Sasuke's brow twitched incessantly.
These women... so noisy.
But the Chunin Exams... no, he wouldn't go.
It was utterly meaningless.
Only training, training could allow him to surpass that man, to defeat that man.
Tap, tap, tap!
Just as the female students were arguing, footsteps approached.
Hearing the commotion, all the students returned to their seats with extreme speed.
Then they looked towards the door.
Iruka's figure slowly appeared.
Seeing such quiet students, Iruka nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, class, I have some good news. Since the Chunin Exams are approaching, and you all will be graduating in nine months to become Konoha Genin, I specifically requested Hokage-sama, that our entire class will watch the final assessment of the Chunin Exams, the battles between Ninja."
Iruka said with a smile.
Originally, he didn't want the children who hadn't graduated yet to watch, but since his teacher was the chief examiner, he felt he should let the children see his teacher's demeanor.
And he hadn't seen his teacher in a long time.
He had been too busy at school recently.
"Eh, the whole class is going to watch?"
"Yay, I can watch the big show with Sasuke!"
"You fangirl, go away."
"So what if I'm a fangirl?"
As soon as Iruka-sensei finished speaking, the classroom erupted in cheers.
No class, just watching an exam, it was truly great.
"Hmm, that day happens to be Sunday, the timing is just right," Iruka smiled at them.
"Ah?"
"Hm?"
"Eh?"
One sentence made them dejected again...
Konoha Chunin Exam Venue.
Since this was a private exam, there was no big commotion, and naturally no spectators from outside.
This was also a form of low-level secrecy.
Most of the audience were Konoha's own Ninja.
After a week of assessments, the Genin had passed the intelligence test and team test, and now it was the final individual ability test.
Every Ninja who reached this point was a Genin with considerable ability.
Iruka led the students to their assigned seats.
Naruto sat next to him, looking at the magnificent venue below.
"Iruka-sensei, the Chunin Exam venue is so big, much bigger than our school's training ground!"
Naruto was quite excited.
In nine months, he would also graduate and become a Genin, and now watching the atmosphere of the Chunin Exams, he was a little thrilled.
Other students were mostly the same.
Except for a few, most were watching the Chunin Exams for the first time.
Iruka smiled, "Yes, I tried it back then too. Don't look at me as just a school teacher, my strength is also that of a Chunin! Back then, I was unrivaled among Genin."
"Eh, is Iruka-sensei that amazing?"
Naruto dangled his legs on the chair, listening to his teacher's words.
Below them, the contestants gradually entered one by one.
They varied in size and age.
Sasuke, Kiba, Shikamaru, and others also focused their gaze on these people.
Meanwhile, Ino and Sakura were still jostling each other to get closer to Sasuke.
Iruka: "Watch closely, everyone, what true Ninja demeanor looks like."
Upon hearing this, those most concerned with strength were naturally Sasuke, Kiba, and Naruto.
True Ninja demeanor, did that mean there were powerful Ninja among those below?
...Kabuto looked at the people around him: "These are all the examinees for this year. Only about twenty have made it this far, a bit few."
In previous years, there were many more.
And after several exams, he hadn't seen Satoru.
As the chief examiner, not showing up even once was too arrogant.
"Why hasn't it started yet? Where's the examiner?"
"Could he be late?"
"This... isn't this too perfunctory? Aren't they afraid of being punished by Hokage-sama?"
The examinees, who had been waiting for some time, were quite disgruntled at the examiner's prolonged absence.
Even if you're the famous Captain Satoru, you shouldn't be this late...
In the very center of the examination hall, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched this scene.
Beside him was little Konohamaru.
Konohamaru peered out, looking at the Ninja below.
"Grandpa, Grandpa, are the Ninja down there as strong as Tenyu and them?"
He asked Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled at the question: "They are battle-hardened, experienced Genin, so naturally they are stronger than Tenyu and them."
"Then if I'm stronger than them, does that mean I can defeat Tenyu and them?" Konohamaru asked.
Tenyu and Maki had become his goals.
And after his recent efforts, he felt that he was actually very strong.
At school, besides the three members of Tenyu Squad, no one else was his opponent.
Even facing the three members of Tenyu Squad, he now had the power to fight back; if he just worked a little harder, he would definitely be able to defeat them.
"Of course, Tenyu and them are just your classmates, they aren't even Ninja yet, so naturally they are no match for Ninja."
As Hiruzen Sarutobi said this, he somehow thought of Uchiha Itachi.
If it was that person, it didn't count.
Konohamaru: "But where's the examiner? Why isn't he here yet?"
He couldn't wait; he wanted to see how strong he needed to become to defeat Tenyu.
"He'll be here soon... Hmm... he's here."
Boom!
Just as the audience and examinees were chattering incessantly, a surging aura swept over them.
It was truly sweeping over them.
It directly pressed down on their bodies, rendering them all immobile.
Everyone looked towards where the aura was coming from.
Hands in pockets, one step, one lotus flower.
After he walked, the lotus flowers scattered, releasing countless cherry blossoms.
He walked like that, one step at a time.
Even without any grand movements, it felt as if he was stepping on their hearts.
Thump, thump!
It seemed like a long time to the audience, but in reality, it was only an instant before Satoru landed in the center of the examination hall.
In front of the examinees.
"Hello everyone, I am Satoru, and I am also the chief examiner for this exam. The rules that follow, were already announced to everyone beforehand: unlimited one-on-one, graded by performance. Whether you can become a Chunin depends on your performance."
Satoru briefly explained the rules.
And his words, like an advertisement, were not loud but covered the entire audience area.
It was as if he was speaking right into their ears.
"Um... Examiner-san, I might have a problem with my body. Can I withdraw from this Chunin Exams?"
As soon as Satoru finished his display, a young man with white hair and glasses raised his hand to speak.
One hand was still clutching his body.
Satoru heard this and didn't even flinch.
He snapped his right fingers.
Kabuto's heart was vigilant, wondering if he had been exposed.
Then he saw a gust of air appear at his feet, directly blowing him away.
He flew from the examination hall to the audience stands, landing steadily in the audience.
"I will not force anyone to become a Chunin; there is no point. Is there anyone else who wants to withdraw?"
Satoru seemed to have done something trivial.
This level of Wind Release was indeed trivial.