Chapter Summaries

After Kushina returned safely, Araki reassured Minato that the Third Hokage was not responsible for the attack, while the Third privately raised Araki as a suspect to Jiraiya. Araki went to his training ground and found Uchiha Fugaku waiting for him.

• The Third Hokage sent Minato, Kushina, and Araki away, then stayed with Jiraiya to discuss the attack on Kushina.
• Araki told Minato that the Third Hokage appeared innocent but likely had a suspect in mind, and Minato vowed to gain the power to change Konoha.
• The Third Hokage suggested Araki might have leaked Kushina's identity, but Jiraiya insisted the culprit was likely someone among Konoha's upper ranks.
• The Third Hokage dismissed Jiraiya and said he would handle the investigation himself.
• Araki headed to his usual training spot and found Uchiha Fugaku waiting for him.

Araki met with Uchiha Fugaku, who questioned him about Ueki’s murder, but Araki denied remembering useful details and redirected the conversation to a possible leak of his mission. Fugaku recognized that Araki’s team had been attacked by Kumogakure ninja and began to explain that Araki had misunderstood something.

• Uchiha Fugaku invited Araki to a teahouse near the Uchiha Clan compound to talk privately.
• Fugaku thanked Araki for clearing Mikoto of suspicion in Ueki’s death and asked what he remembered about the case.
• Araki claimed he had forgotten the investigation and refused to provide Fugaku with leads, while privately considering Fugaku a possible suspect.
• Araki asked whether the Konoha Military Police Force could investigate a possible leak of his mission plans.
• Araki told Fugaku that his team had been ambushed by Kumogakure ninja after leaving Konoha, and Fugaku recognized the incident.
• Fugaku told Araki that he thought Araki had misunderstood.

Araki deflected Fugaku’s questions about Ueki and Mikoto, then decided to strengthen himself by returning to Orochimaru’s laboratory to seek Hashirama cells and develop poisons. Three months later, his team had continued taking mostly low-ranked missions, while the investigation into the Sunagakure attack appeared to have stalled.

• Araki told Fugaku that their mission information might have been leaked, and Fugaku dismissed his concerns as a reaction to his first mission outside the village.
• Fugaku questioned Araki about his friendship with Mikoto, and Araki said they had only spent time together because Kushina asked them to go.
• Araki concluded that his chakra might not be enough to restrain Nine-Tails if it went berserk again, putting Kushina at risk.
• Araki returned to Orochimaru’s abandoned laboratory, sent Wood Clones to search it, and resolved to develop the poisons in Tsunade’s notes while seeking more Hashirama cells.
• Over the next three months, Araki and his teammates mostly took D-rank missions, and Minato held back from confronting the Third about the unresolved Sunagakure incident.

Jiraiya told Araki, Minato, and Kushina that they would compete in the Chunin Ninja Exams hosted by Kumogakure on July 1, with Konoha sending only their team. Araki learned that the higher-ups had designated them as Konoha’s strongest eligible Genin team and questioned whether the Third Lord Hokage had chosen them.

• Jiraiya announced that the Chunin Ninja Exams would be held in half a month, and Minato and Kushina eagerly welcomed the news.
• Jiraiya explained that Kumogakure would host the joint exams and that he had already registered Araki, Minato, and Kushina.
• Araki asked how many teams Konoha would send, and Jiraiya said Konoha would send only one.
• Araki asked whether the team had been selected or designated by the higher-ups, and Jiraiya said the higher-ups chose them because they were Konoha’s strongest Genin team still eligible.
• Araki asked whether the Third Lord Hokage had made the decision.

Araki suspected Kumogakure’s interest in Kushina was tied to a scheme involving Sunagakure and Shimura Danzō, but he could not determine Danzō’s motive. After Jiraiya trained the team for half a month, they prepared to depart for the Chunin Ninja Exams in Kumogakure.

