Server: 1879; Region; LA; Name: MugiwaraNoKufi; UID: 318095083404687

Naruto and Naruto Shippuden both consisted of amazing arcs filled with action and emotional development, however, by far the one that I resonate with more than any other is the Chunin Exams in the original 'Naruto'. Partially biased, this is my favorite arc because it was the first time I had seen of Naruto and immediately I was captivated by it. It starts off with the introduction of one of my top 3 characters, Gaara of the Desert, along with his sister Temari and brother Kankuro. Afterwards we see all the genin in a hallway waiting for the exam to start, and we are finally formally introduced to the other ninjas who graduated alongside Naruto. This is also where we see Rock Lee fight Sasuke Uchiha and absolutely mop the floor with him. It was the first time we had seen a genin more naturally gifted in taijutsu than Sasuke and it was thrilling to see. We can now fast forward to the written portion of the exam where we see all the ninjas use all sorts of ninjutsu in order to cheat. Seeing Naruto struggle and the emotional dialogue between Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura within their heads made the scene that much more saddening knowing that Naruto would fail. For a moment, I was so caught up within the episode that I forgot what the true nature of Naruto truly was, however it did not last long because we see Naruto stand up and absolutely school his teacher, shouting his resolve and resilience for the entire examination classroom to hear. Not only was this a powerful statement that depicted Naruto's dedication to his goal of becoming Hokage, it was also the first time we as the audience were shown the charismatic nature of Naruto which we would see captivate everyone around him.

Afterwards, we were about to see some real action. The exam started off very menacingly with it's name 'The Forest of Death'. As a young child it sent chills down my spine and I was once again caught up within the world of Naruto. This is also when we were shown Sasukes advanced intellect and calm thinking when he recognizes the fake Naruto and exposes him to Sakura. Furthermore, this is when we were introduced to one of my favourite villains within the entire show, Orochimaru! Since his debut in the original Naruto, he has been the one villain who has been consistently relevant throughout the series and continues to do so within Boruto. His overwhelming strength reminded me of the hard battle they had against Zabuza. Little did I know however, this would be much more tougher than the one against Zabuza. Sasuke was bit by Orochmaru and Naruto began leaking the Demon Foxes Chakra?!?! This was a huge twist in the story and at this point I knew I would have to watch this show from the beginning and follow through to the end. Afterwards when they all arrived at the building safely, we see fights between the genin. I wasn't too surprised by any of them except when Rock Lee fought Gaara! The moment he dropped the weights, shocked the crowd, entered into the 8 gates, he immediately became a character I would forever respect. Although the fight did not end the way I expected it to, it is still to this day one my favourite scenes from the entire series.

Finally, it was time for the final round of the Chunin exam. Naruto vs. Neji had me worried for Naruto because I was sure he would lose, however when he released his demon fox chakra again and completely bodied Neji, it was a reminder as to why the show was named after him . The fights later were decent but again none were able to match Naruto vs. Neji until Sasuke finally arrived. His fight was the best by far, copying Lee's taijutsu, using Chidori, absolutely cornering Gaara, it was the best scene within the arc, or so I thought! Suddenly, Gaara enters into a state of rage, the Kazekage turns out to be Orochimaru?! Everything was beginning to unfold and we finally were given a backstory to Orochimaru. The fight between Hiruzen and Orochimaru was stunning to watch and tearful at the outcome, however it was still not comparable to Naruto vs. Gaara. Seeing Naruto in Gaaras sand being crushed, I was sure he would be injured, and then I heard a faint voice and we see him chanting the summoning jutsu, and then actually following through! As if seeing him summon wasn't enough, he even turned the toad into the Demon Fox using transformation and we were shown our first instance of two tailed beasts fighting.

Overall, the drama, emotion, deception, and so many other feelings that arose within me within this arc have truly made this my favourite arc. No other arc within the entire series can compete with this one, because to me, we see the true characters of Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara. All of them are drastically affected after this arc whether for good or bad...