Recaps

Team 10 fled a giant armored bear and stumbled upon Iwagakure rookies having a barbecue, where Naruto effortlessly killed the bear with a Rasenshuriken. Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji were left stunned by the scale of Naruto’s strength.

• Team 10’s Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji fled the armored bear after their techniques failed to stop it.
• Shikamaru led the group toward a fire, where they found Kurotsuchi, Deidara, Naruto, and other Iwagakure rookies barbecuing.
• The bear charged into the clearing, and Shikamaru shouted for help.
• Naruto told Deidara not to interfere and casually launched a Rasenshuriken at the bear.
• The Rasenshuriken shredded the bear and carved a huge section out of a distant hill.
• Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji stared in disbelief as Shikamaru questioned whether Naruto was really a genin.

Gaara lost control after Shukaku awakened and attacked the barbecue camp where Naruto and the others were eating. Naruto struck Gaara with a powerful punch, sending him crashing into a distant rock wall.

• Gaara slaughtered three Amegakure genin with Sandstorm Funeral as Shukaku's influence took hold.
• Gaara turned toward the barbecue camp after smelling grilled meat and unleashed a massive sandstorm.
• Naruto and his companions saw Gaara approaching, while Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji were too frightened to move.
• Gaara formed a giant sand claw and brought it down toward the camp.
• Naruto used Sage Mode and golden Nine-Tails chakra to punch Gaara out of the air and into a rock wall.

Naruto let Kurama take control when Shukaku emerged and threatened him. Kurama’s chakra overwhelmed Shukaku, who knelt, begged for mercy, and retreated into Gaara.

• Shukaku erupted from the ruins and confronted Naruto, while Deidara started to intervene and Yoru stopped him.
• Kurama noticed Shukaku insulting Naruto and angrily offered to lend Naruto his power.
• Naruto accepted, and Kurama’s golden chakra transformed him and released nine tails.
• Shukaku recognized Kurama’s overwhelming presence, collapsed to his knees, and begged for mercy.
• Shukaku turned back into sand and withdrew into Gaara.

Naruto defeated Gaara with taijutsu, then reached out to him by sharing his experience with the Nine-Tails and its loneliness. Gaara accepted Naruto’s hand, and Shikamaru asked to borrow an Earth scroll after his team lost its Heaven scroll.

• After Shukaku collapsed, Gaara attacked Naruto with sand, but Naruto dodged and overwhelmed him with taijutsu.
• Naruto stopped short of killing Gaara and explained that he understood what it was like to live with a tailed beast inside him.
• Naruto told Gaara that Shukaku was lonely and offered him the chance to find a family and a village that would accept him.
• Gaara broke down crying and took Naruto’s hand, making Naruto the first person he trusted.
• Yoru praised Naruto, Sasuke pretended to dismiss him, and Shikamaru asked to borrow Naruto’s Earth scroll.

During the Chūnin Exams, Anko spotted Orochimaru disguised as a Kusagakure ninja and rushed to stop him, only to discover he was working for Uchiha Yoru. Orochimaru delivered the complete Impure World Reincarnation scroll to Yoru, leaving Anko stunned by the Sannin’s subservience.

• Naruto rejected Shikamaru’s suggestion to borrow a scroll, insisting that copying during an exam was cheating.
• Anko recognized Orochimaru on the surveillance screens and hurried into the Forest of Death, fearing he would target Sasuke.
• Orochimaru appeared before Yoru’s group, focused on Sasuke, and respectfully told Yoru he had obtained the requested item.
• Anko attacked Orochimaru, but Yoru kicked away the Kusanagi Sword and stopped him from striking her.
• Orochimaru presented Yoru with the complete Impure World Reincarnation scroll and accepted a global VIP card as payment.
• Anko watched Orochimaru kneel before Yoru and realized the feared Sannin had become Yoru’s subordinate.

