Chunin Exam!

The Chunin Exam, as a basic promotion test for Genin, theoretically shouldn't be too difficult, but the involvement of various countries and hidden villages has stripped the exam of its simplicity.

Thus, Konoha, skilled in brainwashing, has always held a considerable advantage here. Regardless of actual strength, at least they dare to charge forward. Driven by the lofty mission of "everything for Konoha," every participant acts like they've been injected with stimulants.

The Daimyos have no idea what's really going on. They see Konoha ninjas going all out even in a Chunin promotion exam, think, "Wow, these guys can fight," and reward them handsomely. Military funding comes rolling in.

Before the first exam officially began, many ninjas had already gathered at the venue. Chino and Hatsumi felt a bit nervous seeing the crowd, but under Zi Xu's carefree leadership, his demeanor infected them, and their tension faded considerably.

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

"Mm, using techniques aligned with my natural chakra affinity is stronger, but I still can't use anything beyond the basic affinities. Water, Fire, Earth are fine, but Wood Release requires a Kekkei Genkai, and Gold Release? Never heard of it."

After initially learning her chakra affinities, Chino had trained accordingly. She tried to use Water Release to mimic Ice Release, but it didn't work. Being able to add a slowing effect to her Water Release was already decent.

"Ah, don't worry about that. Just train those three affinities, focus mainly on Water. Try to attach chakra to the Eight Trigrams Disk and guide it..."

"Zi Xu, Zi Xu, why does my Insect Refining Method always fail? I've already converted them into chakra form—theoretically, there's a chance of success..."

"You can't rush this. Every Gu Master... no, every Insect Controller needs constant practice to improve their refining success rate. How about trying to communicate with your Summoning Beast first? You haven't summoned it much since signing the contract..."

"I see... but it's not that I don't want to summon Chun Qiu. Every time I do, he's all sickly and won't work. No matter what I say, he doesn't listen. He's a pure Slacking Cicada."

Hearing Hatsumi's description, Zi Xu seemed to picture a cicada version of a Silent Clone. Those two might have a lot to talk about.

"Put that aside for now. The exam's about to start. Let's go in first." Zi Xu saw the gate beginning to shift, clearly about to open.

By now, neither Chino nor Hatsumi had realized they'd grown accustomed to Zi Xu's leadership. He had subtly become the head of their three-person team.

In truth, Zi Xu had also noticed that his system's real function wasn't the flashy "Quest System" or "Organization System." Those were just support. The system's true purpose was to help Zi Xu reach Kaido's level in every aspect. The "Quest System" and "Organization System" were merely tools to achieve that goal.

Creak~ The gate swung open, and all the Genin filed in, eager to experience the "Chunin Exam."

"Hm? That guy? From the dumpling shop before?" Zi Xu noticed an inconspicuous white-haired youth in the crowd. As his gaze shifted, he also spotted several squads around him.

"Mm, Sasuke and Naruto, the little princess of the Hyuga Clan, the little wolfdog of the Inuzuka Clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho, and Rock Lee's group." Damn, that white-haired youth leading them wasn't simple. Judging by his age, he didn't look like a first-time Chunin exam taker. Had they latched onto a big shot?

"Wow..." The pink-haired girl Zi Xu had seen before seemed startled by the scene. Her pupils contracted sharply, and her body trembled involuntarily.

"Sakura! Nothing to be afraid of. Strong enemies like this are what make it fun..." Naruto beside her was excited instead, completely unfazed, even making bold claims.

"Listen up! My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I won't lose to you guys!" Naruto pointed at ninjas from other villages, grinning carelessly.

Everyone, including Zi Xu, shot Naruto's team strange looks. But unlike the others, Zi Xu was surprised that the pink-haired girl would be intimidated by these weaklings' presence.

Ignoring Naruto's antics, Zi Xu and his group found seats and sat down.

A man with a pitch-black ninja hat, a face covered in whip-like scars, wearing Konoha's light gray vest and a black coat over it—his entire face screamed, "Don't mess with me."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the proctor for the first exam of the Chunin Exam, Morino Ibiki."

"Now, let's begin the first exam of the Chunin Exam."

Dead silence. The only sounds in the room were Morino Ibiki's voice and someone yawning. It couldn't be helped—at this stage, few Genin could resist being cowed by Ibiki's presence. That was the aura of someone who had truly faced life and death.

"Submit your application forms here, receive a number tag, then sit according to your number. Exam papers will be distributed..."

"Clumsy cheating is self-destruction. A ninja must do what an excellent ninja would do. Getting caught cheating will cost you 2 points. Accumulating 10 points lost means elimination. If one member of a squad scores zero, the entire squad is eliminated..."

As Ibiki announced the rules, the papers were quickly handed out. Zi Xu rubbed his eyes, suppressed another yawn, and glanced at his test.

"Code decryption?" Zi Xu looked at the first question—a code that looked like a QR code drowned in water.

"The parabola B in the diagram shows the maximum range of a shuriken thrown by a ninja A standing on a 7-meter-tall tree. Try to describe the characteristics of a ninja who might appear within the ellipse this shuriken traces, as well as their maximum combat range on flat ground, and state your reasoning." He then looked at the second question's parabola.

"Hm, all this simple?" Zi Xu found the questions somewhat challenging, but nothing special. He picked up his pen and started writing.

But the others really didn't get it. Was this stuff meant for Genin? Come on, Hiruzen Sarutobi, take a look at this—what the hell is all this?

"Though these questions are simple, aren't they too hard for them? One zero and the whole squad's out. If they answer honestly, won't it wipe out a lot of people?" Zi Xu finished all the questions he could and lay his head on the desk. Ibiki had said the last question was optional, so now he just had to wait.

"Maybe the right way is to cheat. Cheating, huh. Those two don't need me to worry... Huh? Where'd this eyeball come from? Poke." He saw a floating little eyeball appear in front of him and, without thinking, jabbed it with his pen.

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