Recaps

Lin Guang settled into his ANBU missions and spoke with Naruto, who revealed that Kakashi had taught him the Thousand Years of Death. Naruto learned the hand seals for Lin Guang’s Wind Release: Vacuum Wave, then left to prepare for his mission to the Land of Waves, while Lin Guang planned to keep working in the ANBU until the Chunin Ninja Exams.

• Lin Guang realized Hiruzen Sarutobi had assigned him missions in the Land of Rivers to build his strategic experience, and he decided to make the most of his time in the ANBU.
• Naruto visited Lin Guang and said he was on Team 7 with Sakura and Sasuke, then demonstrated the Thousand Years of Death.
• Lin Guang declined to learn Naruto’s secret technique and taught him the hand seals for Wind Release: Vacuum Wave, warning him not to practice it alone.
• Naruto told Lin Guang that Kakashi had beaten Team 7 in training and used the Thousand Years of Death on him.
• Naruto left to sleep before Team 7’s mission to the Land of Waves, and Lin Guang decided to work hard on missions until the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Lin Guang told Hiruzen Sarutobi that the bandit mission had revealed a plot by the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, then asked to learn more Ninjutsu. Meanwhile, Orochimaru confronted the daimyo and revealed that his operation in Sunagakure had succeeded, setting up a plan involving Konoha’s Chunin Ninja Exams.

• Lin Guang told Hiruzen Sarutobi that the bandit leader was the son of the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers and reasoned that the raid had been a probe against the great nations.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised Lin Guang’s deduction and agreed to teach him Ninjutsu that afternoon.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi considered sending Lin Guang’s squad to the Land of Wind to investigate its response to the Land of Rivers’ schemes.
• Orochimaru subdued the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers’ guards and dismissed the daimyo’s threats, claiming their arrangements in the Land of Wind had succeeded.
• Orochimaru asked Kabuto Yakushi whether his forged identity would pass inspection for Konoha’s Chunin Ninja Exams, and Kabuto promised to investigate Konoha.
• Orochimaru revealed that he had killed the Kazekage and looked toward Konoha, anticipating a confrontation with his former teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Lin Guang and his squad traveled to the Land of Wind to investigate the site where the Fourth Kazekage’s guards had been killed. Hyūga Jō discovered buried gold dust, forehead protectors, and dead snakes, and Lin Guang used a wind technique to uncover them, leaving Satō Maji buried in sand.

• Lin Guang received a mission to investigate the site of an attack on the Fourth Kazekage and led Satō Maji and Hyūga Jō toward the Land of Wind.
• The squad crossed the dangerous Land of Rivers, then entered the Land of Wind with help from Konoha-connected ninja.
• Lin Guang assigned Hyūga Jō to search the sandy site with his Byakugan and sent Satō Maji to keep watch from a dune.
• Hyūga Jō found gold dust six meters underground, along with several ninja forehead protectors and dead snakes.
• Lin Guang used Wind Release: Cyclone to strip away the sand, nearly burying Satō Maji.

Lin Guang and Hyūga Jō recovered a musical-note forehead protector, chakra-infused snake corpses, and gold dust from the sand, then found Satō Maji buried nearby. The three returned to the Land of Fire after three days and nights, relieved to be closer to Konoha.

• Lin Guang and Hyūga Jō dug up the unusual forehead protector, snake corpses, and gold dust, discovering that the latter two carried powerful chakra.
• Lin Guang realized they had forgotten Satō Maji, and Hyūga Jō used his Byakugan to locate him buried in the sand.
• Lin Guang pulled Satō Maji out and teased him for being caught in the sandstorm, which Lin Guang had caused.
• Lin Guang, Hyūga Jō, and Satō Maji traveled cautiously through the borderlands and reached the Land of Fire after three days and nights.

Lin Guang turned in the squad’s mission findings to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who suspected Orochimaru and the Fourth Kazekage had clashed and warned that peace might soon end. After the squad split its reward, Lin Guang asked whether Hyūga Jō and Satō Maji would take the upcoming Chunin Ninja Exams.

• Lin Guang presented chakra-bearing gold dust, a dead summoning snake, and a Small Shinobi Village forehead protector to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi recognized signs that the Fourth Kazekage and Orochimaru had fought, then urged Lin Guang to study ninjutsu with him before the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi sensed natural energy on the snake’s corpse and suspected Orochimaru was still pursuing senjutsu.
• Lin Guang divided the squad’s ten thousand ryo reward, taking four thousand while Hyūga Jō and Satō Maji each took three thousand.
• Hyūga Jō said he planned to take the Chunin Ninja Exams, while Satō Maji worried that leaving ANBU missions would hurt his poor family.

