Recaps

Senju Kenya returned to the Hokage Building with Tsunade and rejected Hiruzen Sarutobi’s attempt to welcome him back with talk of the village’s affection. He offered Konoha 200 million ryo in exchange for official recognition of the Iron Fist Chamber of Commerce and the return of the Senju estate, leaving Hiruzen struggling over whether to accept.

• Tsunade brought Senju Kenya into Hiruzen Sarutobi’s office after returning to Konoha.
• Hiruzen welcomed Tsunade and tried to reconcile with Kenya by apologizing for Danzo and appealing to the Will of Fire.
• Kenya dismissed Hiruzen’s speech and accused him of playing good cop while Danzo played bad cop.
• Kenya presented Hiruzen with a 200-million-ryo bank draft as sponsorship for Konoha’s Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Kenya demanded legal commercial status for the Iron Fist Chamber of Commerce and the return of the Senju estate and the surrounding two-kilometer territory.
• Hiruzen hesitated over the demands, and Kenya fixed his gaze on Hiruzen’s white jade pipe.

Senju Kenya mocked Hiruzen Sarutobi’s hesitation over the two hundred million ryo draft, then stole his treasured pipe and claimed it as compensation. Kenya left with Tsunade after threatening Hiruzen to meet their conditions by sundown, while Shizune struggled to hide her laughter.

• Hiruzen hesitated to accept Kenya and Tsunade’s demands, torn between the costs of refusing and granting Kenya a private territory in Konoha.
• Kenya mocked Hiruzen’s indecision, then snatched his white jade pipe before Hiruzen could react.
• Kenya smoked the pipe, blew a heart-shaped cloud around Hiruzen’s hat, and pocketed it as civil compensation for damage and distress.
• Kenya warned Hiruzen to fulfill their conditions by sundown or face a demolition crew at the Hokage building, then left with Tsunade.
• Hiruzen stood stunned over the loss of his pipe as Shizune hid her laughter behind Tonton.

Kenya swaggered through Konoha with the Third Hokage’s white jade pipe, forcing an Anbu member to light it for him. As he headed toward the old Senju residence, he spotted a lonely golden-haired boy sitting on a swing.

• Kenya and Tsunade parted ways after leaving the Hokage Building, with Tsunade taking Shizune to inspect the Senju Clan’s old residence.
• Kenya walked down Konoha’s shopping street with the Third Hokage’s pipe and a formation of Iron Fist Chamber of Commerce bodyguards, shocking the villagers.
• An Anbu patrol recognized the pipe and prepared for a fight, fearing the Third Hokage had been killed.
• Kenya asked the Anbu to use Fire Style to light his tobacco, and a frightened young Anbu member did so.
• Kenya praised the young Anbu member and walked away smoking, then noticed a forlorn golden-haired boy alone on a swing.

Senju Kenya found young Naruto Uzumaki alone in the park and protected him from villagers who insulted him. He gave Naruto a giant rice cracker and left for the old Senju residence, while Naruto watched him go and called out to ask his name.

• Kenya teased Naruto on the swing, and Naruto insisted he would become Hokage.
• When villagers called Naruto a demon fox and told Kenya to stay away, Kenya held Naruto in place and drove them off with Conqueror's Haki.
• Kenya gave Naruto an oversized rice cracker from the Land of Waves and told him to grow strong enough to shatter Hokage Rock.
• Kenya headed toward the old Senju residence with his bodyguards, and Naruto hugged the rice cracker and shouted after him to ask his name.

Senju Kenya used Armament Haki to suppress the Nine-Tails chakra tormenting Naruto, and Naruto begged to become his disciple. Naruto left determined to complete Kenya’s training regimen, while the Nine-Tails awoke, startled by the strange power that had forced its chakra back.

