Chapter Summaries

Sasuke rejected Orochimaru’s offer of power and resolved to grow stronger on his own while accepting that he could rely on others when needed. Kawaki Aoba struck Orochimaru and drove him off, but the group remained wary that Orochimaru would target them again.

• Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Kawaki Aoba advised Sasuke to balance independence with accepting help before they departed.
• Sasuke vowed to become stronger, complete his revenge, and protect what mattered to him as he headed to train.
• Kawaki Aoba unleashed a powerful attack that severely injured Orochimaru, who tried to flee.
• Kawaki Aoba praised Sasuke for maintaining his resolve, and Sasuke declared that he would uncover his clan’s secrets without becoming Orochimaru’s pawn.
• The examinees celebrated Sasuke and Kawaki Aoba’s victory, while Mitarashi Anko and Kawaki Aoba warned that Orochimaru might strike again.

After Sasuke's fight with Orochimaru, Kawaki Aoba and the Sand siblings reflected on conviction and the dangers of the exam. Sasuke explained that his Sharingan evolved through intense emotions and experiences, then described the Uchiha Clan's painful legacy.

• Sasuke vowed to keep improving and face future challenges without fear.
• Gaara praised Kawaki Aoba and Sasuke for defending conviction, and Kawaki Aoba encouraged him to trust his strength and beliefs.
• Kankuro worried that Orochimaru might set traps, while Gaara urged him to press forward bravely.
• Temari asked about Kawaki Aoba's ninjutsu, and he praised her Wind Release and encouraged her to keep training.
• Sasuke told an examinee that his Sharingan evolved naturally through danger, emotion, and experience.
• Sasuke rejected the idea that his Sharingan was a matter of luck and tied it to the Uchiha Clan's hatred, mission, and suffering.

After the battle with Orochimaru, the examinees resumed the Forest of Death exam while Anko and Kawaki Aoba watched for further danger. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura encouraged one another, and the chapter ended with Kawaki Aoba reflecting on the young ninjas’ potential and the trials still ahead.

• Anko ordered the exhausted examinees to continue the exam, and Kawaki Aoba encouraged Sasuke to focus despite what had happened with Orochimaru.
• Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari set off for the examination grounds, while Anko and Kawaki Aoba went to their assignments and stayed alert for Orochimaru.
• The examinees continued through the Forest of Death, discussing the battle and agreeing to rely on one another.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura vowed to protect Konoha and work together, as Naruto promised to act less recklessly.
• Kawaki Aoba told Anko that the young ninjas had potential but still needed more experience, while noting Naruto’s improved self-control.

Kawaki Aoba and Mitarashi Anko watched examinees tackle dangers in the Forest of Death, allowing them to learn through experience while staying ready to intervene. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura solved a trap-filled passage and moved onward, while other teams worked together to cross obstacles and survive.

• Kawaki Aoba advised Mitarashi Anko that instructors should guide examinees without shielding them from every challenge, and Anko agreed.
• An examinee group stalled at a swamp until another group's leader offered to help them cross in exchange for future cooperation.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura studied a trap-filled passage, identified a pattern linked to ninjutsu attributes, and successfully crossed it.
• A group of examinees faced wild ninja beasts and planned a coordinated defense using Earth Release.
• Kawaki Aoba and Mitarashi Anko praised the examinees' resourcefulness but remained alert, and one team rescued a companion who had fallen into a trap using vines.
• Naruto celebrated passing the trap passage, while Sasuke warned that greater challenges lay ahead and Sakura noted that their teamwork had improved.

After Orochimaru retreated, the examinees continued through the Forest of Death until a black panther attacked them. Gaara saved an examinee, and the groups joined the fight, which continued as Kankuro restrained the panther and Temari attacked with wind blades.

• Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Gaara's group moved cautiously through the Forest of Death while Kawaki Aoba and Mitarashi Anko watched from above.
• Kawaki Aoba refused Mitarashi Anko's suggestion to warn the examinees, saying they should intervene only at the most dangerous moment.
• A black panther burst from the woods and charged at an examinee, but Gaara blocked its attack with a sand wall and urged everyone to fight.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura prepared a plan to target the panther's eyes while Kankuro sent his puppet to restrain it.
• Temari attacked the struggling panther with wind blades as Kankuro fought to keep control of his damaged puppet.

Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari joined forces to defeat the black panther after it grew stronger and evaded their initial attacks. With the panther defeated, Gaara and the others prepared to continue through the forest, while Sasuke and Sakura warned everyone to stay alert for further dangers.

• Temari wounded the black panther with wind blades, but it charged at her until Gaara restrained it with sand.
• Naruto and Sasuke attacked the panther, but it dodged their strikes and frightened the other examinees.
• Kawaki Aoba told Mitarashi Anko to wait before intervening, believing the examinees still had untapped potential.
• Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari coordinated their attacks, then Gaara bound the panther, Sasuke sealed its movements, and Naruto knocked it down.
• The examinees cheered their victory, while Sasuke and Sakura urged them to remain vigilant.
• Gaara told Kankuro and Temari to keep moving, and they followed him onward.

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the other examinees defeated a black panther by coordinating their attacks, prompting Gaara and his siblings to reflect on teamwork. After the group thanked Naruto and Sasuke, Naruto urged everyone to keep moving through the Forest of Death despite the dangers ahead.

• Kawaki Aoba and Mitarashi Anko watched the examinees recover from their battle with the black panther and continue deeper into the Forest of Death.
• The black panther attacked another examinee, so Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura joined the fight while the other examinees launched attacks and Sakura treated the wounded.
• Naruto's clones restrained the panther, allowing Sasuke to strike it with Chidori and defeat it.
• The examinees thanked Naruto and Sasuke, and Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari discussed how the battle showed the strength of teamwork.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura credited one another and the other examinees for their roles in the victory.
• When an examinee asked what to do about the dangers ahead, Naruto said they should keep moving forward.

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Gaara, and the other candidates rested after a battle, then continued through the Forest of Death by cooperating to cross a dangerous river and explore a maze. The chapter left one group preparing to evade traps after a candidate identified their firing intervals.

• Naruto urged the candidates to rely on one another, while Sasuke and Sakura stressed caution and recovery.
• Temari warned Gaara not to underestimate the other candidates, and Gaara agreed that cooperation could help them pass the exam.
• Gaara formed a sand path across a swift river, allowing the candidates to cross safely.
• Naruto suggested that the candidates split into groups and mark their routes as they explored a huge maze, and Sasuke warned them to stay alert.
• One group encountered concealed projectile traps, and an analytical candidate discovered that they fired at set intervals.

Examinees faced several hazards in the maze, while Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura battled a powerful puppet. Kawaki Aoba spotted trees controlling branches that attacked the candidates, and he joined Hinata’s group in fighting them.

• An examinee explained how to pass a hidden-weapon mechanism, helping his group get through it.
• A group trapped in dense fog failed to disperse it with Wind Release and began following the maze walls while tied together by a rope.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura encountered a giant ninja puppet, and Naruto drew its attention while Sasuke and Sakura searched for its controlling mechanism.
• Kawaki Aoba noticed that the trees appeared controlled, and the trees sent branches sweeping toward the examinees.
• Hinata attacked the branches with the Gentle Fist while Neji searched for their source, and a teammate raised an earthen wall to block some of them.
• Kawaki Aoba used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to scatter and snap the attacking branches.

A masked stranger attacked the Forest of Death examinees, dismissing their strength as worthless and overpowering Naruto and Sasuke. The examinees coordinated their attacks to break through his branch defense, and Kawaki Aoba launched a Water Dragon Bullet Technique at him.

• Mitarashi Anko warned the examinees about linked traps, but a masked stranger appeared and announced he had come to kill them.
• Kawaki Aoba questioned the stranger, who claimed Orochimaru was his partner and argued that only the strong deserved to survive.
• Naruto's Shadow Clones vanished when the stranger swept his sleeve, and the stranger caught Sasuke's arm after evading his Chidori.
• Kawaki Aoba attacked to free Sasuke, then Mitarashi Anko rallied the examinees to attack together; the stranger summoned twisting branches that blocked their techniques.
• Hinata proposed finding a way through the branches, and Neji urged the group to focus their attacks on one point until cracks and breaks appeared in the defense.
• Kawaki Aoba formed a Water Dragon with his Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique and sent it charging toward the stranger.

