Chapter Summaries

Tetsuya revived Zabuza and Haku after their deaths and told Zabuza that his life now belonged to him, so Zabuza had to work for him. Zabuza learned Haku was recovering nearby and received two custom ninjutsu scrolls, but suspected Tetsuya only wanted him to make up the numbers.

• Zabuza woke in a strange room and learned that Tetsuya, who had posed as Tobi, had revived him and Haku through their contract.
• Tetsuya told Zabuza that Haku was in the next room recovering from the damage to his heart, and stopped Zabuza from leaving until he had finished speaking.
• Tetsuya said Zabuza had to work for him because his resurrected life belonged to Tetsuya.
• Tetsuya gave Zabuza two custom ninjutsu scrolls, My Style: Demon Strike and My Style: Dead Silence, to improve his abilities.
• Zabuza asked why Tetsuya needed him despite having Madara Uchiha, and Tetsuya explained that mid- and low-tier fighters could help fill out his ranks.

Tetsuya persuaded Zabuza to join his plan to unite the Shinobi World and overturn the Land of Water’s cruel system, and Zabuza and Haku agreed to follow him. After Haku woke, Tetsuya told them to recover before joining him at the joint chunin exams in Konoha, with Zabuza leading the team and Haku entering as a Land of Grass ninja.

• Tetsuya described his vision of uniting the Shinobi World, and Zabuza pledged to follow him and help rebuild it.
• Tetsuya brought Zabuza to Haku, who woke and reassured Zabuza that he would support him.
• Zabuza told Haku about Tetsuya’s plan, and Haku agreed to follow Zabuza.
• Tetsuya asked Zabuza and Haku to recover before traveling with him to the joint chunin exams in Konoha.
• Tetsuya assigned Zabuza as team leader and told Haku he would find him teammates, including someone he already knew.

Tetsuya visited Sasuke at Izuna’s residence and found him humbly sweeping leaves as part of his effort to control his arrogance. He assigned Sasuke to join the upcoming joint Chunin exams in Konoha and planned to recruit Uzumaki Karin as the team’s final member.

• Tetsuya found Izuna researching the Rinnegan after Sasuke had told him about abilities displayed by Tetsuya’s copy of Izuna.
• Tetsuya and his companions found Sasuke sweeping the courtyard, and Sasuke explained that witnessing Tetsuya’s power had taught him how far he was from true strength.
• Tetsuya advised Sasuke to keep training his heart and gain experience by seeing the world.
• When Tetsuya proposed sending Sasuke back to Konoha for the joint Chunin exams, Sasuke’s anger flared before he regained control and accepted the mission.
• Tetsuya explained the exams and told Sasuke he would take him to meet his final teammate, Uzumaki Karin.

Karin, Haku, and Sasuke formed a squad for the joint Chunin Ninja Exams, while Tobirama agreed to train them and Zabuza in teamwork. Tetsuya then contacted Orochimaru about the Konoha Crush Plan and suggested a way to free the Fourth Hokage's soul.

• Karin, Haku, and Sasuke introduced themselves and their specialties to one another.
• Tobirama explained that he was teaching Karin because she was an Uzumaki descendant, and Tetsuya told him that Nagato was another Uzumaki and a student of his and Izuna's.
• Tetsuya persuaded Tobirama to teach the squad about teamwork, and Tobirama also pulled their squad leader, Zabuza, into the training.
• Tetsuya contacted Orochimaru and learned that the Konoha Crush Plan was nearly ready, but Orochimaru could not summon the Fourth Hokage because his soul was sealed by the Reaper Death Seal.
• Tetsuya told Orochimaru about the Shinigami Mask in the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple so Orochimaru could seek a way to free the Fourth Hokage's soul.

Tetsuya told Tobirama that Orochimaru planned to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi during the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams, but Tobirama chose to leave the matter to them. Tetsuya then brought Sasuke and the others to the Capital City of the Land of Fire, where Sasuke revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and hoped to draw out Uchiha Itachi.

