and planted the bandaged object from his back before him.
• The Kirigakure examinees revealed that they had deliberately tracked Gaara's group and demanded their scrolls.
• Kondo and Ryosuke attacked Kankuro with Water Style techniques while the third ninja used Hidden Mist Jutsu to obscure the clearing.
• Kankuro recognized the Hidden Mist Assassination Technique and called out, "Come out, Crow!"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watched a battle between Sand and Mist examinees as the Hidden Mist Assassination Technique concealed the fighters. Temari dispersed the mist, revealing Kankuro’s victory over two Mist ninja, while the remaining opponent faced the Sand siblings and yellow sand began to spread nearby.

• Sasuke identified the thickening fog as the Hidden Mist Assassination Technique, and Sakura realized the Mist ninja were using an advanced assassination method.
• Kankuro fought the Mist ninja in the fog, destroying a water spear with one of his puppets before narrowly escaping a Senbon ambush thanks to Black Ant.
• Temari used One Star: Dance of the Scattered Scythes to clear the mist, revealing that two Mist ninja were unconscious and one remained standing.
• Kankuro complained that Temari had interrupted his fight, but Temari reminded him that Gaara was waiting.
• Kankuro demanded the remaining Mist ninja hand over their scrolls as yellow sand began spreading across the ground.

Gaara lost control after the Mist Ninja attacked, using sand to shield the Sand Ninja and then trapping the three Mist Ninja. He left them alive but demanded blood, ignoring Temari’s plea to release them.

• Gaara’s sand poured from his gourd and moved toward the unconscious Mist Ninja, alarming Kankuro and Temari.
• The Mist Ninja used Water Release: Thousand Killing Needle Assassination to fire a barrage of Senbon at Gaara and the Sand Ninja.
• Gaara’s sand rose to block the Senbon, protecting Kankuro, Temari, and the others from harm.
• Gaara unleashed a massive wave of sand that engulfed the Mist Ninja and trapped all three men.
• Temari begged Gaara to let the Mist Ninja go, but Gaara glared at her and said that he and Asura needed blood.

Gaara killed a Mist Ninja who tried to ambush his group, leaving Kankuro and Temari worried about the entity tormenting him. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watched in fear, while Aizen allowed Kyoka Suigetsu to approach the two children who had caught his interest.

• Gaara used Sand Binding Coffin to kill the Mist Ninja, then continued onward with Temari and Kankuro.
• Kankuro vowed to destroy the thing tormenting Gaara, and Temari followed Gaara with him.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watched the fight from hiding and discussed the strength of Gaara and the Sound Ninja Sasuke had faced.
• Naruto vowed to lead his team to first place in the Chunin Exams, while Sasuke walked away without responding.
• Kyoka Suigetsu offered to test the two children Aizen was interested in, and Aizen permitted her to approach them.

Anko led an Anbu squad through the Forest of Death to protect the Chunin Exams candidates from Orochimaru, while White Tiger expressed confidence in Naruto and made a wager with her. After White Tiger and the squad moved on, Anko was struck by pain in her neck as Orochimaru's voice sounded nearby.

• Anko told White Tiger that her old knowledge of Orochimaru was likely outdated, but agreed to signal the squad if she found him.
• White Tiger asked about Naruto's written exam performance, and Anko said Naruto had surprised Ibiki but would struggle in the Forest of Death.
• White Tiger bet Anko that Naruto would pass through the Forest of Death, with the loser owing cuttlefish balls.
• White Tiger left Anko to guide the squad's search while she stayed behind in the forest.
• Anko suddenly clutched the back of her neck in pain as Orochimaru spoke to her.

Orochimaru confronted Anko in the forest, removed the curse mark he had placed on her, and revealed his transformed body. He left Anko restrained by bone-white snakes as he declared that he had become a new species called a Hollow.

• Anko endured the curse mark's pain and confronted Orochimaru, demanding to know why he had returned to Konoha.
• Orochimaru calmed and removed Anko's curse mark, saying it no longer had a purpose because he had a newer research subject.
• Anko accused Orochimaru of trying to win her trust and prepared to attack him with Twin Snakes Mutual Death.
• Orochimaru appeared behind Anko and bound her with two bone-white snakes emerging from cavities in his shoulder blades.
• Orochimaru called himself a Hollow and claimed to have become a form of life above humanity, while Anko struggled unsuccessfully to break free.