After months of dangerous missions, Lin Guang was summoned by Hiruzen Sarutobi and given an S-rank mission to investigate Kirigakure. He realized the assignment concealed a deeper purpose tied to unrest in the Land of Water and people with Kekkei Genkai.

• Lin Guang, Satō Maji, and Hyūga Jō gained fame after completing dangerous missions, and their close teamwork helped them survive repeated attacks.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Lin Guang and assigned him an S-rank mission involving Kirigakure in the Land of Water.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained that a Kirigakure ninja wanted to cooperate with Konoha, raising the original intelligence-gathering mission to S-rank.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Lin Guang about unrest in the Land of Water and hinted that he could help people with Kekkei Genkai.
• Lin Guang left the Hokage Building suspecting that the mission's real purpose involved the unrest, which he would address only if it benefited Konoha and the Land of Fire.

Lin Guang prepared for an S-rank mission to Kirigakure, where he suspected he was meant to help a Kekkei Genkai user become the Fifth Mizukage. He and his teammates arrived after a grueling journey and checked into an expensive inn.

• Lin Guang told Satō Maji and Hyūga Jō about their S-rank mission to Kirigakure and urged them to prepare carefully.
• Lin Guang researched Kirigakure and learned that Kekkei Genkai users had been persecuted, rebellions were common, and the Fourth Mizukage was dead.
• Lin Guang concluded that Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted him to help a Kekkei Genkai user rise to become the Fifth Mizukage.
• Lin Guang, Satō Maji, and Hyūga Jō set out with supplies and reached Kirigakure after four days of exhausting travel.
• Lin Guang paid for three luxurious rooms at an inn, and the innkeeper led the team to their rooms.

Lin Guang learned from a television broadcast that Kirigakure was hunting Mei Terumi, whose escape route passed through his squad’s village. He decided to find her and help her become the Fifth Mizukage, leaving the squad waiting in ambush behind a mountain.

• Lin Guang warned Hyūga Jō and Satō Maji that Kirigakure’s ninja might target them because they were outsiders.
• Lin Guang turned on the room’s television and heard that Mei Terumi had fled her ANBU squad and was being hunted.
• Satō Maji noticed that Mei Terumi’s escape route included their village, and Lin Guang decided to help her become the Fifth Mizukage.
• Lin Guang told Hyūga Jō and Satō Maji to wear ANBU uniforms and wait at an intersection where Mei Terumi might pass.
• The three took turns lying in wait behind a mountain and defeated several groups of troublemakers.

Lin Guang and his two companions ambushed the Kirigakure ANBU pursuing Mei Terumi and killed them, then offered to help her change Kirigakure. Mei Terumi tested their strength with her Lava Release, and Lin Guang blocked the corrosive attack with layers of ice mirrors.

• Satō Maji complained that Mei Terumi had not appeared, and Hyūga Jō spotted her fleeing toward their junction with three Kirigakure ANBU close behind.
• Lin Guang ordered his team to ambush the pursuers, and the three of them killed the ANBU in a single exchange.
• Lin Guang told Mei Terumi that the Third Hokage had sent them to help her, but she doubted their strength and demanded proof.
• Mei Terumi attacked the group with Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique, and Lin Guang stopped the acid with repeated Ice Release mirrors.

Lin Guang and his companions hid Mei Terumi in an inn while they considered how to help her challenge Sword of the ANBU for control of Kirigakure. Lin Guang proposed drawing kekkei genkai users to them, though they still needed a way to reach them.

• Hyūga Jō showed Mei Terumi his Byakugan, confirming the group’s identities.
• Lin Guang had Mei Terumi use the Transformation Technique to disguise herself and join the others at an inn.
• Lin Guang and his companions learned that ANBU surveillance covered the surrounding villages, leaving Mei Terumi unable to travel openly.
• Mei Terumi asked whether Konoha had sent reinforcements, and Lin Guang said the three of them had come alone.
• Lin Guang proposed winning over Kirigakure’s kekkei genkai clans, noting that many hated Sword of the ANBU for killing their kin.
• Mei Terumi pointed out that they could not leave the Fifth Village to find the clans, and Lin Guang said they could draw the clans to them instead.

Lin Guang helped Mei Terumi draw Kekkei Genkai clans to her side by spreading word that she would protect them and develop Kirigakure. Five clans arrived at the Fifth Village, where they drove out the ANBU, while Lin Guang advised Mei Terumi to wait for clan representatives before negotiating.