• Araki connected Kumogakure’s repeated attempts to capture Kushina with the upcoming Chunin Ninja Exams and wondered whether Sunagakure had tried to deliver her to Kumogakure.
• Araki suspected Shimura Danzō had arranged the scheme but could not identify his motive, and decided not to visit the Uzumaki Clan yet.
• Jiraiya announced intensive training for Araki, Minato, and Kushina before their journey to Cloud Rock Village.
• Jiraiya trained the three for half a month, then discovered Araki’s chakra control was already exceptionally advanced and focused more on Minato and Kushina.
• Araki continued physical training and poison research, but made no progress locating Hashirama cells in Konoha.

Jiraiya led Araki, Minato, and Kushina into a village in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning before they reached Kumogakure. Araki sensed concealed watchers and suspected Kumogakure ninja were preparing to target Kushina before the team arrived.

• Jiraiya explained that Kumogakure stood atop the mountain and that the group would rest in the village below before continuing.
• Jiraiya said he wanted to seek inspiration in the village and led the team inside, while Minato and Kushina followed without understanding his reason.
• Araki sensed several concealed presences watching the group and judged that they were professional trackers.
• Araki suspected the watchers were Kumogakure ninja planning to abduct Kushina before the team reached Kumogakure, and he stayed alert while the others explored.

Araki suspected that Kushina was the target of the watchers following their group, so he disguised himself as her and drew them away from Minato. He confirmed that the pursuers were focused on his disguise and let them surround him in a secluded area, preparing to counterattack.

• Jiraiya left Minato, Kushina, and Araki at their lodging and went to a hot spring to seek inspiration.
• Araki noticed the watchers closing in after Jiraiya left and claimed he would check whether it was safe outside.
• Araki used Wood Release Transformation to take Kushina's appearance and walked out of the village alone.
• The watchers followed Araki, confirming that Kushina was their sole target, and waited until they reached a secluded place.
• The pursuers exchanged glances and rushed to surround Araki, who had anticipated their attack.

Araki, disguised as Kushina, used Wood Release to capture the masked Anbu Ninja who had surrounded him. He began preparing to expose their identities and incapacitate them, leaving the captives helpless before him.

• Araki questioned the masked Anbu Ninja and called the four hidden attackers out of their positions.
• After the four joined the group, Araki used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence to trap and gather them.
• Araki announced that he would discover which village they came from, alarming the captives.
• One Anbu Ninja tried to stop him, and Araki claimed he would give them a peaceful end with medicine from a bottle.
• Araki sprinkled the medicine over the restrained Anbu Ninja, reminding the speaker that he had prompted him to do so.

Jiraiya, Araki, Minato, and Kushina prepared to leave their temporary lodgings after stopping in a village near Kumogakure. Araki handed two packets to his teammates, leaving their contents unexplained.

• Araki confirmed the masked ninja were from Kumogakure, searched them, and took useful supplies and a Kumogakure forehead protector.
• Araki used Fire Style: Small Flame Bullet to set his Wood Release trees ablaze and dispose of the evidence.
• Jiraiya returned from gathering material feeling refreshed, while Araki, Minato, and Kushina prepared to depart.
• Araki took two small grass packets from his ninja tool pouch and gave them to his teammates.

Araki gave Minato, Kushina, and Jiraiya antidote kits before Jiraiya led the group toward Kumogakure, whose dramatic cliffside route and hidden bridge amazed them. They began climbing the steep steps, and after a long ascent Jiraiya called a ten-minute rest while the summit remained out of sight.

• Araki gave Minato and Kushina antidote kits tailored to Sunagakure's poisons and gave Jiraiya a larger kit suited to his body.
• Jiraiya led Araki, Minato, and Kushina out of town toward Kumogakure and showed them the cliffside walkway and the cloud-hidden bridge between the mountain peaks.
• Araki sensed people climbing above them and guards stationed on the cliffs as the group approached Kumogakure's territory.
• After climbing for about half an hour, Jiraiya stopped the group for a ten-minute rest because the ascent was long and tiring.

Jiraiya led Araki, Kushina, and Minato up the arduous mountain route into Kumogakure for the Chunin Ninja Exams, where Araki suspected the village had lured Kushina there for a hidden purpose. After they reached their lodgings, a powerful young Kumogakure ninja challenged Minato, and Araki suspected the visitor was the future Fourth Raikage, A.

