Auntie, Press It Down

Early the next morning, the square at the entrance to Sunagakure was packed with people.

The eastern sun had yet to fully rise, while a pale moon hung high in the heavens. The morning breeze was especially bleak.

There had originally been 120 people in 40 teams. Twenty teams, or sixty people, had advanced to the team competition stage. Yet at least three or four hundred people had gathered at Sunagakure's entrance.

A considerable number of them were teams that had been eliminated during the written exam.

They believed they had performed quite well on the first written exam and would have had no trouble advancing if Uchiha Mai had not caused trouble. They blamed their elimination entirely on Uchiha Mai.

This group had come for revenge, intending to block his path.

The other group consisted of various nobles and wealthy merchants who had already arrived in Sunagakure. They had parked their carriages at the village entrance and sat inside, hoping to watch the excitement.

Only the individual matches of the Chunin Ninja Exams were held in the arena. If they wanted to watch the other stages, they had to find their own way.

"Bastard!

Why hasn't that brat Uchiha Mai shown up yet? By the way, does anyone know what Uchiha Mai looks like?"

A participating ninja seeking revenge scanned the square, looking for Mai.

"Idiot, didn't we take the written exam with him? He made such a huge commotion when they collected the papers. How could you not remember?"

"After they collected the papers, I was mentally exhausted and collapsed on my desk. How could I have had the energy to pay attention to what happened?"

"Listen, Uchiha Mai's hair color is unusual. It's very close to the chief examiner's—a dark red, almost the color of blood.

Rumor