Chapter Summaries

Kabuto Yakushi approached Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Wu Chiwu in the Forest of Death, claiming he had come to help. After questioning Kabuto’s motives, Sasuke and the others watched him leave, while Kabuto resolved to keep observing Wu Chiwu for Orochimaru.

• Kabuto Yakushi watched Wu Chiwu and the others recover from the chaos caused by the grilled fish, then considered how to approach them.
• Sasuke returned with water, mistook the disorder and Kabuto for a possible threat, and demanded to know why Kabuto was there.
• Kabuto showed Sakura and Sasuke his Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll and said he had stopped because the group looked poisoned.
• Sasuke questioned Kabuto about his missing teammates and concluded that Kabuto had also hoped to travel with their team.
• Kabuto left before the wary genin could question him further, deciding to keep observing Wu Chiwu because Orochimaru had singled him out.

As Wu Chiwu led Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura toward the central tower, he recognized that they had entered a genjutsu and let them work it out. A group of hidden Rain ninja attacked, while Kabuto Yakushi watched from the shadows to see how Wu Chiwu and Sasuke would respond.

• Wu Chiwu guided the group along a clear route toward the central tower, warning them to expect ambushes near it.
• Near the tower, Naruto spotted and struck what appeared to be a giant centipede, but Wu Chiwu recognized it as part of a genjutsu and kept quiet.
• Sasuke realized they had looped back to the same place and identified the genjutsu, while Wu Chiwu noticed Kabuto Yakushi and other enemies hiding nearby.
• Rain ninja emerged from the trees and surrounded the group, and Naruto charged one of them only to pass straight through its body.
• Kabuto Yakushi watched from a nearby branch, wondering whether Wu Chiwu would join the fight.

Wu Chiwu watched Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura defeat a Rain Ninja, then met Gaara’s killing intent at the central tower before the preliminary matches for the third exam began. Orochimaru watched the candidates, intent on seeing what Wu Chiwu would reveal in the one-on-one fights.

• Sasuke recognized the Rain Ninja attackers as genjutsu decoys, and Naruto used shadow clones to expose and defeat the hidden Rain Ninja, taking his Heaven Scroll.
• Wu Chiwu admitted he had been slacking off while watching the team fight, and Kabuto reported to Orochimaru that he had gathered data on Sasuke but learned little about Wu Chiwu.
• Wu Chiwu’s group reached the central tower, opened their scrolls, and joined the other candidates at the next exam venue.
• Gaara threatened to crush Wu Chiwu, while Temari tried to calm him and the sand at his feet began to churn.
• Gekko Hayate announced that individual preliminary matches would decide who qualified for the third exam, as Orochimaru watched the candidates and waited to see what Wu Chiwu would do.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mitarashi Anko considered which examinees Orochimaru had targeted, with Anko suspecting Haku and Hozuki Kagetsu while Kakashi suspected Gojo Satoru. As the preliminaries began, Kabuto Yakushi withdrew and left the remaining work to Yoroi.

• Mitarashi Anko told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Orochimaru had likely set his sights on more than one examinee, and they considered Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji as possibilities.
• Anko identified Haku and Hozuki Kagetsu as likely targets because they had reached the central tower in record time, while Kakashi continued to suspect Gojo Satoru.
• Gekko Hayate explained the preliminary arrangements and invited examinees to withdraw, prompting Naruto to declare that he would give it his all.
• Kabuto Yakushi withdrew from the exam, and Yoroi quietly reminded him of Orochimaru's orders.
• Kabuto told Yoroi to handle the rest and left, deciding he had gathered the necessary intelligence and would meet Gojo Satoru and Sasuke again later.

During the Chunin Exam preliminaries, Sasuke Uchiha adapted Gorō Satoru’s lightning-trap technique to defeat Akado Yoroi, who could absorb chakra through touch. The match left Anko and Kakashi wondering whether Sasuke had learned the move from the person who trapped Orochimaru in the Forest of Death.

• Gekko Hayate began the preliminaries and announced that Akado Yoroi would fight Sasuke Uchiha.
• Akado Yoroi drained much of Sasuke’s chakra, forcing Sasuke to find a way to fight without relying on his Sharingan or ninjutsu.
• Sasuke remembered Gorō Satoru’s lightning trap, then copied its basic setup with kunai and Lightning Release to immobilize Akado Yoroi.
• Sasuke struck the trapped Yoroi with Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique and won the match.
• Anko told Kakashi that Orochimaru had once been trapped in a similar lightning net, and they considered whether Sasuke knew the person who had made it.

