Recaps

Jiraiya led the planning meeting for the Chunin Ninja Exams, awkwardly retreating from his claim that ninety-nine percent of candidates should be eliminated before pushing for much harder tests. After the public arrangements were settled, he warned the chief examiners that the Akatsuki might use the exams to attack Konoha.

• Jiraiya proposed a ninety-nine percent elimination rate, but Ebisu pointed out that fewer than three hundred candidates would leave too few for the final matches.
• Jiraiya clarified that he only meant to raise the standards, then praised Ebisu for preparing the first exam questions.
• Jiraiya reviewed Ibiki's first-stage rules and added measures to make the exams harder, while Naruto wondered about the examiners' awkward laughter.
• Jiraiya concluded the planning meeting and asked Anko whether the second exam arena was ready to eliminate candidates.
• Jiraiya warned Anko and the other chief examiners that the Akatsuki might exploit the exams to attack Konoha and urged them not to underestimate its members.

Jiraiya, the Third, and the exam organizers prepared to use the unusually difficult Chunin Ninja Exams to draw out infiltrators, while Naruto stayed away from fellow candidates to avoid a conflict of interest. Naruto then used the Reincarnation Seal to contain Neji’s Caged Bird Seal without harming his Byakugan, leaving Neji free of the mark.

• The Third backed Jiraiya and Kakashi’s plan to turn the three-village Chunin Ninja Exams into bait for infiltrators, despite the risk to the candidates.
• Naruto returned to the Hyuga compound and asked Hiashi to tell Hinata he would keep his distance during the exam, then requested Neji’s presence.
• Naruto told Neji he would release the Caged Bird Seal and explained that he would seal it inside Neji rather than destroy it.
• Naruto covered Neji’s forehead mark with the Reincarnation Seal and contained the Caged Bird Seal without damaging Neji’s Byakugan.
• Neji opened his eyes to his restored, unobstructed Byakugan and looked out at a world without cages.

Sasuke, Hinata, and Karin arrived at the Ninja Academy for the Chunin Exams, where Karin learned how Konoha’s academy system differed from her own harsh upbringing. They entered the building and heard shouting in the corridor outside the exam rooms.

• Sasuke waited outside the academy and noticed Genin leaving before the exams had started.
• Karin arrived with Hinata, and Hinata explained that the Konoha Ninja Academy trained children before they became Genin.
• Hinata told Karin that Second Hokage Tobirama Senju had established the academy system, and Karin reflected on the treatment she had endured in Kusagakure.
• Sasuke checked his recommendation letter, while Karin and Hinata checked their admission passes.
• Sasuke led Hinata and Karin into the academy, where they heard shouts from the corridor outside the classrooms.

Sasuke, Karin, and Hinata encountered Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane blocking the exam entrance with a Genjutsu Barrier that weakened examinees’ will to fight. Sasuke dispelled it and led his teammates toward the exam hall, while a Kirigakure team watched them with interest.

• Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane challenged examinees at the stairs, attacking a Kusagakure Genin and taking his Forehead Protector.
• Sasuke and Hinata recognized that a Genjutsu Barrier was amplifying the examinees’ fear and discouragement.
• Sasuke used Release to dispel the barrier, prompting the Kusagakure Genin to demand his Forehead Protector back.
• Sasuke led Karin and Hinata toward the exam hall and told Karin to stay close to one of them.
• A pink-eyed Kirigakure boy and his masked teammate watched Sasuke, then decided to head inside.

Sasuke and his companions arrived at the Chunin Ninja Exams and reunited with their Konoha classmates, while Karin met Ino and the others. Kabuto Yakushi tried to warn them against attracting attention and hint at his exam experience, but Shikamaru ended the conversation before Kabuto could draw them in.

• Sasuke, Hinata, and Karin entered the crowded exam classroom and greeted Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee.
• Ino greeted Sasuke enthusiastically, introduced herself to Karin as president of Sasuke's fan club, and joined Shikamaru and Choji in meeting her.
• Neji challenged Shikamaru's confidence as a new graduate, and Shikamaru explained that their teacher had insisted they were ready for the exams.
• Kabuto Yakushi approached the group and advised them to avoid drawing attention, but Neji calmly said others would have to tolerate their reunion.
• Shikamaru asked about Kabuto's exam experience, then dismissed the topic after learning Kabuto had taken the exams four times, leaving Kabuto unable to continue his approach.