After an unusually large number of teams passed the Forest of Death, the Chunin Exam preliminaries began, and Iwagakure’s fighters crushed Konoha’s young ninja one after another. The chapter ended as Neji Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha were matched, leaving Konoha’s last chance to restore its reputation hanging on their bout.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the preliminary matchups appear and feared Konoha’s team would face Iwagakure.
• Kurotsuchi defeated Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru with a single blow after hardening her body against their Fang Over Fang attack.
• Akatsuchi knocked Shino Aburame out of the ring, and Han’s Steam Armor turned Tenten’s weapons back against her.
• Iwagakure’s fighters overwhelmed Konoha’s young ninja, leaving Asuma, Kurenai Yūhi, Might Guy, and Hiruzen Sarutobi stunned.
• The screen matched Neji Hyuga of Konoha against Sasuke Uchiha of Iwagakure.

Neji Hyuga faced Sasuke Uchiha of Iwagakure in the tournament and argued that fate doomed them both to failure. Sasuke rejected Neji’s beliefs and prepared to attack, leaving the match poised to begin in earnest.

• Neji rose to face Sasuke after the lineup named their match, and both fighters took their places in the arena.
• Neji activated his Byakugan and declared that Sasuke’s departure from Leaf Village had sealed his fate.
• Neji insisted that birth determined a person’s abilities, while Naruto and Kurotsuchi mocked his speech from the stands.
• Sasuke dismissed Neji’s ideas about fate and taunted him over the Caged Bird seal and his resentment of the branch family.
• Sasuke stepped forward, promised to slash Neji’s birdcage apart, and revealed his three-tomoe Sharingan.

Sasuke used his Sharingan to evade Neji’s Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, then broke through Neji’s Rotation with Chidori. Neji was struck by the lightning and sent flying.

• Neji lost his temper and attacked Sasuke with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but Sasuke dodged every strike.
• Neji unleashed Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation, forming a spinning chakra sphere that tore up the arena tiles.
• Sasuke formed Chidori, startling Kakashi, who recognized it as the technique he had created.
• Sasuke rushed Neji and drove Chidori into Rotation, cracking and then shattering its defense.
• Sasuke’s Chidori pierced Neji and sent him flying, leaving his clothes scorched.

Sasuke defeated Neji and challenged his belief that fate controlled his life, then revealed that Neji’s father was alive in Iwagakure and that Uchiha Yoru had removed his Caged Bird seal. Neji was left reeling as Sasuke walked away, his convictions and hatred shattered.

• Sasuke overwhelmed Neji with Lightning Release, leaving him badly injured and unable to move.
• Sasuke told Neji that he had lost because of his delusions, then blamed the Hyuga main family for placing him in the Caged Bird cage.
• Sasuke revealed that Neji’s father, Hizashi Hyuga, had survived and that Uchiha Yoru had saved him from being handed over to the Hidden Cloud Village.
• Sasuke said Hizashi lived freely in Iwagakure after Uchiha Yoru removed his Caged Bird seal.
• Hyuga Hiashi reacted with horror as Neji struggled to accept the revelation, and Sasuke left the arena while Neji questioned the beliefs that had shaped his life.

Naruto encouraged Hinata through her match against Kin, helping her overcome a sound-based genjutsu and win decisively. Watching his daughter succeed and remembering his past choices, Hiashi was overwhelmed with regret that he had not defected with the others.

• After Neji was carried away, Hayate Gekko announced Hinata's match against Kin Tsuchi.
• Naruto shouted encouragement from the stands, and Hinata overcame her nerves and entered the arena.
• Kin attacked Hinata with poisoned senbon and a sound-wave genjutsu, leaving her disoriented and vulnerable.
• Following Naruto's advice, Hinata used the Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm to disrupt the genjutsu, then defeated Kin with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
• Naruto celebrated and held Hinata's hand as Hiashi watched, recognizing her newfound confidence and grieving over his choices regarding Hinata and Neji.
• Hiashi wept and lamented that he had not left with the others years earlier.

Rock Lee challenged Deidara in the preliminaries, but Deidara’s explosives overwhelmed Lee even after he opened five gates. Lee was blasted out of the arena and lost consciousness, leaving Deidara victorious.

