Chapter 496: Pain Makes His Move
After begging and pleading with his grandpa and grandma, Fukasaku had given Naruto a three-day leave to return to the village and participate in the Chunin Exams.
Konoha wouldn't make an exception for Naruto just because he was the reincarnation of Asura. Asura who? They had no idea who that was!
If he was late, he would be disqualified, and that was final.
"Naruto! Hurry up, you have to do your best!"
"Naruto-kun, you can do it!"
Iruka and Shion stood at the gate, cheering him on.
Ino looked up at the clock. The exam would begin promptly at eight.
Naruto's luck was really good, and his legs were quick. With five seconds to spare before the official start of the exam, his shadow clone threw his real body into the room like a cannonball.
He hadn't even caught his breath when Ino announced the start of the exam.
Ino's opening remarks made the genin from the five villages frown. "There are quite a few candidates this time. The five Kage have entrusted me with selecting the most outstanding genin. What makes a genin outstanding? After comprehensive consideration, they have set an elimination rate for me: 80%. If I don't meet this standard, they will hold me accountable. Alas, I'm in a difficult position. I can only say that your luck is really bad."
Naruto didn't hear a single word. He was busy making faces at Konohamaru not far away.
Ino ignored him and continued to explain the rules.
The usual rules of no whispering and no cheating still applied, but this time she had temporarily added a new one: no using Sage Mode!
Naruto: "???"
Ino continued, "This time, the seating is random. We will no longer be using the previous team format."
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. This rule was in his favor. His teammates were already Chunin; he wouldn't be able to find a team now anyway.
"Since there are five great ninja villages, each assessment will be conducted in groups of five." Ino pointed to the exam rooms she had temporarily created with her Wood Release behind her.
"Five people will enter a room. Your exam is to choose any number from 0 to 100. The average of the five numbers chosen will be multiplied by 0.8. Whoever's initial number is closest to this final value will get one point. Those who fail will lose one point. The first to accumulate five points wins. Alternatively, if the other four people are all eliminated with negative ten points, the remaining person also automatically wins."
Fearing they hadn't understood, Ino gave an example on the spot.
"Suppose five people choose the numbers 55, 61, 60, 99, and 13. What is the average of these five numbers? It's 57.6. Then, multiply that by 0.8, which equals 46.08. The winner of this round is the genin who chose 55, because his number is the closest to 46.08. Do you all understand? If you understand, then get in there and start the exam."
Naruto squinted, his head a complete mess. He hadn't understood a thing!
Konohamaru was also muttering to himself. Fortunately, Udon, who was good at factoring, was smart and explained the key points to his two teammates. This round was a test of prediction—predicting the predictions of the other four. The key was to never choose a large number and to try to choose a small number.
Naruto pricked up his ears and listened, getting the gist of it. As for why he should choose a small number, he didn't understand.
Asura and the Yang-Nine-Tails were of no help in this situation. Naruto spent the entire exam in a daze. From 0 to 100, he could only choose numbers randomly. In the end, he was rewarded with a one-day tour ticket to the Chunin Exams. He didn't even pass the written test and was directly eliminated.
The joint Chunin Exams of the five villages were in full swing.
Nagato believed this was a good opportunity to make the world feel his pain.
With a resolute heart, he led the newly created Asura, Preta, and Naraka Paths, along with the "old version" Tendo, Human, and Animal Paths, out of his residence.
He left messages for Gaara and Itachi, then resolutely set out on his own path.
The five great ninja villages had already confirmed that Akatsuki was based in the Land of Rain.
The five great villages, plus the Waterfall Village, had mobilized a total of fourteen thousand ninja, surrounding the Land of Rain from several directions.
The Third Tsuchikage had admitted in the meeting that the Akatsuki he had hired was based in the Land of Rain, which also matched Jiraiya's intelligence.
They couldn't let the enemy lead them by the nose. They would mobilize a large army and deal with them once and for all.
The Rock was in the north, Konoha in the south, the Sand and Waterfall in the west, and the Cloud and Mist in the east. The allied forces completely surrounded the Hidden Rain Village.
Deep underground in the Hidden Rain Village, Pain emerged from his hiding place and looked up at the light rain.
For the Hidden Rain Village, "God" was far more terrifying than the allied ninja forces.
Pain's chakra was hidden in the continuous light rain of the village. He could hear every word the villagers said, if he wanted to.
For the ninja and villagers of the Hidden Rain, this was a miracle that had been proven countless times. In the past, they had had the courage to resist, but now they didn't dare. As long as the rain didn't stop, they had no courage to resist.
"Lady Angel!"
"Lady Angel!"
Ajisai had taken over Konan's previous role and was now the bridge between Pain and the Hidden Rain ninja.
As she walked by, the ninja and civilians all bowed respectfully and greeted her, afraid that a lack of pious in their etiquette would bring about their doom.
Ajisai stood by the roadside, waiting quietly for a while. Tendo Pain, leading the other five Paths, slowly walked out.
"Great God, as you requested, we have woven a great net for the allied ninja forces. The Land of Rain will be their burial ground!"
"Very good. The Konoha ninja will surely feel my pain. This time, I will start with their physical bodies!" Tendo Pain looked at Ajisai, his tone like someone giving their last words. "You have worked hard during this time. Thank you."
Ajisai's face was streaked with tears, which mixed with the rain. "I am willing to give my life for our great God! Please tell me, what do you need me to do next?"
Tendo Pain thought for a moment. "Contact the Sky Ninja for me. Tell them to act according to the plan."
"Yes, I will go find them right now," Ajisai said resolutely.
"And our other hidden assets."
"Understood!"
The Six Paths of Pain moved through the web-like underground tunnels. This was the Hidden Rain Village. In terms of familiarity with the terrain, the outside ninja couldn't compare to them at all.
Even if the allied ninja forces had set up layers of defense outside the village, they couldn't stop Pain.
The Six Paths of Pain entered a secret passage and emerged from the backyard of an abandoned house in the village.
The six of them, in perfect unison, slowly walked out into the rain.
"Who are you?! Quick, sound the alarm!"
It was hard to say whether it was good luck or bad luck.
The Six Paths of Pain were preparing to quietly leave the Hidden Rain for Konoha to carry some rice, but as soon as they emerged from the tunnel, they ran head-on into a patrolling Hayate Gekkō.
This brother's luck had always been a mystery. The first time he ran into Baki, the second time into Mei Terumī, and the third time into Pain...
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