• Lin Guang created disguised shadow clones to spread rumors about Mei Terumi’s plans and ANBU Jian’s threat to Kekkei Genkai users.
• After the rumors spread through the Fifth Village, several Kekkei Genkai clans debated whether to support Mei Terumi and decided she would not suppress them because she possessed two Kekkei Genkai herself.
• Five Kekkei Genkai clans arrived at the Fifth Village, and their members drove out or killed the ANBU forces there.
• ANBU Jian raged at losing control of the Fifth Village while Mei Terumi grew impatient.
• Lin Guang advised Mei Terumi to wait for the clans’ representatives so she could negotiate from a stronger position.

Mei Terumi emerged into Kirigakure’s streets and found the people eager to support her and hear her plans for the village. After selecting representatives to meet her, she brought them to Lin Guang’s inn, where they questioned whether they could trust the Konoha ninja.

• Lin Guang predicted that people with Kekkei Genkai were already searching for Mei Terumi, and Mei Terumi went out into the street after recovering her strength.
• Kirigakure residents crowded around Mei Terumi, and she promised to open up and develop the village if she became Mizukage.
• The residents chose Ao, Chōjūrō, and Xuan Yi as representatives to question Mei Terumi.
• Mei Terumi brought the representatives to Lin Guang’s inn, where Ao challenged the Konoha ninja’s trustworthiness and usefulness.
• Mei Terumi explained that Lin Guang and his companions had helped her evade capture, and Xuan Yi sensed that Lin Guang also possessed a Kekkei Genkai.

Lin Guang advised Mei Terumi to march directly on Kirigakure's Anbu Headquarters, and she led a growing force against ANBU Jian. The Land of Water Daimyō refused to reinforce Jian, leaving him isolated as Mei Terumi's army approached.

• Lin Guang proposed that Mei Terumi's allies attack Kirigakure's Anbu Headquarters directly, and Mei Terumi ordered Ao, Chōjūrō, and Xuan Yi to rally the ninja.
• ANBU Jian asked the Land of Water Daimyō for reinforcements, but the Daimyō condemned his failure to govern Kirigakure and chose not to intervene.
• Mei Terumi led hundreds of ninja toward Anbu Headquarters, while more people joined her force along the way.
• Satō Maji rebuked Ao for claiming Lin Guang's prediction had been obvious, and the group continued its unobstructed advance.
• ANBU Jian watched Mei Terumi's growing force gather outside Kirigakure and despaired when the Daimyō sent no troops.

Mei Terumi led her forces into Kirigakure and surrounded ANBU Headquarters, where she challenged ANBU Jian to a duel. She defeated him with Boil Release, dissolving him in corrosive mist.

• Lin Guang warned Mei Terumi's ninja to enter Kirigakure carefully and avoid endangering civilians.
• Mei Terumi surrounded ANBU Headquarters and told ANBU Jian she would spare those who had not participated in the Village of the Bloody Mist incidents.
• ANBU Jian challenged Mei Terumi to a duel, and she accepted to demonstrate her strength as a potential Mizukage.
• Mei Terumi and ANBU Jian fought with water techniques as Hyūga Jō used his Byakugan to watch and describe the duel.
• Mei Terumi used Boil Release to corrode ANBU Jian's water swords and trap him in corrosive mist.
• Mei Terumi contracted the mist, and ANBU Jian dissolved into a puddle of putrid liquid.

Mei Terumi killed ANBU Jian and his ten followers, then took temporary command of Kirigakure. Lin Guang left with Hyūga Jō and Satō Maji so their presence would not complicate her path to becoming Mizukage, and the team headed back to Konoha anticipating a large reward.

• Mei Terumi dissolved ANBU Jian with her Boil Release mist, and Lin Guang dispersed the remaining mist so the gathered ninja could see the bloody sludge.
• Mei Terumi dissolved ANBU Jian's ten bound followers with another cloud of corrosive mist, convincing the gathered ninja that Jian was dead.
• The Kirigakure ninja accepted Mei Terumi as their temporary leader, and she ordered Ao, Chōjūrō, and Xuan Yi to reassure villagers, report to the Daimyō, and restore order.
• Lin Guang left Kirigakure with Hyūga Jō and Satō Maji, explaining that their presence as Konoha ninja could make the Land of Water Daimyō wary of Mei Terumi.
• Lin Guang told his teammates their S-rank mission reward would be at least a million ryo, and Satō Maji urged them to hurry back to Konoha.

