User:Snapper2/Sandbox
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| Naruto arcs
Snapper2/Sandbox |
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|---|---|
| Chapters 34-89
Episodes 20-51 |
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| <<<Prev. | Next>>> |
The Snapper2/Sandbox is the second arc from the fictional manga and anime Naruto. The arc explores the personalities and abilities of many characters that only received passing mention in the previous arc, and also finally introduces a series-lasting antagonist.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
[edit] Chunin exam
After waking up and having breakfast, Naruto Uzumaki heads off to meet his teammates Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. After a three-hour wait, their Jonin instructor, Kakashi Hatake, arrives, and they embark on their next mission. Although Naruto vows to finally do better than Sasuke on the day's missions, pulling weeds, picking up trash, and walking dogs proves to be too tiring for Naruto, and Sakura is forced to support him on the way home. Due to Naruto's inability to live up to his promise, Sasuke insults him, causing Naruto to shout with anger. Sakura attempts to change the subject by offering to go on a date of sorts with Sasuke, only to be insulted herself by being compared to Naruto. Kakashi, having other things to do, disappears, leaving an angry Sakura alone with Naruto.
At this moment, Naruto notices a square rock with eyeholes slowly sneaking up on him. After an attempt to lose it, Naruto yells out what a terrible disguise the rock is, forcing Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi to reveal themselves as a result of Naruto's "overwhelming" ninja abilities. After a brief argument, Naruto agrees to play ninja with the three, and a still crushed Sakura asks why a real ninja like Naruto would "play ninja". Konohamaru, not knowing who Sakura is, draws the conclusion that she is Naruto's girlfriend. Naruto, wanting to impress the others, confirms this idea, only to be proven wrong by Sakura's punch to his face. As the others run to Naruto's aide, Konohamaru questions why she did that, calling her a witch, and bringing Sakura's wrath down upon himself as well.
As Sakura walks away, Moegi and Udon checkup on Naruto and Konohamaru, the latter of which asks if Sakura is really a woman. Sakura, hearing this, returns to serve another wave of beatings, causing the other four to run away in fear. Konohamaru, not watching where he's going, runs into one of two foreigners, later revealed to be named Kankuro and Temari. Kankuro, angry that Konohamaru ran into him, picks him up by the scarf. Naruto runs to Konohamaru's aide, only to be tripped as a result of Kankuro twirling his fingers. Elsewhere, the Third Hokage addresses a group of Jonin that have been summoned to his office and informs them that in a week's time the Chunin Exams, a chance for Genin to become Chunin, will begin.
Naruto continues his attempts to save Konohamaru, though Sakura restrains him to avoid getting him in more trouble. Kankuro, disliking Naruto's attitude, tries to punch Konohamaru, though before he can follow through a rock collides with his arm, forcing him to drop Konohamaru. Looking to the source of the rock, everyone finds Sasuke to be sitting in a nearby tree, who questions what Kankuro and Temari are doing in Konoha. Konohamaru, meanwhile, returns to Naruto, chastising him for not coming to the rescue, enraging Naruto due to the fact that Sasuke has once again upstaged him.
Kankuro, not liking Sasuke's attitude either, attempts to use the object strapped to his back, though before he can do so a boy hanging upside down from the branch behind Sasuke tells him to stop, ridiculing him for picking on children. Kankuro, addressing the boy as Gaara, tries to place the blame on Konohamaru, only to be stifled by Gaara's death threat. Gaara apologizes for the other two's actions, and the three try to leave, though Sakura stops them, telling them they aren't allowed to be in the village. Temari explains that they are from Sunagakure and that they are here to participate in the Chunin Exam. Sasuke, surprised that Gaara had been able to get behind him without his notice, uses this opportunity to ask Gaara's name, who in turn, impressed with Sasuke's ability to hit Kankuro with a rock, asks the same of Sasuke. The two make the exchange, and the three Genin from the Sand leave.
Back at the Third Hokage's office, the Third takes nominations for entries to the exam. Kakashi nominates all three members of his team, much to Iruka Umino's disbelief. Likewise, Kurenai Yuhi, leader of Team 8, nominates her team consisting of Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame, and Asuma Sarutobi, leader of Team 10, does the same for team members Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. Iruka expresses concern that none of the nominated Genin are properly prepared for the ordeals of becoming a Chunin. Kakashi disagrees, and tells Iruka that, since they are no longer students of the academy, Iruka is in no position to second-guess his judgment of his own soldiers.
Upon meeting the group as late as usual the next morning, Kakashi informs them that they have been nominated for participation in the Chunin Exams. He tells them that taking the exam is optional, and leaves them all so that they can consider the matter. As they split-up to think, each are attacked by an unknown ninja, and each defeat the ninja in their own way. The ninja, suffering defeat three times, approaches Kakashi that night and informs him that the three passed his test. The ninja, releasing his jutsu, is revealed to be Iruka, who expresses surprise in all of their growth. Kakashi is not surprised, and expresses that, although it won't be easy, each are more than capable of taking the Chunin Exams.
The next day, the three meet to head to the academy together, where they will register for the exam. When they arrive, they find two Genin picking on another squad of genin who are trying to register, and use the excuse that they're trying to be helpful by telling them no to take what will be a grueling exam. Sasuke approaches the confrontation and tells the two bullying genin to release [[the genjutsu they're using and let him through, and encourages Sakura to back him up. The two comply, impressed that anyone noticed, and one attempts a sneak attack on Sasuke.