• Naruto followed Kenya after receiving a rice cracker and told him he wanted to become as strong as him.
• Kenya sensed the Nine-Tails chakra inside Naruto and used Armament Haki to drive it back into the seal, relieving Naruto’s exhaustion and pain.
• Naruto begged Kenya to teach him, and Kenya agreed on the condition that he run a hundred laps and do five hundred push-ups and sit-ups each day.
• Naruto vowed to complete the training and ran home to begin, while the Nine-Tails opened its eyes and recalled the power that had invaded the seal.

Seven-year-old Sasuke Uchiha trained his Fire Style and dismissed Naruto Uzumaki’s new mentor, Kenya, as a poser. Kenya slapped Sasuke into a sand pile, and Sasuke drew a kunai to attack him before suddenly freezing.

• The Nine-Tails sensed the strange black aura that had forced its chakra back and decided to watch the young man responsible.
• Sasuke practiced the Great Fireball Technique beside a river, determined to earn his father and Itachi’s recognition.
• Naruto brought Kenya to meet Sasuke and praised Kenya’s strength and promise to teach him.
• Sasuke mocked Kenya as a fraud and claimed ninjutsu and Uchiha kekkei genkai were true power.
• Kenya appeared beside Sasuke and slapped him into a sand pile, then mocked his boasting.
• Sasuke crawled out, drew a kunai, and prepared to attack Kenya, but suddenly froze.

Kenya knocked out three Konoha chunin with a single punch after they attacked him, leaving Naruto and Sasuke stunned. Sasuke dropped his kunai, still unable to believe what he had witnessed.

• Three Konoha chunin saw Kenya with Sasuke and wrongly accused him of bullying the Uchiha boy.
• Naruto tried to defend Kenya, but the lead chunin insulted him and threatened Kenya.
• Kenya invited the chunin to attack, and they launched a coordinated assault with shuriken and ninja blades.
• Kenya punched once, shattering the shuriken and blasting all three chunin into trees, where they passed out.
• Naruto praised Kenya as invincible, while Sasuke stared in shock and dropped his kunai.

Kenya left Sasuke humbled after demonstrating his overwhelming physical strength, then arrived at Konoha’s Chunin Ninja Exams as the Iron Fist Chamber of Commerce’s sponsor. He declared himself a special supervisor for the written exam, leaving the gathered candidates wary of what would come next.

• Sasuke left his kunai behind and ran toward the Uchiha compound, shaken by Kenya’s strength and determined to gain power.
• Naruto hurried after Kenya with his half-eaten rice cracker.
• A few days later, elite genin from several villages gathered in Konoha for the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Kenya arrived at the examination gates in a flashy sponsored carriage, and Ibiki respectfully welcomed him.
• Kenya introduced himself as the exam’s financial backer and special discipline supervisor, while team leaders warned the candidates about his fearsome reputation.

During the written Chunin Exam, Kenya intimidated the candidates after catching an Amegakure ninja cheating, declaring his fists the rules. The room fell silent and orderly again, while Kenya turned his attention toward the Forest of Death.

• Ibiki Morino announced the written exam rules as Kenya lounged beside him, drinking juice.
• Candidates began using covert techniques to cheat, and an Amegakure candidate tried to copy answers with a wire and mirror.
• Kenya broke the cheating device with his pointer and struck the Amegakure candidate, who protested that Kenya was breaking the rules.
• Kenya crushed the candidate’s solid-iron desk with one hand and declared that his fists were the rules.
• The frightened Amegakure candidate fled, the other candidates stopped cheating, and Kenya returned to his chair and looked toward the Forest of Death.

After the first Chunin Exam went smoothly under Kenya’s intimidating presence, Tsunade warned him that Orochimaru might be conspiring with Sunagakure and planning an attack in the Forest of Death. Kenya welcomed the threat and declared that the second exam would be his solo show.