• Rock Lee entered the arena to defend the Leaf Village against Deidara, who mocked Lee and demanded to finish quickly.
• Deidara stopped Lee’s opening attack with a clay spider bomb, then used a clay clone to evade Lee’s attack after Lee removed his leg weights.
• Lee opened the first five gates and launched the Inner Lotus at Deidara.
• Deidara detonated a hidden net of clay spiders, stopping Lee in midair and blasting him out of the arena unconscious.

After Rock Lee was defeated, Gekko Hayate announced that all nine finalists came from Iwagakure and its subordinate villages, leaving Leaf Village with no contestants. The Leaf ninja departed in humiliation while Yoru and the other Iwagakure finalists treated their victories as expected.

• Rock Lee was knocked unconscious by Naruto's attack, and medical ninja carried him from the arena.
• Gekko Hayate announced the nine finalists, including four from Iwagakure and others from Sunagakure and Kirigakure; no Leaf Village ninja advanced.
• The Leaf ninja reacted with disbelief and humiliation as the result exposed their complete defeat on their home ground.
• Gekko Hayate announced that the finals would take place in one month, then vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Deidara dismissed the Leaf contestants as weak while Yoru watched the defeated Leaf ninja leave without changing his expression.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Leaf Village’s twelve promising young shinobi get eliminated, leaving Iwagakure to dominate the Chūnin Exam preliminaries. Uchiha Yoru taunted him and warned that the real show would begin at the finals in one month.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi crushed his teacup when the advancement list showed that all twelve Leaf Village contestants had been eliminated.
• Utatane Koharu and the Anbu tried to help Hiruzen Sarutobi as he nearly fainted, but he forced himself to remain standing.
• Uchiha Yoru strolled past Hiruzen Sarutobi while Deidara, Naruto, and Sasuke mocked Leaf Village’s defeated contestants.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to stop Uchiha Yoru but could not accuse him because Iwagakure had followed the rules.
• Uchiha Yoru whispered to Hiruzen Sarutobi, then warned him that the real show would begin in one month.

The Chūnin Exams finals began before a packed crowd, with Konoha mocked for having no contestants. Uchiha Yoru humiliated Hiruzen Sarutobi by taking the central seat, then told Ōnoki to make Hiruzen watch his last hope fall into despair.

• Spectators gathered to watch the finals and ridiculed Konoha after learning it had no contestant in the tournament.
• The nine finalists from Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure entered the arena as Konoha faced boos from the crowd.
• Ōnoki silenced the arena and the leaders began their entrance ceremony.
• Uchiha Yoru sat in the central seat reserved for Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his pressure stopped Hiruzen's Anbu from approaching.
• Hiruzen withdrew to a lesser seat while Yoru ate an orange and told Ōnoki to ensure Hiruzen watched his final hope fall into despair.

Uchiha Yoru occupied the Hokage’s seat at the ceremony while Kurotsuchi fed him oranges, forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi to retreat to a lesser seat. Yoru then told Ōnoki to make sure Hiruzen watched his final hope turn to despair as the show began.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi approached the seat of honor, only to find Uchiha Yoru lounging there with Kurotsuchi in his arms.
• Two Anbu drew their blades and ordered Yoru to leave, but his Mangekyō Sharingan pressure made them drop their weapons and kneel.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the Anbu to stand down and moved to a dusty secondary seat as the crowd reacted.
• Uchiha Yoru accepted another orange segment from Kurotsuchi and told Ōnoki to warn the competitors not to overdo it.
• Uchiha Yoru said he wanted Hiruzen Sarutobi to watch his final hope turn into despair.

Uzumaki Naruto defeated Gaara in the Chūnin Exams finals with a dazzling display of ninjutsu and overwhelming strength. The crowd celebrated him while Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha's leaders watched in dismay as the Land of Fire Daimyo tried to recruit him.

