In the corridor on the third floor of the Ninja Academy, Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo stood at the entrance of Classroom 301, blocking the path of Leaf Village Genin and Uzumaki Sōnagi's group.
They even kicked aside Rock Lee, who had tried to pass them.
Tenten helped Lee up and pleaded with Hagane and Kamizuki, "Please, let us through."
In response, they punched her instead.
In the crowd watching this unfold, someone muttered that it was truly going too far.
Kamizuki sneered, "Excessive? Far from it. This is us being kind. The Chunin Exam's a huge challenge. We've seen plenty of people quit being ninjas altogether after this exam, not to mention those too discouraged to recover."
Uzumaki Sōnagi said with mock disappointment, "This is the level of Konoha's ninja? Tsk tsk. Hitting your own comrades that hard. Back in our village, everyone's got each other's backs, huh Kidomaru?"
Kidomaru chimed in, "Heh, I thought Konoha—the so-called great village among the Five—would be something special. Turns out they're just bullies inside their own walls. Real underwhelming."
Sakon scoffed, "So this is Konoha? Somehow it doesn't match the hype."
Tayuya added with venom, "You sure talk big outside, but the real deal's nothing like that. Real good at faking it, aren't you?"
Kimimaro Kaguya and Tenbin Jugo, being less articulate, stayed silent.
Hagane and Kamizuki were visibly furious.
They'd only come to test their own village's Genin. Never did they expect these foreign shinobi hadn't even entered Classroom 301 yet were already spewing sarcastic remarks about the Leaf.
Kamizuki swung a punch at Uzumaki Sōnagi, shouting, "You brats don't deserve to take the Chunin Exam! Go train for a few more years!"
Before Uzumaki could react, Tenbin caught Kamizuki's fist barehanded, then immediately retaliated with a chakra-infused left hook straight into Kamizuki's chest.
Kamizuki raised his left arm in defense, but underestimated Tenbin's strength. He flew backward from the impact and crashed into the wall.
As Hagane moved to act, Kimimaro appeared behind him. From his palms sprouted sharp bones, pressing threateningly against Hagane's throat: "Move, and I'll kill you."
Uzumaki kept mocking, "Guess Konoha ninjas aren't all that. Terrible Transformation Jutsu to start with—and this is supposed to be the second floor? Using Genjutsu here? Mixing techniques up already? Should've trained more. Your illusions are riddled with holes. You really think you can stop people with moves like that? Total amateurs. Let's move."
Stepping past Hagane, Uzumaki reached for the door to Classroom 301. As he opened it, instead of a classroom, a long corridor stretched before him.
Just as Uzumaki was about to step forward, he heard Tenten call out, "Neji, over here."
Uzumaki turned his head toward the corridor they had arrived from, spotting Neji Hyuga.
Glancing sideways at disguised Uzumaki, Neji quickly looked away.
From here on out, they were enemies.
Uzumaki Sōnagi smirked slightly and led Kimimaro Kaguya and others toward the actual third floor.
Sasuke Uchiha's attention was on Lee and Tenten.
Just moments ago, Lee and Tenten had been knocked down, but now they stood up again as if nothing had happened.
Moreover, there wasn't even a trace of injury on their faces—they had faked being knocked down earlier.
And those two who punched out Izumo Kamizuki and had bones protruding from their palms were no less formidable.
Sasuke Uchiha actually grinned, sensing that this year's Chunin Exams wouldn't be a snooze this time.
A rush of excitement ran through Sasuke's heart—he knew he could only grow stronger through battle.
It wasn't just Sasuke feeling eager; Naruto Uzumaki felt exactly the same way at this moment.
Naruto Uzumaki had always wanted to fight Uzumaki Sōnagi and Neji Hyūga to see how much of a gap truly existed between them.
Unlike Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura Haruno was starting to feel uneasy.
But seeing bones sprout from someone's palm is just too horrifying.
Once everyone had left, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane ended their Transformation Jutsu.
They exchanged glances, looking quite helpless in their eyes.
They wanted to test the Genin from their own village, but things didn't go as planned—their attempt was interrupted by ninja from other villages. Even worse, they'd been humiliated—it was just so infuriating.
Kotetsu Hagane stated gravely, "Still, those two Oto Genin aren't ordinary. That bone technique—could it be a Kekkei Genkai?"
Izumo Kamizuki also spoke seriously, "And that kid with the orange hair—his strength is absurdly great. This Chunin Exam won't be as simple as we imagined."
...
At the entrance of Classroom 301, Kakashi waited.
Seeing Kakashi, Sōnagi pretended not to recognize him.
As he was about to pass Kakashi, Sōnagi stuck his tongue out playfully at Kakashi.
Under his mask, Kakashi's lips twitched slightly—he looked somewhat helpless, yet still found it amusing as usual.
The last ones arriving were Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno, standing right before him.
"Hey, you finally made it. After submitting your application forms, the official exam will begin in two days.
The exam is divided into two rounds. The first round takes place in the Forest of Death, which could be considered the most dangerous portion. Many Genin will be eliminated during this trial, with a very high probability of death.
The second round will be one-on-one duels held for public viewing. Spectators from various countries will come to witness the matches.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean there are only two rounds. If too many candidates pass the first stage, an additional round might be added to further eliminate some participants. Since this is an exam open to international audiences, there can't possibly be too many competitors.
Therefore, the first exam will thoroughly test all the skills and techniques you've learned so far, along with your teamwork. Still, I believe you can definitely make it through.
Alright, go inside now. From this point forward, everything depends on yourselves."
Took a deep breath together, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno opened the door to Classroom 301 and walked inside.
After entering Classroom 301, Naruto saw genin from various hidden villages, each displaying their unique styles.
Sakura Haruno was shocked to see so many people: "What the heck? Why are there so many people here? Are they all here for the exam?"
Sakura thought everyone here looked super tough and got really nervous.
But soon, Sakura's nervousness disappeared when Ino latched onto Sasuke like a leech — and anger quickly replaced her anxiety.
Some of their classmates from the Academy were also there, like Hinata Hyuga and Shikamaru Nara.
They approached to talk, but Naruto just nodded along absentmindedly.
But within Naruto's focus stood only two people — Sōnagi Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga.
Sōnagi Uzumaki gave Naruto a bright smile, while Neji Hyuga noticed Naruto's stare and looked directly at him.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>