Chunin Exam Procedures

The person before them had fiery red hair that cascaded down to their waist.

She emerged from a building within the Hyuga Branch Family compound. This person was, naturally, the last female member of Hizashi's squad, Hinata Kurenai.

However, Kurenai at this moment was not wearing her usual casual clothes. Instead, she was dressed in a kimono, appearing quite like a young lady from a noble family.

"I can hardly believe my eyes. I've never seen Kurenai dress like this before," Nao said, somewhat surprised.

Shiyu also chimed in with a bit of astonishment, "There's a saying, 'Buddhas rely on gold, people rely on clothes.' Kurenai looks so much more refined and elegant dressed like this."

Kurenai's face flushed slightly, and she retorted, "Are you saying I'm not usually refined and elegant?"

Shiyu was momentarily speechless, which caused Hizashi and the others to stifle their laughter.

"Miss, you've arrived." Both Hizashi and Hiashi appeared extremely respectful, indicating that Kurenai's status was indeed very noble.

"Uncle Hiashi, and Teacher Hizashi, there's no need for such formality. I'm just a student now, not some 'Miss'," Kurenai said. After her match against Suzuki's squad, she had resolved to become a ninja and wanted to completely shed her pampered young lady persona.

"Alright, everyone's here. We parents will take our leave now." Hatake Sanyu was a rather unconventional person and thus immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to depart.

"Hizashi, I have nothing else to do here either." Hiashi nodded to Hizashi and then gestured to Kurenai before leaving the Branch Family compound.

Only the members of Hyuga Hizashi's squad remained on the field.

"Alright, now there are only the four of us left. I've already registered you for the Chunin Selection Exams," Hizashi announced.

"And I've obtained your guardians' consent. Shiyu, you must inform your sister about this," Hyuga Hizashi's expression turned very serious.

"This Konoha Chunin Selection Exam is the largest-scale Chunin selection exam since the Second Shinobi World War. This is unprecedented! As far as I know, there are three hundred Genin registered, as the preliminary rounds are conducted by squads."

"Therefore, three people form a squad, and three hundred examinees make up one hundred teams!"

"These one hundred teams consist not only of new graduates like yourselves, fresh from the Ninja Academy, but also of senior students, and even examinees who experienced the Second Shinobi World War! Furthermore, after research and discussion by the relevant departments of Konohagakure, this Chunin Selection Exam will allow ninjas who have already become Chunin to participate! In other words, you won't just be facing Genin!" Hizashi stated with great seriousness.

"Chunin!? Why are there Chunin?" Kurenai, whose strength was the weakest among the three, was surprised. After all, the Chunin Selection Exam was for selecting Chunin; why would already-promoted Chunin participate?

"Our ninja squad structure in Konoha has always been three members. Since it's a squad competition, it's assumed that one member of a squad is a Chunin, and the remaining two are not. After passing the selection exam, the other two will have the opportunity to become Chunin."

"But don't worry, a squad will have at most one Chunin. There will never be two or more Chunin, as that would excessively affect the balance of the competition."

"But why? Why can't Chunin be selected from among Genin? Why must it be in a squad format?" Shiyu also inquired.

"The reason is unknown, but the overall planner for this exam is Konoha's highest authority, the Konoha Council. The Third Hokage has also approved this decision, so there's no room for doubt."

Hearing this, Shiyu thought of someone. That person had half his face bandaged, and he was involved in countless dark events in Konoha.

"Danzo? Could Danzo have some scheme? This matter is definitely not simple. The three old men on the Konoha Council must have some ulterior motive."

"We don't really need to think about these issues. We just need to consider how to win," Hatake Nao cut straight to the point.

"Hmm," Hizashi mused, "I'm afraid it won't be that simple."

"Let me explain the selection exam process! This Chunin Selection Exam is divided into three stages. The first stage is a written test, which will likely cover ninja tenets and some general knowledge questions, but I suspect it won't be that simple."

"Based on the pass rates in previous years, about forty percent of the candidates will be eliminated, leaving only about sixty teams," Hizashi shared the real data he knew with them.

"What!? Forty percent? Almost half the candidates will be eliminated in the written test?" Hatake Nao was very focused on combat but had absolutely no confidence in this kind of written test or ninja common sense. His father was an unconventional person, and he himself had little interest in these ninja codes.

"Don't worry. Even if you haven't memorized the ninja tenets and common sense, you can basically get about seventy to eighty percent correct," Shiyu reassured him. He knew the Konoha Chunin Selection Exam wasn't that simple; it would either test intelligence gathering abilities or something unrelated to the exam. With his White Rinnegan, he felt no pressure.

"After the written test, the second stage is the preliminary round. The content of the preliminary round will be personally told to you by your chief examiner after you pass the written test. I don't know anything about it either. I only know the exam process, not the specific content," Hizashi stated truthfully. He didn't have the authority to know such things.

"Teacher Hizashi, what happens after passing the preliminary round?" Kurenai asked curiously.

"After the preliminary round, there will be the semifinals. The semifinals will select eight participants to compete in the finals of the Konoha Chunin Selection Exam, which will take place three months later. That will be the final stage. The person who becomes the champion at that time will naturally have the highest chance of becoming a Chunin. It's worth mentioning that anyone who passes the preliminary round has a chance to become a Chunin."

"It will mainly depend on your individual performance, as well as discussions among the chief examiner and the judging panel. In short, the selection of Chunin will be fair, but don't forget the prerequisite: you must first pass the written test," Hizashi concluded, bringing his students back to reality.

"Are there any other questions about the process?" Hizashi asked, looking at everyone.

"I have no questions." Shiyu thought about it and had nothing else to ask. In a nutshell, just fight.

Hatake Nao was indeed a bit unconfident about the written test, while Kurenai was the opposite; she was confident about the written test but unconfident about the subsequent preliminary rounds.

"The preliminary round will definitely involve combat, right?" Kurenai asked timidly.

She seemed extremely unconfident about her combat abilities, fearing she would drag everyone down.

"Kurenai, relax. Let's focus on passing the written test first," Shiyu comforted her. He felt no pressure at all.