Ninja Green

Two days later, Konoha Square buzzed with noise. More than twenty little brats heading to the Chunin Ninja Exams stood around in groups of three or five, boasting and chatting away.

As the strongest village in the Ninja World—perhaps the undisputed strongest—Konoha naturally would not send only Uchiha Mai's team to the Chunin Ninja Exams.

They had to scrape together at least a few dozen people, didn't they?

Inside the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the young people in the square with deep emotion. "They are all Konoha's future.

To put it bluntly, every one of them has the potential to become a Jonin. They are Konoha's jade, the village's treasures.

I truly wonder how many of them will still return after these Chunin Ninja Exams.

Jiraiya, I'm entrusting them all to you. If possible, I hope you can bring back as many of them as you can."

Were the Chunin Ninja Exams dangerous? They were. Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that perfectly well. Of these twenty-some Genin, it would not be impossible for more than half to die or be injured after the exams.

But could they refuse to send them to the Chunin Ninja Exams just because they were dangerous?

That was even more impossible.

You could not raise towering trees in a greenhouse. Missions above C-rank all carried risks. Without weathering some storms, these talented young people would have an even harder time becoming capable.

Konoha's Jonin Council had the authority to recommend Naruto candidates. The captain of the Jonin Council wielded power and influence no less than the head of the Anbu.

Every Jonin was personally appointed by the Naruto.

Becoming a Jonin meant going from a mere wage slave to a Konoha shareholder—at the very least, a senior manager holding stock