Haku defeated Shino Aburame in a swift match, while Hozuki Kagetsu used her clan’s liquid-body technique to beat Choji Akimichi. Wu Chiwu waited impatiently for his own match as Orochimaru watched from the crowd.

• Sasuke thanked Wu Chiwu for helping him survive his fight, and the match screen named Haku and Shino Aburame as the next opponents.
• Haku attacked Shino with water-formed Senbon, overcame his insect defenses, and won quickly.
• Hinata Hyuga pointed Wu Chiwu out to Kiba Inuzuka, but Neji dismissed them and led his teammates away.
• Wu Chiwu joked with Naruto and Sasuke while waiting for his match, and the screen announced Hozuki Kagetsu against Choji Akimichi.
• Hozuki Kagetsu liquefied her body to nullify Choji’s attacks and easily won their match.

Orochimaru and the examiners took notice of the Sweet Ninja Village after Haku and Hozuki Kagetsu displayed their unusual abilities. When Wu Chiwu faced Kankuro in the next match, Kankuro unexpectedly forfeited, leaving the arena and Wu Chiwu under scrutiny.

• Orochimaru observed the arena and considered the Sweet Ninja Village team’s secret arts and Ice Release valuable discoveries.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi wondered whether Wu Chiwu, the team’s captain, would also impress the examiners.
• Gekko Hayate announced a match between Kankuro of Sunagakure and Wu Chiwu of the Sweet Ninja Village.
• Gaara watched Wu Chiwu with killing intent, while Temari worried that Gaara might lose control.
• Kankuro chose to forfeit, citing the gap in strength while privately considering how the decision could help conceal Sunagakure’s operation.
• Gekko Hayate confirmed Kankuro’s decision and turned his attention to Wu Chiwu, who had not fully come to his senses.

Wu Chiwu advanced to the Chunin Ninja Exams finals when Zhang Ran forfeited, leaving the examiners and contestants puzzled about his strength. As Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura reacted to his effortless victory, Orochimaru watched and waited for Wu Chiwu to reveal his abilities.

• Zhang Ran forfeited against Wu Chiwu, and Gekko Hayate and the other examiners wondered why he had surrendered.
• The Third Hokage asked Kakashi whether anything unusual had happened in the village, and Kakashi reported that no abnormalities had been found.
• Orochimaru dismissed the preliminaries and decided to wait for Wu Chiwu to reveal his secrets in the third round.
• Wu Chiwu left the arena and told Naruto he was keeping his trump cards hidden, while Sasuke accused him of simply wanting to slack off.
• Sakura remembered Kakashi's warning to keep her distance from Wu Chiwu, while Ino, Shikamaru, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji reacted to his effortless advance.

Wu Guanwu set up a ramen stall during the preliminaries and assured Naruto and Sasuke that his cooking was safe. His seasoning jars were mixed up, and the sweet, disastrous ramen knocked out examinees from both Konoha and Sunagakure while the Third Hokage watched in confusion.

• Wu Guanwu cooked ramen behind misspelled barrier talismans as Sasuke and Naruto questioned his stall.
• The Third Hokage let Wu Guanwu continue as long as he did not disrupt the preliminaries.
• Wu Guanwu convinced Naruto and Sasuke to distribute bowls of ramen to the hungry examinees.
• Naruto and Sasuke tasted the ramen and collapsed after discovering its awful sweetness.
• Wu Guanwu realized that the seasoning jars had been mixed up, while the other examinees also fell unconscious or staggered from the taste.
• The examiners wondered whether an attack was underway, but the Third Hokage dismissed the idea of poisoning.

Naruto fought Kiba Inuzuka in the Chunin Exam and won after using Multiple Shadow Clone. Gorō Satoru's bet on Naruto's victory paid off, leaving the other examinees owing him a request.

• After Sakura and Ino's match, the exam resumed, and Gorō Satoru and Sasuke watched Naruto face Kiba Inuzuka.
• Gorō Satoru bet the examinees that Naruto would win, then revealed he had made the ramen they had hated, prompting them all to accept.
• Kiba knocked Naruto down repeatedly, but Naruto kept getting up and insisted he would become Hokage.
• Naruto used Multiple Shadow Clone to overwhelm Kiba, who fell silent on the arena floor.
• Ino and the other examinees realized Naruto had won and that they had lost their bet with Gorō Satoru.

After Naruto won, Gorō Satoru deferred naming the terms of his wager and considered his real reasons for coming to Konoha. In a corridor, Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi discussed their plans for Sasuke, Gorō’s influence, and the threat of betrayal, leaving Kabuto uncertain whether Orochimaru trusted him.

