"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 Nain Zenin Shūgō) is episode 23 of the original Naruto anime.
Synopsis
Kakashi meets up with Team 7 before they enter the hall of the Chūnin Exams. He informs them that unless they had all consented to take the exams, none of them would have been permitted to enter. With that, he wishes them good luck. Within the hall, the Rookie Nine meet up and have a spirited discussion. Kabuto Yakushi warns them to quiet down as they are seemingly irritating the shinobi around them. Explaining the exams further, Kabuto uses his Ninja Info Cards to give Sasuke information on Gaara and Rock Lee. Kabuto says that the individuals taking the exams are all most likely elites from their respective villages, a fact that intimidates the rookies. With his standard enthusiasm, Naruto loudly proclaims that he won't lose to anyone, and the rest of the room reacts to his words with equal parts shock and annoyance. Insulted by Kabuto's earlier detailing of the villages in which he discarded Otogakure as a minor village, three Oto-nin attack Kabuto. Although it appears that Kabuto dodged the attack, his glasses suddenly break and he becomes nauseated despite not being hit. Before things can escalate any further, the proctor, Ibiki Morino, and his team appear on the scene. With that, the Chūnin Exams begin.
Trivia
- Despite the villages of Kumogakure and Kirigakure having no genin participate, several candidates are shown wearing forehead protectors from these villages. These are shown when Neji is talking with Lee about Naruto (the far middle-left) and when Sakura is strangling Naruto.
