Waiting Room

"I'm really sorry about what happened last time. Our team just really dislikes those ninjas who get arrogant because of their Kekkei Genkai," Violet apologized to Shiyu.

Shiyu seemed a bit surprised. He hadn't expected that and thought things would be more tense.

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However, Shiyu didn't really hate them that much. After all, they were all Konoha ninjas, and it was just a minor misunderstanding.

"Yeah, there are many familiar faces, and quite a few ninjas I've never seen before. It looks like they're all here for the Chunin Selection Exams," Shiyu said to Violet, making small talk.

"You should be careful of the Uchiha Clan.

Violet Katori whispered, "I can sense their hostility towards you."

"I can sense it, and we already had a little skirmish at the gate just now," Shiyu couldn't help but say.

"No, they're just normal participants from the Uchiha Clan. I mean..."

"Violet, it's time for us to go in," Katsuhira Yoshida called out. Violet swallowed the words that were about to come out.

"Anyway, be careful." Shiyu couldn't quite understand Violet's reminder. Although Violet was a Konoha ninja like him, they weren't related. Why would she kindly warn him?

"Also, I received news from Teacher Hizashi that the Uchiha Clan planned to make a move against me. As soon as I entered the waiting room, I felt many hostile gazes fixed on me, including some from the Uchiha Clan."

"It seems this Chunin Selection Exam won't be as simple as I thought!" A voice once again drew everyone's attention.

"It's the Inoshikacho trio from the Konoha genin," someone pointed out.

Nara Kakuru, Yamanaka Yuki, and Akimichi Tonki, known as Inoshikacho, were the generational combination of Konoha in this era. They had graduated from the Ninja Academy together, so Shiyu naturally knew them.

With the entrance of the Inoshikacho trio, the entire waiting room became even livelier.

The three of them were in the same graduating class as Shiyu's team, so they naturally knew each other.

"Huh? Uchiha Shiyu?"

"Please look out for me during the practical exam!" Yamanaka Yuki seemed very enthusiastic as she greeted Shiyu.

"Yuki, are you so sure you'll pass the written exam?" Akimichi Tonki asked while eating.

"Do I need to say? Isn't Kakuru here?" Yamanaka Yuki looked at Nara Kakuru. "He's our strategist!"

It was clear that Shiyu was quite popular. After all, his graduation exam at the Ninja Academy had been quite spectacular.

Might Guy, who noticed Shiyu's immense popularity, was clearly an upperclassman but hadn't become a Chunin before.

Might Guy could sense the youthful energy radiating from Shiyu, and therefore felt that Shiyu, like Kakashi, would be a worthy opponent. Since he was qualified to be his opponent, Might Guy invited Shiyu to spar.

"You're Shiyu, right!" Might Guy looked at Shiyu, his fighting spirit soaring.

"What can I do for you, Might Guy?" Shiyu met Might Guy's gaze without fear.

"I can see you're strong! If we have the chance, let's settle this during the exam!" Might Guy said.

Shiyu was just wondering how to get close to Might Guy to learn the Eight Inner Gates in the future, so he readily accepted.

"Okay, I will definitely duel you fairly and squarely. I also want to see how strong you, Might Guy, really are!" Shiyu became much more enthusiastic.

"Genma, Ebisu! I've found a strong opponent for us!" Might Guy excitedly said to his teammates.

Genma Shiranui, with his dashing appearance and a toothpick in his mouth, said with a smile, his pride evident, "That's great! I'm already eager to try!"

"The Uchiha Clan? Might Guy, are you sure you want to provoke such a powerful opponent for us?" Ebisu weighed his sunglasses in his hand.

"It's okay, Ebisu. They aren't our only enemies. Besides ourselves, aren't all others enemies?" Genma Shiranui said.

"Fine." Ebisu sounded a bit helpless.

Shiyu, who saw everything from the side, was meticulously memorizing everyone around him.

"Besides Nao, Kurenai, and my team, there are many other Konoha teams."

"Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara."

"Nara Kakuru, Yamanaka Yuki, Akimichi Tonki."

"Shuichi Matsuyama, Violet Katori, Katsuhira Yoshida."

"And Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, Ebisu."

"The ones who clashed with me earlier, Shuichi Uchiha, Naomasa Uchiha, and another Uchiha."

"Currently, I recognize 5 teams alone, plus those guys!" Shiyu tilted his head and saw a group of other ninjas with ill intentions.

"With a hundred teams, there should be at least five waiting rooms. This selection is quite grand," Shiyu guessed.

"Nao, you'll definitely be fine, don't be nervous," Kurenai kept comforting Nao, who had absolutely no confidence in his written exam.

"Nao, Kurenai, when the exam starts, the questions are secondary. Make sure to focus on what the proctor says, not just the questions. Also, absolutely do not withdraw voluntarily. Even if you don't know a single question, don't quit. It's highly likely that if one person withdraws, the entire team will be eliminated," Shiyu reminded Kurenai and Nao on the spot.

Just as everyone was analyzing what the exam questions might be, a Chunin announced.

"Uchiha Shiyu, Hinata Kurenai, Kakashi Nao, enter 'Ushi' exam room. The exam is about to begin, prepare yourselves."

"It's time to go in," Shiyu reminded them again. "Don't forget what I told you."

Although Nao and Kurenai didn't fully understand Shiyu's meaning, they remembered his words.

After the three entered the exam room, their seats were shuffled, and they each sat in very scattered positions. It was clear that the proctors had arranged it beforehand.

And the chief examiner was, naturally, Shikaku Nara, whom everyone had already met.

Once everyone was in position, Shikaku began his introduction.

"Hello everyone! I am the chief examiner for the first stage of this Chunin Selection Exam, Shikaku Nara, a Jonin of Konoha. There are two things I need to tell you for this exam."

"First, from the moment you enter the examination hall, none of you are allowed to speak. Regardless of who it is, if you speak, I will immediately disqualify you as a lifelong Genin! You will forever lose your qualification to be promoted to Chunin!"

The examination hall fell silent, with no one even daring to respond. Everyone wished to avoid speaking, lest they be eliminated by the examiner.

"Good, it seems you've understood the first point." Shikaku nodded, quite satisfied, and then continued.

"The second thing is, I will now read out the exam rules. You only need to listen and understand. As for those who cannot understand, you should leave the examination hall as soon as possible."