As Sasuke is about to block the kick, Rock Lee, one of the bullied Genin, stops them both mid-stride, surprising everyone nearby with his unbelievable speed. His teammate, Neji Hyuga, lectures Lee for breaking the agreement of acting weak and drawing attention to himself, and his other teammate, Tenten, rolls her eyes. Lee's attention, however, is focused on Sakura, and he promptly asks her out on a date. Sakura, disturbed by the sudden offer, refuses. Neji, impressed with Sasuke's skills, asks Sasuke's name, though because Neji doesn't give his own first, Sasuke declines. Naruto, enraged that nobody ever wants to know his name, mopes after Sakura and Sasuke to the registration area.
As Team 7 goes on their way, Lee confronts them and challenges Sasuke to a fight. He says that he knows Sasuke's from the Uchiha clan, and that as the strongest Konoha Genin and he wants to test his skills against someone of such lineage. Before the fight can start, though, Naruto insists he be allowed to fight Lee, who in turn has no interest in fighting Naruto. Naruto, unconcerned with this fact, attempts to attack Lee, only to have his attacks countered and then be kicked into the wall.
Sasuke, impressed with Lee's defeat of Naruto and his earlier display of speed, takes him up on the challenge. Sasuke is initially unable to land a blow on Lee and instead is constantly repelled due to Lee's speed. Because of this, he activates his Sharingan, which would enable him to keep up with Lee much easier. As he is about to attack, though, Lee gives him a swift upper kick, allowing him to use his Shadow of the Dancing Leaf. As he is about to finish the attack, a turtle pins one of Lee's bandages to the wall, forcing him to cancel the attack.
The turtle begins lecturing Lee, reminding him that he isn't allowed to use forbidden techniques such as that. Just as the others begin to think the turtle is Lee's instructor, Might Guy, Lee's actual sensei, appears and punches Lee in the face, startling everyone else. Guy and Lee immediately begin to cry, and the two embrace, apologizing to each other. Once to two have reconciled, Guy echoes the turtle's reprimands of Lee and tells him that breaking rules deserves punishment. As Lee prepares to do 500 laps around the arena, Goy notices the other three and recognizes them as Kakashi's students. Instantly appearing behind them, startling them all, he tells them that Kakashi is his rival and claims that he is stronger than Kakashi. He then apologizes for what Lee did, frees Lee's bandage, and disappears with Lee following soon after.
Sasuke, though angered that Lee was about to defeat him, leads the way to the registration area. Upon their arrival they find Kakashi waiting for them, who congratulates them all for qualifying. Seeing the puzzled look on their faces, he explains that the exams can only be taken in teams of two, and that had anyone of them, particularly Sakura, decided not to take the exam, nobody else on the team would have been allowed to proceed. But, since they all decided to take the test on their own and therefore can take the test, he wishes them luck, and they head through the door to the start of the Chunin Exams.
[edit] Phase One
Upon entrance into the room, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are surprised to find well over a hundred other Genin already there, who will also be taking the exams. As they stand there in awe the members of Team 8 and Team 10 approach them, and small arguments began to flare amongst the nine rookies. Their noise catches the attention of Kabuto Yakushi, who befriends the group with information about the other examinees. His explanations, however, catch the attention of some Sound Genin who dislike one of his remarks about their country's anonymity. Their attention leads to them attacking Kabuto, who, despite being able to dodge the attack, vomits and his glasses crack. This act causes the practitioner, Ibiki Morino, to appear, who tells everyone to settle down, take a seat, and then explains how the exam will progress.
The first part of the exam is written, but it was not a test of knowledge as much as a test of information gathering and willpower. The first 9 questions were supposed to be cheated, where the Genin must use any techniques to find out the correct answer without being caught. Naruto, who did not realize this, went into a traumatic state in which he felt that he would cause his entire team to be eliminated, as he did not know the answer to any of the questions. Sasuke realizes that he, too, did not know the answers but immediately activates his Sharingan to copy someone else's answers. The last question was do or die question: don't answer and your entire team fails the Chunin exams, answer and get it wrong and you stay a Genin forever. Naruto shows that he is not somebody who quits when he bursts out that he doesn't care if he stays a Genin forever, he will still become Hokage. The Genin who stayed behind all pass the first part of the Chunin exams (including Naruto, who didn't answer a single question on the exam but number 10.)
[edit] Phase Two
The second part of the Chunin Exams is to take place in the Forest of Death, where they will have five days to obtain a pair of scrolls and reach a safe haven at the center of the forest. Before the exam begins, Konohamaru and his friends arrive to interview Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, and the three recount their experiences up to that point. Once the interview is over, the Genin Teams prepare to head into the forest, and as soon as the practitioner, Anko Mitarashi, blows her whistle, the exam begins.
Soon after the exams start, Team 8 obtains a pair of scrolls forcing another team into a trap. At the same time, Naruto, who goes off to use the bathroom, is ambushed and restrained by a Rain Genin, who transforms into Naruto so that he can trick Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke, however, quickly discovers that the Genin is not Naruto, and quickly defeats the impostor. To avoid having this problem reoccur, Sasuke devises a password system to use, and whenever someone is separated from the group, they will need to first give the password.
At that moment, the group is blown away and consequently separated by a Kusagakure Genin surprise attack. As they try to regroup, Sasuke forces someone who looks like Sakura to give the password, who does so successfully confirming that they are indeed Sakura. A Naruto look-alike then approaches the two, and he too provides the correct password. This relieves Sakura, though Sasuke uses this opportunity to hurl a kunai at the Naruto, saying that the actual Naruto would never be able to remember the password. Realizing that he's been discovered, the Naruto returns to the form of the Grass ninja that attacked them. Elsewhere, a giant snake swallows the real Naruto, effectively detaining him.