• Genma Shiranui announced the finals match between Uzumaki Naruto of Iwagakure and Gaara of Sunagakure.
• Gaara flooded the arena with sand, but Naruto stopped the attack with an Earth-Style Wall and countered with Shadow Clones.
• Naruto broke through Gaara's Sand Armor with a Rasengan, then used Wind Release to scatter Gaara's sand.
• Naruto knocked Gaara unconscious with a punch and Genma declared him the winner.
• The crowd cheered for Naruto, the Land of Fire Daimyo ordered his attendants to investigate and recruit him, and Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha's leaders watched in dismay.

Naruto defeated Gaara, then revealed that he could use the Flying Thunder God Technique, leaving the Konoha crowd to recognize him as Minato’s son. The arena erupted in grief and disbelief as villagers and veterans realized Minato had returned in Naruto’s young form.

• Naruto stopped Gaara from surrendering and said they had come to give Konoha a grand gift, then threw three Flying Thunder God kunai around the arena.
• Naruto used the Flying Thunder God Technique to flash between the kunai and appeared behind Gaara with a Rasengan at his forehead.
• Naruto dispersed the Rasengan and ended the match without harming Gaara.
• Kakashi recognized Naruto’s technique as the Flying Thunder God, while the crowd connected it to Minato and Naruto’s resemblance to the Hokage Rock statue.
• Konoha veterans wept and shouted that Naruto was Minato’s son.

The villagers realized Naruto was Minato Namikaze’s son and confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi over the years of deception and Naruto’s mistreatment. The chapter ended with Hiruzen’s authority and carefully cultivated image collapsing under the crowd’s anger.

• The villagers recognized Naruto as Minato Namikaze’s son after seeing his resemblance and Flying Thunder God Technique.
• The crowd recalled how Naruto had been ostracized as the demon fox and realized he had disappeared from Konoha.
• A Konoha jonin demanded that Hiruzen explain why the Fourth Hokage’s son had been treated as a monster.
• The villagers erupted in anger, and some threw stones at the VIP stands as Utatane Koharu called for Anbu to suppress them.
• The Jonin Commander and other Konoha fighters accused Hiruzen of driving Naruto toward the enemy and politically cornering the Uchiha.
• Hiruzen failed to defend himself as the crowd’s fury destroyed his authority and public image.

As Konoha’s villagers turned against Hiruzen Sarutobi and the leaders after Uchiha Yoru exposed their betrayal of Minato Namikaze’s orphan, the Land of Fire Daimyo cut Konoha’s funding and sought to recruit Yoru. In the Root base, Shimura Danzō responded to the collapse of the leadership’s authority by activating the “Purification Protocol” and pressing a red detonation button.

• The villagers cursed Hiruzen Sarutobi and demanded that he step down as the village’s leaders lost the support of Asuma, Kurenai Yūhi, Might Guy, and Kakashi.
• The Land of Fire Daimyo ordered Konoha’s military budget cut in half and told his attendant to contact Iwagakure about bringing Uchiha Yoru and the blond child to the Land of Fire.
• The villagers and ninja flooded the arena with protests, and Konoha’s credibility collapsed.
• Shimura Danzō watched the unrest from Root’s surveillance chamber and ordered his subordinate to activate the “Purification Protocol.”
• Danzō pressed the red detonation button and vowed that Uchiha Yoru, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the villagers would go to hell with him.

Danzo triggered the Purification Protocol, setting off millions of buried Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags beneath the arena and plunging the crowd into panic. As the destruction neared, Uchiha Yoru calmly opened his Mangekyō Sharingan and prepared to respond.

• Danzo activated the Purification Protocol, intending to destroy the arena and everyone in it so he could rebuild Leaf Village under his control.
• The arena shook as red Explosive Tag formulas spread across the floor, and terrified spectators rushed for the exits.
• Mei Terumi and Orochimaru fled, while Hiruzen Sarutobi stayed behind in despair.
• Kurotsuchi urged Uchiha Yoru to escape, but he remained calm and called the impending blast a fireworks show.
• Uchiha Yoru opened his Mangekyō Sharingan and challenged Danzo's plan, calling himself the chief demolition expert.

