Early the next morning, the first round of the Chunin Exams required participants to reach the designated location before nine o'clock.
Tōka, Kakashi, and Shisui had arranged to meet at the gates of the Ninja Academy around eight.
At precisely eight, Tōka appeared at one end of the street, hands stuffed into his pockets as he sauntered along.
"Yo! You're here early!" Tōka lazily greeted Kakashi and Shisui, whose expressions were far from pleasant.
Kakashi and Shisui's faces darkened again. This mission was important, so the two of them had gone straight to sleep after returning home yesterday.
Looking at Tōka, listless and yawning, who knew what he had been doing last night.
"Why aren't you going in? You didn't need to wait for me!" Tōka tilted his head, glanced around, and asked curiously.
"The gates haven't opened yet. How are we supposed to get in?" Shisui pointed at the tightly shut school gates.
Tōka looked up. By now, many ninja had gathered outside the academy gates. The first round of the Chunin Exams had deliberately been scheduled for a day when the Ninja Academy was closed.
As for why this place had been chosen as the examination site, knowing Konoha's habits, Tōka guessed the first round would probably involve some kind of contest.
Just then, the discussions around them drifted over.
"Wasn't it eight o'clock? Why aren't they letting us in?"
"As long as we arrive before nine, it's fine. It's still early. Let's wait."
"Seriously, are Konoha people always this unpunctual?"
Kakashi rolled his dead-fish eyes and coldly glanced at the brats talking. He did not recognize the forehead protectors they wore.
They were probably ninja from some small country. What a bunch of ignorant fools...
At that moment, Shisui gave the closed school gates a strange look