The Grass ninja issues a challenge to Sasuke, saying that they should have a fight to the death for each other's scrolls, and then paralyzes Sakura and Sasuke with visions of their own death. As the Grass ninja is about to finish them off, Sasuke stabs himself in the leg to free himself from the jutsu's binding effects, and escapes with a still paralyzed Sakura to safety. As the two try to recover, another giant snake attempts to eat them whole, only for Sasuke to defeat it with a barrage of shuriken to its head. To his surprise, the Grass ninja emerges from the snake's corpse, and heads towards Sasuke to continue their battle. As he gets closer, a cluster of shuriken connect with the ground in front of him, halting his advance. Looking to the source, it is revealed that Naruto has come to the rescue (his escape from the snake's stomach made possible by using shadow clones to force the snake's body to expand and burst from within).
Naruto's arrival does nothing to raise Sasuke's hopes of winning the battle, and as such he attempts to forfeit their scroll to the Grass Genin in exchange for their lives. As he tosses it to the Grass ninja, Naruto snatches it out of the air and proceeds to punch Sasuke and accuses him of being an impostor due to his belief that the real Sasuke would never give up. The ninja, indifferent to this change in outcomes, summons another snake, and swats Naruto aside. As the snake attempts to finish Naruto, Naruto taps into the power of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within him, bruising the snake. Everyone is shocked by this increase in power, and the Grass ninja attempts to take out Sasuke before Naruto can interfere again. As the snake is about to ram Sasuke, Naruto appears and latches on to the snake's nose, effectively stopping its attack. Wanting to make sure Sasuke is unharmed, he ask, "You're not hurt are you... you scaredy-cat?"
The Grass ninja, now recognizing Naruto as the demon fox's container, grabs Naruto with his tongue and seals the fox's chakra, rendering Naruto unconscious. He takes the scroll from Naruto and tosses Naruto aside, ready to continue the battle. Sasuke, inspired by Naruto's actions and words, activates his Sharingan and prepares to finish the fight. Using a number of projectiles tied with wire, Sasuke pins the Grass Genin in place and then sends a flame down the wire, doing what would normally be a fatal blow.
To Sasuke's misfortune, however, the attack has only managed to cause the ninja's face to peel, and the ninja still has enough fight left in him to paralyze Sasuke and Sakura. The ninja introduces himself as Orochimaru, and congratulates Sasuke for living up to the title of "Itachi's brother. As a parting gesture, Orochimaru destroys Team 7's scroll and bites Sasuke's neck, leaving an imprinted curse mark. As Sasuke wreathes in pain, Orochimaru escapes, wishing the group luck for when his Sound ninja subordinates meet up with them.
Sakura manages to get the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke to safety and takes care of them throughout the night. As fatigue begins to take hold of Sakura, the Sound Genin that had attacked Kabuto earlier arrive and express their wishes to fight Sasuke. Telling them that Sasuke is in no condition to battle, Sakura asks the three what Orochimaru wants with Sasuke, surprising them due to her knowledge of their master. Not accepting Sasuke's condition as a valid excuse, the Genin prepare their attack, though first they are forced to go around the obvious booby-trap left for them, only to fall into the real trap Sakura had setup elsewhere. Dosu Kinuta, one of the Sound Genin, destroys the trap, and the three proceed to surround Sakura. As they are about to finish the defenseless Team 7, Rock Lee arrives and repels them all, who is ready to protect Sakura with his life.
With the Sound Genin's attention now focused on him, Lee attempts to finish the battle quickly; remembering how Might Guy had told him he could use his forbidden technique only when protecting someone precious to him, Lee prepares to use the technique had had earlier tried to use on Sasuke. As Dosu advances, Lee kicks him into the air and appears behind him, wrapping his bandages around Dosu. With Dosu retrained, Lee uses his Front Lotus, and attack that would have put Dose out of commission for a long time. Recognizing the danger that Dosu is in, Dosu's teammate Zaku Abumi uses the air tubes in his hands to create a pillow of dirt where Dosu lands, protecting him from the deadliest effects of Lee's attack. Lee, injured due to the side effects pf using that attack, is defenseless against the now vengeful Dosu, who uses the implant in his arm to damage Lee's inner ear, incapacitating Lee.
Sakura attempts to save Lee, though her attack is reflected back at her by Zaku's airwaves. As Sakura shields herself against her own attack, the third Sound Genin, Kin Tsuchi, grabs hold of Sakura's hair and berates her for caring more about her appearance than her abilities as a ninja. As these words sink in, Sakura realizes that people are always coming to her rescue and that she never does anything to help herself. Coming to the conclusion that its time that she start protecting the ones she cares about, Sakura cuts her hair and freeing herself from Kin's grasp, surprising all onlookers.
With Sakura free, the Sound Genin make to kill Sakura, though as their attacks connect with her she turns into a log, and another Sakura attempts an attack on Zaku. Zaku repels the attack back at the Sakura, who also turns into a log. Zaku's attention then turns to another Sakura above him, who he hits with a number of kunai, and he then looks for where a Sakura will appear next. To his dismay, the most recent Sakura was the actual Sakura, and she lands on him pins him down. An angered Zaku eventually manages to wrestle free of Sakura, and is just about to finish her off when Ino Yamanaka, who had been watching the entire battle and was inspired by Sakura's desperation, appears with the rest Team 10 to take the fight off of Sakura's hands.
