Chapter Summaries

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.

The examiners reviewed how Konoha teams Kabuto Yakushi’s and Shikamaru Nara’s had passed the second round by taking and trading scrolls. Jiraiya arrived battered but announced the exams would proceed, while Hiruzen accepted his defeat and entrusted Konoha’s future to Jiraiya.

• The examiners learned that Kabuto Yakushi’s team had taken an Anbu examiner’s Human Scroll and traded scrolls with Shikamaru Nara’s team.
• The examiners discovered that Shikamaru’s team had ambushed the lone Amegakure ninja and then struck Kabuto’s team, letting both Konoha teams pass.
• Naruto remembered how Shikamaru had planned fights for him at the Ninja Academy.
• Jiraiya appeared injured, told the examiners that everything was settled, and said the Chunin Ninja Exams would continue as usual.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reflected on his fight and entrusted Konoha’s changes and Naruto’s future to Jiraiya.

Sasuke recovered in the Forest of Death and set up a plan to wait at the Central Tower entrance and take the Scrolls of any remaining teams. As teams gathered nearby, the Sound Ninja Trio and another team watched from hiding, hoping to use one group as bait to draw Sasuke away.

• An injured man confronted an Amegakure ninja leaving Konoha and ordered him to tell his allies to lure Jiraiya away within two months.
• Sasuke woke after recovering inside the Tsukuyomi Barrier, ate breakfast Karin had prepared, and learned Hinata had been watching the Central Tower.
• Sasuke and Karin joined Hinata at the tower, where Sasuke explained they would wait at the entrance and take Scrolls from teams trying to pass.
• Sasuke asked Karin and Hinata to search for examiners in the forest because he suspected something was wrong with the Exam.
• On the third night, a team neared the tower but hid rather than face Sasuke, unaware that the Sound Ninja Trio and another team were watching them.
• The Sound Ninja Trio decided the approaching team would make useful bait to draw Sasuke away from the entrance.

Sasuke used a genjutsu to expose and capture suspicious teams gathered near the tower, then entered with Hinata and Karin to complete the Second Exam. After their scrolls released Naruto’s chakra into them, Naruto appeared and congratulated them on passing.

• Sasuke set the surrounding forest ablaze and attacked the teams hiding near the tower, making them believe he was killing them.
• Sasuke dispelled the genjutsu, and the Anbu restrained the Sound Ninja and the disguised Kumogakure team for investigation.
• Sasuke told Dosu he had trapped the teams in the genjutsu as soon as they saw him, then went to the tower with Hinata and Karin.
• Hinata and Sasuke supplied the Heaven Scroll and Human Scroll, and all three opened their scrolls together to pass the exam.
• The scrolls released Naruto’s chakra into Sasuke, Hinata, and Karin, and Naruto appeared to congratulate them.

Naruto revealed that the Exam’s Scrolls marked candidates and team leaders with chakra seals so he could monitor them, while Kakashi explained that enemies of Konoha had infiltrated the Exam. After the Second Exam ended, six teams gathered at the arena, and Kabuto realized the elimination of the Otogakure team had disrupted Orochimaru’s plans.

• Naruto explained to Sasuke, Hinata, and Karin that opening the Scrolls marked candidates and summoned team leaders with surveillance seals.
• Kakashi told the team that Orochimaru and other threats had infiltrated the candidates, and Naruto urged them to continue the Exam as usual.
• Anko reported that no teams remained in the Forest of Death capable of passing, so Jiraiya scheduled the third Exam preliminaries for the next morning.
• On the fourth day, six teams assembled at the Third Exam Arena, where the four Konoha teams outnumbered the teams from Sunagakure and Kirigakure.
• Kabuto realized that the Otogakure team’s elimination had prevented Orochimaru from entering the arena as a team leader and derailed his own plans to investigate Sasuke.

Kabuto’s team entered the tower with Shikamaru’s team, leaving Kabuto unable to withdraw from the exams as planned. Jiraiya announced the preliminary matches and their results, ending with Karin surprised to receive a bye.

• Shikamaru invited Kabuto’s team to finish the exam together after they completed their scroll set, and both teams entered the tower.
• Jiraiya announced one-on-one preliminary matches to select ten participants for the Third Match, while Gekko Hayate explained that two candidates would receive byes.
• The candidates questioned the two byes, and Jiraiya recalled that he and Naruto had decided on the drawing procedure over ramen with Kakashi.
• Gekko Hayate announced the matchups, including Sasuke Uchiha versus Akato Yoroi and Shikamaru Nara versus Temari.
• Karin and Neji Hyuga received byes, and Karin stared at her blank slip in surprise.