Kabuto tried to assess Sasuke for Orochimaru while Sasuke and the others discussed the Chunin Exam candidates, including Kirigakure's Karatachi Yagura. Ibiki began the first-stage exam with a show of force, and Hinata noticed Naruto was missing.

• Kabuto left after considering how to approach Sasuke and carry out Orochimaru's orders to judge Sasuke as a potential vessel.
• Neji pointed out several candidates he considered formidable, while Hinata advised Karin to focus on keeping up with Sasuke rather than worrying about his feelings.
• Karatachi Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage's son, entered with his teammates, drawing wary attention from the other candidates.
• In the proctors' room, Jiraiya told Ibiki to intimidate the candidates, and Ibiki explained the plan to Naruto before giving him a chance to demonstrate his abilities.
• Ibiki and the other proctors appeared before the candidates, and Ibiki declared that breaking exam-room discipline would mean immediate elimination.
• Hinata looked over the proctors and realized Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto Uzumaki silenced the candidates by knocking out two Amegakure Genin, then joined Ibiki as a mysterious examiner while the First Exam rules were explained. The surviving Rain ninja was allowed to take the test alone, and Jiraiya laughed at Naruto’s performance from the Proctoring Room.

• Naruto knocked out an Amegakure Genin for interrupting Ibiki and persuaded Ibiki to add a rule against talking during his explanation.
• Naruto kicked the Genin’s teammate into a wall after he tried to protest, leaving the third teammate too frightened to speak.
• Naruto joined the examiners as Ibiki continued explaining the written test rules, making the candidates wary of breaking them.
• Ibiki allowed the last Amegakure Genin to take the exam as a one-person team after Naruto showed no interest in the matter.
• Jiraiya laughed at Naruto’s act from the Proctoring Room.

Naruto supervised the first written exam, whose impossible opening question led candidates to realize that they were expected to cheat without being caught. As Gaara and Karatachi Gui prepared their methods, Naruto called out the gourd-carrying candidate.

• Naruto kept the candidates orderly during their minute of free discussion, while Kankuro, Temari, Gaara, Kabuto, and others reacted to his presence.
• Sasuke, Hinata, Neji, and their friends discussed Naruto's role as a proctor, and Karin revealed that he had been a chunin for a long time.
• The candidates were assigned to random classrooms, and Sasuke found himself in a room supervised by Naruto.
• The first question demanded detailed policies for a struggling small nation, leaving the candidates unable to answer it.
• Sasuke and Gaara realized the exam tested whether candidates could gather information by cheating, while Karatachi Gui used water droplets to spy on answers.
• Naruto confronted the candidate with a gourd on his back and accused him of cheating.

Naruto caught and penalized examinees who cheated during the first question, making the room increasingly tense. As Ibiki announced that time was nearly up, Minato suspected two Amegakure examinees might be Akatsuki operatives, while the Nine-Tails worried that a seal was blocking contact with the One-Tail.

• Naruto shattered Gaara's sand eye and deducted five points from him for cheating.
• Naruto caught other examinees cheating and imposed penalties, including taking nine points from a Kusagakure ninja and six from Karatachi Gui.
• Naruto returned to his stool and kept up his intimidating act while Minato noted that two Amegakure examinees seemed suspicious and might be Akatsuki operatives.
• The Nine-Tails told Kushina he was fine, though he was frustrated that a complex seal prevented him from contacting the One-Tail.
• Ibiki Morino announced that the first-question papers would be collected in one minute and the second question would follow.

Ibiki’s exam used timed questions, immediate grading, and cheating penalties to test the candidates’ intelligence-gathering under pressure. Sasuke began to infer the test’s purpose as Naruto moved between exam rooms, catching candidates who tried to cheat.

• Ibiki announced that candidates whose scores reached zero would be eliminated, making the exam’s psychological pressure clear to Sasuke and the others.
• Shikamaru reasoned through the exam’s rules and room assignments while Neji used his Byakugan to copy answers to the cipher question.
• Candidates in the First Exam Arena struggled with the cipher, and Ibiki announced that only ten had answered the first question correctly before eliminating a Kusagakure ninja.
• Sasuke suspected the exam was testing intelligence gathering and noticed that Naruto had left the First Exam Arena.
• Candidates in the First Exam Arena began cheating after Naruto departed, but Naruto appeared outside the window and eliminated five of them.