• Gorō Satoru reminded the examinees of their wager but said he would decide its terms after the exams, then noticed Orochimaru had disappeared.
• Gorō Satoru reflected that his main purpose in Konoha was to confront the village, especially Danzo, over the Uchiha Clan’s destruction, and considered Orochimaru’s Konoha Crush Plan a useful pretext.
• Kabuto Yakushi told Orochimaru that Sasuke Uchiha was the planned fuse for Otogakure’s conflict and pointed out that Gorō Satoru had not been part of the original plan.
• Orochimaru told Kabuto Yakushi to bring Sasuke to him before Sasuke’s darkness faded, explaining that Gorō Satoru’s influence on Sasuke had made him impatient.
• Orochimaru said Kabuto could bring both Sasuke and Gorō, then warned that the only way to stop him was to kill Sasuke and that Kabuto could not kill him.
• Kabuto Yakushi froze as Orochimaru studied his reaction, but Orochimaru called the warning a joke and said he trusted him.

After the Chunin Exam preliminaries, Wu Chiwu agreed to give Naruto and Sasuke special training by making them flee while he tried to catch them. They escaped his pursuit with clones and dango, but learned how easily he saw through their tricks.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi told the twelve successful candidates that the official matches would begin in a month and that judges would assess their performances.
• Naruto and Sasuke asked Wu Chiwu to train them, and he challenged them to run before an ice pop melted or be strung up outside the women's bathhouse.
• Sasuke and Naruto hid in a crowded street near the women's bathhouse, but Wu Chiwu quickly found them.
• Naruto used Multiple Shadow Clone to conceal their tracks, and Wu Chiwu dispersed the clones with shuriken.
• Sasuke threw a skewer of three-color dango, distracting Wu Chiwu long enough for him and Naruto to escape.

Wu Chiwu dragged Naruto and Sasuke toward the hot springs, insisting they had agreed to go despite their protests. When Jiraiya arrived and accused them of lurking by the women's bath, Wu Chiwu redirected the suspicion onto him by claiming Jiraiya wanted to peep at the men's bath, leaving Jiraiya publicly humiliated and furious.

• Wu Chiwu caught Naruto and Sasuke and dragged them toward the hot springs, insisting they had made an agreement.
• Jiraiya spotted the commotion near the women's bath and approached, suspecting Wu Chiwu and the boys of peeping.
• Jiraiya introduced himself as a traveling novelist and claimed he had only stopped to investigate what the boys were doing.
• Wu Chiwu told the crowd that they had planned to visit the women's bath, unlike Jiraiya, who supposedly wanted to peep at the men's bath.
• Naruto and Sasuke panicked as bystanders blamed Jiraiya, while Wu Chiwu remained unashamed and Jiraiya grew angry enough to consider fighting him.

Wu Chiwu fought Jiraiya, then blew up a men's hot spring establishment and left Jiraiya to face the furious ninja inside. After Kakashi recognized Wu Chiwu as the culprit and charged him with a broadsword, Wu Chiwu fled, with Might Guy joining the chase.

• Jiraiya attacked Wu Chiwu, and the two fought while Naruto and Sasuke watched.
• Wu Chiwu threw Explosive Tags at a nearby men's hot spring establishment, destroying it and exposing the ninja inside.
• The furious ninja blamed Jiraiya and chased him as he fled, while Wu Chiwu stayed behind.
• Wu Chiwu taunted Kakashi, who accused him of causing the chaos and charged with a broadsword.
• Wu Chiwu ran after Jiraiya, and Might Guy joined the pursuit.

After Kakashi arranged for Jiraiya to train Naruto and for him to train Sasuke, Wu Chiwu was relieved of their special training. As the Chunin Ninja Exams approached, Konoha’s leaders learned that Gekko Hayate had been killed and debated the threat Orochimaru posed to the village.

• Naruto and Sasuke wondered whether their wasted day of training had been bad luck, while Kakashi finally ended his pursuit of Wu Chiwu and Jiraiya’s fight with the ninjas wound down.
• Kakashi spoke privately with Jiraiya, and they agreed that Jiraiya would train Naruto while Kakashi trained Sasuke.
• Several days later, Hiruzen Sarutobi told Konoha’s leaders that Gekko Hayate’s body had been found near Kikyo Castle.
• Mitarashi Anko suspected Orochimaru, but Kakashi cautioned that the evidence did not match his methods and the leaders discussed the risk of disrupting the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Hiruzen said Orochimaru’s threat and the allied nations’ interest in him made the situation dangerous, while the ANBU secretly gathered intelligence and Konoha prepared to hold steady.