Lin Guang returned to Konoha, reported his Kirigakure mission to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and received advice on how he could have handled the aftermath better. After Mei Terumi was confirmed as Mizukage, Lin Guang collected the mission reward and split it equally with Satō Maji and Hyūga Jō, then reminded them to prepare for the upcoming Chunin Ninja Exams.

• Lin Guang returned to Konoha with Satō Maji and Hyūga Jō, and the three split their leftover mission funds equally.
• Lin Guang told Hiruzen Sarutobi how he had helped Mei Terumi in Kirigakure, and Hiruzen advised him that he should have apologized to the Land of Water Daimyō.
• Lin Guang turned in the mission at Anbu Headquarters as the Intelligence Division reported that Mei Terumi had been appointed Mizukage by the Land of Water Daimyō.
• Lin Guang collected the reward and divided the 1.5 million ryo equally among himself, Satō Maji, and Hyūga Jō.
• Lin Guang reminded Satō Maji and Hyūga Jō to study for the Chunin Ninja Exams, which were due to begin the following week.

Naruto visited Lin Guang and boasted about his mission in the Land of Waves, while Lin Guang urged him to prepare for the Chunin Ninja Exams. At Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto met Lin Guang’s teammate Satō Maji, and the two bonded over Naruto’s stories.

• Naruto woke Lin Guang and recounted Team 7’s encounter with Zabuza Momochi and Haku in the Land of Waves.
• Lin Guang warned Naruto that the Chunin Ninja Exams were near and that he needed to study for the written test.
• Naruto went to the academy to ask Iruka-sensei for study books, but Iruka drove him out without any.
• At Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto met Satō Maji, who introduced himself as Lin Guang’s teammate.
• Naruto boasted to Satō Maji about fighting Haku and helping Kakashi defeat Zabuza, and the two exchanged names and became acquainted.

Lin Guang and Naruto headed to the Chunin Ninja Exams, where Naruto protected Konohamaru from Kankuro and Temari. They continued to the written test and met Satō Maji.

• Lin Guang woke Naruto early, and the two went to the Chunin Ninja Exams venue.
• Lin Guang spotted Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi following them and agreed to let the children come along if they could keep up.
• Konohamaru ran into Kankuro, who grabbed him, and Naruto knocked Kankuro's hand away to free him.
• Temari left with Kankuro, while Lin Guang told Naruto that another powerful chakra presence had been nearby.
• Lin Guang and Naruto reached the written-test classroom and greeted Satō Maji.

Lin Guang and his companions encountered Gaara’s team and other candidates before the Chunin Ninja Exams, while Naruto and Satō Maji showed their confidence. The group reached the exam room after Sasuke exposed the genjutsu barrier, and Neji Hyuga recognized Lin Guang, Hyūga Jō, and Satō Maji’s strength.

• Satō Maji explained that he and Naruto had met at Ichiraku and become friends, while Lin Guang introduced Naruto to Hyūga Jō.
• Gaara told Temari and Kankuro that their late arrival was unavoidable, warned them about Lin Guang’s danger, and reminded them of their mission in Konoha.
• Two disguised ninja harassed Rock Lee and Tenten outside the exam room, but Sasuke identified their genjutsu barrier and Rock Lee revealed his taijutsu by stopping them.
• Hyūga Jō exchanged glances with Neji Hyuga, and Neji spoke with Lin Guang before saying that Jō might now be strong enough to defeat him.
• Neji called Satō Maji average and noted Naruto’s chakra, prompting Satō Maji to release a powerful aura until Lin Guang calmed him.

Lin Guang stopped Satō Maji from starting a fight before the Chunin Ninja Exams, then watched Rock Lee defeat Sasuke Uchiha with taijutsu. Red Turtle interrupted Rock Lee before he could use a forbidden technique, leaving the reason for the turtle’s appearance unclear.

• Lin Guang subdued Satō Maji and stopped him from fighting Neji Hyuga, telling him to wait for the exams.
• Lin Guang and his friends headed to register, then followed Satō Maji’s hearing and Hyūga Jō’s Byakugan to a fight between Sasuke Uchiha and Rock Lee.
• Sasuke activated his Sharingan and attacked Rock Lee, but Lee’s speed and taijutsu overwhelmed him.
• Rock Lee knocked Sasuke down and prepared to bind him with his bandages, but Red Turtle stopped the technique with a throwing dart.
• Rock Lee apologized to Red Turtle for nearly using his forbidden technique, while Lin Guang wondered who the unfamiliar turtle was.