• Araki explained that the zigzagging stairs gained little height, and the group continued climbing after resting.
• Jiraiya presented the team's invitation to Kumogakure's guards, who let them cross the cloud stairway into the village.
• Araki sensed many watchers focused on Kushina and suspected another fight might happen before the exams.
• A Kumogakure guide brought the team to their lodgings and warned them not to wander around.
• A tall Kumogakure boy came to the team's door, challenged Minato, and stopped his fist just short of Minato's face.
• Araki recognized the boy as likely A, Kumogakure's future Fourth Raikage.

Araki accepted Little A’s challenge and tested himself against the future Fourth Raikage, whose speed and strength overwhelmed him in their first exchange. The spar left Little A impressed by Araki’s toughness but convinced he was still too weak to be worth challenging further.

• Little A challenged the visitors, and Araki stepped forward after Minato refused.
• Araki led Little A away from the lodging and said he did not want to embarrass him by losing in public.
• Little A charged at Araki and struck his guard with a powerful punch, sending him flying backward.
• Araki recovered and landed safely, while Little A praised his resilience but dismissed him as no match.
• Araki acknowledged Little A’s speed and strength.

Araki and Little A fought an intense sparring match, with Araki using his green chakra and Chakra Enhanced Strength against Little A’s Lightning Release Chakra Mode. They stopped at night, both eager to meet and spar again the next day.

• Araki restored his strength with green chakra and met Little A’s charge with a Chakra Enhanced Strength punch.
• Little A activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and their fists collided, sending both backward and breaking Araki’s right hand.
• Araki’s green chakra quickly repaired his hand, and he invited Little A to continue fighting; Little A eagerly accepted.
• Araki and Little A sparred through the afternoon until nightfall, trading exhausting physical blows.
• Little A stopped from exhaustion, agreed to meet Araki the next day, and left questioning how strong Konoha’s other ninjas might be.

After sparring with Little A, Araki realized that a short charge amplified the force of Chakra Enhanced Strength and began adapting the technique with his green chakra. He continued training in Kumogakure's territory, intent on increasing his power without relying on the Eight Gates Released Formation.

• Araki returned to the lodgings, told Minato he would spar with Little A again, and received Jiraiya's support to continue training.
• Araki reviewed the fight and reasoned that Little A's lightning-enhanced attacks might gain power from the momentum of his charge.
• Araki grew trees outside the lodgings and tested Chakra Enhanced Strength with a run-up, confirming that the added momentum made his strike far stronger.
• Araki recognized the charge as an important part of Lightning Release Nintaijutsu and began imitating Little A's movements with green chakra.
• Araki rejected learning the Eight Gates Released Formation because he did not want to risk sacrificing his body, but decided Kumogakure's Nintaijutsu suited him.

Araki recognized Kumogakure’s Nintaijutsu as a fighting style that suited his physique and chakra control, then began training it with Little A. Their sparring plans turned into an exchange of techniques and advice, and the chapter ended as night fell.

• Araki decided to develop Kumogakure’s Nintaijutsu as a fighting style he could use openly without relying on poison.
• Araki spent the night imitating Little A’s movements and refining his own approach to Nintaijutsu.
• Little A arrived early, and Araki asked why he spread Lightning Release chakra across his whole body instead of concentrating it where needed.
• Araki explained that focusing chakra in his fist had enabled his powerful strikes, prompting Little A to consider refining his technique.
• Little A answered Araki’s questions about Nintaijutsu, while Araki explained chakra control and Chakra Enhanced Strength in return.
• Araki and Little A spent the day exchanging training advice instead of sparring, until Little A noticed that night had fallen.

After sparring and exchanging techniques with Little A, Araki returned to the lodging and told Jiraiya, Minato, and Kushina that he had learned Kumogakure's nintaijutsu. Jiraiya learned that Araki had traded principles of Chakra Enhanced Strength for instruction, and the chapter ended with Jiraiya asking Araki to demonstrate his new skills.

