The next day, Konoha Village.
Everything happening outside did not affect Konoha in the slightest.
What most concerned the people of Konoha now was still the second stage of the Chunin Exams currently underway.
Some shrewd vendors, keeping up with the times, launched a guessing game. If successful, participants could enjoy free goods or services.
This attracted many customers, and many people would also make purchases in the store while participating in the guessing game.
Especially today, as the last day of the second stage of the Joint Chunin Exams, the final list of successful candidates would be released tonight.
Both Ninja and ordinary people were enthusiastic, awaiting the final results.
And beneath a desolate area in Konoha, within an underground black gambling den, it was even more bustling with activity.
In the middle of the crowd, a Ninja would periodically narrate the progress of the matches.
The gambling den's staff constantly adjusted the odds for various outcomes based on his oral reports.
After numerous investigations and crackdowns, this underground black gambling den, though frequently changing locations, had always remained resilient and unyielding.
Now, it could even obtain first-hand information from within the examination venue.
Anyone with a bit of intelligence could probably guess the existence behind it.
If some fearless hothead insisted on investigating, the final result would only point to the Fifth Hokage-sama, whom everyone present respected and loved.
Of course, a hothead would not be able to investigate to the deepest level.
Gambling, prostitution, and drugs were the three prohibitions for Ninja, a consensus among Ninja even before the establishment of Ninja Villages.
But people are always complex; if Konoha Village had no dark corners, there would only be one possibility: Konoha Village was about to fall.
As soon as there are many people, naturally there are all sorts of strange things. Beyond the light is darkness, and beyond the boundaries of order is chaos.
Yuuki clearly understood human nature and knew that some things could not be completely eradicated.
Since they could not be completely prohibited, he would reluctantly earn this money himself.
Those who, despite various severe punishments, remained unrepentant, could only be truly passionate about it.
Inside the examination venue, where everyone's attention was focused.
By the third day, some Ninja had already reached the Central Tower and successfully qualified.
The first group to arrive, without surprise, was a Konoha squad.
However, Kitsuchi's expression was a bit unnatural when he saw the first team to qualify.
It was the team Deidara was in. Besides Deidara, there were also a silver-haired and a yellow-haired Ninja, who were Kabuto and Jugo, respectively.
The leader of the three-person team was undoubtedly Kabuto. After Deidara and Jugo were brought back by Yuuki, they were directly handed over to Kabuto.
The three also got along very 'happily,' so Yuuki formed them into a team and had them participate in this Chunin Exams with a mission.
Subsequently, the second and third places were taken by Hidden Mist Village and Hidden Sand Village, respectively.
Utakata and Gaara, the two Jinchuriki, also arrived at the tower with their teams unharmed.
Later, Konoha and Hidden Mist teams continued to arrive.
There were none from Hidden Sand Village. A total of two squads passed the first stage, and the other squad had encountered Gaara early on and was eliminated by their own people.
Iwagakure and Hidden Cloud Village also had no teams qualify.
The Iwagakure Ninja, who had grouped together, targeted the Hidden Cloud Village's only team after learning about it in this assessment.
Although the Hidden Cloud squad had a Jonin who was quite valuable on the black market, two fists ultimately couldn't defeat four hands.
Among the 12 people from Iwagakure, except for the slacker Kurotsuchi, the remaining 11 were all Jonin.
Especially the two Jonin in Kurotsuchi's group; they might not be a match for the Cloud Ninja in a one-on-one fight, but together, they could beat the Cloud Jonin senseless.
During these three days.
Hidden Cloud and Iwagakure presented everyone with an exceptionally exciting 'Genin' forest chase battle.
This behavior from the two Villages naturally received 'friendly greetings' from the other Ninja Villages.
Especially Hidden Cloud Village. Iwagakure at least found some secretly trained Ninja, but what did Hidden Cloud Village mean by directly bringing in famous Ninja?
They didn't even bother to act!
The smaller Ninja Villages were pretty much the same, with many individuals bearing the title of 'Genin' mingling within the examination venue.
Yuuki also maintained a moderate level of attention on the second stage of the Chunin Exams and slightly frowned when he saw the qualification situation.
Too many Ninja passed!
If they passed based on strength without using tricks, the pass rate was indeed difficult to control.
Facing the various Ninja Villages that used every trick in the book, Konoha was indeed somewhat powerless when the difficulty of the exam could not be infinitely increased.
If there are too many, then so be it. Anyway, preparations for a preliminary round have been made.
Yuuki now turned his attention back to Natsuri and her two teammates.
After three days of observation, Yuuki knew he had been relieved too early.
Natsuri, Naruto, and Sasuke were not self-aware and always cautious at all. They were clearly cowards!
At the slightest sign of trouble, they would lie low and motionless, observing the source of the disturbance.
If it was a Ninja, they would run without a second thought.
If it was a wild beast, they would decide how to act based on its species.
The three were living comfortably, as if it were a picnic, not an exam.
Natsuri, in particular, had seasonings among her bottles and jars, while Naruto used the few sealing jutsu he learned from Yuuki to prevent the spread of fire and scent. Sasuke, who had neither capital nor technique, was responsible for the physical labor.
The three had clear divisions of labor and worked together seamlessly, making many Ninja in the monitoring room drool.
With half a day left until the end of the exam, Yuuki, who had originally planned to watch the entire process, had to put down his screen after receiving a message.
Ōnoki's traces had appeared outside Konoha Village!
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