Recaps

Murasame challenged Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki to prove she was superior, but their coordinated attacks overwhelmed her. As the sisters prepared their ultimate techniques, Murasame surrendered and asked them to make peace.

• Irori offered Murasame a chance to reconsider fighting all three sisters, but Murasame insulted them as outdated, defective models.
• Yaya and Komurasaki attacked Murasame, and Yaya blocked Murasame’s strike when she saw through Komurasaki’s concealment.
• Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki coordinated their attacks with ice weapons, a purple phantom, and Yaya’s force, but Murasame’s speed and powerful sword strikes kept them from finishing the fight.
• The sisters agreed through telepathy to end the battle and began preparing their ultimate moves while Murasame considered using her own.
• As Irori’s ice technique closed in and Komurasaki’s Red Spider Lily petals surrounded her, Murasame set down Murasame Maru, raised her hands, and asked to make peace.

Rikuo learned that Izayoi had ordered him to take Chunhua Qianxiao to the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams, prompting his friends to discuss how her Wood Release could be used against Konoha's Senju Clan. Later, Izayoi explained her plan to Yayoi and tried to persuade him in the library.

• At lunch, Rikuo told Xia Yu Lingling, Chunhua Qianxiao, Akizuki Saori, and Dong Xue Jixiang that he would take Qianxiao to the Chunin Ninja Exams on Izayoi's orders.
• Lingling concealed her frustration at being left out and comforted Qianxiao, while Saori explained that Izayoi likely chose a Wood Release ninja to target Konoha's Senju Clan.
• Rikuo agreed that Qianxiao was a fitting choice because of the Uchiha's hatred of the Senju, though he doubted the strength of her Wood Release.
• At the General's Residence, Izayoi told Yayoi that Rikuo would enter the exams to broaden his horizons, and Yayoi recognized her real motive was to challenge Konoha's Uchiha and Senju.
• Izayoi attempted to persuade Yayoi in the private library by changing into a swimsuit and pressing herself against the bookshelf.

Yayoi publicly made Murasame one of his personal guards as the Land of Night prepared to join Konoha’s upcoming Joint Chunin Ninja Exams. He looked forward to a contest between the nations’ strongest young shinobi, including Rikuo and the team of Hatake Sakumo, Aburame Ryoma, and Oda Sakura Hime.

• Murasame complained about the attention she received in public, while Yaya and Komurasaki advised her to endure it as the General’s newest personal guard.
• Yayoi formally gave Murasame the same personal-guard position as Yaya and Komurasaki, and attention shifted to the upcoming Joint Chunin Ninja Exams hosted by Konoha.
• Yayoi approved every Genin and Temporary Genin team that applied to represent the Land of Night in the exams.
• Yayoi took special notice of Hatake Sakumo, Aburame Ryoma, and his daughter Oda Sakura Hime, a formidable team with Sakumo at Jonin level and the other two at Quasi-Jonin level.
• Yayoi compared the team’s strength with Rikuo’s and anticipated a contest among the young shinobi of the different nations.

The Land of Night delegation arrived in Konoha for the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams, and Uchiha Meirou visited his former superior, Elder Korei, hoping to understand the strained ties between the Uchiha clans. After Korei fell asleep, Meirou was refused entry to Uchiha Zhuiliu’s residence, leaving him to doubt that the two branches could reconcile.

• Kakuzu led the Land of Night delegation, including Rikuo and Uchiha Meirou, toward Konoha for the exams.
• The delegation arrived in Konoha on July 11, and Rikuo took Chunhua Qianxiao, Dong Xue Jixiang, Xia Yu Lingling, and Akizuki Saori to their inn to prepare.
• Meirou received Kakuzu’s permission to visit the Uchiha compound, while Kakuzu went to meet Shikamon Nara about the exam details.
• Fugaku Uchiha led Meirou to Elder Korei, who spoke with him about the Land of Night before falling asleep.
• Meirou tried to visit Uchiha Zhuiliu but was turned away by the guards, and he left without forcing his way inside.

Rikuo, Sakura Hime, and other favored teams passed the first exam, and the second exam began in the Forest of Death. Rikuo quickly killed a Hidden Moon Village team, took its Earth Scroll, and reached the Central Tower with Oblivious and Grumpy in under fifteen minutes.