The examinees coordinated their attacks against the mysterious man and discovered that his right hand weakened when defending against them. Kawaki Aoba used the opening to trap him with a sealing technique, but the man evaded their follow-up attacks by merging with shadows and taunted Sasuke and Naruto.

• Anko, Kawaki Aoba, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro attacked the mysterious man, but he blocked their techniques and dismissed their strength.
• Kawaki Aoba urged the examinees to find a flaw, and Naruto noticed that the man’s right hand trembled whenever he used ninjutsu.
• The group focused their attacks on the man’s right hand until his defense faltered, allowing Kawaki Aoba to bind him with the Spirit-Locking Seal.
• The mysterious man resisted the seal, claimed they could never find his true body, and evaded Gaara’s sand by hiding in the shadows.
• Temari and Kankuro tried to force the man out while Sasuke and Naruto defended Konoha, and the man provoked Sasuke and insulted Naruto’s use of the Nine-Tails’ power.

Kawaki Aoba devised a trick that helped Gaara and Sasuke locate and restrain the mysterious man, then coordinated the group’s attacks against his shadow defenses. After Temari wounded him, the mysterious man launched a powerful counterattack, leaving the group searching for another opening.

• Kawaki Aoba told the group to feign exhaustion so they could draw the mysterious man into lowering his guard.
• Gaara sent sand underground while Sasuke used his Sharingan to find an abnormality, and together they exposed and partly bound the mysterious man.
• Sasuke attacked with Chidori, Naruto summoned Shadow Clones, and Kawaki Aoba directed the group to attack from several directions.
• Temari struck a gap in the mysterious man’s shadow defenses with Wind Scythe Technique, cutting his robe and driving him back.
• The mysterious man sent churning shadows sweeping toward the group, while Gaara raised a sand wall and Naruto began forming a Rasenshuriken.

Naruto, Sasuke, and their allies broke the mysterious man's barrier and coordinated their attacks until Kawaki Aoba sensed his hidden real body. Sasuke's Fire Release struck the man and exposed his burned face, but he tried to flee before revealing his purpose.

• Naruto's Rasenshuriken damaged the mysterious man's shadow, prompting Sasuke, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Naruto, and Kawaki Aoba to intensify their attacks.
• The mysterious man retreated behind a powerful barrier, but the group combined their attacks until it cracked and shattered.
• Kawaki Aoba told everyone to target the mysterious man's real body, and the group attacked him from every direction.
• While the others fought, Kawaki Aoba sensed Chakra behind a tree and directed Sasuke to attack it with Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique.
• The flames forced the mysterious man out from behind the tree, revealing half of his burned face, and Kawaki Aoba demanded to know his purpose.
• The mysterious man, realizing his plan had failed, tried to flee.

Kawaki Aoba used spatial ninjutsu to defeat the mysterious man's shadow monster, but the man refused to reveal his identity or motives. After arguing with the examinees about the nature of ninja and their convictions, he killed himself with poison, leaving the forces behind him unknown.

• Mitarashi Anko blocked the mysterious man's escape, and he summoned a gigantic shadow monster that resisted the examinees' attacks.
• Kawaki Aoba opened a spatial rift and sucked the shadow monster into it, then questioned the mysterious man about his identity and purpose.
• The mysterious man dismissed ninja rules and argued that all ninja used strength to achieve their own ends, while Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, and an examinee defended their convictions.
• The mysterious man refused to confess despite Mitarashi Anko and Kawaki Aoba pressing him, and he killed himself with poison hidden in his mouth.
• The examinees were shocked by the man's suicide, and one suspected he had acted to keep them from uncovering something.

After the examinees resumed the Forest of Death exam, Temari and Ino dispelled a floral enchantment affecting some of them. The group then reached a dangerous swamp and began searching for materials to build a bridge, with Kiba finding a thick branch.

• Kawaki Aoba and Mitarashi Anko decided to investigate the mysterious attacker while the examinees continued the exam and stayed alert.
• The examinees rested together, then Temari suggested using wind to disperse the bewitching floral scent, and she and Ino Yamanaka freed the enchanted examinees.
• The group continued onward and found a dangerous swamp; Tenten suggested building a bridge, while Rock Lee offered to carry everyone across and Sai warned that it was unsafe.
• Kawaki Aoba directed everyone to search for bridge materials, and Kiba found a thick branch near a large tree.

