Chunin Exams!

The Chunin Exams were theoretically just a basic promotion test for Genin, so they shouldn't have been too difficult. But the involvement of different countries and ninja villages had made them more than just that.

Konoha excelled at indoctrination, so it had always held a considerable advantage in this regard. After all, regardless of their actual abilities, at least its ninja dared to charge in. Inspired by the noble mission of "Everything for Konoha," every candidate seemed hopped up on adrenaline.

The Daimyo had no idea what was going on. They saw Konoha ninja going all out even for their Chunin promotion exams and thought, Those fighters look impressive! Give them a reward—a big one! And just like that, the military funding came in.

Before the first exam officially began, many ninja had already gathered outside the venue. Chino and Hatsumi felt a little nervous at the sight, but Zi Xu led them in with such casual confidence that they caught his spirit, and their nerves eased.

"Chino, how's your Mystic Gate training going?"

"Mm. Techniques that use the chakra nature I'm best at are stronger, but I still can't use techniques beyond the basic natures. Water, fire, and earth are manageable. Wood Release requires a Kekkei Genkai, and Gold Release? I've never heard of it."

After learning which chakra natures she had, Chino had started training accordingly. She'd tried to make her Water Release behave like Ice Release, but it hadn't worked. She could at least add a slowing effect to her Water Release.

"Ah, don't worry about those. Just get good at those three natures. Focus mainly on water, and try infusing the Eight Trigrams Disk with chakra. See if you can guide it..."

"Zi Xu, Zi Xu, why does my Insect Refining Method keep failing? I've already turned them into chakra forms, so in theory, they should be able to be refined..."

"There's no rushing that. Every Gu Master... no, every Insect Controller has to practice over and over to improve their insect-refining success rate. Why not try talking to your Summoning Beast first? You've barely summoned it since you signed the contract..."

"I see... But it's not that I don't summon Chun Qiu. Every time I do, he looks half-dead and won't do any work. He doesn't listen to a word I say. He's just a Slacking Cicada..."

From Hatsumi's description, Zi Xu seemed to picture a cicada-shaped Silent Clone. Those two might have a lot to talk about.

"Let's put the rest aside for now. The exam's about to start. We should go in first." Zi Xu noticed the gate had begun to shift, as if it was about to open.

By then, neither Chino nor Hatsumi seemed to realize they had grown used to following Zi Xu's lead. Without even noticing, he had become the leader of their little group.

Zi Xu had realized it, too. His system's true purpose wasn't all those flashy features like the "Quest System" and the "Organization System." Those were just auxiliary functions. Its real purpose was to help him reach Kaido's level in every way. The "Quest System" and the "Organization System" were there to help him achieve that goal.

"Creeeak." The gate swung open, and all the Genin filed inside, eager to see what the "Chunin Exams" were all about.

"Hm? That guy—isn't he from the dumpling shop?" Zi Xu spotted an inconspicuous white-haired young man in the crowd. As Zi Xu's gaze shifted, he noticed the teams gathered around him.

"Let's see... Sasuke and Naruto, the Hyuga Clan's little princess, the Inuzuka Clan's little puppy, Ino-Shika-Cho, and Rock Lee's team." Well, that white-haired guy leading them wasn't ordinary. He looked too old for this to be his first Chunin Exam. Had they gotten themselves a powerful backer?

"Whoa..." The pink-haired girl Zi Xu had seen before seemed stunned by the scene before her. Her pupils shrank, and her body trembled despite herself.

"Sakura! There's nothing to be afraid of. Strong opponents like these make things exciting!" Naruto, standing beside her, was thrilled. He hadn't been scared at all and was even bragging loudly.

"Listen up! My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I won't lose to any of you!" Naruto pointed at the ninja from other countries and grinned.

Everyone, Zi Xu included, gave Naruto's team a strange look. But unlike the others, Zi Xu was surprised that the pink-haired girl would be intimidated by the presence of such a bunch of weaklings.

Ignoring Naruto's antics, Zi Xu and the others entered the classroom and casually found seats.

A man wore a black ninja cap and a light-gray Konoha vest under a black coat. His face was covered in lash-like scars, and his entire appearance seemed to say, "Don't mess with me."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Morino Ibiki, the proctor for the first round of the Chunin Exams."

"Now, let's begin the first round."

The classroom fell silent. The only sounds were Morino Ibiki's voice and one guy yawning. It was hard for Genin at this stage not to be cowed by his presence. That was the aura of someone who had truly faced death.

"Submit your application forms here, then collect your number tags. Take your seats according to your numbers. After that, you'll receive your exam papers..."

"Attempting to cheat clumsily is asking for trouble. A ninja should act like an exemplary ninja. If you're caught cheating, you'll lose two points. Anyone who loses ten points in total will be disqualified. If even one member of a team gets zero points, the entire team will be disqualified..."

As Morino Ibiki announced the exam rules, the papers were quickly handed out. Zi Xu rubbed his eyes, suppressing another yawn, and glanced at the test in his hands.

"Code deciphering?" Zi Xu looked at the first question, which showed a code that looked like a QR code that had been drowned.

"Parabola B in the diagram represents the maximum range of a shuriken thrown by Ninja A from a tree seven meters high. Describe the characteristics of a ninja who might appear within the ellipse outlined by this shuriken, as well as their maximum range in a planar battle. Give your reasoning." He glanced at the parabola in the second question.

"Hm. Are they all this easy?" Zi Xu thought the questions were a little difficult, but nothing too challenging. He picked up his pen and started writing.

But the others really had no clue. What the hell were these questions? Were they meant for Genin? Come on, Hiruzen Sarutobi, take a look at this! What is all this?

"Still, even if these questions are easy, aren't they too hard for the others? One person gets zero and the whole team is disqualified. If they answer honestly, won't a lot of teams get eliminated?" After finishing all the questions he could answer, Zi Xu lay down on his desk. Morino Ibiki had said the last question was optional, so all he could do now was wait.

"Maybe cheating is the right way to do this. Cheating, huh? I don't need to worry about those two..." He noticed a tiny eyeball floating in front of him. "Huh? Where'd that eyeball come from? Poke." Without a second thought, he jabbed it with his pen.

"Cough, cough..." Some Gourd Baby let out an unnatural cough.