• Over three hundred contestants took the first exam, and fewer than half passed; Rikuo and Sakura Hime’s group advanced alongside the other favored teams.
• The second exam began in the Forest of Death, where teams had to collect both scrolls and reach the Central Tower within five days.
• Rikuo used Sensory Ninjutsu to locate a Hidden Moon Village team and killed its three members to take their Earth Scroll.
• Rikuo destroyed the bodies with Explosive Tags, then led Oblivious and Grumpy toward the tower without seeking more fights.
• Rikuo and his teammates reached the Central Tower in under fifteen minutes, astonishing the Konoha guards.

Sakura Hime’s team searched the Forest of Death for the scroll they needed while Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade reached the tower and discovered Rikuo’s team had arrived first. Five days later, Sarutobi Hiruzen announced that the third exam would be a team-versus-team tournament, leaving the Konoha trio confident in their long-standing teamwork.

• Sakura Hime, Sakumo, and Ryoma found two Earth Scrolls after defeating two teams and continued searching for a Heaven Scroll.
• Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade obtained both scrolls, reached the tower in under an hour, and found Rikuo’s team already there, uninjured and eating lunch.
• Five days later, Sarutobi Hiruzen gathered the twenty-four Genin from eight teams and announced the end of the second exam.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen announced that the third exam would consist of team-versus-team matches before important figures from across the Ninja World.
• Rikuo suspected the Land of Night had helped arrange the team tournament, while Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade welcomed the format and trusted their teamwork.

Yayoi arrived in Konoha for the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams and met with the newly appointed Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. A month later, the public third stage began before a packed audience, with many spectators betting on Tsunade.

• Yayoi arrived in Konoha with his household and guards, then sent Kicho, Izayoi, Hisana, and Oboro to visit relatives.
• Komurasaki told Yayoi that Ōnoki had arrived, and Yayoi invited the Third Tsuchikage to the tea room.
• Yayoi reflected on the succession of the other villages' Kage and Hiruzen's struggle to secure full authority in Konoha.
• On August 20th, spectators and dignitaries filled the expanded arena for the third stage of the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Spectators cheered for the matches, and many bettors placed their fortunes on Tsunade.

The third examination began as the participating Genin learned their matchups, and Rikuo prepared to face Uchiha Tenmon in Bracket B. As Sakura Hime’s first-round battle against Sunagakure was about to start, Izayoi watched eagerly, intent on having Rikuo defeat Konoha’s Uchiha and Senju.

• The Chief Proctor reviewed the tournament brackets and sent the six groups not fighting first to the observation platform.
• Rikuo recognized Uchiha Tenmon as his first-round opponent and considered the possibility of facing Tsunade in the next round.
• Uchiha Tenmon boasted to Tsunade that he would defeat Rikuo and described his preparations for the match.
• Hisana asked whether Sakura Hime’s group would win, and Yayoi judged that their familiarity with puppets gave them an advantage against Sunagakure.
• Izayoi watched the matches restlessly and added Konoha’s Uchiha to her list of targets alongside the Senju.

The Land of Night team fought Sunagakure in the first exam match, countering the Sand team’s poisoned weapons and puppet assault. The battle remained underway as Sakura Hime blocked the puppets’ second barrage.

• Hiruzen watched the Land of Night and Sunagakure teams prepare for their match, assessing the Land of Night’s strength.
• A Sand Genin unleashed a sandstorm and a poisoned barrage of concealed weapons, but Sakura Hime deflected them with a golden chain.
• Sakumo tore through the sandstorm and attacked the Sand team while Sakura Hime and Ryoma joined the assault.
• The Sand puppet masters summoned huge lizard and serpent puppets, then launched another barrage as Sakumo pursued their Wind Release user.
• The puppet masters redirected their puppets toward Sakura Hime and Ryoma, but Sakura Hime used a second golden chain to block the weapons.

Sakura Hime’s team defeated the puppet masters by exploiting their weaknesses, then Hidden Cloud beat Hidden Rock in a costly match. Hidden Cloud’s advisor secretly sent medicine to his team before their anticipated fight against the Land of Night.

• Sakura Hime used Adamantine Sealing Chains while Sakumo and her team sealed the Wind Release Sand ninja and disrupted the puppet masters’ Chakra Threads, forcing them to surrender.
• The spectators and Uzumaki Clan guests praised Sakura Hime’s rare skill, while Yayoi and Hisana watched her team’s victory.
• Hidden Cloud defeated Hidden Rock with Lightning Release, but all three Hidden Cloud Genin were left exhausted and injured.
• The Hidden Cloud advisor gave a medicine box to a Hidden Cloud Jonin and ordered him to ensure Hidden Cloud would win against the Land of Night.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru defeated their Hidden Mist opponents with overwhelming strength and teamwork. Uchiha Tenmon then challenged Rikuo, who dismissed Tenmon’s taunts and entered the arena as the match drew a large crowd.

