With Hozuki Mangetsu and the others stirring things up like that, the atmosphere suddenly became a lot more relaxed.
Shikamaru looked around at the crowd and let out a long sigh.
"What a pain… so many people are still left, and this Mizukage guy seems like he'll be a handful too…"
"He seems so cheerful, totally doesn't match a village that's always producing assassins."
"Alright, that's enough."
The teachers and students were whispering in shock. Mitarashi Anko, who was wearing a headset mic, exchanged a glance with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Then she raised her voice loudly through the mic.
The whispers quickly died down as everyone turned their attention to the people standing on stage.
Because he was the Mizukage's teacher, Hatake Satoru had drawn a lot of eyes just now.
But he didn't seem bothered at all.
Almost *too* calm...
Still, for someone who isn't even a ninja to get this far—it was almost unheard of.
Kakashi glanced at Hatake Satoru, who still looked totally bored.
What other secrets is this guy hiding?
"Now that everyone's here, let's move on to the explanation of the third exam. Please listen carefully."
Mitarashi Anko spoke to the whole group.
Hozuki Mangetsu curiously scanned the crowd below.
Suigetsu and Kimimaro both looked fine, like they hadn't even been hurt.
Well, that's good. This was the first time he'd sent people to take part in an event outside the village, so he'd been a little nervous about it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly stepped forward. He noticed there were still quite a lot of people left.
And many of them were newcomers taking the Chunin Exams for the first time—no wonder teachers like Kakashi had been eager to recommend their own students.
Looks like they've got real potential.
"We're about to start the third exam. But first, there's something I need to make very clear to all of you."
"The reason this exam is held together with allied nations is, on one hand, to promote friendship between countries, and on the other, to raise the overall skill level of ninja~."
Hatake Satoru stood to the side, randomly reminded of how the school principal used to talk.
Except for Sarutobi Hiruzen not having a strong accent, his rising-and-falling tone really did sound just like the old principal giving a speech to students from the stage.
What Hiruzen said was mainly because Kirigakure Village was taking part in the Chunin Exams for the first time as an allied nation.
He had to make it sound nice and dress up the whole event.
But in truth, the Chunin Exams were nothing more than a way for different countries to test each other's strength.
They say the future is in the hands of the youth, so of course they want to compare how their Genin are doing.
This helps them learn from each other and find their own weaknesses.
And really, the Chunin Exams aren't just a student test. It's also a competition between nations—and between teachers.
Even if it's "just an exam," with multiple schools taking part, it's clear: whichever village has more people passing is seen as the stronger one.
Go further and it even touches on diplomacy and politics.
After all, aside from Kirigakure Village making a fortune in tourism thanks to Hatake Satoru, the other nations' ninja are still just scraping by with regular missions.
To someone like Hozuki Mangetsu, this whole thing was just an excuse to come visit his teacher.
They didn't really care much about mission-related stuff. Plus, in Kirigakure Village, the assassination corps basically had no rivals.
Sometimes the Sunagakure came by to take a bite of the pie, but Konohagakure wasn't much of a threat.
So no matter how Hiruzen tried to talk up the Chunin Exams, it was really just for scaring the kids.
People from Kirigakure had seen more bloodshed than most. There was no need for big speeches—just saying "go all out" was enough.
"It's only because you put your life on the line that this exam means something."
"This isn't a battle for killing. It's a fight for hope and honor. I hope you all understand that."
"No matter what side you're on, just give it everything you've got. Fight like your life depends on it."
Hiruzen finally finished with his long speech.
It all sounded like nonsense. Even if you called it 'hope' or 'honor' or whatever else, at the end of the day, everyone's still trying to beat each other down.
So much rambling—maybe that's where Naruto got his talk-no-jutsu later in life.
Hatake Satoru leaned on one hand, resting his cheek, and glanced sideways at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was standing there as a jonin leader. Even though he'd been forced to retreat by Kimimaro earlier, clearly he wasn't ready to give up.
But his cursed seal wasn't on Sasuke or Kimimaro anymore, so now he was just here to collect some data on fighting and abilities.
That kind of thing didn't matter much.
Orochimaru seemed to notice something and turned his head—just in time to lock eyes with Hatake Satoru's black eye mask.
Even though he couldn't see Satoru's eyes, he could clearly feel the gaze.
Hatake Satoru stuck out his tongue like he was making a face, then turned away like it was nothing.
A cold drop of sweat slid down Orochimaru's forehead. He frowned just slightly.
Did he recognize me?
Even the Third Hokage, who'd worked with Orochimaru for years, hadn't noticed. None of the other teachers had either.
And yet this guy could tell?
Orochimaru remembered—he'd only fought Hatake Satoru once. Could he really be that sharp?
"...Whatever. Enough with all the talk. Just tell us what the real test is already."
Gaara had clearly had enough. Foreign ninja didn't care for these kinds of speeches.
This kind of talk might work on Konohagakure's Genin, but not on them.
"This is putting me to sleep. Hey Kimimaro, if I fall asleep now, do I get disqualified?"
"Why does killing have to be explained in such a roundabout way? It's exhausting."
"Is this how Konohagakure people normally talk to each other?"
Suigetsu looked like his face was about to melt as he leaned toward Kimimaro.
"Your brother's watching you from up there. And if you dare lean over again, I'll stab you with a bone."
"I'm bored too."
Kimimaro stared straight ahead, eyes calm and steady, looking at Hatake Satoru and Hozuki Mangetsu in the distance as he quietly threatened Suigetsu.
The moment Suigetsu heard that his brother was watching, he quickly straightened up and stood still.
"Because a lot of people will be watching the Chunin Exams that day, we're holding a preliminary round now. You'll fight one-on-one based on the matchups that will appear on the screen behind you."
As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, a screen slowly lit up on the wall behind the instructors.
Then, names started flashing rapidly across the screen.
---
Read 30 advanced chapters on my patreon
patreon.com/GustinaKamiya
---