"Too many Genin were recommended, so we might not be able to go?"
A total of sixteen teams, including Team Otokaze, had signed up for the Chunin Exam. Ten teams had already been confirmed. The remaining six had to challenge one of the qualified teams. Only by winning could they secure a last-minute ticket to Konoha.
***
Team Otokaze had only recently been formed and hadn't completed many missions. If it weren't for the fact that its three cobbled-together members were not rookies, and that their captain Otokaze had strongly recommended them, it was doubtful they would have even made it into the six substitute teams.
Team Saya shared a similar fate.
Unlike Team Otokaze, which was genuinely looked down upon, Team Saya could have secured an official spot. However, Saya wanted to test Shira's strength and didn't want to exhaust her connections, so she ended up as a substitute team.
It was three days later when all the qualified Genin teams returned from their missions.
After another two days of rest, the preliminary test officially began.
Team Otokaze used those few days to prepare.
Daigan had originally wanted to get a list of all the Genin participating in the Chunin Exam from Saya, but he was flatly refused.
The capricious young lady was such a hassle. Their previous transaction had gone so smoothly, Daigan had thought they were on good terms. He didn't expect her to turn cold so quickly.
Kankuro, on the other hand, was much more straightforward. Doing business with him was a pleasure; he paid promptly and never delayed.
It wasn't until noon that day that the rules for the preliminary test were announced. It would begin right after the lunch break, with the final spots to be decided in just a few short hours.
Holding the announcement and the list of participants, Daigan let out a long sigh of relief.
"A round-robin tournament that considers both individual and team strength. Interesting."
The rules were simple. After choosing a team to challenge, the battle would be a series of one-on-one matches. The winner would continue, while the loser's team would send in their next member. This would go on until one team had all three members defeated, at which point their qualification would be forfeit.
A team that successfully challenged another would immediately secure a spot in the joint Chunin Exam in Konoha. A failed challenge meant immediate elimination.
Teams that lost their official spot would be treated as substitute teams and given one more chance to challenge another team. Success would lock in their qualification.
"Chi, you go first. Yome, you're next. I'll be last."
"Alright," Chi agreed with a nod. "But which team should we challenge?"
"Anyone but Temari's team. The others are all the same."
Yome asked with some concern, "Is it really okay to be so casual about this? We don't know much about the others."
The circle of elite Genin aspiring to the Chunin Exam was completely different from the one inhabited by members of weaker teams.
Daigan was probably the only one who could name some of them, but even he wasn't familiar with them.
"It's fine," Daigan replied matter-of-factly. "Just do your best. With me as your anchor, there won't be any problems."
According to the rules, a team with superior overall strength would win. However, if one Genin was far stronger than the others, they could potentially defeat all three opponents on their own.
It was a system that valued both teamwork and individual prowess, a clear reflection of the Sand ninja's pragmatism.
As for the other rules, they were designed to prevent a single team from being maliciously targeted by multiple challengers and to stop certain teams from sitting back and reaping the benefits without fighting.
In theory, any of the ten qualified teams could be challenged, even repeatedly.
Being granted an official spot without the strength to back it up wasn't necessarily a good thing; their situation could be even more precarious than that of a substitute team.
***
As the sun began to set, the hottest part of the day passed. Forty-eight Genin candidates gathered, along with a dozen or so high-ranking ninja supervising the test.
"I'll skip the pleasantries. Challengers and defenders, follow the proctors to your assigned training grounds. The time limit is one hour. If the defenders fail to defeat the challengers within the time limit, they will be judged to have lost."
The rule Baki added at the last minute sent a chill through the candidates below, and some couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"Silence! If you are judged to be strong but cannot cleanly defeat the weak, I will question whether you are worthy of my confidence. I make the rules here. Now… begin!"
Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were at the very front. Daigan, sitting on the challenger's side opposite them, tried to send a friendly look Temari's way, but only received a cold glare in return.
No one challenged the Kazekage's children. Their outstanding strength was one reason, but the main one was that no one dared to fight Gaara.
It was just a Chunin Exam; it would be a terrible injustice to be casually killed by Gaara.
The pairings were set. The six substitute teams were challenging different opponents. It wasn't that they had different opinions on who the weakest teams were; the real reason was that no one was familiar with each other, so they all picked teams they felt confident against rather than risking it with a completely unknown squad.
The team facing Team Otokaze consisted of three unremarkable-looking Genin. They were dressed just like any other Sand ninja; you could swap their faces and no one would notice the difference.
"Do you know them?" Daigan gestured with his chin toward the three. "They look pretty arrogant, like they don't think much of us."
"Who knows? Maybe they really do have the strength to look down on us."
It was obvious they saw two seemingly easy-to-bully girls—especially Yome, who didn't look very strong—and assumed that their teammate, Daigan, must be of a similar caliber.
Sunagakure's team formation principles didn't consider things like balancing strength. With a limited number of ninja, their elite training strategy was thoroughly implemented. The strong would only team up with the strong, and the teammates of the weak were bound to be weak as well.
The proctor for Team Otokaze's challenge was a lean ninja completely wrapped in a white bodysuit, his face covered by a black cloth and his eyes hidden behind goggles, making him completely unrecognizable.
Chi's first opponent had messy hair and a slightly hunched back. He wore a strange breathing valve and had a pair of iron claws strapped to his wrists. The tips glowed with a faint blue light, clearly coated in poison.
"So the first one to die is a little girl as scrawny as a chick? If you're scared, surrender now. I, the great Fujin, will be merciful!"
Chi's expression was serious. She solemnly covered half her face with her fan, watching her opponent warily.
"Fujin? What a ridiculous name," Daigan scoffed.
Sunagakure ninja were just that casual with names. Most were related to sand, wind, the desert, common wild animals, or even children's toys and monsters from ghost stories. Of the people Daigan knew, few were exceptions.
Not only were their names rustic, but few even had surnames. With no respectable clans to speak of, there wasn't much inheritance to pass down, so having a surname to signify lineage didn't make much difference. Most formed interest groups to support each other, like Saya's family.
Of course, some people in Sunagakure did have surnames.
Not long ago, on the list of graduating students from the Ninja Academy, Daigan had seen a boy with the surname Aoi and the given name Sorata.
This guy in front of them, this "Fujin," was certainly arrogant enough, but as for his skills…
"It's truly pathetic."
***
Chi's performance far exceeded expectations, catching not only her opponent Fujin off guard but also surprising Daigan.
Chi's tool for casting genjutsu was a specially made feathered fan, foldable like a traditional one but adorned with beautiful plumage, making it resemble a dancer's fan.