• Tsunade smashed the arena floor, giving Jiraiya and Orochimaru an opening to combine their attacks against the Hidden Mist trio.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru overwhelmed the Hidden Mist team, and the proctor declared their victory.
• Uchiha Tenmon provoked Rikuo, while Chunhua Qianxiao and Dong Xue Jixiang objected to his behavior.
• Rikuo told his teammates not to fall for Tenmon’s provocation and said he would handle the match himself.
• Uchiha Clan patriarch Zhuiliu declared that Tenmen would win, praising his Sharingan as the clan’s most orthodox.

Rikuo overwhelmed Tianmen’s team in Group B’s second match, revealing devastating Monster Strength instead of engaging in the expected Sharingan duel. Tsunade recognized that his technique resembled her own, leaving her wondering whether it came from the same source.

• The proctor began the match after Tianmen’s team and Rikuo’s team indicated they were ready.
• Tianmen launched a Great Fireball Technique as a feint while Yamanaka Tong prepared his clan’s secret technique and Inuzuka Wu and his hound readied a coordinated attack.
• Rikuo punched apart the fireball, then vanished and struck the ground between Yamanaka Tong and Inuzuka Wu, knocking both genin and the hound out of the fight.
• Tianmen dodged the impact but was thrown back by the blast, while Rikuo emerged unharmed from the devastated ground.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade identified Rikuo’s power as Monster Strength, and Tsunade suspected its technique came from the same source as hers.
• Orochimaru and Jiraiya judged that they could not fight Rikuo at close range and began considering how to face his team in the next round.

Rikuo defeated Tianmen with overwhelming Taijutsu, leaving the spectators and Konoha’s leaders uncertain about whether he had awakened the Sharingan. The next semifinal began as Sakura Hime, Sakumo, and Ryoma faced Hidden Cloud Village Genin whose bodies were filled with unstable Tailed-Beast Chakra from a drug.

• Tianmen used his Two-Tomoe Sharingan and attacked Rikuo with shuriken, but Rikuo moved too fast for him to track and sent him flying with a blow.
• Tianmen tried to use Fire Release, but Rikuo stopped his hand seals and knocked him unconscious, securing victory for the Land of Night team.
• The chief examiner praised Rikuo’s lethal precision, while Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Hiruzen worried about how their team could defeat him; Zhuiliu insisted Tianmen would win in the future.
• Sakura Hime, Sakumo, and Ryoma entered the arena for the Group A semifinals against three Hidden Cloud Village Genin whose violent auras suggested Tailed-Beast Chakra.
• Kicho used her Byakugan and told Yayoi that the Hidden Cloud trio had taken a drug, while Oboro and Ōnoki criticized the village’s methods and Ōnoki recalled its espionage and theft of secret techniques.

Sakumo, Sakura Hime, and Aburame Ryoma defeated the drug-enhanced Hidden Cloud Genin team, with Sakumo’s speed and swordsmanship overwhelming their opponents. As Tsunade’s team prepared to face Rikuo’s team, Uchiha Tenmon warned them about Rikuo’s speed, strength, and suspected Sharingan.

• Aburame Ryoma warned Sakumo and Sakura Hime that the Hidden Cloud Genin had abnormal, evil chakra, and Sakura Hime suspected they had taken a Tailed-Beast-like drug.
• The chief examiner started the match, and Sakumo swiftly cut down two Hidden Cloud Genin while Sakura Hime and Ryoma helped corner their leader.
• Sakumo struck down the last Hidden Cloud Genin, and the chief examiner declared his team the winners.
• Spectators dismissed the quick fight as unremarkable and turned their attention to Tsunade’s upcoming match against Rikuo’s team.
• Uchiha Tenmon warned Tsunade’s team to restrict Rikuo with Earth Release and avoid his gaze because he might have awakened the Sharingan.

Rikuo and his teammates faced Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru in the Chunin Ninja Exams, countering their attacks and overpowering them with their own techniques. Tsunade realized the match reflected the ancient feud between the Senju and Uchiha clans.