After instructing Sakura to return to taking care of Naruto and Sasuke, Team 10 goes to work; Choji Akimichi uses his Multi-Size Technique and charges at Zaku, and when Dosu attempts to go to Zaku's aide Shikamaru Nara restrains him with his Shadow Imitation Technique. As Zaku narrowly avoids Choji's attack, Kin questions why Dosu did nothing to help, giving Ino a chance to use her Mind Body Switch Technique on Kin. With her jutsu's success, Ino is able to enter Kin's body and attempts to force a surrender by the Sound Genin. They, however, are not so willing to give up, and Zaku blasts Ino in Kin's body, which likewise damages Ino's real body. With the Sound Genin's readiness to attack their own teammates made clear, another group of onlookers, Lee's teammates Neji Hyuga and Tenten, make their presence known. Just as they are about to join the battle as a means of vengeance for Lee, Neji decides that their intervention won't be necessary, signaling the now awaking Sasuke as the reason why. Sakura, glad that he's finally come to, is terrified to find that Sasuke is enveloped in a dark chakra, which worries, among other people, Dosu.
Sasuke's first order of business is to find out who put Sakura in such a damaged state, a feat that Zaku is quick to claim, which enrages Sasuke and causes the mark on his neck to spread all over his body. Shikamaru, sensing the danger that Sasuke now poses, pulls Team 10 out of the battle, forcing Ino return to her own body. As Sasuke's strength increases, Dosu recognizes the chakra as that of Orochimaru. Zaku, dismissing Dosu's claim, blasts Sasuke in an attempt to finish their mission. As the smoke clears, it is revealed that Sasuke managed to relocate Naruto and Sakura to behind Zaku, and he sends Zaku flying with a punch in the back. With Zaku momentarily down, Sasuke shoots a number of fire-covered shuriken at Zaku, giving him another opportunity to get behind Zaku as he blocks the attack. As Zaku recovers, Sasuke grabs both of Zaku's arms and holds them behind him. After observing that Zaku seems to be very fond of his arms, Sasuke dislocates both of them, and drops Zaku to the ground so that he may writhe in pain.
With Zaku down, Sasuke's attention turns to Dosu, the only able-bodied Sound Genin left. Before their battle can start, Sakura embraces Sasuke and pleads for him to stop. Her words get through to Sasuke's subconscious, and the curse mark begins to recede. Dosu uses this opportunity to forfeit his scroll to Sasuke, asking that he and his comrades be allowed to escape. As they make their leave, Sakura asks what Orochimaru wants with Sasuke, to which Dosu replies that he doesn't know, and that he too will need to get to the bottom of that matter. They disappear, leaving the Konoha Genin to regroup.
Elsewhere, Team 8 makes their way to the tower, though on the way the notice a group of people not far away, and they decide to check it out. Upon their arrival, they find a hiding spot in some nearby bushes, and watch as Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari, the Genin from the Sand, are confronted by a team of Rain Genin. Kiba Inuzuka's dog, Akamaru moans about something, and Kiba believes him to be sating that Gaara is in trouble.
The lead Rain Genin challenges Gaara, though Gaara does nothing but promise him death. Disliking Gaara's cockiness, the Genin uses his umbrellas to execute Sprinkling Needles jutsu, which surrounds Gaara with needles that then all bombard him. Although it seems to have been successful at first, it is quickly reveled that Gaara's Shield of Sand blocked every needle. Gaara, now unimpressed with the Genin's ability, traps his foe with his Desert Coffin. After grabbing one of the Genin's umbrellas and using it to shield himself, Gaara ends the fight with Desert Funeral, killing the Genin. The Genin's teammates, fearing for their lives, forfeit their scroll, though Gaara quickly kills them in the same way he killed their teammate. Thanks to the umbrella that he borrowed, Gaara manages to kill three enemies and not get a drop of blood on his person.
Team 8, terrified by this massacre, tries to flee, though Gaara gives the impression that he noticed them. Although it seems as though they too will meet their ends by Gaara's hands, Kankuro persuades Gaara to stop, and the three proceed to the tower. As they walk off, Kiba realizes that he misunderstood Akamaru; Akamaru wasn't saying that Gaara was in trouble, he was saying Gaara was trouble.
A few days later, Team 7 has managed to make a full recovery, though desperation sets in as they realize they have only a day until the second exam ends. Naruto, who has since awakened, proposes that they make a fake scroll so that they can gain entrance to the tower. To do so, they will first need to examine the contents of the scroll already in their possession, something they were forbidden to do. Just as Naruto is about to do so, Kabuto appears and stops him, explaining that in the past instances that he's taken the exam, opening the scroll has lead to all nearby Genin being rendered unconscious. Naruto thanks Kabuto for stopping him, and Team 7 accompanies Kabuto to the tower.
Along the way, the four encounter the Rain Genin who had earlier impersonated Naruto and his teammates, who attempt to tire out the four and then take their scrolls once they're exhausted. Due to some quick thinking on Naruto's part, the group is able to defeat the Rain Genin and take their scroll, allowing them entrance to the tower and thus passage of the exam. Kabuto, having found his own teammates, leaves Team 7, thanking them for their assistance in reaching the tower safely. Soon after, Kabuto and his team meet with Orochimaru and give their report of Sasuke's performance thus far, revealing that they are a group Orochimaru's elite spies.
[edit] Preliminaries
In total, seven teams of three manage to pass the second phase of the exam; Team 7, Team 8, Team 10, Team Guy, the Sound Genin, Gaara and his teammates, and Kabuto and his teammates. Because so many have passed, however, the proctor, Hayate Gekko, is forced to hold preliminary matches to halve the number of people that pass on to the third and final stage of the Chunin Exams. Before the preliminaries start, though, he gives the 21 remaining Genin an option to drop out, allowing them to walk away without facing an opponent. Kabuto takes him up on the offer, saying that he's too injured to continue fighting at that he is unwilling to risk his life in his current state. After Kabuto bids a farewell to his teammates and Team 7, he leaves, and the remaining 20 Genin prepare for the preliminaries.