Naruto enforced strict anti-cheating rules in the exam rooms, eliminating many examinees while Shikamaru deduced the test’s purpose. The chapter ended with Shikamaru raising his hand to ask to use the restroom as Naruto doubled back during the seventh question.

• Izumo Kamizuki threatened an examinee who argued against his cheating penalties, and the examinee was forced to leave with the other people Naruto had caught.
• Naruto entered the Second Exam Arena, where Shikamaru confirmed his theory and withdrew his Shadow Imitation Technique from an examiner.
• Naruto caught and eliminated thirty examinees for cheating during the fourth question, while Hinata answered another question correctly.
• Naruto, Minato, and Kushina discussed removing weaker candidates before the dangerous second exam, and the fifth and sixth questions proceeded mostly with blank answers.
• Naruto left when the seventh question began, then doubled back as Shikamaru raised his hand to ask to use the restroom.

Naruto caught cheating candidates in the Third Exam Arena while Shikamaru secretly passed information to his teammates during bathroom trips. As the exam narrowed to fewer than thirty teams, Ibiki announced a final question that could permanently bar wrong answers from future Chunin Exams.

• Naruto identified cheaters including Neji, Ino, and Kankuro, deducting points and eliminating candidates.
• Shikamaru used two escorted bathroom trips to pass a message to Ino and hoped Choji would receive it too.
• Jiraiya watched Shikamaru’s actions through a crystal ball and praised his cleverness.
• After the ninth question, Ibiki announced that candidates could withdraw before the tenth question or risk remaining Genin forever if they answered it incorrectly.

Ibiki revealed that the first exam tested candidates’ ability to survive uncertainty, not their intelligence or cheating skills. The candidates who stayed passed, and the story left them gathered in the First Exam Arena, learning that the scores and tenth question had been a ruse.

• Ibiki explained that Chunin selected in the unprecedented three-village exam would receive privileges to take missions across allied nations.
• Candidates began withdrawing under pressure after planted examiners led the wave, leaving fewer than twenty teams.
• Ibiki announced that everyone who remained had passed, while Karin was confused because she had never answered the tenth question.
• Temari asked what the exam had tested, and Shikamaru realized there had never been a tenth question.
• Ibiki explained that the test was about survival: candidates had to recognize that the rules were incomplete and avoid acting until they knew the truth.
• Ibiki revealed that the examiners’ point deductions were not a real grading system and that he had decided who could continue based on their conduct.

Naruto helped Ibiki pressure the candidates into passing the first exam, and Anko announced the second exam would begin the next day. Shikamaru told Shikaku that the test seemed unusually difficult and questioned its real purpose, leaving his suspicions unresolved.

• Ibiki revealed that the first exam’s scores did not matter and explained that it tested candidates’ judgment under pressure, while Naruto congratulated those who passed.
• Jiraiya praised Naruto’s work, then privately asked whether Minato was inside him.
• Anko arrived, counted fifty-eight surviving candidates, and told them to learn the next exam’s assembly details from their Jonin instructors.
• Sasuke and Rock Lee said they had not been caught cheating, while Choji explained that Shikamaru had advised their group to answer honestly in Naruto’s exam room.
• Shikamaru told Shikaku he suspected the first exam was far harder than previous exams and described using the Shadow Imitation Technique to make a proctor give misleading answers.

Shikamaru explained his deductions about the exam’s rules to Shikaku, who warned him to stay alive and revealed that Konoha’s Third had pushed for cross-village missions. Meanwhile, Kabuto reported the first exam to Orochimaru, who discussed the eliminated Kusagakure candidates, an Amegakure candidate, and Sasuke Uchiha.

• Shikamaru told Shikaku that the rules were designed to eliminate candidates and pressure them into helping their teammates, with restroom trips offering a way to communicate.
• Shikaku warned Shikamaru to be careful and survive, then confirmed Konoha had proposed authorizing Chunin to take missions across village borders.
• After Shikamaru went to bed, Shikaku reflected that his son’s restroom trip had helped his teammates but also alerted people lurking in the shadows.
• Kabuto entered an inn unnoticed and reported the first exam to Orochimaru, who had been examining the Chakra Armor.
• Orochimaru learned that all Kusagakure candidates had been eliminated and that one Amegakure candidate had passed, whom he believed was being watched as bait.
• Orochimaru asked Kabuto about Sasuke Uchiha, and Kabuto said they had barely spoken.