Deidara disabled the explosive tags beneath the arena, saving the crowd from Danzō's planned massacre. Orochimaru then took the Land of Fire daimyo hostage and publicly blamed Hiruzen Sarutobi for the plot, leaving the Hokage condemned by the furious villagers as Orochimaru prepared to confront his former teacher.

• Deidara used Explosion Release: Landmine Fist to sever the chakra controlling the explosive tags, stopping them from detonating.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi realized Uchiha Yoru had once again prevented Leaf Village's plan from succeeding.
• Orochimaru revealed himself in the VIP stands, unleashed snakes, and took the Land of Fire daimyo hostage.
• Orochimaru told the crowd that Hiruzen and Danzō had planned to kill the arena's civilians and allied visitors with the explosive tags.
• The crowd turned on Hiruzen, and Orochimaru challenged his former teacher to settle their old scores.

Orochimaru trapped Hiruzen Sarutobi inside the Four Violet Flames Formation and confronted him over their shared history. Hiruzen summoned Enma to fight, while Uchiha Yoru mocked him as the First and Second Hokage were reincarnated to face him.

• Four Otogakure shinobi sealed the VIP platform inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, trapping Hiruzen Sarutobi with Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru accused Hiruzen of enabling his experiments and using him as a political weapon before casting him aside.
• Uchiha Yoru and Kurotsuchi watched from the chief seat, eating sunflower seeds and mocking Hiruzen.
• Hiruzen tore off his ceremonial robe and faced Orochimaru, who summoned the First and Second Hokage with Impure World Reincarnation.
• Hiruzen summoned Enma and condemned Orochimaru, but Uchiha Yoru applauded and taunted him about his disciples.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, broken by the collapse of Leaf Village, used the Reaper Death Seal against Uchiha Yoru. The summoned Death God recognized Yoru and froze, leaving Hiruzen’s desperate attack unable to proceed.

• Yoru mocked Hiruzen for losing the respect of his former disciples, and Hiruzen spat blood as he faced his enemies and former teachers.
• Hiruzen decided to kill Yoru and began forming the seals for the Reaper Death Seal, ignoring Enma’s warning.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru realized Hiruzen was using the forbidden technique as the Death God appeared above the barrier.
• The Death God reached for Yoru’s soul, but Yoru calmly greeted it, and it froze upon recognizing him.
• Yoru told Hiruzen that the same technique would not work on him and mocked the Death God for having fled from him before.

Yoru used his Mangekyō Sharingan and a Wood Release-armored Perfect Susanoo to destroy the Death God's phantom and leave Hiruzen Sarutobi near death. He refused to let Hiruzen escape responsibility through death and declared that he did not even deserve to die.

• The Death God's phantom recognized Yoru and froze, but Hiruzen Sarutobi forced it to attack him again.
• Yoru awakened his full-power Mangekyō Sharingan and summoned a Perfect Susanoo reinforced with Hashirama Senju's Yang Release and Wood Release.
• Yoru's Susanoo kicked the Death God's phantom, shattering it before the assembled spectators.
• The broken Reaper Death Seal inflicted a devastating backlash on Hiruzen Sarutobi, who collapsed with his life hanging in the balance.
• Yoru confronted the wounded Hiruzen Sarutobi and told him he did not deserve to die.

Uchiha Yoru broke the barrier, captured Hiruzen Sarutobi, and had Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha bring in Shimura Danzō. He exposed the Hokage and Danzō’s hidden crimes to the Chūnin Exam crowd, leaving the arena stunned.

• Uchiha Yoru shattered the barrier and threw the battered Hiruzen Sarutobi into the arena.
• Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha arrived with the captured Shimura Danzō.
• Yoru addressed the spectators and announced that he would reveal Konoha’s history.
• Itachi used Tsukuyomi Projection to show Hiruzen’s role in Tobirama Senju’s death and his knowledge of Danzō’s Root abuses.
• The projection revealed Danzō’s plot against Yahiko and his dealings with Orochimaru, shocking the spectators.