The first match up is Sasuke against a member of Kabuto's team, Yoroi Akado. Before the fight starts, Kakashi warns Sasuke that if his curse mark gets out of control, he'll have to intervene and stop the match to control the mark, which bars Sasuke from using any jutsu at all just so he can fight. The match starts with Yoroi stealing Sasuke's chakra through his hands, which Orochimaru, disguised as the Sound Genin's Jonin, refers to as an unholy gift. The match seems hopeless for Sasuke, until he hears Naruto's nagging. Next to him is Rock Lee, which makes Sasuke get an idea. He uses Lion Combo, a copy of Rock Lee's Forward Lotus move, captured by Sasuke's Sharingan. Yoroi is knocked out, and Sasuke advances to the next round. After the fight, Kakashi takes him to seal the curse mark.
The second match is Zaku and Shino Aburame. Because of Sasuke's attack in the forest, Zaku only has one arm he can move, but he bets he can win. To live up to his promise he delivers a powerful blast to Shino, which catches everyone by surprise and knocks Shino to the ground. When Shino emerges, it is revealed that he has commanded a multitude of bugs to trap Zaku, who he leaves with a choice: to attack him or attack the bugs. Zaku, in a desperate move, chooses to attack both, and pulls his second arm out of its sling and prepares to attack both forces. As Zaku makes to attack, his arms implode at the elbows, putting Zaku out of commission. As everyone looks on in surprise, Shino reveals that he used his bugs to block the airways of Zaku's arms, leading to Zaku's defeat as a result of attacking. A medical team carries Zaku away and Shino is declared the winner.
The third match pits Kankuro against Kabuto other teammate, Misumi Tsurugi. Although Misumi, with his highly flexible body, seems to quickly gain the upper hand of Kankuro and put him in a position to surrender, it is revealed that Kankuro had switched places with the puppet he keeps on his back. With Misumi dangerously close to the puppet, Kankuro uses his puppet to defeat Misumi.
The fourth match, Sakura versus Ino, is particularly meaningful because the two are rivals. At first, they only punch each other, to almost no effect. Then Sakura's criticism affects Ino, who seemingly goes insane and cuts her long hair to imitate Sakura's actions in the forest. She then proceeds to perform the Mind Body Switch Technique. The jutsu is revealed to move very slowly, so Sakura runs from her aim. She gets trapped though, and Ino says her real goal was to trap Sakura with her cut hair, using her chakra. She then performs the Mind Body Switch Technique successfully and says, as Sakura, that she'll quit the match. However, Ino is thrown back into her own body by the Inner Sakura, and they both proceed to hit each other and finish it. They hit each other at the exact same time, and knock each other out. Hayate declares that neither of them will move on.
The fifth battle is between Temari and Tenten. Temari taunts Tenten soon after the battle starts, specifically because all Tenten could do was launch weapons. Temari, being a controller of wind, could easily defeat Tenten, because Temari's wind not only attacks Tenten, but could also blow Tenten's weapons away. Tenten uses everything she can, summoning numerous weapons to the battle, but they are useless against Temari's wind. Finally, Temari, bored with the battle, uses a whirlwind attack with chakra embedded in the wind, knocking Tenten in to the air, unconscious. Temari, the victor, positions her iron fan so that Tenten lands on it, and then throws Tenten away like a piece of garbage.
Shikamaru goes up against Kin, one of the Sound Genin, for the sixth match. Shikamaru starts off by trying to trap Kin with his Shadow Imitation Technique, which Kin dodges and counters by throwing two needles at Shikamaru. The needles, one of which has a bell attached, hit the wall behind Shikamaru, and thanks to a string tied to one of the bells, Kin is able to activate a genjutsu that throws Shikamaru off balance. As Kin prepares to eliminate Shikamaru, she finds that she can't move, trapped by Shikamaru shadow. As Shikamaru recovers, he reveals that he used the string's shadow to his advantage, giving him an easy path to Kin. Shikamaru grabs a shuriken from a pouch on his leg and Kin, forced to do the same thing as Shikamaru, does the same. The two throw their shuriken at one another, and at the last moment Shikamaru allows them both to dodge. Kin, having unknowingly had her back against the wall, collides with it head first, rendering her unconscious. Kin is carried away and Shikamaru is declared the winner.
For the seventh match, Naruto goes up against Kiba. Though Kiba thinks that it'll be an easy fight against a goof ball like Naruto, Naruto intends to prove everyone that they shouldn't underestimate him. Kiba starts off the battle by making himself more animalistic and teaming up with Akamaru to attack Naruto. Although the pair seems to be effectively beating Naruto, Naruto starts using the Transformation Technique to his advantage, taking on the appearance of both Akamaru and Kiba in turn. Doing so allow Naruto to get in a number of sneak attacks and ultimately forces Kiba to attack Akamaru, leveling the playing field. Now that it's an even match up, Naruto prepares to use a new move, though Kiba gets behind Naruto and tries to stop Naruto before that can happen. Due to the heightened sense of smell that comes with his animal qualities, a fart from Naruto at that exact moment temporarily stuns Kiba, allowing Naruto to perform his "new" move: an adaptation of Sasuke's Lion Combo with the added bonus of using shadow clones. The move is enough to defeat the stunned Kiba, and Naruto claims victory, proving that he shouldn't be taken so lightly.
For the eighth match, Hinata Hyuga is pitted against her cousin Neji. Although both Hinata and Neji have the Byakugan, Neji belongs to a Branch house of the Hyuga clan, which is not well respected by the Main house. For this reason, Neji despises the Main house, of which Hinata is a member. Before the match begins, Neji informs Hinata that she has no chance of winning because she is weak, and uses fatalistic philosophy to support his claim, stating that, because talent is determined at birth, Hinata will never be able to defeat him. This speech weakens Hinata's resolve, which wasn't that strong to begin with. Naruto, however, not believing Neji's speech about dropouts, cheers Hinata on, raising her spirits and giving her the confidence she needs.