Orochimaru prepared to use Kabuto’s assigned child in a scheme for the final exam, while Kakashi returned to Konoha with a cloaked companion. Jiraiya, moved by the chance to see Minato and Kushina again, agreed to support Minato’s plan and met Tsunade to discuss Anbu arrangements.

• Orochimaru told Kabuto to ensure the child on his team reached the final exam venue safely, promising Konoha would witness a spectacle.
• Kakashi and his cloaked companion entered Konoha, and she said she would stay at his home without revealing her presence.
• Jiraiya reflected on seeing Minato and Kushina, composed himself, and decided to cooperate with Minato’s arrangements while adjusting a few details.
• Jiraiya went to Tsunade’s home, where she noticed his unusual mood and questioned him about standing her up.
• Jiraiya set up a soundproof Barrier and told Tsunade he wanted to discuss the next day’s Anbu arrangements.

At the Forest of Death, Mitaraishi Anko explained the second exam’s rules: teams had five days to collect Heaven, Earth, and Man Scrolls and reach the tower while staying together. After a masked examiner demonstrated their speed and Anko announced the life-and-death consent forms, Hinata reassured a nervous Karin, who quickly signed.

• Mitaraishi Anko introduced twenty masked examiners and announced a five-day survival exam in the Forest of Death.
• Mitaraishi Anko explained that teams needed Heaven and Earth Scrolls plus a Man Scroll taken from an examiner, then had to reach the tower with their team intact.
• A masked examiner swiftly held a Kunai to Zaku’s neck after he questioned whether the examiners would attack candidates.
• Mitaraishi Anko announced that all candidates had to sign life-and-death consent forms before entering the forest.
• Hinata comforted Karin and promised to protect her, prompting Karin to hurry and sign the form.

The second Chunin Exam began as teams entered the Forest of Death to fight for scrolls. Orochimaru arrived through a reverse summoning, while Sasuke’s team and Neji’s team began pursuing their own targets inside the forest.

• Hinata told Sasuke that Neji’s team had an Earth Scroll, and Sasuke gave her team’s Heaven Scroll to hold because her eyes could guard against surprise attacks.
• The Forest of Death gates opened, and the teams began the survival battle; Shikamaru’s trio ran toward the Central Tower while the Kirigakure team strolled through the forest.
• Kin summoned Orochimaru by using a white snake and her blood, and Orochimaru told Dosu and Zaku to go have fun before disappearing.
• Neji decided to find Sasuke’s team after noticing that Sasuke and Hinata had reacted strangely when the examiners appeared.
• Hinata spotted a Mask examiner five hundred meters ahead, and Sasuke used Lightning Flash to race toward him, leaving Karin behind.

Sasuke defeated a masked examiner and learned why the former Anbu had become an examiner in the Chunin Ninja Exams. As Sasuke headed back to his teammates, he sensed blood and faced Orochimaru in disguise.

• Sasuke chased the masked examiner through the Forest of Death and used Shuriken to break his branch, then snatched away his mask.
• Sasuke took the examiner's human Scroll and learned the former Anbu were taking part in the Exam to redeem themselves after being controlled.
• The examiner thanked Sasuke for saving him and his colleagues, then left after Sasuke told him that goals required sufficient strength.
• Sasuke sensed the smell of blood, threw a Kunai at an approaching figure, and saw Orochimaru emerge from the woods in disguise.

Sasuke confronted Orochimaru, who had killed three masked examiners and was searching for him. After Sasuke escaped and ambushed Orochimaru in Sage Mode, the two clashed before their knowledge of Itachi and the Akatsuki left them both reassessing what the other knew.

• Sasuke demanded to know where the missing person was, and Orochimaru revealed three dead masked examiners dragged by a giant python.
• Sasuke knocked aside Orochimaru’s kunai and fled using Lightning Flash Body Flicker, but then reappeared behind him in Sage Mode.
• Orochimaru blocked Sasuke’s White Light Chakra Sabre with the Kusanagi Sword emerging from his mouth and evaded Sasuke’s genjutsu and Chidori.
• Sasuke mocked Orochimaru’s Taijutsu and asked whether he was with the Akatsuki after Orochimaru mentioned Uchiha Itachi.
• Orochimaru realized Sasuke knew about the Akatsuki and suspected Konoha had already been in contact with them.

