"Brother Shibuki, I'm back!"
An eleven or twelve-year-old girl pushed open the door as she spoke.
The girl wore a ninja Forehead Protector from the Northern Land Village around her neck, and a pair of arms behind her kept flapping, while her body was floating and moving.
"Oh! Xiao Fu, you're back quite late today!"
Shibuki, who was reading the newspaper in the living room, put the newspaper aside when he saw the girl return and went straight to the dining table.
If things had continued along their original trajectory, he would have become the village chief of Takigakure in the near future, but Orochimaru had already altered his life's path.
Both of them came from the same village and were about the same age. Orochimaru saw that the two had a good relationship and put him in charge of taking care of Fu's daily life.
"Today, Yūri-sensei gave me some instructions and asked if I wanted to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams..."
Fu put her handbag containing books on the shelf and drifted carelessly to the dining table. Looking at the table full of her favorite dishes, Fu's mouth watered uncontrollably.
"Go, go wash your hands first!"
Helpless, Shibuki pushed Fu to the sink and then took the food on the table to the kitchen to heat it up.
After the two sat back down at the table, Shibuki finally asked about what had just happened.
"Are you talking about going to Konoha to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams?"
The matter has been finalized; all that's left is for us to submit the list of registered ninjas.
"Yes... Tomorrow we Genin will take an exam. If we pass, we'll have instructors to teach us..."
Fu ate in a hurry while speaking incoherently, Shibuki could only tell her to eat slowly while digesting what Fu was saying.
Over the years, Shibuki has come to regard Fu as his younger sister. Although he is now only assisting Northern Lands in managing the original residents of Takigakure, he also values the ninjas who came from their village.
"So, are you planning to participate?"
Shibuki asked the question he was most concerned about: it would be great if he could represent the village in the exam in Konoha.
"I definitely have to take this fun opportunity! I'm sure I'll pass the test!"
Although Funa's somewhat silly personality has changed compared to the Original Work, she is still a bit adorably foolish.
In order to change her original personality, Sigma specially assigned Hidan and Kisame to train her. One of them was very responsible, and the other did not care about human life.
With this teacher's guidance, the innocent Fu has come to understand the wickedness of people's hearts. Even the most innocent child will mature after being beaten down by society.
"Yes! Keep it up! I believe your efforts will pay off!"
Shibuki encouraged Xiaofu, hoping that she could grow up quickly, as she was the only Jinchuriki in the entire village.
Not only Fu received this message, but also all the current Genin in the Northern Lands.
The most excited of them all were F4, and even the Three-Man Team were eager to prove themselves.
The more laid-back ones are Karin, Ryuzetsu, Ajisai, Kazahana Koyuki.
The next day, the graduating Genin trainees were summoned to the training plaza in Konoha. There were more than twenty people standing in neat rows, which included almost all the Genin from the Northern Lands.
Looking at those young yet determined faces, these are the hopes for the future of the Northern Lands.
"Everyone here is excellent, but this Chunin Ninja Exams is about the reputation of the Northern Lands, so we need to select the nine best members who will represent the Northern Lands to Konoha!"
The speaker was Hozuki Mangetsu, who also served as the principal of the Ninja Academy. His organizational skills were considered quite outstanding among the group.
This job was stress-free for him, just a bit tedious.
"Nine members? Doesn't that mean most of them will be eliminated?"
"It doesn't matter, I will prove that I am the best!"
"Pshaw... I'm the one who's outstanding! I get the Excellent Student Award every year!"
As soon as Hozuki Mangetsu finished speaking, the children began chattering excitedly in the room.
The ninja, confident in his abilities, stood tall and exuded self-assurance, while the passerby who had barely graduated was rather slacker.
Although they all started from similar points, each person's talent is different, which gradually becomes apparent the moment they enter the school.
"Quiet! Maintain discipline!"
Zabuza, who was standing to the side, glared at the ninjas in the arena, and they immediately fell silent.
Zabuza, the part-time Ninja Academy physical education teacher and the Northern Lands Guard, seemed to have an even greater presence than Hozuki Mangetsu in relation to the captain.
The specific reason is that these children had been subjected to Zabuza's discipline while they were in school. They thought they were free after graduation, but who knew they would be assigned to work under him again.
To these people, Zabuza was their nightmare, which explains why his words carried so much weight.
"This assessment will evaluate your individual combat capabilities, team coordination skills, and ability to adapt to changing circumstances in a crisis..."
Hozuki Mangetsu announced the purpose and key points of this assessment. The Chunin Ninja Exams; selecting the best ninja is never a mistake.
"The first test will be your individual abilities. You will be randomly selected as an opponent and will have to give full play to your abilities. Even if you fail, you may be selected again if you perform exceptionally well..."
This stage is, of course, a one-on-one battle, eliminating mediocre ninjas first.
After announcing the general process, Zabuza took over and began to explain the rules to them.
The first round of elimination matches began quickly, and the results were in just one day.
The children that Orochimaru had managed to bring back were all kept, along with a few ninjas of decent strength.
"In the second round, three people will form teams freely and head to the Blizzard Plains for trials..."
More than a dozen ninjas, equipped with their gear, left Northern Land Village one after another, led by Hozuki Mangetsu and Zabuza as always.
Of course, to prevent any accidents, some Medical Ninja and reconnaissance ninjas also went out.
"These little guys seem pretty good! Not much worse than I was back then..."
The last Medical Ninja chuckled as she spoke, while the blue-haired female ninja beside her curled her lip in response.
"Pshaw! That's because you're too weak. They're no match for me!"
"Heh... If you say I'm bad, then aren't you even worse?"
The two who were covering the rear started arguing, and if the circumstances hadn't prevented it, they might have actually come to blows.
These two are naturally the two sworn enemies, Anko and Guren. It can be said that they have been arguing ever since they met, and neither of them is willing to give in to the other.
Before their argument could reach its climax, a voice rang out again from behind them.
"Hey, wait a minute! I have a private room here!"
The two turned around almost at the same time and saw a blond-haired man riding a large bird flying over.
"Ladies, would you like a ride?"
As he spoke, the person descended the bird and quickly came to the two of them.
"Hmph! Deidara, what brings you here too!"
Although the words were not very polite, Guren jumped onto the flying bird first, Anko naturally followed closely behind.
"Ugh, don't even mention it! I was sleeping soundly when Lord Gold Kage told me to come and see the flowers of our motherland..."
Deidara, having triggered his talkative nature, began to launch into a long, drawn-out tirade.
From their conversation, we learn that Orochimaru specifically asked Deidara to assist them in preparation for the Chunin Ninja Exams. With aerial vision, they wouldn't need to be afraid even in the face of natural disasters like avalanches.
Although he himself did not attend, a total of five Jonin came, including Deidara, which shows his great care and consideration.