Ōtsutsuki Kaguya curled her lips faintly as she spoke to Kaede.
Kaede nodded. "Their growth is what I look forward to the most."
"Then I'll look forward to it too. After all, life has been a little boring lately." Kaguya lazily yawned, traces of drowsiness glistening at the corner of her eyes. "You can keep an eye on the Chunin Exams. I'm going to sleep."
Kaede shook his head helplessly, but let her leave with a tolerant smile.
Naruto, Sajirō, and Gaara, whose strength had risen so quickly, made him reflect on all those years he had endured under Danzō. What had all that suffering been for if, in the end, he had been forced to bow?
After dismantling the traps Kaede had left behind, the candidates quickly retreated. As the exams continued, the number of participants had dropped from one hundred to just thirty.
The test grew increasingly fierce. The young shinobi who passed the trials had already formed bonds of trust with their teammates. Shikamaru, Chōji, and Ino, who usually carried out missions together as the Ino–Shika–Chō trio. Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. Tenten, Lee, and Neji. These were the standouts among the candidates.
There were also shinobi from other villages, as well as spies disguised as examinees who had slipped into the Land of Gods. Each of them stood in the great hall, waiting for the announcement of the final stage.
Tsunade entered with authority, carrying the roster of names. Behind her came Shizune and several masked jōnin of the Land of Gods.
"Reaching this stage proves you all possess remarkable strength. But…" Tsunade paused, her sharp gaze sweeping over everyone, "your good fortune ends here. Congratulations. You've reached the final trial—the Trial of Hell!"
The moment her words fell, the wall behind the candidates suddenly collapsed with a deafening crash. Before their eyes appeared an enormous coliseum, and all around them tens of thousands of spectators filled the stands. At the center of the arena stood the examinees themselves.
Tsunade strode to the announcer's platform and raised her voice.
"Here are the rules for the ultimate Chunin Exam. Among you, ten already hold the final approval tokens. Who they are depends on your own skill to find out.
This round has no restrictions on whether you act as a team or as an individual. In other words, if you can defeat everyone and seize one of the ten tokens, you can sit in those seats…"
She pointed to ten empty chairs beside her.
"…and you will also claim the reward of the Land of Gods: these scrolls of jutsu."
For these young shinobi, the temptation was immense. Everyone knew how powerful Kaede and the Land of Gods were. Even techniques that other nations treated as secret treasures were distributed here without reserve. Families, even civilians with talent, could study them if their level was high enough.
For the candidates, the Chunin Exams of the Land of Gods had the highest prestige, gathering the most gifted shinobi under fifteen from across the world.
Among them were Gaara, jinchūriki of the One-Tail, Naruto, jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, Hyūga Neji with his Byakugan, and Uchiha Izumi. Each was a name to be feared. To others, they were the elite among genin. Of course, Naruto was the most unconventional of them all.
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!" Guy chewed on a blade of grass in the stands, clapping twice as his blood burned with excitement. He gave Lee a thumbs-up with shining eyes.
"Our God Shadow-sama's exam rules are perfect! This is the most complete trial—testing their ability to gather information to discover who holds the tokens, as well as their choice between cooperation and individual strength. Both are part of the test!"
The Trial of Hell had begun.
(End of Chapter)
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