Boom! Boom!
Though the battlefield was clouded with dust, the non-stop thuds made it clear who was winning.
"23... 24..."
Nawaki silently counted his punches without knowing the condition of those six contestants. Determined not to stop until all his chakra was exhausted, he finally ended his assault on the thirtieth strike.
"Did he stop? Then what's the situation now?"
"I don't know about those six, but the three who just fell must be in really bad shape."
"That's right. Before there was less dust, I saw those three shaking up and down—uh, I mean bouncing up and down—from the Senju heir's attack."
"Bro... you're really cracking jokes out of nowhere."
"Shhh, let's keep it quiet. Real men don't brag about old stories."
"You clearly seem like someone with a story. Come on, tell us all about it!"
"It's nothing big. Back then, in the Hot Water Country—"
These embarrassing remarks left the Third Hokage feeling awkward. The villagers weren't even watching the match properly—they'd started telling jokes instead. As Village Headman, he suddenly felt deeply ashamed.
"I'll definitely need to rectify Konoha's discipline sometime soon. If these kids grow up learning this kind of behavior, heaven forbid!" After mentally marking several particularly vocal audience members as key targets, the Third redirected his gaze back to the battlefield.
The dust had mostly cleared, and a single figure was vaguely visible on the field. Judging by height alone, it could only be Nawaki. After all, aside from the three "smuggled-in" participants, everyone else who entered this formal competition were rookie genin.
"Orochimaru, what do you think of my little brother? He's no worse than those two kids earlier, huh? Ha ha ha ha!"
Tsunade was boasting away, her loud laugh making Orochimaru—who had been watching the fight quietly—clearly uncomfortable.
"Yes yes yes, Nawaki has improved greatly."
"You agree too? Seems like you've got quite an eye for talent, Orochimaru!"
As she spoke, Tsunade reached over and gave his shoulder a powerful slap, one strong enough to make our dear Snake Uncle visibly wince.
"Sssth, Tsunade, look quick—the only one still standing is Nawaki." The poor snake-uncle even let out a hissing sound like a serpent flicking its tongue out of pain.
The emotionless referee picked up the contestant list and started calling names. His smooth efficiency hinted at years of inner turmoil.
"The winner is… Nawaki Senju."
Without much excitement, he announced the match result shortly afterward.
At that moment, the audience turned their eyes toward the nine people lying on the battlefield ground. Seeing three of them still twitching and foaming at the mouth, they enthusiastically praised the wise old man who had commented moments ago.
"Let's keep it quiet. These are just routine procedures."
"Big bro, you're amazing! Tell us a few more stories!"
"All right then. Let me tell you guys, back when I was young—"
This old master clearly didn't realize he already had a special 'invitation' arranged for him. Still indulging in endless recollections, he probably would be telling stories next time from behind Konoha's iron bars.
"So does that mean only these four genin passed this year's formal exam?"
"Yes, Lord Third. This year, a total of 35 candidates passed the written exam. But if we exclude those three contestants who advanced to chunin through special means, only one remains."
The referee's summary of the exam results left the Third Hokage feeling deeply helpless.
You tell me, how come these kids these days are so reckless? They all act like they can take on ten opponents single-handedly. If only one candidate passes the Konoha Chunin Exams, won't other villages laugh their heads off? It's not like we're under invasion—it'd be unbearable having those other four Kage mock us endlessly during the Five Kage Conference.
"Fine then, let's count those three children too."
"Hokage-sama, they are still merely children!"
"That's right, Hokage-sama, please reconsider."
His decision immediately faced strong opposition from the Konoha leadership. The yes-men who had been praising him moments ago now dared not utter a word.
"Calm down and listen to me!" Forsook his usual gentle demeanor, the Third Hokage stared directly at those opposing his decision.
Under his intimidating gaze, they lowered their heads, afraid to meet his eyes.
"I've always been very open to everyone's opinions, but this time you must follow mine. Koharu and Menian already understand the situation—if you want to know the reasons, you can ask them."
The two advisors who hadn't opposed him nodded toward the leadership, indicating their approval.
"As expected of Lord Third—his actions certainly have reasoning behind them. Our vision has clearly been too short-sighted."
Quickly reading the situation, the sycophant became the first to jump up in support.
"That's right! I firmly support Lord Third's decision!"
"I agree too!"
Finding these sycophants occasionally quite useful, the Third Hokage weighed pros and cons in his mind before deciding to keep these people around for some comedic relief.
"If everyone agrees, I'll now announce the exam results."
Without exception, all the Konoha leaders nodded in agreement.
Then he stood up after Nawaki strutted arrogantly off the battlefield, drawing the audience's attention.
"I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, hereby announce that four contestants have passed the Konoha Year 26 Chunin Exams. They are Fugaku Uchiha, Shen Uchiha, Hyuga Nayou, and Nawaki Senju. Let's welcome them onto the field to receive this glorious honor!"
"???"
Confusion etched across his face, Shen suspected he'd fallen victim to [Infinite Tsukuyomi].
Seriously? Became a chunin out of nowhere? Having attended school merely one or two months, he just wanted to escape this bizarre world as soon as possible.
"Would any senior kindly explain how I can return? I'm waiting for help right now—really urgent!"
Though silently shouting these words for several seconds, Shen knew deep down he was stuck here permanently anyway—he didn't even have a system. If he did, perhaps accumulating points for upgrades might actually get him back.
With obvious displeasure written across his face, Shen slowly walked back onto the battlefield. After exchanging a brief hug with Fugaku, he casually positioned himself beside Nayou.
"Shen, what's wrong with you? Is becoming a chunin really that unpleasant?"
Noticing his friend's strange condition, Nayou suppressed her own excitement to carefully inquire about Shen's state.
"It's nothing. It's just that as a Chunin, we have to take missions, so there won't be extra time for... ugh, I mean no extra time for research!"
"Is that really the case?" Nayou narrowed her eyes and studied him carefully.
"Really! I, Shen Uchiha, have long surpassed such lowly interests!" Trying hard not to reveal too much, Shen held her gaze without flinching. Daily *training* sessions with his mother had prepared him well for such minor confrontations.
"Hmm, congratulations to you all. Hurry up and put on these Forehead Protectors so I can see how you look."
Sensing something off, Third Hokage swiftly interrupted their conversation. Then he took out two Konoha Forehead Protectors and four Chunin vests, handing them to the four candidates while smiling at Shen with some unknown intention behind his gaze.
Under that unsettling stare, Shen obediently picked up a Forehead Protector, placing it on his forehead while inwardly grumbling about how hideous the green color looked, in his opinion.
The other three carefully put on their Forehead Protectors before wearing their Chunin vests, standing straight afterward.
Refracting sunlight made those Forehead Protectors particularly noticeable.
And so, on this very day, Konoha welcomed four new Chunin who would soon make a name for themselves across the shinobi world.
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