With this rise in self-esteem, Hinata and Neji go head to head, exchanging Gentle Fist-style blows that can only be done by those with the Byakugan. As the fight progresses however, it is revealed that Neji has cut off Hinata's ability to be an effective combatant, and as such none of her punches have been harming Neji. Neji's punches, however, are still more than capable of injuring Hinata, and the fight begins to take its toll on her. Although Neji repeatedly puts Hinata in a position where she can no longer fight, Hinata continues to battle Neji, only suffering more injuries as time goes on.
Eventually, thanks to Naruto's encouragement, Hinata is able to turn the tables on Neji, telling him that it is he, not her, that is weak and that as a member of the Branch house he is the one that suffers. This infuriates Neji, who goes for a killing blow on Hinata. Fortunately, a number of Jonin instructors come to Hinata's aide and restrain Neji. The damage that Hinata has already received, however, is too much for her to bear, causing her to collapse and lose consciousness, making Neji the winner. Naruto, angered that Neji could be so cruel to his own family, makes a promise to defeat him and prove that failure is not a curse.
The ninth match includes the futile efforts of "hard work genius" Rock Lee to defeat tailed-beast container Gaara. Rock Lee uses his remarkable Taijutsu abilities, but barely scratches Gaara. He then opens five of the inner gates, the result being that Lee's strength is multiplied immensely for a short time. Gaara is beat around. Rock Lee uses his Hidden Lotus technique to attempt to break through Gaara's sand armor, at the expense of great pain and injury to himself. When Gaara is falling his gourd full of sand, turns into plain sand to save himself from the attack that Lee inflicted. Gaara uses Desert Coffin to crush Rock Lee's left arm and leg. Guy steps down to defend Lee, regretting that he ever taught Lee how to open the inner gates. Gaara wins the match.
For the ninth match Rock Lee goes up against Gaara. As soon as the match starts, Gaara releases sand from the gourd on his back and Lee begins with a flurry of taijutsu attacks. However, Lee is at an immediate disadvantage, since Gaara's sand automatically protects Gaara from any physical attacks and also serves as a means of attack. Sakura, watching from the sidelines, wonders why Lee doesn't use any genjutsu or ninjutsu, to which Guy replies that Lee has absolutely no skill in either category, and that his only ability lies in his taijutsu.
Because Lee's only method of attack is not working, Guy tells Lee to take the weights off of his legs, which Lee happily obeys. Lee removes the weights from his ankles, and lets them fall to the ground, creating two large impact craters when they do so. Not longer being inhibited by the excess load, Lee shifts into high gear, beginning another wave of attacks. Gaara's sand still attempts to block Lee's strikes, though because of Lee's enhanced speed the sand can't come to Gaara's aide fast enough, and Lee eventually hits Gaara, an accomplishment that had never before been done. Gaara, however, had a secondary defense, and was left undamaged by Lee's attacks. Lee, wanting to end the battle, uses his Front Lotus on Gaara, and aside from a brief lapse of pain succeeds in doing so without a hitch.
As Lee regains his breath he observes Gaara to see if he has one. To his dismay, Gaara begins to crack and collapse, revealing himself to be only a hollow shell of sand; the real Gaara having escaped when Lee momentarily flinched while performing the Forward Lotus. The real Gaara, appearing behind Lee, attacks Lee with a wave of sand, and Lee is left at his mercy. With his defeat imminent, Lee decides to use the most forbidden of the techniques Guy had taught him, something Kakashi, having returned from taking care of Sasuke, scolds Guy for. As Lee prepares to start his final attack, Guy reveals that, of the Eight Gates, Lee can open five, shocking Kakashi to such a degree that he reveals his Sharingan eye, ready to pay careful attention to Lee's next move.
Lee opens the third gate, which turns his skin red and causes his hair to stand on end, and then the fourth gate, giving him such speed that the only way he can be seen is to follow the shattering ground he leaves in his path. Lee launches Gaara into the air, his sand unable to even begin to catch up, and Lee beats him back and forth all throughout his ascent. After opening the fifth gate, Lee uses his Reverse Lotus, sending Gaara into a yet another crater. Lee falls to the ground, exhausted due to the aftereffects of opening so many gates.
As the dust settles, Gaara is revealed to gone relatively unscathed, his impact cushioned by the gourd on his back made entirely of sand. With Lee no longer having any energy to fight, Gaara uses his Desert Coffin to crush Lee's arm and leg. As Gaara is about to kill Lee, Guy steps in, dispelling Gaara's sand. Guy's expression strikes a chord with Gaara, who decides to leave Lee be, accepting victory for what it is. To everyone's surprise though, Lee gets up, his desire to prove himself being so strong that it allows him to move even when unconscious. Guy cries for Lee and embraces him, saying that Lee no longer has any reason to prove himself.
As the medical team takes Lee away, one of medics reveals that Lee's injuries are so severe that he will never again be able to fight as a ninja. Guy, crushed that Lee will no longer be live up to his dreams, apologizes to Lee, sorry that he didn't stop Lee from destroying himself when he had the chance. On a sad note, Guy returns to the sidelines, getting out of the way of the final match.
For the last fight of Choji versus Dosu, Choji uses his Multi-Size Technique, and hides his head within his increased bulk to protect his ears from Dosu's sound attacks. As a means of attack, Choji uses Human Bullet Tank, rolling himself towards Dosu at a high speed. Dosu blocks the attack, and Choji get collides with the wall, getting stuck there. Once Choji stops spinning Dosu blasts a wave of sound into Choji's body, the sound amplified several times over due to the large amount of water within the human body, defeating Choji and making him the winner.