Orochimaru tried to wear down Sasuke's Sage Mode with a snake attack, but Sasuke used a clone and a feigned loss of control to turn the ambush against him. Sasuke remained on a nearby branch, while Orochimaru realized he had been deceived.

• Orochimaru summoned countless snakes, and Sasuke fought them off with Fire Release techniques that set the surrounding forest ablaze.
• Two enormous Giant Snakes appeared, and Sasuke saw what looked like Hinata and Karin in one snake's jaws.
• Sasuke let his Sage Mode fade and appeared to be distracted, prompting Orochimaru to attack with Hidden Shadow Snake Limbs.
• Orochimaru bound Sasuke, but the captive vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing he had caught a Shadow Clone.
• Sasuke taunted Orochimaru from a nearby branch, explaining that he had copied a trick from a certain idiot.

Sasuke used his remaining Senjutsu Chakra to unleash Sage Art: Fire Release: Suzaku, overwhelming Orochimaru and his Giant Snakes. After collapsing from exhaustion, Sasuke relied on Hinata and Neji for protection and asked Karin to look after him while he recovered.

• Orochimaru sent two Giant Snakes at Sasuke, who gathered his remaining Senjutsu Chakra and prepared a Fire Release jutsu.
• Hinata and Neji arrived and drove back the Giant Snakes with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
• Sasuke unleashed Sage Art: Fire Release: Suzaku, which engulfed Orochimaru, the Giant Snakes, and the surrounding forest before exploding in the sky.
• Candidates and examiners across the Forest of Death watched the massive fireball, while Sasuke collapsed from exhaustion.
• Karin offered Sasuke her arm to heal him, but he declined and asked Hinata to help him recover before asking Karin to look after him.

After Sasuke survived Orochimaru’s attack in the Forest of Death, Anko identified the intruder and Jiraiya confronted him. Meanwhile, Naruto finished sealing the destination tower, sensed Sasuke’s chakra, and disguised himself as a proctor to check on him.

• Anko arrived at the scorched battlefield, heard Neji’s account of Orochimaru’s attack, and allowed Sasuke to continue the exam.
• Anko examined the burned Giant Snakes while a proctor went to report Orochimaru’s return to Jiraiya, only to find the Proctoring Room empty.
• Jiraiya confronted Orochimaru in a secluded part of the forest, and the two began fighting.
• Naruto finished covering the central tower with sealing Formulas while Minato and Kushina spoke with him.
• Naruto sensed Sasuke’s chakra, put on an Anbu proctor’s mask, and appeared beside Hinata, who recognized him.

Naruto investigated the attack on the exam grounds, rescued the injured Anbu examiners, and reassured Hinata before returning to the Hokage Office. Jiraiya reported that he had fought Orochimaru and then proposed a plan that the Third Hokage firmly rejected.

• Karin attacked Naruto when he arrived at the Tree Hollow, but Hinata explained the incident and led him to the scene.
• Naruto found three supposedly dead Anbu examiners and had Lady Katsuyu begin treating them, revealing that Tsunade had arranged to keep them alive.
• Naruto warned Hinata not to use senjutsu unless necessary, encouraged her to do her best in the exam, and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take the Anbu away.
• Sasuke realized Naruto had visited and then focused on discussing how his team would finish the exam.
• The Third Hokage learned that Orochimaru had infiltrated the exam grounds and prepared to go to the arena, but Jiraiya appeared and said he had injured Orochimaru.
• Jiraiya explained another plan to the Third Hokage, who slammed his hand down and refused to agree.

Jiraiya convinced the Third to let him handle a dangerous plan, then disappeared with him while the Chunin Exams continued. As the examiners worried over their leaders' absence, they learned Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten had set a remarkable Forest of Death record, and Naruto vouched for them.

• Jiraiya told the Third he would begin his plan on the last day of the Chunin Exams and would make the Third agree, even by force.
• Jiraiya and the Third vanished, leaving notes that told Konoha's examiners to continue the exams without worrying.
• An examiner reported that the first team had completed the Forest of Death task in sixty-eight minutes, far faster than the previous four-hour record.
• The examiners suspected the record-breaking team might include infiltrators until the footage revealed Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten.
• Naruto vouched for his childhood friends, easing the examiners' suspicions and restoring their confidence in Konoha's candidates.