• Tetsuya told Tobirama that Orochimaru intended to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi and disrupt Konoha during the exams.
• Tobirama refused to intervene, saying Hiruzen and Orochimaru should settle their own affairs.
• Tetsuya took Zabuza's squad and two Ninja Academy teams to the Capital City of the Land of Fire before going to Konoha.
• Tetsuya returned to the Chiba Grand Hotel and sent an invitation to the Daimyo's Mansion.
• Sasuke told Tetsuya he wanted to attract Uchiha Itachi's attention at the exams and asked Tetsuya to back him up.
• Sasuke revealed that he had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confirmed Konoha’s teams would enter the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams and investigated a Grass team whose roster included Sasuke. Kakashi gathered Team 7 to discuss the exams, but the chapter ended before he explained what they meant for the team.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi confirmed that all of the Konoha 11 would participate in the exams and considered Neji Hyuga a key candidate.
• Hiruzen spotted Sasuke on the Land of Grass roster and wondered whether he was Sasuke Uchiha.
• A Konoha ninja reported that the Land of Grass team was staying in the capital and planned to travel with its daimyo.
• Hiruzen speculated that Sasuke and other mysterious Uchiha might be connected to Chiba Tetsuya or the Land of Grass.
• Kakashi gathered Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata at Team 7’s training ground to announce important news about their ninja careers.

Neji left Team Guy's training ground to meet his master Tetsuya and the fellow disciples he had only heard about before. Tetsuya introduced him to Yahiko and Konan, and Konan gave him a red envelope as a first-meeting gift.

• Might Guy and Tenten discussed Neji's unfamiliar training, and Might Guy told Tenten and Lee to respect Neji's privacy.
• Neji finished meditating, left the training ground, and hurried to the villa after receiving a message from Rin Nohara.
• Rin welcomed Neji and told him that Tetsuya and two other fellow disciples were waiting inside.
• Tetsuya introduced Yahiko as Neji's senior brother, and Yahiko greeted Neji and offered to exchange taijutsu pointers.
• Tetsuya introduced Konan as Neji's senior sister, and she handed Neji a red envelope as a gift from her and his other senior brothers.

Tetsuya reunited his disciples over dinner, where Yahiko's explosive-tag gift and the revelation that he ruled the Land of Rain surprised Neji and Rin. Tetsuya warned them about Orochimaru's planned attack during the Chunin Exams, and the chapter ended with Rin beginning to explain how Naruto became the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.

• Yahiko secretly replaced Konan's red-envelope money with explosive tags, which Neji accepted after Tetsuya and Rin laughed.
• Yahiko told Neji and Rin that he represented the Land of Rain and that Hanzo of the Salamander had died after his subordinate Shinada betrayed him.
• Tetsuya warned Neji, Yahiko, and Konan to watch out for Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan during the Chunin Exams.
• Tetsuya asked Rin to keep an eye on Naruto, and Rin revealed that she had been teammates with Kakashi under Minato Namikaze.
• Neji and Yahiko were shocked to learn Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son and Konoha's jinchūriki, while Rin began recounting the events behind his childhood.

The Chunin Ninja Exams began, and Sasuke, Haku, and their teammate passed the written test alongside Naruto. As the second round started in the Forest of Death, Tetsuya met the aged Sakumo, while Danzo’s interest in Sasuke prompted Hiruzen to have Tenzo watch him.

• Sasuke, Haku, and their red-haired teammate arrived at the examination hall, surprising Naruto and Sakura.
• Ibiki Morino explained the written exam rules, and Sasuke’s team and Naruto passed the first round.
• Danzo confronted Hiruzen over Sasuke taking the exams as a genin from the Land of Grass, and Hiruzen ordered Tenzo to monitor Danzo.
• The chief examiner led the surviving participants to the Forest of Death for the Scroll-Grabbing Battle.
• Tetsuya watched the participants gather and greeted Sakumo, who remarked that he had grown old and frail.

Sakumo, Tetsuya, and Orochimaru reunited and talked while the Chunin Exam’s second round began. In the Forest of Death, Sasuke’s team chose to head straight to the finish and block the entrance rather than search for other candidates.

• Sakumo and Tetsuya discussed life outside the ninja world and the decline of unity among Konoha’s clans.
• Orochimaru joined Sakumo and Tetsuya, and the three went to Tetsuya’s place for a drink without hiding themselves from ANBU.
• Sasuke, Haku, and Karin confirmed that they had a Heaven Scroll and needed an Earth Scroll to pass the exam.
• Karin found no other teams within her Maximum Sensory Range, so Sasuke proposed waiting at the finish to take scrolls from arriving teams.
• Sasuke, Haku, and Karin set off toward the finish.