With the preliminaries over the Third Hokage congratulates the victors, and tells them that they will have a month to prepare for the final round of the Chunin Exam. Before the Genin are dismissed, they are first asked to draw numbers which will decide who will fight who in the finals. Naruto is scheduled to fight Neji in the first match, then Sasuke versus Gaara, Shino versus Kankuro, and finally Dosu versus Shikamaru, the winner of that match meant to fight Temari. Naruto, eager to begin his training, goes off to look for Kakashi. Once he is found though, Naruto is disappointed to learn that Kakashi has already decided to train Sasuke. Fortunately for Naruto, Kakashi has found someone else to train him: Ebisu.
[edit] Episodes
| Ep | English Title | Japanese Title | Original Airdate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanji | Romaji | ||||
| 20 | A New Chapter Begins: The Chunin Exam! | 新章突入！中忍試験だってばよ | Shinshō totsunyū! Chūnin Shiken dattebayo | 20 February 2003 | |
| The Chunin exam has been announced and all Konoha Genin are to participate, as well as Genin from many other countries. | |||||
| 21 | Identify Yourself: Powerful New Rivals | 名乗れ！現れた強敵たち!! | Nanore! Arawareta kyōteki tara!! | 27 February 2003 | |
| Team 7 learns that they have powerful rivals in Konoha who wish to become Chunin as well. | |||||
| 22 | Chunin Challenge: Rock Lee vs. Sasuke! | 気合い120％ ナウでロックな挑戦状！ | Kiai hyaku-nijū pāsento Nau de rokku na chōsenjō! | 6 March 2003 | |
| The eccentric Rock Lee challenges Uchiha Sasuke to a battle before the Chunin Exam begins. | |||||
| 23 | Genin Takedown! All Nine Rookies Face Off! | 蹴散らせライバル！新人9人全員集合 | Kechirase raibaru! rūkī nainu zenin shūgō | 13 March 2003 | |
| All Konoha Genin are put to an introductory test to determine who will continue on in the actual exam. | |||||
| 24 | Start Your Engines: The Chunin Exam Begins | いきなり失格？超難関の第一試験 | Ikinari shikkaku? Chō-nankan no daiichi shiken | 20 March 2003 | |
| All Genin meet together and begin a written test as part of the first Chunin Exam. | |||||
| 25 | The Tenth Question: All or Nothing | 出たとこ勝負！踏ん張りどころの10問目 | Deta-toko shōbu! funbari dokoro no jū monme | 27 March 2003 | |
| The Genin work on gathering information furtively while worries over the tenth question surface. | |||||
| 26 | Special Report: Live From the Forest of Death | 絶対必見！死の森直前ルポ！木ノ葉の学級新聞だコレ！ | Zettai hikken! Shi no Mori chokusen rupo! Konoha no gakkyū shinbun da kore! | 2 April 2003 | |
| A Naruto Special which recaps the previous 25 episodes and sets the stage for the second Chunin exam. | |||||
| 27 | The Chunin Exam Stage 2: The Forest of Death | 第二試験スタート！周りはみんな敵だらけ！ | Daini shiken sutāto! Mawari wa minna teki darake! | 2 April 2003 | |
| The second Chunin Exam begins as the Genin start their search for two scrolls to enable them to finish the second Exam. | |||||
| 28 | Eat or Be Eaten: Panic in the Forest | 喰うか喰われるか！エサになったナルト | Kū ka kuwareru ka! Esa ni natta Naruto | 9 April 2003 | |
| The Genin teams continue their search for the two scrolls in the Forest of Death. Meanwhile, a powerful enemy sidetracks Team 7. | |||||
| 29 | Naruto's Counterattack: Never Give In! | ナルト反撃！逃げねーんだってばよ！ | Naruto hangeki! nigenēndattebayo! | 16 April 2003 | |
| Naruto and the rest of Team 7 continue their fight against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. | |||||
| 30 | The Sharingan Revived: Dragon Flame Jutsu! | 蘇れ写輪眼！必殺・火遁龍火の術！ | Yomigaere Sharingan! Hissatsu: Katon Ryūka no Jutsu! | 23 April 2003 | |
| Sasuke receives the Cursed Seal from Orochimaru and Naruto takes charge in the battle. The emergency surrounding Orochimaru in Konoha spreads to village officials. | |||||
| 31 | Bushy Brow's Pledge: Undying Love and Protection | 激まゆプラトニック！僕は死ぬまでアナタを守る!! | Geki mayu puratonikku! Boku wa shinu made anata o mamoru!! | 30 April 2003 | |
| The Sound Ninja attack Naruto's incapacitated team and Sakura is left to fight them all. | |||||
| 32 | Sakura Blossoms! | サクラ咲く！決意の後ろ姿 | Sakura saku! Ketsui no ushiro sugata | 7 May 2003 | |
| Rock Lee and Sakura must defeat the Sound Genin in order to protect Naruto and Sasuke. | |||||
| 33 | Battle Formation: Ino-Shika-Cho! | 無敵のフォーメーション！いのシカチョウ！！ | Muteki no fōmēshon! InoShikaChō!! | 14 May 2003 | |
| Team 10 gains the courage to help Sakura defeat the Sound Genin. | |||||
| 34 | Akamaru Trembles: Gaara's Cruel Strength! | 赤丸ビックリ！我愛羅、驚異の実力 | Akamaru bikkuri! Gaara, Kyōi no Jitsuryoku | 21 May 2003 | |