• Kenya’s presence kept the first written exam orderly, and the remaining candidates left after surviving Ibiki Morino’s tenth-question test.
• Tsunade told Kenya that Orochimaru had been active and in private contact with Sunagakure’s higher-ups.
• Tsunade warned that Gaara carried Shukaku and that the Forest of Death offered an ideal opportunity for an attack during the second exam.
• Kenya dismissed Tsunade’s concerns and vowed to crush Orochimaru and Sunagakure’s forces with his physical strength.
• Kenya announced that he would use the Forest of Death exam to stage a solo show and proclaim the king’s return to the Shinobi World.

As the second Chunin Exam began, Kenya lounged in the tower monitoring room while Anko monitored the candidates. When Amegakure ninja tried to sneak toward the tower, Kenya stopped them with a watermelon seed, but a sudden sandstorm then alarmed Anko.

• Team 7 entered the Forest of Death and became embroiled in a fight with candidates from Amegakure.
• Kenya relaxed in a rocking chair, eating Ice Release-chilled watermelon while Anko watched the exam screens and scolded him.
• Anko spotted three Amegakure ninja sneaking toward the tower and prepared to intercept them, but Kenya stopped her.
• Kenya hardened a watermelon seed with Armament Haki and flicked it through the bulletproof window, knocking the Amegakure captain unconscious from hundreds of meters away.
• The other two Amegakure ninja fled, and Anko stared in shock as Kenya settled back down to watch the exam.
• A violent sandstorm appeared on a monitoring screen, and Anko's expression changed drastically.

Anko watched the Chunin Exam surveillance while Kenya dismissed the dangers and judged the examinees. The chapter ended as Gaara used sand to crush an Amegakure examinee’s hands and feet.

• Anko grew uneasy after the surveillance feed showed a strange sandstorm in the area where Gaara of Sunagakure was.
• Kenya ate donuts and criticized the examinees’ skills while Anko urged him to take the deadly exam seriously.
• Kenya argued that the exam reflected the Shinobi World and said he could intervene if trouble escalated.
• An Anbu alerted Anko that an examinee was using methods beyond the exam rules, and she ordered the footage onto the main screen.
• The screen showed Gaara trapping three Amegakure examinees with sand and crushing one of their hands and feet.

Gaara tortured the Amegakure examinees and unleashed a rampage that threatened to swallow them and nearby Konoha examinees in quicksand. As they neared their deaths, someone began crunching rice crackers above the rocks.

• Gaara crushed an Amegakure examinee with sand while two others tried to flee, and nearby Konoha examinees watched from behind a boulder.
• Kankuro begged Gaara to stop, but Gaara said he was enjoying the torture and shouted that his mother still craved blood.
• Gaara released Shukaku's chakra and used Sand Burial, turning the ground beneath the Amegakure and Konoha examinees into quicksand.
• Anko prepared to intervene, but Kenya had disappeared from the monitoring room, leaving half a watermelon behind.
• As the examinees were about to be swallowed, the sound of someone chewing rice crackers came from above the rocks.

Senju Kenya confronted the berserk Gaara while casually eating rice crackers, and Gaara sent three giant sand pythons to crush him. The attack disappeared into a cloud of dust, but the sound of metal scraping revealed that Kenya had apparently survived unharmed.

• Senju Kenya appeared atop a stone pillar, scolded Gaara for making too much noise, and claimed he was responsible for discipline at the exam site.
• Temari and Kankuro warned Kenya to flee because Gaara had lost control, but Kenya refused and joked about issuing Gaara a ticket for damaging the site.
• Gaara redirected his sand from the examinees and formed three giant sand pythons to attack Kenya.
• The pythons swallowed Kenya in a cloud of sand and dust, but Gaara sensed that his sand had struck something seemingly indestructible.
• A piercing sound of metal scraping came from inside the sandstorm as the pythons bit down on Kenya.

Senju Kenya withstood Gaara’s sand attacks with Armament Haki, then blew away the massive Sand Waterfall Flow with one breath. Gaara was left stunned as cracks appeared in his Sand Armor.