The group crossed a swamp, fought off a huge wild boar, and navigated a dangerous river and a fog-filled area. After emerging from the fog, they reached a steep slope that presented their next obstacle.

• The group built a branch-and-vine bridge across the swamp, and Sasuke caught Naruto when he slipped.
• A massive wild boar attacked, but Kawaki Aoba identified its eyes as its weakness and the group drove it away with coordinated attacks.
• The group built a raft with Gaara's sand helping carry the trees, then used ninjutsu together to steer clear of a whirlpool while crossing the river.
• Kawaki Aoba suggested tying everyone together with ropes in the dense fog, and the group followed his advice to keep moving in one direction until they emerged.
• The group continued onward and reached a steep, almost vertical slope, where Shikamaru Nara examined the climb.

The examinees defeated a giant spider and climbed to the summit, then rested at a lake after fighting wolves. A flute-playing woman named Yukihime offered them poisoned herbs, but Kawaki Aoba exposed her and she declared the examinees invaders who had come to destroy the forest.

• Naruto, Sasuke, Kawaki Aoba, and the other examinees attacked the giant spider's abdomen together and defeated it.
• The examinees climbed the steep slope and reached the mountaintop, where Naruto saw that their destination was near.
• After fighting a pack of wolves, the exhausted examinees rested beside a lake and heard a flute melody.
• Yukihime introduced herself as the forest's guardian and offered the examinees herbs to restore their strength.
• Kawaki Aoba tested the herbs with chakra, discovered they were poisoned, and confronted Yukihime.
• Yukihime revealed her hostility toward the examinees, accusing them of damaging the forest and calling them invaders.

Yukihime revealed that she had poisoned the examinees and trapped the area, but Kawaki Aoba led them in finding and destroying the mechanisms. They stopped her attack, though Yukihime vanished after warning that a greater danger still lay ahead.

• Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, and Kawaki Aoba confronted Yukihime over her attempt to stop them through poisoning, and she admitted that she had set traps around them.
• Kawaki Aoba told the examinees to search for clues, and they spotted unusual patches of ground that might conceal trap mechanisms.
• Sasuke proposed using ninjutsu from a distance to disable the mechanisms, while Kawaki Aoba grappled with Yukihime to keep her from interfering.
• Yukihime broke free and charged an examinee with a dagger, but Sasuke knocked the weapon away with a shuriken as the examinees destroyed most of the mechanisms.
• Yukihime collapsed, warned that the real danger was still ahead, and vanished; Kawaki Aoba urged the exhausted examinees to stay alert.

A mysterious woman attacked the Chunin Exam examinees, revealing that her organization had teamed with Orochimaru to eliminate Konoha’s promising ninja. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kawaki Aoba, and the Sunagakure siblings coordinated their counterattack, leaving the woman’s water defense under heavy pressure.

• Kawaki Aoba warned the examinees to rest while he kept watch, but a woman appeared on the lake and attacked them with giant spheres of water.
• The woman revealed that she belonged to a secret organization allied with Orochimaru and intended to kill promising ninja, prompting the examinees to fight back.
• Gaara and Temari combined sand and wind, Kankuro sent in his puppet, and Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura coordinated their roles.
• Naruto surrounded the woman with shadow clones while Sasuke spotted a weakness on her left side, letting Naruto charge with a Rasengan as Kawaki Aoba launched Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spear.
• The woman raised a water curtain to defend herself, but Gaara’s sandstorm, Temari’s wind, and Kankuro’s puppet continued attacking it.

The candidates defeated a woman with a coordinated attack after Shikamaru devised a way to draw her defenses forward. Mitarashi Anko captured the injured woman, and the group headed back to the village, proud of their performance.

• Kankuro controlled his puppet as Naruto and Sasuke prepared another combined attack, but Sasuke dodged the woman's water spikes.
• Shikamaru Nara proposed a feint, and Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, and Akamaru drew the woman's defenses to the front while the others approached from the sides and rear.
• Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Naruto, Sasuke, Kawaki Aoba, and the others attacked together, shattered the water curtain, and knocked the woman down.
• Mitarashi Anko trapped the woman in a red Chakra cage, and Naruto and Sasuke said they would take her to Lord Hokage for questioning.
• Mitarashi Anko praised the candidates' teamwork and led them back toward the village, where Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, and Rock Lee reflected on the battle.