• Jiraiya and Orochimaru combined Fire and Wind Release, but Rikuo and Dong Xue Jixiang countered them and trapped their opponents in a swamp.
• Tsunade charged Rikuo, but he met her Monster Strength blow and pushed her back with his greater chakra.
• Orochimaru recognized that Rikuo was testing and suppressing their signature abilities, then attacked him with genjutsu.
• Rikuo reflected Orochimaru's genjutsu with his Three Tomoe Sharingan and trapped him in an illusion of iron spikes.
• Jiraiya pulled Orochimaru to safety while Tsunade watched Rikuo's team, then suspected the Uchiha woman in the Land of Night stands had turned the match into a Senju-Uchiha feud.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru regained their resolve despite Rikuo's overwhelming advantage, and Jiraiya summoned a giant toad to turn the fight around. The chapter ended with Jiraiya standing atop the toad as the spectators' hopes rose.

• Tsunade apologized to Jiraiya and Orochimaru, but they insisted they would not give up, and she renewed her determination to fight.
• Orochimaru recovered from Rikuo's genjutsu and accepted that the Sharingan had surpassed him in that field, though he refused to admit defeat.
• Hiruzen watched the three's fighting spirit with satisfaction, while Zhuiliu dismissed Rikuo's Three-Tomoe Sharingan as short of the Uchiha Clan's supreme power.
• Tsunade and Orochimaru recognized that they were being outmatched in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, while Jiraiya devised another approach.
• Jiraiya summoned a massive toad and stood confidently on its head, rekindling the hopes of spectators who had bet on Tsunade's trio.

Rikuo summoned Kurono, a gigantic spider-cat from Spider Mountain, whose arrival overwhelmed the arena and blasted Jiraiya and his toad away. As Tsunade attacked Rikuo, Chunhua Qianxiao used Wood Release to restrain her, leaving Tsunade stunned by the sight of a Wood Release user fighting alongside a Sharingan user.

• Jiraiya ordered Orochimaru and Tsunade to cover him, then sent his giant toad leaping down at Rikuo.
• Rikuo summoned a huge creature, prompting Yayoi to order a barrier around the arena before its arrival shook the grounds and blasted Jiraiya and his toad away.
• The summoned creature was revealed as Kurono, a giant spider-cat elder from Spider Mountain, and spectators realized Rikuo's power far exceeded a Genin's.
• Tsunade recovered from the impact and charged Rikuo, determined to land a punch despite knowing she could not win.
• Chunhua Qianxiao used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence to bind Tsunade, who tore through the vines with Monster Strength and was shocked to see Wood Release used against her.

Rikuo defeated Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, leaving the arena stunned by his Chakra Skeleton and Kurono’s Wood Release. The spectators struggled to explain how Rikuo’s Three-Tomoe Sharingan could manifest a power resembling Susanoo.

• Tsunade charged Rikuo with a full-force punch, but his Chakra Skeleton caught her and hurled her into the barrier, knocking her unconscious beside Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru remained conscious and stared at Rikuo, accepting his complete defeat as thoughts of the Sharingan took root within him.
• Jiraiya lay unconscious and badly injured after Kurono appeared, while his giant toad fled back to the Summoning Realm.
• Hiruzen and the other officials reacted to Kurono’s Wood Release and Rikuo’s Susanoo-like Chakra Skeleton, and Hiruzen suspected Rikuo’s unusual chakra nature explained the power.
• The Jonin examiners huddled at the arena’s edge, shaken by the destruction and the danger of the Genin match.

Rikuo’s team defeated Tsunade’s team, and the giant summon Kurono’s arrival made the final match a foregone conclusion. After Sakura Hime’s team forfeited, Rikuo claimed the championship, while Uchiha Tenmon struggled with the gap between his strength and Rikuo’s.

• Spectators who had lost their bets wailed as Medical Ninja stood ready to treat them.
• The Chief Proctor approached Rikuo and asked him to cancel the Summoning Jutsu, but Rikuo told him to start the final match instead.
• Sakura Hime, Sakumo, and Ryoma forfeited, conceding the championship to Rikuo.
• Kurono told Rikuo that the arena was too small, then vanished in a cloud of smoke as Rikuo and his companions descended unharmed.
• Uchiha Tenmon confessed to Inuzuka Wu that he could not imagine catching up to Rikuo, whose Three-Tomoe Sharingan had manifested Susanoo.

After the Chunin Exams, Yayoi negotiated with Hiruzen Sarutobi to trade the Land of Night’s Wood Release research for Konoha’s Flying Thunder God Technique. Hiruzen agreed, with the formal exchange set for one month later.

