The first part of the Chunin Exams ended quickly and without much commotion.
Except for some ninja who gave up voluntarily due to the intense pressure, nearly two-thirds of the participants passed the exam.
As for the second exam, it was still held in the Forest of Death.
Because too many genin had passed the first exam, Mirai Uchiha set the time limit to three days.
Any team that failed to collect both Heaven and Earth Scrolls within three days or didn't arrive at the central tower on time would be eliminated.
To everyone's surprise, after the brutal second round of the Chunin Exams, aside from those smaller villages clearly just here for numbers, Konoha had the fewest successful candidates.
Only a handful of Konoha ninja like Yugao Uzuki and Anko Mitarashi made it through.
This result left several village Kages scratching their heads.
In their eyes, Konoha volunteering to co-host the Chunin Exams was obviously just an opportunity to show off their strength in front of everyone.
So all the villages had silently agreed to send their strongest elite shinobi this time.
Especially Kumogakure.
Several Cloud ninja participating in the exams were burly men with stubbled faces boasting they were mere Genin...
Yet now seeing the results, A and Onoki couldn't help feeling somewhat conflicted.
Had they gone too far?
Could it be that Konoha truly only wanted to host a joint Chunin selection exam in good faith?
Raikage and others couldn't figure it out, and time continued passing day by day.
With the second exam concluding, the third and final round of this Chunin Exam officially began.
Morning.
Sunlight once again blanketed the land, driving away darkness.
The sky turned crystal blue with not a cloud in sight, offering a panoramic view across the landscape.
It was deep winter, making such clear weather without morning fog extremely rare.
On the streets, hurried crowds exhaled visible white puffs as they pulled scarves tightly around their necks, most wearing expressions filled with anticipation and excitement.
"I've been waiting forever — the final round's finally starting!"
"Man, I couldn't sleep at all last night! I've been waiting for this all day."
"This is the first large-scale joint exam ever since the founding of the hidden villages. Can you believe it?"
"Wonder which village's ninja will come out on top..."
Discussing enthusiastically, the crowd made their way toward the eastern part of Konoha Village where the central arena stood.
Though called "central arena," its location actually lay near Tazuna Street, in the eastern district of Konoha.
Tazuna Street housed Konoha's most bustling entertainment district.
The area was famous for its gambling casinos, hostess clubs, and mixed-gender bathhouses—a district renowned throughout the Hidden Leaf Village. It could even be considered one of the Hidden Leaf Village's landmark complexes.
Thanks to the crowd pouring in today, the once-spacious street quickly became jam-packed and chaotic.
The waiting lines had formed four queues, each stretching nearly two hundred meters long, entering through four different gates.
Inside the arena,
the massive space capable of accommodating ten thousand people was already half-filled.
On both the north and south sides of the arena stood elevated platforms with excellent views.
On the northern platform, several Daimyo dressed in luxurious robes held folding fans and chatted cheerfully, their faces lit with broad smiles.
These were the five most powerful individuals in the current ninja world.
The Fire Daimyo spoke first: "Never did I imagine that a ninja village could be built so luxuriously. Truly an eye-opening experience."
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth coldly replied: "Such extravagant waste by a bunch of lowly tools—where's the sense of hierarchy if this continues?"
The Lightning Daimyo chimed in agreement: "Fire Daimyo, I think you're far too lenient with your subordinates. If things continue like this, will these ninja still respect you?"
"Ninjas should never hold any status!"
The Water Daimyo didn't speak but let out a disdainful snort to show his stance.
The Fire Daimyo nodded: "You all make valid points. Looks like I need to find an opportunity to rein in these ninja a bit."
"They dare squander my allocated funds on such nonsense—they definitely need some discipline!"
He then smiled and added, "How about tonight nobody rushes off? Let me treat everyone and be the host."
Hearing this, the other Daimyo scoffed slightly with disdain: "What delicacies could possibly exist in a ninja village?"
The Fire Daimyo chuckled: "We haven't gotten together properly in quite some time. Won't you gentlemen do me this honor?"
Since he put it that way, the other lords stopped declining and agreed with nods.
On the viewing stand, the group continued chatting happily.
In the distance, Mirai Uchiha looked away silently.
While ninja fought for their lives down below, these guys up here just enjoyed their casual conversations.
They possessed no real strength themselves but arrogantly looked down upon ninja as mere tools...
Mirai snorted coldly. Once the Chunin Exams ended, he'd personally pay the Fire Daimyo a visit.
He wanted to see exactly how the Fire Daimyo planned to rein him in!
As time passed, only when the sun hung high in the sky did the last spectators finally enter.
Then, the Five Kage appeared simultaneously on the southern platform.
Their appearance immediately triggered cheers from the entire stadium.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, clearly in a bad mood, managed a smile on his face.
Didn't he cling tightly to power precisely for this feeling of being adored by thousands?
Yet this naturally stirred discontent among the Daimyo.
Since when have tools been treated this well?
Noticing all eyes on him, Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat and launched into the opening speech for the third round of individual matches.
Hiruzen even felt a sudden wave of temptation as he listened to the thunderous applause.
If he were to declare Mirai Uchiha a rogue ninja right now...
As Hiruzen drifted into a haze of thought, he suddenly felt an ominous gaze locking onto him.
Spotting Mirai Uchiha standing afar with arms crossed, Hiruzen quietly dismissed the idea that had just surfaced.
If he were to sever ties with the other side now, the Sarutobi Clan would likely find itself completely without escape.
In widespread anticipation, the third stage of the Chunin Exams officially began.
With each ninja village sending carefully chosen participants this time, the battles were nothing short of spectacular.
The cheers constantly rising from the crowd made that fact obvious.
"Amazing! The ninja from each village seem so powerful!"
"That's right. These Genin are far stronger than those picked before."
"This is the bedrock of the Five Great Ninja Villages. This exam is entirely the new generation's stage!"
"Water Release, Fire Release, Earth Release, Lightning Release… I wish I had the same powers as them!"
Just as the battle reached its peak intensity, Kazekage Rasa suddenly gripped Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulder and pulled him up onto the rooftop platform.
Right after, four guards trailing Kazekage activated the Shifting Body Technique and took positions at the four corners of the rooftop.
[Ninjutsu: Four-Corner Sealing Barrier!]
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