• Senju Kenya’s Armament Haki protected him from Gaara’s sand pythons without leaving a mark.
• Gaara unleashed Sand Waterfall Flow, sending a towering wave of sand toward Kenya and the trapped examinees.
• Senju Kenya blew out a powerful gust of air that swept away the sandstorm and cleared the rocky area.
• Temari, Kankuro, and the examinees watched in shock as Gaara’s attack was effortlessly overcome.
• Gaara stared in disbelief as cracks began appearing in his Sand Armor.

Gaara’s partial Shukaku transformation erupted after his Sand Armor cracked, but Kenya stopped his attack with a single powerful slap. Gaara was knocked unconscious and the rampaging transformation ended, leaving Kankuro, Temari, and the watching Konoha examinees stunned.

• Gaara’s Sand Armor cracked apart, causing him to lose control and partially transform under Shukaku’s influence.
• Shukaku took over Gaara’s transformed side and threatened to kill everyone nearby as Kankuro and Temari collapsed in fear.
• Kenya used Six Powers: Soru to cross the distance and pierce Gaara’s sand wall with Armament Haki.
• Kenya slapped Gaara across the face, shattering his Sand Armor and sending him crashing through trees into a distant mound.
• Gaara lay in the crater with his transformation gone, his cheek swollen and his eyes bewildered, while the onlookers gaped.

Kenya overwhelmed Gaara with a series of slaps and harsh advice, then left him with a rice cracker and told him to strengthen his body instead of relying on sand. Gaara was left crying from the unexpected mix of pain and concern, while Temari and Kankuro watched in fear.

• Gaara struggled to rise and attack Kenya, but Kenya grabbed him by the collar before his sand could gather.
• Kenya slapped Gaara repeatedly, mocking his threats and offering absurd reasons for each blow while his Armament Haki broke through Gaara’s sand defense.
• Shukaku felt the Haki’s force and retreated in fear, while Gaara stopped resisting and became frightened and confused.
• Kenya released Gaara, tossed him a rice cracker, and urged him to stop talking about killing and build his strength instead of relying on sand.
• Gaara stared at the cracker and began to cry, while Temari and Kankuro trembled as they watched.

Temari and Kankuro found Gaara beaten into a calm state, while Team 7 hid and Naruto praised Kenya’s strength as Sasuke insisted ninjutsu would prove superior. The chapter ended when a snake bearing Orochimaru’s face appeared outside their hiding place and stared at Sasuke.

• Temari and Kankuro approached Gaara in the crater and found him badly beaten but calm.
• Naruto excitedly praised Kenya and said he wanted Kenya to train him after the exams.
• Sasuke dismissed Kenya’s strength as crude taijutsu and vowed to prove the Uchiha’s power in the exams.
• A cold wind carrying a bloody stench swept into Team 7’s hiding place, filling them with a sense of danger.
• Sasuke activated his Sharingan and saw a venomous snake with Orochimaru’s face staring at his neck.

Orochimaru attacked Sasuke in the Forest of Death, intending to plant the Cursed Seal of Heaven and claim him as a vessel. Kenya intervened before the bite landed, leaving Orochimaru pinned and defeated.

• Orochimaru revealed himself in a human-faced python disguise and used his killing intent to paralyze Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke.
• Orochimaru targeted Sasuke as a potential vessel and lunged to bite his neck with the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
• Kenya appeared and slapped Orochimaru’s extended snake head against the hollow wall before he could reach Sasuke.
• Kenya pinned Orochimaru with Armament Haki, then released him after his disguise had collapsed.
• Naruto rejoiced at Kenya’s arrival, while Sasuke stared in disbelief at the man who had saved him.

Kenya confronted Orochimaru over his research into immortality, mocking the scientist and advising him to build strength through exercise. Orochimaru attacked with a vast swarm of venomous snakes, and Kenya charged forward with his arm coated in powerful Armament Haki.