Karin drew Sora and avoided fighting, while Sasuke quickly defeated Akato Yoroi with a precise Lightning Release-enhanced kick. The second match began with Temari cautiously facing Shikamaru, whose abilities she did not know.

• Karin drew Sora, and Neji complained that his own draw had kept him from fighting; Tenten and Rock Lee prepared for their matches.
• Gekko Hayate announced the first match between Sasuke Uchiha and Akato Yoroi and explained the rules.
• Sasuke struck Akato Yoroi down almost instantly with a controlled Lightning Release-enhanced kick, winning the match.
• Baki assessed Sasuke as a formidable opponent, while Ino cheered for him and Karin viewed her as a threat.
• Temari and Shikamaru began the second match, and Temari cautiously considered whether Shikamaru was hiding his strength.

Shikamaru outmaneuvered Temari with the Shadow Imitation Technique but conceded because his injuries left him unable to continue, giving Temari the victory. As the next match began, attention shifted to Gaara.

• Temari hesitated at Shikamaru’s laid-back behavior, then attacked with her Three-Star Fan and sent him flying with a powerful gust of wind.
• Shikamaru used the wind to create distance and pretended to prepare a Fire Release technique, prompting Temari to rush behind him and strike with her Iron Fan.
• Shikamaru revealed that he had trapped Temari with the Shadow Imitation Technique and forced her to mirror his movements.
• Shikamaru conceded because his injuries left him unable to stand, and Tsunade carried him to the Medical Room.
• Gekko Hayate declared Temari the winner, and the examinees entered for the third match as everyone focused on Gaara.

Tsunade reassured Jiraiya that her treatment for her hemophobia was working, though she privately resolved to address the problem herself. In the third-round match, Gaara trapped Kirigakure's Akechi Ichi in sand and continued crushing him even after the fight was effectively over.

• Tsunade told Jiraiya she had tested a memory-sealing treatment for her hemophobia, then privately sighed that she needed to solve her own problem before helping others.
• Jiraiya received his shadow clone's memories and reacted awkwardly while Naruto watched him.
• Karatachi Gui revealed that Gaara was the Fourth Kazekage's son, prompting Akechi Ichi to abandon his prepared taunts and flatter him.
• The Nine-Tails warned Naruto to keep an eye on Gaara, whose killing intent left Naruto wondering who Gaara was targeting.
• Gaara trapped Akechi Ichi in sand after he mentioned Gaara's father, then used Sand Binding Coffin and kept crushing him as Gekko Hayate tried to stop the match.

Gaara defeated Akechi Ichi, and Rock Lee began his match against Kankuro with a devastating opening kick. The chapter ended as the bandages fell from Kankuro’s puppet, leaving it unclear whether he had switched places with it in time.

• Gekko Hayate declared Gaara the winner after Gaara released Akechi Ichi, and Tsunade went to give the injured contestant emergency treatment.
• Naruto, Kushina, Minato, and the Nine-Tails discussed Gaara’s apparent restraint and his strange behavior.
• Rock Lee made an exuberant entrance and faced Kankuro, while Guy warned him that Kankuro’s bandaged puppet was suspicious.
• Rock Lee struck Kankuro with Konoha Dynamism, sending him crashing into a wall and appearing to knock him unconscious.
• Baki stopped Temari from entering the arena and reminded her that Kankuro might have switched places with his puppet.
• The bandages fell from Crow as Temari and Gaara watched, uncertain whether Kankuro had managed to hide inside it.

Rock Lee fought Kankuro’s puppets after knocking Kankuro unconscious, overcoming their hidden traps with powerful Taijutsu. He damaged Crow and drove Black Ant into the arena floor, while Naruto stopped Gekko Hayate from intervening.

• Rock Lee struck Kankuro into the wall, but Crow activated and attacked him with hidden blades, injuring his right leg as he smashed the puppet into the wall.
• Crow used Chakra Threads to control the unconscious Kankuro, who announced a supposed Human Puppet Technique and summoned Black Ant.
• Black Ant attacked Rock Lee with spinning blades, but Rock Lee turned a missed punch into a Konoha Battle Axe and slammed the puppet into the floor.
• Naruto blocked Gekko Hayate when Hayate prepared to intervene, while Rock Lee landed in a handstand and spectators marveled at his Taijutsu.