Deep within the Forest of Death, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are still reeling from Orochimaru’s attack...and now they must battle his minions, the mysterious Sound Ninja. And as Sasuke struggles with the strange force growing inside him, spreading like an infection from the curse-mark Orochimaru burned into his neck, time is running out for the student ninja to collect the scrolls they need to pass the Chûnin Exams! -- VIZ Media

Meet Naruto, he's a class-clown, a lazy bum, a total prankster, and could just possibly be the world's most powerful Ninja! Naruto is a ninja-in-training with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He's got a wild sense of humor, but Naruto is completely serious about his mission to be the world's greatest ninja! The Next Level Haku and Zabuza are the worst enemies Naruto and his friends have ever faced. Now that the battle has become a matter of life and death, Naruto must learn what it means to truly become a ninja: sometimes you have to fight to win…and then deal with the consequences.

A hilarious, touching, action-packed tale of a ninja in training! In the Village Hidden in the Leaves, ninja reign supreme, and school is literally a battlefield. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are classmates and ninja-in-training working together (sort of) toward a common goal: to become the greatest ninja in the land! But Naruto Uzumaki is no ordinary ninja student. For deep in his body is sealed the spirit of a terrible demon known as the Nine-Tailed Fox! It was supposed to be just an ordinary, C-rank assigment--but nothing about ninjutsu is as simple as it seems... Squad Seven's latest job is a real snore--escorting a young, cowardly leader named Shibuki back to the remote Hidden Waterfall Village. They arrive without a problem, but get stuck cleaning the village pond! While Naruto and his pals pick up the trash, Kakashi is called back to his home village on urgent business. Then, without warning, a brilliant rogue ninja shows up in tow with his evil henchmen. Suien desperately desires the Hidden Waterfall's most precious possession, a secret potion called the Hero's Water. And as Squad Seven quickly discovers, the guy will do absolutely anything to get it! With their fearless sensei gone, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura find themselves in the most deadly situation of their young lives. A special Naruto adventure previously available only on DVD--now an action-packed novel!

As the preliminaries to the third phase of the Journeyman Ninja Selection Exams begin, the student ninja face off against each other in no-holds-barred, one-on-one bouts. Deaf to Sakura’s pleas to withdraw from the contest and despite the crippling effects of the curse placed on him by the nefarious Orochimaru, Sasuke enters the first match against one of the vicious Sound Ninja spies. But with his signature fighting techniques suddenly off-limits, how can Sasuke possibly prevail? And even if he manages to survive the violent brawl, Orochimaru’s curse is threatening to change Sasuke forever! -- VIZ Media

Naruto’s sensei Kakashi believes that the diablolical Zabuza survived their last battle. Now, in anticipation of their enemy’s return, Kakashi puts Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura through rigorous training programs to increase their focus and control. This time, the job of protecting the old bridge builder Tazuna and his family will be a hundred times more difficult! -- VIZ Media

They’ve danced along the brink of death during training, but Naruto and friends now face their most terrifying challenge: exams! The ninja-in-training have signed up for the Chûnin Exams, which they must pass to advance to the rank of full-fledged shinobi. Passing or failing as a group, they’re only as strong as their weakest link...Naruto! -- VIZ Media

While training to be a ninja, jokester Naruto fails his final exam, but when a crisis occurs in the ninja village, he realizes that he has what it takes to become a ninja.