• Kenya appeared inside Orochimaru's tree hollow, then washed and pocketed his rice-cracker wrapper while Orochimaru and Team 7 watched in confusion.
• Kenya asked Orochimaru about his immortality research and ridiculed it as blind experimentation.
• Kenya advised Orochimaru to do push-ups and sit-ups instead of researching body-switching techniques, enraging him.
• Orochimaru used Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes, sending a swarm of venomous snakes toward Kenya and frightening Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto.
• Kenya coated his right arm in dense Armament Haki, causing the snakes to freeze in fear, then charged at Orochimaru.

Kenya overwhelmed Orochimaru with his speed and taijutsu, then relentlessly battered him after Orochimaru shed his ruined body. Naruto cheered Kenya on while Sasuke stared in shock at the difference in their strength.

• Orochimaru used a chakra drug to push his vessel's speed and strength to their limits and prepared a powerful attack against Kenya.
• Kenya used Six Powers: Soru to bypass Orochimaru's snakes and smash him into a tree with a single punch.
• Orochimaru used his Substitution Technique to shed his damaged body and emerge in a fresh one.
• Kenya appeared beside Orochimaru and hammered him with Black Iron: Hundred Rending Barrage, leaving him unable to fight back.
• Naruto excitedly cheered Kenya while Sasuke watched in stunned silence, unable to follow Kenya's speed.

Kenya brutally defeated Orochimaru, interrupting his Eight Branches Technique and forcing him to escape. Kenya then returned to the stunned Sasuke and cheering Naruto.

• Kenya pummeled Orochimaru into a crater, leaving him gravely injured.
• Orochimaru attempted to transform with the Eight Branches Technique, but Kenya crushed a forming serpent head with Armament Haki: Meteor Stomp.
• Orochimaru used Great Snake Style: Manda Escape to split into tiny white snakes and flee underground.
• Kenya chose not to pursue Orochimaru and wiped the blood and snake slime from his flip-flops.
• Kenya turned toward Naruto, who was cheering, and Sasuke, who remained frozen and pale from the fight.

During the Chunin Exams’ break, Senju Kenya turned the tower rest hall into a barbecue stall, selling grilled sea-beast meat to exhausted candidates. As the candidates eagerly lined up to buy food, Naruto reached the front with an empty wallet.

• Kenya left Sasuke and Naruto to recover from their encounter with Orochimaru and urged Team 7 to take their scrolls to the central tower.
• After the five-day Forest of Death test ended, the surviving candidates entered the tower hungry and exhausted.
• Kenya set up a large barbecue stall in the rest hall, with Haku grilling and chilling the meat and Shizune collecting payments.
• Kenya charged ten thousand ryo per skewer, and a hungry Sunagakure candidate bought one and praised its taste and chakra-restoring effect.
• Candidates from across the nations formed a long line to buy the skewers, while Naruto reached the front with an empty wallet.

Kenya fed Naruto and Sasuke grilled meat at his stall, winning over both boys despite their different objections. After serving Team 7, he resumed business as Hinata shyly approached him with a handkerchief.

• Naruto admitted he could not afford the grilled meat, so Kenya gave him three skewers as an apprentice perk.
• Naruto devoured the meat and praised it as far better than Ichiraku Ramen.
• When Sasuke denied being hungry, Kenya pulled him to the stall and fed him a skewer.
• Sasuke was won over by the taste and the meat’s chakra-restoring energy, then eagerly ate more.
• Kenya returned to selling barbecue, and Hinata approached him with a handkerchief.

Hinata thanked Kenya for saving Hizashi, and Kenya gave her custom-made Iron Fist Knuckles while teaching her to attack with brute force. Hinata tested them by punching a huge dent into an iron pillar.

• Hinata gave Kenya a handkerchief and thanked him for rescuing Hizashi.
• Kenya criticized Hinata’s Gentle Fist and said she should learn to defend herself with physical strength.
• Kenya used Wood Release to make Hinata a pair of black iron knuckles engraved with “Iron Fist.”
• Kenya showed Hinata how to punch and urged her to test the knuckles on an iron pillar.
• Hinata activated her Byakugan, focused chakra into her right fist, and dented the pillar with a punch.