Anko confronted Orochimaru, who revealed that he had become a different species and tried to persuade her to join his new world. She rejected him and swore she would kill him, and Orochimaru vanished, leaving her alone by a tree.

• Orochimaru released Anko from his bone serpents, and she demanded to know why he had returned to Konoha.
• Orochimaru used the serpents’ gaze to make Anko freeze and claimed they were now different creatures in the food chain.
• Orochimaru apologized for abandoning Anko and tried to persuade her to follow him into the new world.
• Anko knocked away Orochimaru’s hand, declared that her Master Orochimaru had died when he betrayed Konoha, and vowed to kill him.
• Orochimaru said he hoped Anko would live to see that day, then vanished as she knelt by the tree and trembled.

Aizen and Orochimaru discussed their ambitions and Aizen’s unsettling visit to Tsunade, before Aizen revealed that Naruto and Sasuke carried strange fluctuations tied to the gods he had been seeking. The discovery renewed Aizen’s resolve to pursue greater power, while Orochimaru wondered whether his quest for immortality would leave him alone.

• Aizen met Orochimaru above the Forest of Death, where Orochimaru said he had come to see a former disciple and found the result revolting.
• Aizen told Orochimaru that he had visited Tsunade and admitted that seeing her had stirred emotions he had thought he could control.
• Aizen said he had temporarily sent Kyoka Suigetsu away and discovered strange fluctuations within two Chunin Exam candidates: Naruto, the Nine-Tails’ Jinchuriki, and Sasuke, the Uchiha clan’s last bloodline.
• Aizen interpreted Naruto and Sasuke’s presence as proof that gods existed and that he had not reached the pinnacle of power.
• Orochimaru reflected on his pursuit of immortality and wondered who would share his feelings if he achieved it.

Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji captured three examiners with a trap and found that they carried seven pairs of scrolls. The captives said they had picked up the scrolls from dead teams in the Forest of Death, leaving Shikamaru to investigate why so many teams had been killed.

• Shikamaru and Ino celebrated after their trap caught three ninjas, but Choji revealed that a kunai had wounded him while acting as bait.
• Shikamaru bandaged Choji and apologized for his miscalculation, while Choji reassured him and asked for grilled meat meals as compensation.
• Ino found seven pairs of scrolls in the captured ninjas' backpack, prompting Shikamaru to question how they had obtained so many.
• The three captives said they had surrendered and picked up the scrolls from the corpses of teams they found after entering the Forest of Death.
• One captive insisted that his team had not killed anyone and said they had found many dead teams along their route.

After learning that a mysterious killer had slaughtered multiple squads, Shikamaru decided that his team should withdraw from the Chunin Exams. He spared the wounded ninjas but forced them to open their scrolls, triggering a burst of white smoke.

• Shikamaru questioned the wounded ninjas and learned that many squads had been killed and their bodies mutilated.
• Shikamaru warned Choji and Ino that the killer was too dangerous and proposed abandoning the exam.
• Choji and Ino agreed to follow Shikamaru’s decision to withdraw.
• Shikamaru spared the wounded ninjas but ordered them to open their scrolls.
• The wounded ninjas tore open their scrolls, and white smoke filled the trap.

Shikamaru withdrew his team from the exam after reporting evidence that numerous genin had been killed, prompting the proctors to leave the forest and report the danger. Elsewhere in the Forest of Death, the attackers continued hunting examinees.

• Shikamaru watched a Konoha proctor emerge from the trap and take responsibility for removing the injured examinees who had opened their scroll.
• Shikamaru opened his team’s scroll, summoning Sasaki, and told the two proctors that his team was withdrawing from the exam.
• Shikamaru reported that the trapped examinees had described seven pairs of scrolls collected by their attackers, suggesting at least fourteen teams had been killed.
• Sasaki and Hazama Wataru ordered Shikamaru, his teammates, and the trapped examinees to leave the forest with them so they could report the deaths immediately.
• Several figures in the Forest of Death discussed how many examinees they had killed and said they would keep hunting.