The Chunin Exams began as Wu Chiwu noticed Orochimaru disguised as the Kazekage and Sasuke remained missing. After Hozuki Kagetsu and Haku withdrew, Wu Chiwu was matched against Neji Hyuga, and the chapter ended with the two facing off in the arena.

• Wu Chiwu noticed Orochimaru in the stands, while Hiruzen Sarutobi learned Sasuke was still missing and feared Orochimaru had taken him.
• Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, spoke with Hiruzen Sarutobi and taunted him about choosing a Fifth Hokage.
• Hozuki Kagetsu and Haku withdrew from the tournament after sensing trouble in Konoha and investigating on their own.
• Genma Shiranui announced the revised matchups and rules, then named Wu Chiwu and Neji Hyuga as the first opponents.
• Wu Chiwu and Neji remained in the arena as the spectators watched their match begin.

Wu Chiwu faced Neji Hyuga in the Chunin Exam, dodging his Gentle Fist attacks while counting steps for a fortune about romantic luck. When Wu Chiwu said he believed in writing his own fate, Neji took the remark personally and prepared to strike in earnest.

• Neji activated his Byakugan and attacked Wu Chiwu with the Gentle Fist while the spectators assumed Wu Chiwu was being overwhelmed.
• Naruto and Sakura believed Wu Chiwu was stronger than he appeared, while others expected Neji to win.
• Wu Chiwu explained that he was counting a hundred steps to find romantic luck, which enraged Neji.
• Neji told Wu Chiwu that his fate was to lose, but Wu Chiwu said he believed in writing his own fate.
• Neji's expression darkened as he gathered chakra in his palm, and Tenten worried he might seriously injure Wu Chiwu.

Wu Chiwu fought Neji Hyuga and deliberately tested his skill against Neji’s Rotation, Konoha’s powerful defensive technique. Wu Chiwu broke through it with a knife-hand strike that shut down the chakra in Neji’s arm, leaving Neji shocked and searching for an explanation.

• Wu Chiwu calmly dodged Neji Hyuga’s attacks with precise Taijutsu, while Neji’s Byakugan revealed that Wu Chiwu’s chakra remained unusually calm.
• Wu Chiwu remembered Naruto’s request to teach Neji a lesson after Neji’s brutal fight with Hinata Hyuga.
• Neji used Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin to deflect a barrage of shuriken, prompting Tenten to explain that Rotation could rival Gaara’s sand defense.
• Wu Chiwu charged Neji with a knife-hand strike, and Neji chose to rely on Rotation while preparing to grab him.
• Wu Chiwu dodged Neji’s counter-grab and struck his right arm, blocking its chakra and leaving Neji horrified and confused.

Wu Chiwu copied Neji’s Gentle Fist and Rotation during their match, leaving Neji and the arena stunned. The spectators began to suspect Wu Chiwu had learned the Hyuga techniques by watching Neji fight.

• Neji realized Wu Chiwu had struck a chakra pathway in his right arm using the Gentle Fist.
• Wu Chiwu said he had learned the technique from Neji’s attacks, but Neji doubted him and suspected he had the Byakugan.
• Neji activated his Byakugan and confirmed Wu Chiwu’s eyes were azure, not the Hyuga Clan’s pale white.
• Neji attacked again, but Wu Chiwu used Rotation to send him flying.
• Hyuga Hiashi confirmed Wu Chiwu had no Byakugan and suggested he may truly have copied the techniques during the fight.
• Tenten and Shikamaru discussed Wu Chiwu’s ability to copy Neji’s moves, and Tenten wondered if he had the Sharingan.

Gojo Satoru defeated Neji Hyuga after copying the Gentle Fist and Rotation during their match, leaving the spectators stunned by his talent. As Neji questioned how he had learned the techniques, he began to reconsider whether fate could be changed.

• Shikamaru, Kakashi, and others debated how Gojo Satoru had copied Neji’s techniques, while Gaara and the Sand siblings praised his talent.
• Might Guy worried that Neji would be devastated, but Kakashi reassured him that Neji could endure the setback.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi marveled at Gojo’s abilities and regretted having ignored Danzo’s actions, while Orochimaru grew eager to make Gojo one of his vessels.
• Genma Shiranui declared Gojo the winner after Neji could no longer stand.
• Neji asked Gojo whether he had learned the techniques during their fight, and began to wonder if fate could be changed.