Chunin Exams

Nagato was completely unaware that he had become the center of the storm.

Even when Nagato was participating in the Chunin Exams, he was curious about Jiraiya's student Naruto Uzumaki, and wanted to know what kind of person Naruto Uzumaki was.

But...

They met soon after.

What Nagato didn't expect was that the chief examiner of the Chunin Exams was Jiraiya.

Because Jiraiya had gone out to search for Orochimaru's whereabouts but failed, he had to rush back to Konoha before the Chunin Exams. As soon as he returned, he was immediately asked by Sarutobi Hiruzen to preside over the Chunin Exams.

Obviously.

This delegation carries other implications.

This Chunin Exams included all of Konoha's allies, making it a significant event. Having Jiraiya preside over the entire Chunin Exams served two purposes: firstly, to intimidate these allies, and secondly, to place high hopes on his disciple, Jiraiya.

For example...

The candidate for the Fifth Hokage of Konoha.

Although Jiraiya objected and even suggested that Tsunade help him, Tsunade had no intention of taking on such a hot potato.

"This is such a hassle..."

Jiraiya sat in the seat of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, looking at the group of examiners below who had already been selected. He was just there to hold the title.

However, after Jiraiya reviewed the list of all the Genin who participated in the assessment, he couldn't help but scratch his head, as if he was more than just a figurehead.

Because...

There were quite a few Genin participating in the exam.

The ninjas of Hidden Sand Village included the three children of the Fourth Kazekage.

Many ninjas from Konoha Village participated in the exam, including the new generation of Genin. Among them were Team 7, which included his most valued disciple Naruto Uzumaki; Team 10, which included the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans; Team Hyuga Clan, which included Kiba Inuzuka, the daughter of the Inuzuka Clan Hinata Hyuga; Kiba Inuzuka of the Inuzuka clan; and Shino Aburame, the son of the Aburame Clan Team 8.

Besides...

The Team 3 I missed last time.

The most talented new generation of ninjas in Konoha all participated in this exam.

Besides these, there are also some small and medium-sized ninja villages such as Hidden Rain Village, Hidden Grass Village, and Waterfall Village that have come from afar. These small villages are almost negligible because they rarely produce outstanding talents.

"This exam looks like it's going to be very interesting."

Jiraiya went through the exam process and reviewed all the examiners of the Chunin Exams, barely managing to familiarize himself with his upcoming mission.

However...

When the first written test began...

Jiraiya noticed something familiar in the exam room.

Even...

It was still the small village he had overlooked.

The first written exam tested the ninjas' ability to gather intelligence. The examiner for the first exam Ibiki Morino, chose an extremely difficult test paper to force all the candidates to cheat. Their ability to cheat was equivalent to their ability to gather and transmit intelligence.

This is really...

It naturally arouses one's interest.

The Hyuga Clan, the Uchiha Clan's Bloodline Limit, allows for Byakugan vision and prying; the Sharingan, the Uchiha clan's Bloodline Limit, allows for Sharingan copying; the Sand Eye used by the Sand Manipulator...

But...

These are not considered rare.

Jiraiya had seen far too much of the world.

However, when he saw a masked Amegakure using origami to transmit information, he couldn't help but feel a slight unease, which reminded him of a deceased disciple.

Pity...

That's all in the past.

After the first, albeit relatively mild, written exam, the second, truly brutal exam immediately began, the one where death would truly begin.

The second exam will Genin's teamwork, their survival skills in the wild, and their willpower in the face of adversity.

The examiner for the second exam Anko Mitarashi, distributed two types of scrolls—one for Heaven and one for Earth—to each Genin team, forcing Genin to fight and seize different scrolls in the Forest of Death, and then carry each scroll to the finish line.

To put it bluntly...

The second exam was probably the only one in which a death occurred.

Outside the Forest of Death.

Team 7 was still curiously observing their opponents.

