Recaps

Kei and his teammates survived a Root ambush in the Forest of Death, then returned to the Chunin Exams after Hiruzen stopped the crisis from escalating. During the break, Kei trained with Might Duy and Might Guy, and the finals began with Kei defeating Yura.

• Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame defeated a Root squad disguised as Cloud Ninja, then escaped the Forest of Death before other teams arrived.
• Hiruzen confronted Danzo and stopped his Root operation, while Ao sent Kei’s team to report the incident to the Mizukage before agreeing to let them continue the exams.
• Kei trained his taijutsu and chakra control during the break, then sparred with Might Duy and learned from Duy’s lessons alongside Might Guy.
• Kakashi’s teammates withdrew, leaving sixteen competitors, and Ao showed the Kirigakure Genin the final tournament matchups.
• Hozuki Shingetsu pressed Kei about what happened in the Forest of Death, but Kei refused to disclose the details, and Kisame promised Shingetsu information if he beat him in the tournament.
• The finals opened before a huge crowd, with Minato Namikaze overseeing the matches and Hiruzen Sarutobi declaring the tournament underway.
• Kei defeated Yura by trapping him in Ice Release: Extreme Ice Blooming Jutsu, and Minato announced Kei as the winner.

Kei won the Chunin Ninja Exams championship before Danzo sent Root to ambush the departing Kirigakure delegation. The attack scattered the survivors, and Kei prepared to turn on the Root pursuers tracking him.

• Kei defeated Toroi, Kakashi, and Mei Terumi to claim the Chunin Ninja Exams championship, while the Third Hokage’s negotiations restored a fragile balance.
• Danzo sent Root operatives to ambush Ao’s Kirigakure party, and Hiruzen ordered Jiraiya and Anbu to stop them.
• Ao led the Kirigakure party out of Konohagakure, and the group paused to let the exhausted Genin rest.
• Root surrounded the Mist Ninja and attacked, dividing the group and leaving Kei, Mei Terumi, Kisame, and Shingetsu outnumbered.
• Kei fought off Root operatives with Water Release and Ice Release, killing a Chunin and badly injuring a Jonin before a Lightning Release attack forced him to retreat.
• Ao signaled the survivors to flee through the Hidden Mist Technique, and Root pursuit teams scattered after them as several wounded Mist Ninja were killed.
• Jiraiya and Anbu arrived to find eleven dead Mist Ninja, then split up to search for the survivors and capture the ambushers.
• Kei realized Root’s pursuers had tracked him, so he laid explosive tags and small Ice Release traps along his route.

Kei survived Root’s attack and returned to Kirigakure as Konoha and the Mist negotiated while other villages maneuvered toward war. The crisis subsided, Team 7 became Chunin, and the trio took on increasingly difficult missions before a mysterious attacker killed a fleeing man.

• Kei killed the tiger-masked sensory ninja, escaped the wounded Root Jonin, and fled toward a nearby town while Hiruzen confronted Danzō over the attack on the Kirigakure delegation.
• Hiruzen restrained Root and opened peace talks with Yagura, while Yagura concealed the crisis from Kirigakure’s clans and sent scouts to find the missing Mist Ninja.
• Kei reunited with Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki, returned with them to Kirigakure, and learned that most of their comrades had died while Hozuki Shingetsu was recovering from severe injuries.
• Kei reported to the Minazuki elders, who discussed Yagura’s growing control and decided the Yuki Clan would not support replacing him unless Genji led the effort.
• Kumogakure sent 3,000 Cloud Ninja into the Land of Hot Water, but negotiations and shifting plans among the great villages ultimately averted war.
• Yagura promoted Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame to Chunin and ordered them to continue working as Team 7, while Ao stepped back from leading their missions in person.
• Team 7 completed around a dozen A-rank and high-paying B-rank missions and earned the nickname “Kirigakure's Little Sannin,” then encountered Suikazan Fuguki and recognized their limits.
• A fleeing middle-aged man reached the coast of the Land of Rainbows, where an unseen assailant killed him with a projectile to the throat.

Kei joined Kirigakure’s campaign to seize the Land of Rivers, fighting beside Suikazan Fuguki and the Kaguya Clan against Sunagakure. After Rasa’s force retreated, the Mist Ninja debated whether to hold their stronghold or change tactics as the wider conflict threatened to grow.

• Kei returned to Kirigakure after completing his mission, then was summoned with hundreds of Mist Ninja for a campaign on the western front.
• Suikazan Fuguki led Kei’s unit into the Land of Rivers, where they destroyed Sand Ninja outposts and killed the defenders at the capital’s stronghold.
• Suikazan Fuguki and Kei secured the Land of Rivers’ support and supplies, while Sunagakure’s leaders ordered Rasa to investigate and challenge Kirigakure’s advance.
• Rasa led more than a hundred Sand Ninja into the Land of Rivers, and Kei fought and killed a young Sand Ninja Jonin as the two forces clashed.
• Rasa overwhelmed Suikazan Fuguki and Kaguya Mashin, but Kei helped block his attack and joined them in fighting back until Rasa withdrew with his troops.
• The Mist Ninja halted their pursuit and counted their losses, while Kamijuya Nishizora warned that Rasa could return with a much larger force.
• Kamijuya proposed harassing the Sand Ninja in small units, but Kaguya Mashin insisted that Kirigakure hold its stronghold, leaving Suikazan Fuguki to weigh the risks.