Konoha!
Paved avenues buzzed with roaring, shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of people hurrying past in all directions. Merchants chatted and laughed; sightseers paused to take in the sights. Storefronts displayed a dazzling array of goods, ranging from spices and silks to porcelain, gold, silver, and various Konoha-themed souvenirs. Cries of hawkers rose one after another, high-pitched and passionate, mixed with the din of bargaining to form a bustling commercial picture.
With the convocation of the Chunin Joint Exams, the Genin and team leaders participating from various nations had arrived in Konoha one after another, alongside high-ranking officials, celebrities, and wealthy merchants from around the world.
This made an already prosperous Konoha feel even more lively.
In this short period alone, the transaction tax cut from Konoha's commercial street already equaled the tax revenue of an entire past year. For Konoha, this was merely incidental profit; what the village could pocket directly was the subsequent revenue from spectator ticket sales.
The core purpose of hosting the Chunin Joint Exams was to use the Chunin to indirectly display the village's strength, thereby enticing financial backers to invest and assign missions.
Naturally, it could not be held on the sly; more people had to witness these matches. Consequently, the finals venue for the Chunin Exams would take place inside a ten-thousand-spectator arena.
While high-ranking dignitaries who had come to watch browsed Konoha's commercial avenue and experienced its distinct services and cuisine, the preliminary rounds of the Chunin Exams had already begun inside Konoha Village.
The Chunin Exam system was founded by Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, so the process had long since become routine.
The first exam was a written test!
It tested a ninja's foundational knowledge.
Because of Wang Ming's meddling, the proctors for this exam had changed and were not Ibiki Morino. As a