Lin Guang and his friends registered for the Chunin Exams, where Kabuto Yakushi revealed he knew about Lin Guang’s reputation and tried to disclose his mission record. Lin Guang stopped him with a threat, leaving the gathering tense but preventing the other teams from learning how strong his squad was.

• Might Guy punched Rock Lee for using dangerous moves, then hugged him as they cried together, so Lin Guang led his friends away to register.
• At the registration area, Kabuto Yakushi introduced himself to Team 7 and recognized Lin Guang and the other Genin by name.
• Kabuto showed the group his information cards and described Rock Lee’s improved Taijutsu and Gaara’s completed B-rank mission.
• Kabuto began to reveal Lin Guang’s mission record, but Lin Guang threatened to kill him if he continued, prompting Satō Maji and Hyūga Jō to draw their weapons.
• Kabuto backed down, and Lin Guang signaled Satō Maji and Hyūga Jō to put their weapons away.

Lin Guang protected Naruto from the other examinees before Ibiki Morino began the Chunin exam’s written test. Naruto and Satō Maji struggled with the questions, while Hinata tried to help Naruto, and the test continued under strict anti-cheating rules.

• Naruto loudly declared that he would beat the other candidates, drawing their hostility toward him and his teammates.
• Dosu Kinata charged at Naruto, but Lin Guang struck him down with a single palm strike.
• Ibiki Morino introduced the first exam, warned the candidates against fighting, and assigned them numbered seats for the written test.
• Naruto and Satō Maji found the questions difficult, while Hinata Haruno and other candidates used their skills to answer or cheat.
• Hinata Hyuga shifted her paper so Naruto could see her answers, but an examiner disqualified a man and his teammates for cheating too obviously.

Ibiki Morino forced the candidates to choose whether to risk answering the tenth question or withdraw from the Chunin Exams. As Satō Maji weighed the cost of risking his future, Naruto boldly refused to give up, leaving the candidates to face the question.

• Naruto worried that he might be eliminated after peeking at Hinata Hyuga's paper, while Lin Guang was relieved that Naruto had not been caught.
• Kakashi, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yuhi discussed Ibiki Morino's reputation for psychological torture and interrogation.
• Ibiki Morino told the candidates that withdrawing meant failing the exam, while answering incorrectly would permanently bar them from future Chunin Exams.
• Lin Guang chose to risk answering the tenth question, while Satō Maji considered how failure could end his hopes of advancing beyond the ANBU.
• As many candidates withdrew, Satō Maji started to raise his hand, but Naruto spoke first and declared that he would never give up on becoming Hokage.

Naruto and the other candidates passed Ibiki Morino’s written exam by refusing to withdraw, then learned that the second exam would take place in the Forest of Death. Lin Guang, Hyūga Jō, and Satō Maji entered the forest and settled by a stream, where Lin Guang asked Maji if he wanted to make money during the Chunin Ninja Exams.

• Naruto declared that he would never give up, and Ibiki Morino announced that all remaining candidates had passed.
• Ibiki Morino explained that the written exam tested candidates’ ability to gather intelligence and endure pressure, while Naruto and Satō Maji boasted to the others.
• Lin Guang and Hyūga Jō left the exam room, and Lin Guang asked Jō what the second exam would test.
• The candidates were taken to the Forest of Death, where Anko Mitarashi explained the five-day Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll mission and started the exam.
• Lin Guang, Hyūga Jō, and Satō Maji spent two hours in the forest without encountering another team and stopped to grill fish by a stream.
• Lin Guang asked Satō Maji whether he wanted to make money during the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Lin Guang and his teammates confronted Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro in the Forest of Death, and the fight exposed the strength of Hyūga Jō and Satō Maji. The battle continued with Lin Guang still watching from the sidelines.

• Lin Guang proposed stealing other teams’ scrolls and selling them back, then revealed he had sensed a powerful ninja nearby.
• Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro emerged, and Gaara admitted that they had taken another team’s scroll and killed its members.
• Kankuro sent his puppet Crow after Lin Guang, but Hyūga Jō destroyed it with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palms.
• Gaara attacked Hyūga Jō with sand shuriken, which Jō deflected with Rotation while Satō Maji watched and ate.
• Temari used Wind Release: Sickle Weasel against Satō Maji, who cut through the wind attack and forced her back.
• Kankuro realized that Satō Maji was formidable and wondered whether Lin Guang was even stronger, while Lin Guang continued observing the fight.