Just then, a sound of footsteps came from the passage directly in front of the hall.
Immediately after, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, walked into the hall surrounded by several Jonin, followed by the leading Jonin of all the candidates who had not yet been eliminated.
Kakashi walked behind Hiruzen on the left, and for once, he wasn't holding Icha Icha Paradise in his hand.
Guy puffed out his chest and grinned, revealing his signature shiny white teeth.
Asuma was chewing on an unlit cigarette, his expression a mix of laziness and seriousness.
Kurenai walked next to Asuma, her eyes scanning the crowd calmly before finally landing on the three students of her own team.
Seeing Hiruzen, Naruto's heart stirred slightly.
Come to think of it, ever since his transmigration, he had been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding direct contact with him.
He didn't dare to do anything that might attract attention, and even every time he would train, he had to set up a Sensory Suppression Barrier before he dared to let loose.
Fortunately, the Chunin Exams had kept Hiruzen's energy scattered, and he, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, hadn't been singled out by him yet.
Now that he couldn't avoid it, Naruto simply smiled openly at Hiruzen.
Hiruzen walked to the center of the hall, his gaze sweeping over the twenty-odd Genin who had passed the test of the Forest of Death.
When his gaze swept past Naruto, he paused. The blonde boy in front of him, wearing a black high-necked bodysuit and a white windbreaker, had golden locks of hair hanging from both sides of his headband.
The silly excitement and the impatience to prove himself had been replaced by a quiet composure.
This stance, this look, this outfit...
Hiruzen felt as if he were seeing the man from years ago who stood on the roof of the Hokage Building and announced to all the ninjas in the village, "From today on, I am the Fourth Hokage."
"Naruto has grown up, he looks more and more like Minato." Hiruzen said softly, as if talking to himself, but Kakashi, who was standing behind him, heard it.
Kakashi's gaze fell on Naruto in the crowd, a flash of fleeting softness appearing in his eyes.
The Jonin present who were in the know couldn't help but have their attention drawn to Naruto.
Asuma subconsciously turned his head to look at his father.
He saw his father looking at Naruto with a smile filled with nostalgia and emotion on his face.
Guy didn't have so many sentimental thoughts. He just felt that Naruto's posture was very spirited. He radiated a kind of "youth is burning" glow.
Kurenai's gaze lingered on Naruto for a few seconds, then she glanced thoughtfully at Hinata, who was secretly watching Naruto out of the corner of her eye, a faint smile appearing on the corner of her lips.
"Ahem!"
Hiruzen cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention back to himself.
He stood on the high platform in front of the hall and began to explain the significance of the Joint Chunin Exams.
The Chunin Exams were not only a means to select Chunin, but also an important diplomatic platform for various ninja villages to display their strength and maintain a balance of power.
Hiruzen said a lot, from the origin of ninjas to the significance of the allied nations, and from the current landscape of the Ninja World to the responsibilities shouldered by the younger generation.
After Hiruzen finished speaking, a pale Jonin walked out from the side door.
Gekko Hayate, the proctor for the third exam's preliminaries.
He walked to the center of the hall. After coughing for a while, he announced the rules of the preliminary matches to everyone in a hoarse voice.
One-on-one combat, random matching, the winner advances, and the loser is eliminated.
The number of people advancing this time was too high, which did not meet the standards of the final tournament format, so they had to be eliminated through the preliminary matches.
"Before we begin, does anyone want to withdraw?" Hayate's gaze swept across the room.
There was silence in the crowd. Several people's eyes clearly wavered, but no one raised their hand.
At this moment, a figure walked out from the crowd.
Kabuto raised his right hand, the smile on his face remaining gentle. "I withdraw."
He bowed slightly to everyone, and then turned to walk toward the side door of the hall.
The hall was quiet for a brief moment, and then Hayate confirmed again, "Is there anyone else who wants to withdraw?"
This time, he waited for a full five seconds, but no one else raised their hand.
The match officially kicked off amidst the random scrolling of the electronic display board.
The names on the display board began to jump rapidly, and all the examinees' names flickered alternately on the screen at an extremely fast frequency.
A few seconds later, the jumping stopped abruptly.
[Uchiha Sasuke VS Akado Yoroi]
Sasuke walked straight out of the crowd and to the center of the circular combat arena. Yoroi followed closely behind.
The remaining examinees and proctors quickly retreated to the second-floor railing to watch the battle.
Naruto leaned against the railing with his arms crossed over it.
These preliminary matches weren't very interesting, but the battle between Lee and Gaara was worth watching.
And then there was the matter of Neji and Hinata.