• Little A and Araki agreed that their exchange had helped both of them improve, then parted with the expectation that they might meet as enemies on a future battlefield.
• Araki returned to the lodging before the Chunin Ninja Exams and reassured Minato that he was uninjured.
• Araki told Jiraiya, Minato, and Kushina that he had learned Kumogakure's nintaijutsu from Little A, the Third Raikage's son.
• Araki explained that he had shared principles of Chakra Enhanced Strength in return for answers about nintaijutsu and offered to retrieve the information if Tsunade considered it a leak.
• Araki said he would kill Little A if necessary to retrieve the technique, leaving the room stunned.
• Jiraiya set the dispute aside and asked Araki to demonstrate nintaijutsu by attacking him with his full strength.

Araki demonstrated his Nintaijutsu to Jiraiya and proved that his speed and Chakra Enhanced Strength could overwhelm his teacher. The next morning, Araki, Minato, and Kushina arrived at Kumogakure’s Chunin Ninja Exams, where chief examiner Nankain introduced himself.

• Araki used Nintaijutsu to charge Jiraiya and struck him hard enough to numb his arms and force him backward.
• Jiraiya praised Araki’s strength, ended the spar, and told him, Minato, and Kushina to rest for the exams.
• The next morning, Jiraiya led the three students to the exam hall, where he saw them off at the entrance.
• Araki, Minato, and Kushina entered the hall and noticed that many participants were Kumogakure ninja and that others were watching the Konoha team.
• Nankain entered with several Kumogakure ninja, identified himself as the chief examiner, and said he had set the exam rules.

Nankain announced that the Chunin Ninja Exams would test strength through a deadly team round, and he defended giving Kumogakure squads an unfair advantage with the special kunai. The exam rules remained in place as he began to explain his second reason, while Araki watched quietly.

• Nankain canceled the written test and declared that teams must survive seven days with a special kunai to qualify for the third round.
• Nankain explained that only ten kunai would be given to Kumogakure's twenty squads, and teams without one or with an incapacitated or dead member would be eliminated.
• Nankain acknowledged the contestants' concerns about fairness and said they could withdraw or accept Kumogakure's rules.
• Nankain argued that strength, rather than fairness, let ninja overcome unequal circumstances, and the intimidated contestants remained silent.
• Araki assessed Nankain's contempt for the weak and stayed inconspicuous as Nankain began explaining his second reason.

Nankain led the candidates to the second exam site in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, where they would have to survive for seven days amid scarce supplies, dangerous beasts, traps, and rival teams. He then required everyone to sign a waiver absolving Kumogakure of responsibility for any injuries or deaths, leaving the candidates to face the choice of signing or withdrawing.

• Nankain explained that the special kunai given to some Kumogakure teams would make those teams targets, and argued that the exam would still reward the strongest candidates.
• Minato, Araki, and Kushina followed the others toward the exam site, while Kushina stayed alert to the possibility that Kumogakure might target her.
• Nankain brought the candidates to a mist-covered area behind the Valley of Clouds and Lightning and described the seven-day survival test, including its traps and wild beasts.
• Nankain's assistants distributed forms stating that any accident, including death, would be the candidate's own responsibility and unrelated to Kumogakure.
• Nankain told the candidates that signing was mandatory for participation, while anyone unwilling to sign could withdraw.

Nankain forced the participants to sign life-and-death waivers before entering the Chunin Ninja Exams, while Kumogakure ninja faced stricter deadlines and drew lots for special Kunai. Minato, Araki, and Kushina entered the vast exam grounds through a separate entrance, where teams would compete for seven days to obtain a special Kunai by any means.

• Nankain gave the ninja ten minutes to sign waivers or lose their eligibility, and his assistants gave Kumogakure ninja only three minutes.
• Kushina and Araki signed their forms, and Minato signed his after accepting his role as their team captain.
• More than ninety percent of the participants signed the waivers, while some withdrew from the exam.
• Kumogakure teams drew lots for special Kunai, which made their holders potential targets for the other ninja.
• An exam official explained to Minato that teams would enter through separate entrances and could use any method to possess a special Kunai when the seven-day exam ended.
• Minato led Araki and Kushina through their assigned entrance, and the official shut the gate behind them.