The Second Exam
Upon hearing that a ninja had died in the third team, Yemo was briefly shocked, then a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Looking at those in the third team who passed the exam, it was quite interesting. This Chunin Ninja Exams explicitly stipulated that during the exam, all villages must put aside their hatred, and in particular, killing was prohibited during the exam.
In the Shinobi World, which village is without hatred? Especially during the two Shinobi World War, countless ninjas from various villages died on the battlefield, and countless families were destroyed, sowing seeds of hatred in many ninja villages that will never fade away.
During missions, conflicts are likely to break out between villages, and even in peaceful times, the number of ninjas who die in other villages is not small.
Take the Five Great Shinobi Villages, for example. Whether they are high-ranking officials or ordinary people at the bottom, who doesn't carry hatred on their shoulders? As ninjas, who hasn't had some comrades or relatives and friends die in battle? Who doesn't want revenge?
That's why Konoha takes this Chunin Ninja Exams so seriously, even going so far as to send back a large number of ninjas who were on missions outside, all to ensure the village's safety during the Chunin Ninja Exams.
The sudden influx of hundreds of ninjas from different villages poses a significant threat to Konoha's safety. Who can be sure that none of them, harboring grudges against Konoha, might cause some damage?
From the very beginning, Yemo did not believe that the Chunin Ninja Exams could proceed peacefully, as many of the Genin participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams had elders who had died at the hands of other villages.
With their enemy's back right in front of them, not many people can suppress their hatred. It's surprising that someone would succumb to it in the very first exam; isn't this deliberately slapping Konoha in the face?
Most of the arrangements for this Chunin Ninja Exams were handled by the Anbu. Now that this has happened, Mite Seiun, as the head of the Anbu, naturally has to take responsibility. No wonder Mite Seiun's face was so dark.
However, Yemo believes that this matter will probably not be investigated further. After all, it's impossible to postpone the Chunin Ninja Exams just because of three people. The higher-ups probably already anticipated this.
Just as Yemo had predicted, Mite Seiun said, "Regarding the three Genin who died this time, Konoha will definitely catch the culprit as soon as possible. Those who break the rules must pay the price."
"However, the second exam will proceed as planned. It will begin this afternoon. Be prepared; Konoha has prepared lunch for you."
After speaking, Mite Seiun turned and left the auditorium in a hurry. After all, the three dead ninjas were still waiting for him to deal with. Since he was leaving, there was no need for Yemo and the others to stay in the auditorium any longer. More than a hundred people went out in twos and threes to the cafeteria for their meals.
After lunch and a short rest, Yemo and his group, led by the examination staff, arrived at a dense forest in the southwest of the village. Due to its remote location and long distance, even Yemo, who was from Konoha, had only been here a few times.
However, because of the Chunin Ninja Exams, preparations here began very early. The huge dense forest was sealed off by a transparent barrier, and Konoha Ninja stood all around it.
The first exam was conducted by Mite Seiun, and the examiner for the second exam was naturally Sarutobi Shinnosuke. Compared to Mite Seiun's seriousness, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was much more peaceful, appearing with a smile on his face.
"I am Sarutobi Shinnosuke, your examiner for the second round. You are all candidates who passed the first round of the exam. I won't go into details, as you are all aware of the situation. After the second round of the exam, you will officially become Chunin."
"Next, I will explain the rules for the second round. See the dense forest behind me? This is the venue for your second exam. We have already used a barrier to enclose the forest within a radius of twenty kilometers. For the second exam, all of you will be shuffled and randomly divided into ten teams, each entering the forest through one of the ten entrances."
Upon hearing that the line was to be disrupted, the previously calm line suddenly became noisy. Everyone was surprised by this rule, with some happy and some worried.
"It seems the higher-ups want to ensure fairness in the second exam," Yemo, resting his chin on his hand in deep thought.
Hearing Yemo's words, Shikaku said, "That's for sure. In the first exam, many small villages simply couldn't form complete teams. If it were conducted in teams, those villages that suffered heavy losses in the first exam would naturally not agree."
At this moment, someone in the crowd raised their hand and shouted, "If that's the case, then we can only act alone and can't team up."
This ninja's question revealed many of his thoughts: if everyone has to fight alone and can't form teams, then it's incredibly unfair to those of them who have passed the first exam as a complete team.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke smiled slightly and explained, "Of course not. It's just that your team was scattered when you went in, but you can find your teammates again once you're inside."
"Next, I will announce the criteria for passing the exam. Upon entering the dense forest, each of you will receive a scroll. Within 24 hours, you must steal scrolls from each other and reach the clearing in the center of the forest. This will count as passing the Chunin Ninja Exams."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke extended his index finger and added, "There's another point you all need to make clear: every single person in the team must have two scrolls to pass the test. That means if you're a three-person team and you don't have six scrolls, even if you reach the center of the dense forest within twenty-four hours, you'll be eliminated. Remember, I'm not talking about any individual who didn't get a scroll, but the entire team."
Upon hearing this, a murmur arose from the crowd, and everyone's expression was not good. Yemo was no exception. The passing criteria were even stricter and more terrifying than the first exam. According to the data on paper, fifty percent of the people would be eliminated.
But it's not that simple. Before they entered the dense forest, each team was broken up. If a teammate was eliminated before the three of them reunited, the entire team would fail the Chunin Ninja Exams. It can be said that the second Chunin Ninja Exams placed the team at the most important level. The success rate of passing the Chunin Ninja Exams was probably only 25%, or even lower.
No matter how strong or talented you are, if your teammates can't survive, it means you'll be eliminated too.
"Is there any good way, Shikaku?" Choji asked anxiously. The others also looked solemn. Konoha had four teams, and this rule was the most unfair to them, eliminating all their advantages.
Shikaku, then explained his plan, "There are twelve of us in Konoha. Even if we're divided into ten teams, some of us will definitely be grouped together. Those of you grouped together will form a small team. When we enter the dense forest, avoid fighting unless absolutely necessary. Immediately leave the group and regroup. Although our advantage will be weakened, at least we'll be more familiar with the terrain than the others. The regrouping point is that giant tree in the southwest."
"All four teams are three-person squads. Remember, each of us now represents our team. If one person is eliminated, the entire team is eliminated."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded emphatically. This was something everyone had to take seriously, and no one wanted to cause the entire team to be eliminated because of their own actions.