Naruto Uzumaki looked around in surprise, trying to find the different characters among them, but he couldn't see the hidden characters with his eyesight.

"That little guy..."

"He is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha."

Konan, who had been keeping a close eye on Naruto Uzumaki, reminded Nagato in a low voice, "He's also Jiraiya- sensei's new disciple, and Lord Shirou has asked us to protect him."

"It looks like..."

A hint of confusion appeared on Nagato's face.

Because he had been observing Naruto Uzumaki ever since the first exam.

How should I put it?

This little guy seems a bit slow?

At least in this respect, they really look like their teacher, Jiraiya.

After all...

Jiraiya- sensei is a bit slow too.

All right...

More than just a little.

Deva Path Pain glanced around, then calmly said, "After the event begins, let's search for their trail first..."

"Lest..."

Something went wrong.

After Deva Path Pain finished speaking, he looked at a piece of paper in his hand. The paper was a consent form provided by Konoha to the examinees.

Once the consent form is signed...

This means that these test takers will accept the possibility of dying during the exam.

Certainly.

The Nagato trio certainly don't need to worry about this issue.

Because in the entire Chunin Exams venue, and even in the entire Hidden Konoha, there might not be anyone who could defeat them. In fact, describing their participation in the Chunin Exams as "easy prey" seems a bit too understated.

But...

It's hard for outstanding people to hide their talents.

Although neither Nagato nor Pain chose to use the Rinnegan, and even though they only used the most basic Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, their performance still made them stand out.

Inside the examiners' room.

Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

The Hidden Rain Village squad did indeed perform remarkably well. No matter how they tried to hide their maturity, they still stood out among a group of naive Genin.

"This team performed well."

Jiraiya watched the footage on the monitor and praised them in a deep voice, "Whether it was their team's superior sensory abilities before the battle began, or the fierceness they displayed during the battle, these are things that an ordinary Genin team could not achieve..."

"Even..."

Jiraiya's gaze swept Jonin all the Jonin present, and he added, "Many Jonin performed worse than them."

"Indeed."

Asuma Sarutobi nodded, a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he exhaled a puff of smoke. "So Hidden Rain Village really sent a group of powerful guys this time. Are they determined to win big?"

"Indeed."

Kakashi Hatake, with his keen eye for detail, watched the three-man battle on the monitor and said softly, "They're more confident than the Hidden Sand Village team. They're even certain that their enemies are no match for them..."

"Every time..."

Kurenai Yuhi stood beside Asuma Sarutobi, a worried look on her face. "This squad only sends one person to take action..."

"As long as one person makes a move..."

"The other two people will just stand by and do nothing."

This means they can be confident that their teammates can solve the problem without wasting their Chakra.

"Looks like these little guys are about to meet their match!"

Jiraiya stroked his chin and looked at another screen on the monitor, where Sasuke Uchiha casually used Fire Release Ninjutsu to take down a group of Amegakure.

Only...

This Fire Release Ninjutsu is too powerful...

This also resulted in the forest's surveillance system being destroyed in one fell swoop.

"They're unlikely to be rivals..."

Might Guy's expression turned serious as he continued to observe Nagato's trio. His battle instincts were always exceptionally sharp, to the point that his forehead began to furrow with tension. "Although I have confidence in Lee and the others, but..."

Gap...

Some are too big.

Might Guy could say that his subordinates Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga could easily handle other geniuses, including that red-haired monster genius from Hidden Sand Village who manipulates sand.

But...

This does not include the Hidden Rain Squad.

Because Might Guy sensed a hint of danger in them.

The meaning of danger...

This means that if he were to fight the other party, he would have to risk his life.

"Nagato and the others..."

"It seems like he's been performing a little too well."

Shirou Emiya had been observing the Chunin Exams, and he noticed a problem with Nagato and the others. "They might attract a lot of attention in Konoha."

"Speaking of which..."

What names did the three of them use to take the exam?