• Rikuo stayed with his parents in Konoha while Izayoi handled the attention and political approaches prompted by his championship.
• Yayoi assessed Konoha’s political situation and anticipated that the Five Great Shinobi Nations would increase their military preparations.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Yayoi with Shikamon Nara to request a trade for Wood Release.
• Yayoi offered Wood Release in exchange for the Flying Thunder God Technique, and Hiruzen asked for time to consider the deal.
• Hiruzen returned two days later and agreed to the exchange, scheduling the formal transaction for one month later.

Yayoi explained why Konoha could reproduce only limited, dangerous Wood Release, while Izayoi considered Rikuo’s exceptional Sharingan. After the Chunin Exams exposed the Land of Night’s strength, Third Raikage A decided to seek greater support and expand Kumogakure’s intelligence gathering and military preparations.

• Izayoi questioned whether Yayoi had traded too much by offering Wood Release research for Flying Thunder God, and Yayoi said pressuring Konoha could ruin the deal.
• Yayoi explained that Hashirama Cells made replicated Wood Release risky, limited in power, and unsuitable for mass production; Izayoi compared that limitation with Rikuo’s genuine Susanoo.
• After the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams ended, foreign nations focused on Rikuo and Sakura Hime’s squad, and the Land of Night’s promising young shinobi alarmed neighboring powers.
• Robui briefed Third Raikage A on the exams, and A acknowledged Rikuo’s formidable potential.
• Third Raikage A decided to seek more support from the Daimyo and expand Kumogakure’s Anbu operations to gather secret techniques; Robui agreed to manage the village’s work.

Yayoi studied the Flying Thunder God Technique and arranged for Kakuzu to seek a skilled Uzumaki woman as a potential wife for Doichi. As Doichi’s wedding to Chihiro approached, he agreed to spar with Rikuo and called for their younger brothers to join.

• Yayoi studied the Flying Thunder God Technique, valuing its space-time theories, but decided Rikuo was not yet ready to learn it.
• Yayoi asked Irori to have the Ritei Unit summon Kakuzu to handle an important matter in the Land of Whirlpool.
• Rikuo congratulated Doichi, who said he and Chihiro would marry in half a month.
• Rikuo told Doichi that Jiraiya had stood out among the Genin at the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Rikuo challenged Doichi to spar, and Doichi agreed before asking him to bring Tadayuki and Hideyuki as well.

Doichi tested his younger brothers Tadayuki and Hideyuki, then faced Rikuo in a sparring match. Rikuo raised Susanoo, and Doichi unveiled a powerful modified Gentle Fist technique before preparing to charge.

• Doichi sparred with Tadayuki and Hideyuki, judged them to have reached Jonin-level strength, and sent them to rest.
• Rikuo entered the training ground with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and Susanoo already activated.
• Doichi activated his Byakugan and found that Rikuo's Susanoo had no weak points he could target.
• Doichi covered his arms in blazing, high-density chakra and named the modified technique Gentle Step Heavenly Roaring Cannon.
• Doichi warned Rikuo to prepare for his charge, leaving the thirteen-year-old bracing himself to continue the fight.

Orochimaru trained obsessively to grow strong enough to challenge Rikuo after their defeat at the Chunin Ninja Exams. Jiraiya told him that Sarutobi had summoned the three of them for a trip to the Land of Night, and Orochimaru began considering a snake-summoning contract as a way to gain power.

• Orochimaru practiced powerful Ninjutsu at Training Ground Number Thirty-Two, haunted by memories of Rikuo's Sharingan.
• Jiraiya arrived and invited Orochimaru to see Tsunade's dispute with villagers who wanted her to repay their Chunin Exam betting losses.
• Jiraiya told Orochimaru that Sarutobi wanted the three of them to accompany a delegation to the Land of Night shogun's wedding.
• Jiraiya suggested Orochimaru sign a contract with toads, but Orochimaru refused because he hated them.
• Orochimaru considered seeking power from Ryūchi Cave's snake summons so he could get closer to Rikuo.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade traveled with Shimura Danzō and Konoha’s delegation to the Land of Night for the next General’s wedding. After seeing Whitewave Town and learning about the country, they were astonished by a massive steam-powered train waiting at the station.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Shimura Danzō to lead Konoha’s delegation, which included Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and members of the Hyuga Clan.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade complained about Danzō, while Orochimaru defended him and pointed out why they disliked his scolding.
• Konoha’s delegation reached the Land of Night and entered Whitewave Town, where they observed its unusual architecture and waterfall scenery.
• Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade discussed the Land of Night’s regions, commerce, history, and puppet culture as they traveled north.
• The delegation arrived at a station, where Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade stared in surprise at a huge steam-powered train while Danzō remained unfazed.