Sasuke, Haku, and Karin were ambushed by five Root ninja in the Forest of Death, but their teamwork and Tobirama’s training turned the fight in their favor. Hiruzen rushed to intervene after learning Danzo’s Root team was missing, while two Root ninja remained alive at the end of the chapter.

• Karin sensed five powerful attackers approaching, and Sasuke identified them as Root ninja sent by Danzo.
• Sasuke, Haku, and Karin prepared for battle as the five Root ninja launched a coordinated attack.
• Tenzo reported a missing Root operational team to Hiruzen, who suspected Danzo had targeted Sasuke and hurried toward the Forest of Death.
• Sasuke and Haku combined Fire Release and Ice Release to kill one Root ninja.
• Karin restrained an attacker with Adamantine Sealing Chains, and Sasuke killed another; only two of the five Root ninja remained.

Sasuke, Haku, and Karin were rescued from Root ninja by Tenzo and Konoha ANBU, then confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi over the attack. Sasuke rejected Hiruzen’s attempt to welcome him back to Konoha and continued the chunin exams with Haku and Karin.

• Sasuke prepared a Lightning Release attack as two Root ninja fled, but Tenzo bound them with Wood Release and arrived with Konoha ANBU.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared and checked on the three, while Sasuke restrained his hatred and Haku and Karin regarded Hiruzen as their senior fellow student through Tobirama.
• Haku accused Konoha of using the exams to slaughter young candidates, and Hiruzen explained that rogue Konoha ninja had attacked to sow discord.
• Karin demanded compensation, and Hiruzen promised it after the exams while apologizing to Sasuke for failing to prevent the Uchiha Clan’s destruction.
• Sasuke declared himself a Uchiha of the Land of Grass, demanded more compensation, and led Haku and Karin away to continue the exam.
• Hiruzen let them go, recognizing that the Land of Grass and its powerful allies made confronting Sasuke too dangerous for Konoha.

Sasuke, Haku, and Karin reached the central tower after Kabuto gave them the scroll they needed, while Kabuto left to handle another task. Hiruzen confronted Danzo over his failed attempt to capture the team and revealed that Sasuke had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

• Haku asked Sasuke if he was all right after noticing his killing intent when the Hokage appeared, and Sasuke said Hiruzen would not live long enough to target them.
• Kabuto met Sasuke, Haku, and Karin at the tower and gave Sasuke the scroll he needed from the four scrolls he had collected.
• Kabuto declined to enter the tower with them and headed away to take care of another task.
• Sasuke, Haku, and Karin presented their Heaven and Earth Scrolls to the guards and passed the test.
• Hiruzen confronted Danzo about sending Root Ninja to capture the team, and Danzo defended his plan to substitute their bodies if they were killed.
• Hiruzen told Danzo that Sasuke had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, shocking Danzo.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Danzo and ordered Root to stay inactive until the Chunin Ninja Exams ended, while Tetsuya and Orochimaru discussed immortality and their former teammates. Danzo then stormed into Tetsuya’s villa to seize him, only to face a Mangekyō Sharingan and the Strongman Appraisal Technique.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Danzo that Root must take no action until the Chunin Ninja Exams ended, and Danzo stormed out before Hiruzen left Root headquarters.
• Tetsuya and Orochimaru drank at Tetsuya’s villa while Hatake Sakumo drank himself unconscious.
• Tetsuya praised Orochimaru’s talent and discussed how Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had approached their lives and goals.
• Danzo arrived at Tetsuya’s villa, intent on making Tetsuya his servant and taking control of his company and country.
• Danzo entered the villa and saw scarlet Mangekyō eyes as someone shouted, “Take my Strongman Appraisal Technique!”

Tetsuya tormented Danzo with a forced-pregnancy ability and uncovered his plan to control Tetsuya with a cursed seal. After removing Danzo’s Sharingan and arranging to replace them with Orochimaru’s failed imitations, Tetsuya prepared to use Kotoamatsukami to deal with him.

• Tetsuya made Danzo experience pregnancy and childbirth, silenced his screams, and intensified the torment until Danzo passed out.
• Orochimaru summoned snakes that retrieved cursed-seal materials from Danzo, and Tetsuya realized Danzo had planned to control him and his organizations.
• Tetsuya exposed Danzo’s Sharingan arm, took the eyes for Sasuke to use as Revival Coins, and asked Orochimaru for replacement eyes.
• Orochimaru provided a jar of failed Sharingan, and Tetsuya revealed that he had Kotoamatsukami to keep Danzo from revealing their connection.

Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that the Daimyo of the Land of Grass had been attacked and rushed to contain the diplomatic fallout, while Tetsuya complained to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire before several great-nation daimyos. In the Forest of Death, Sasuke’s team prepared for the preliminaries after Naruto Uzumaki’s team arrived.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi heard that the Daimyo of the Land of Grass had been attacked and suspected Danzo was responsible.
• Hiruzen ordered a ninja to have Tenzo watch Danzo and claim Danzo had not left Root, then hurried to meet the Daimyo of the Land of Grass.
• Tetsuya tearfully told the Daimyo of the Land of Fire that he had been attacked, while daimyos from the other great nations watched.
• Hiruzen entered the Daimyo of the Land of Fire’s hall and faced the Daimyo of the Land of Grass and the daimyos of four great nations.
• Karin told Sasuke that Naruto Uzumaki’s team was the last to arrive and that the preliminaries would begin in an hour.
• Sasuke told Karin and Haku to finish Naruto quickly if they faced him, then led them toward the Staging Area.

Sasuke clashed with Gaara in the Chunin Exam preparation area, then told Kakashi that Orochimaru had taught him Chidori. After Gaara was led away, Sasuke locked eyes with a Hyuga candidate, setting up a Byakugan and Sharingan standoff.

• Gaara confronted Sasuke, and Sasuke provoked him until Gaara attacked with sand.
• Kakashi stopped the fight with an Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall and warned Sasuke and Gaara that fighting before the exam would disqualify them.
• Kakashi questioned Sasuke about Chidori, and Sasuke said Orochimaru had taught him the technique.
• Gaara threatened to kill Sasuke in the arena, and Baki led Gaara and his teammates away.
• Sasuke activated his Sharingan and stared down a candidate with white eyes, while Kabuto recalled the rivalry between the Byakugan and Sharingan.

Sasuke assessed Neji as the strongest of Konoha’s candidates before Ibiki announced one-on-one preliminary duels for the unexpectedly large group of genin who passed. Kabuto withdrew, and the chapter ended as candidates began drawing lots for their matches.

• Sasuke judged Neji to be Konoha’s strongest candidate and dismissed most of his teammates as average.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura replaced Hiruzen Sarutobi to preside over the preliminaries with Anko and Ibiki Morino.
• Ibiki announced that the high number of candidates required a preliminary round and invited exhausted genin to withdraw.
• Kabuto Yakushi withdrew, encouraged Naruto, and left as other candidates also dropped out.
• Ibiki explained the one-on-one duel rules and ordered the candidates to draw lots for their pairings.

After securing compensation from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tetsuya returned home and joined Orochimaru for a drink as the Chunin Exam preliminaries began. Sasuke won the opening match, drawing the attention of Naruto, Neji, Rock Lee, and Might Guy.

• Tetsuya and Zabuza discussed Hiruzen Sarutobi's protection of Danzo and suspected Hiruzen was protecting his own interests.
• Tetsuya sent Zabuza to watch over Haku and the others, then examined contracts transferring two Konoha shopping streets to him as compensation.
• Tetsuya returned home, where Orochimaru said Sakumo had gone back and expressed excitement about the coming attack on Hiruzen.
• Sasuke defeated a Konoha genin with a fast punch and a spinning kick, winning the first preliminary match.
• Naruto envied Sasuke's strength, while Neji, Rock Lee, and Might Guy praised his speed, power, and control.

The Chunin Exam preliminaries continued as Sasuke, Haku, and Karin won their matches, while Sakura and Ino drew and were both eliminated. Neji and Hinata then faced each other, and Neji used the match to teach her Gentle Fist while concealing his deeper plans for the Hyuga Clan.

• Sasuke, Haku, and Karin each defeated their opponents with ease, and Konoha's team leaders worried about the strength of the three Grass genin.
• Shino and Shikamaru passed their matches, while Sakura and Ino exhausted themselves in a draw that eliminated them both.
• Gekko Hayate announced Neji Hyuga versus Hinata Hyuga, and both cousins entered the ring as Naruto cheered Hinata on.
• Neji remembered his desire to reform the Hyuga Clan and his master's advice to remain a hidden dragon until the right moment.
• Neji and Hinata began their Gentle Fist match, and Neji corrected Hinata's technique while Naruto shouted encouragement and Kakashi explained that Neji was teaching her.