Outside Rain Village, a special delegation arrived.
"Guests from Konoha, I see."
The Rain Ninja guarding the gates immediately stepped forward warmly upon seeing them.
The man leading the group took out a document and handed it over.
"Hello, I'm Hayama Shirakumo, a Konoha jonin responsible for leading our village's genin in this Chunin Exam."
After reading the document, the Rain Ninja smiled. "You've all come from so far away; you must be exhausted. Please come in. We've already prepared lodging for you."
Behind Hayama Shirakumo followed several dozen young children, most of them in their teens, all genin from Konoha.
There were also several Chunin accompanying the group.
Within the crowd, a pair of eyes curiously surveyed the surroundings.
Sakurada Shinko asked, "Didn't they say it rains every day in Rain Village? Why is it so sunny?"
"It might be controlled with ninjutsu," Itachi said beside her.
They had come here to take the first and second stages of the Chunin Exams.
The hosts of these Joint Chunin Exams were Konoha and Rain Village.
The overall process was that examinees from every village would first gather in Rain Village. After completing the first exam, those who passed would begin the second: an ultra-long marathon from Rain Village to Konoha.
Naturally, the exam's content had yet to be revealed, so the examinees did not know. Contestants from all over were also wondering why Rain Village had been chosen as the exam site.
The Rain Ninja were exceptionally welcoming toward Konoha, so much so that Hayama Shirakumo found it a little difficult to handle. They looked at him as though they had just met their own parents.
When he accepted this mission, he had heard from colleagues that Konoha and Rain Village were currently in a honeymoon period, and that they