| The other Genin teams continue their search for the scrolls and Gaara's power is revealed to Team 8. | |||||
| 35 | The Scroll's Secret: No Peeking Allowed | のぞき見厳禁！巻き物の秘密 | Nozoki mi genkin! Maki mono no himitsu | 28 May 2003 | |
| Naruto muses peeking into his team's scroll and Kabuto joins Team 7 in order to reach the tower in the center of the Forest of Death. | |||||
| 36 | Clone vs. Clone: Mine Are Better Than Yours | 分身対決！オレが主役だってばよ！ | Bunshin taiketsu! Ore ga shuyaku dattebayo! | 4 June 2003 | |
| Team 7 and Kabuto engage the Rain ninja after breaking through the Rain ninjas' illusionary technique. | |||||
| 37 | Surviving the Cut: The Rookie Nine Together Again! | 第二試験突破！勢ぞろいルーキーナイン！ | Daini shiken toppa! seizoroi rūkī nainu! | 11 June 2003 | |
| Team 7 recovers their final scroll and completes the second Chunin exam. However, a preliminary exam to the third Chunin exam must be held to weed out the best Genin. | |||||
| 38 | Narrowing the Field: Sudden Death Elimination! | 合格者二分の一!?イキナリ試合だってばよ!! | Gōkakusha nibun ni ichi!? Ikinari shiai dattebayo!! | 18 June 2003 | |
| Kabuto is secretly revealed to be a traitor to Konoha and Sasuke starts his match against Yoroi Akado. | |||||
| 39 | Bushy Brow's Jealousy: Lions Barrage Unleashed! | ゲジまゆジェラシー!『獅子連弾』誕生! | Geji mayu jerashī! "Shishi Rendan" Tanjō | 2 July 2003 | |
| Sasuke continues his fight against Yoroi Akado despite the pain from his Cursed Seal. Kakashi decides to help Sasuke after the battle by sealing the Cursed Seal. | |||||
| 40 | Kakashi and Orochimaru: Face-to-Face! | 一触即発!!カカシVS大蛇丸 | Isshokusokuhatsu!! Kakashi vāsasu Orochimaru | 9 July 2003 | |
| Kakashi performs the sealing ritual on Sasuke, while the fight between Zaku Abumi and Shino Aburame commences. | |||||
| 41 | Kunoichi Rumble: The Rivals Get Serious! | ライバル激突！オトメ心は本気モード | Raibaru gekitotsu! Otome gokoro wa honki mōdo | 16 July 2003 | |
| Misumi Tsurugi fights Kankuro and Sakura and Ino Yamanaka finally are forced to battle each other. | |||||
| 42 | The Ultimate Battle: Cha! | ベストバトルはしゃーんなろー!! | Besuto batoru wa shānnarō!! | 23 July 2003 | |
| The battle between Sakura and Ino intensifies as friendships and hardships between the two are revealed. | |||||
| 43 | Killer Kunoichi and a Shaky Shikamaru | シカマルタジタジ!?くの一達の熱き戦い | Shikamaru tajitaji!? Kunoichi-tachi no atsuki tatakai | 30 July 2003 | |
| The third preliminary exam continues with Temari fighting Tenten and Shikamaru Nara battling Kin Tsuchi. | |||||
| 44 | Akamaru Unleashed! Who's Top Dog Now? | 赤丸参戦!!負け犬はどっちだ？ | Akamaru sansen!! Makeinu wa docchi da? | 6 August 2003 | |
| Naruto finally gets his chance to fight against Team 8's Kiba Inuzuka. | |||||
| 45 | Surprise Attack! Naruto's Secret Weapon! | ヒナタ赤面！ 観客あんぐり、ナルトの奥の手 | Hinata sekimen! Kankyaku anguri, Naruto no oku no te | 13 August 2003 | |
| Naruto's fight against Kiba draws to a climax and Naruto's newest "techinque" is introduced. | |||||
| 46 | Byakugan Battle: Hinata Grows Bold! | 白眼開眼!!内気なヒナタの大胆決意！ | Byakugan kaigen!! Uchiki na Hinata no daitan ketsui! | 20 August 2003 | |
| Neji Hyuga and Hinata Hyuga fight to defend the honor of themselves and of their families. | |||||
| 47 | A Failure Stands Tall! | 憧れの人の目の前で!! | Akogare no hito no me no mae de!! | 27 August 2003 | |
| Hinata decides to prove her worth against Neji as the battle between the two draws to a close. | |||||
| 48 | Gaara vs. Rock Lee: The Power of Youth Explodes! | 我愛羅粉砕!!若さだ！パワーだ！爆発だ！ | Gaara funsai!! Wakasa da! Pawā da! Bakuhatsu da! | 3 September 2003 | |
| The youthful Rock Lee clashes against the powerful and deadly Gaara of the Sand. | |||||
| 49 | Lee's Hidden Strength: Forbidden Secret Jutsu! | 熱血落ちこぼれ！遂に炸裂、禁断の奥義！ | Nekketsu ochikobore! Tsuini Sakuretsu, kindan no ōgi! | 10 September 2003 | |
| Lee reveals some of his best taijutsu, while Gaara stops toying with Lee and decides to end the fight. | |||||
| 50 | The Fifth Gate: A Splendid Ninja is Born!! | 嗚呼ロック・リー！これが男の生き様よ！！ | Aa Rokku Rī! Kore ga otoko no ikizama yo!! | 17 September 2003 | |
| Lee finally reveals his trump card, the power of the Eight Gates, while Gaara prepares for a bloody showdown. | |||||
| 51 | A Shadow in the Darkness: Danger Approaches Sasuke | 闇にうごめく影 サスケに迫る危機！ | Yami ni ugomeku kage Sasuke ni semaru kiki! | 24 September 2003 | |
| Choji Akimichi versus Dosu Kinuta in the final match of the third preliminary exam. Naruto learns he is getting a new trainer to prepare for the third Chunin Exam. | |||||
