The Beginning of the Exam!

"Well, all in all, your performance this time was quite good. Li's offensive methods are powerful, Kushina's sealing jutsu is also impressive, and Minato Namikaze understands how to assess the situation. All three of you did well!"

After concluding the training exercise, Jiraiya sat on the ground with Li and the others to begin his critique.

"Especially you, Li. Being able to make a series of decisive actions the moment Kushina's position was exposed is truly commendable. What is even more worthy of praise is that you found a way to coordinate with your teammates before striking. Not bad at all!"

Jiraiya held Li in high regard. From the moment Li initiated his attack until the end, his movements were fluid and seamless. In particular, that strange Kunai throwing technique had opened Jiraiya's eyes. What Jiraiya appreciated most was that Li knew how to cooperate with his companions and did not become arrogant despite his formidable strength.

System: Received praise from Jiraiya. Mission complete. Reward: 1,000 points. Please check your account!

Hearing the system's notification, Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how well he had fought or how much Jiraiya had praised him, if the system didn't acknowledge it, the mission wouldn't be complete.

"Alright, I have a general understanding of your strength now. I will arrange your training moving forward, but..." Jiraiya looked at Li with a troubled expression. Li's strength was already very high; aside from his ultimate trump cards, Jiraiya had little left to teach him. Naturally, those trump cards could not be passed on to outsiders—he hadn't even taught them to his three direct disciples, including Nagato, let alone Li.

"Jiraiya-sensei, the clan has already arranged training for me!" Li, understanding Jiraiya's dilemma, said calmly. In any case, he had never intended to learn Sage Mode from Jiraiya. As long as he had enough points, Li could simply redeem the Sage Body, and at that point, wouldn't the so-called Sage Mode be within his grasp?

Jiraiya nodded awkwardly upon hearing this. As a teacher, being unable to instruct a student was indeed quite embarrassing. If Li weren't from the Uchiha Clan, Jiraiya might have taken him on as a direct apprentice.

Their first meeting ended in this awkward fashion. After bidding farewell to Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze, Li and Kushina left together, much to the envy of Minato Namikaze.

Time passed quickly. Two weeks had flown by since Li, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina formed their Genin squad. On this day, all of Konoha was bustling with activity. The streets were crowded with people, and many visitors from other villages were arriving in Konoha. On this day, security in Konoha was extremely tight; there were ten ninjas stationed at the gates alone to conduct inspections.

"The Chunin Exams are about to begin. I have applied for your eligibility for this exam. As for whether you are willing to participate, that is for you to decide. These are the registration forms. If you have made up your minds, fill in your names. However, there is one thing I want you to remember: the Chunin Exams are based on three-person squads. If one of you decides to quit, all of you will lose your eligibility to compete!"

At the Third Training Ground, Jiraiya handed three documents to the trio, his expression very serious. Participating in the Chunin Exams was no small matter; it was fraught with countless dangers. Perhaps other villages would intentionally send one or two Jonin disguised as Genin to participate, with the goal of weakening the vital strength of other villages. Therefore, Jiraiya would not force the three of them to make a choice.

After receiving the registration forms, Li looked at Kushina, then at Minato Namikaze. Kushina was full of excitement, while Minato Namikaze was more reserved, though the sharp glint in his eyes revealed his true intentions. Kushina was a competitive person, and Minato Namikaze also wanted to prove himself. Neither of them had any reason to refuse such a good opportunity.

"No problems for everyone, right?" Li filled in his name on the registration form without hesitation, then looked at Kushina and Minato Namikaze and asked calmly.

"Of course! How could a mere Chunin Exam make me back down?" Kushina waved her fist, then picked up a pen and filled out her form.

Minato Namikaze smiled slightly and nonchalantly filled in his name. Both of them then handed their forms to Li.

After receiving the forms, Li nodded slightly and handed them to Jiraiya, saying calmly, "Jiraiya-sensei, these are our registration forms. Please submit them for us."

Jiraiya had been watching the three of them the entire time. Seeing that all three had filled out their forms without a hint of hesitation, a look of admiration appeared on his face. After taking the forms, Jiraiya smiled slightly and said, "Alright, you brats. Since you all intend to participate in the Chunin Exams, take it easy today. Tomorrow is the official start. I hope you will be in the best possible state to face this exam. Understood?"

"Understood, Jiraiya-sensei!"

Although they were told to rest, Kushina and Minato Namikaze clearly had no intention of doing so. They dragged Li along to wander the streets, under the guise of "scouting the enemy." Seeing Kushina acting as if she were about to go wild with excitement, Li could only smile helplessly.

I'll just consider this keeping Kushina company, he thought. Having been delayed by various matters recently, he decided to take this opportunity to make it up to her. However... Li looked at Minato Namikaze beside him and felt slightly annoyed. To Li, this guy was a bit of a third wheel right now.

Minato Namikaze, however, clearly lacked this realization and continued to look around with a smile, his gaze occasionally lingering on the passing ninjas—all of whom were from other villages.

Li couldn't do anything about him; he couldn't just chase him away. Just then, however, Li's pupils constricted slightly. Directly ahead, four ninjas caught his attention, primarily because their gazes kept lingering on him.

Have the Sunagakure ninjas arrived as well? Li narrowed his eyes slightly. Three years ago, after the war ended, Sunagakure had signed a reparations treaty and subsequently signed an alliance treaty with Konoha. The fact that they could come to participate in the Chunin Exams held by Konoha was precisely because of this alliance. However, judging by their appearance, they didn't seem to have come with good intentions.

"Kushina!" Li stepped forward slightly and pulled on Kushina, who was still playing around. He shook his head and then glanced at Minato Namikaze. Clearly, Minato Namikaze had also noticed the situation with the four Sunagakure ninjas and nodded slightly. The three of them walked directly into a nearby alleyway.

Based on his intuition, excluding the Jonin leading them, the other three ninjas gave Li a bad feeling. They were likely not as simple as mere Genin.

"Is that black-haired brat the 'Konoha's Number One Genius' Mirai Uchiha that the Kazekage and Elder Chiyo mentioned?" Watching the place where the three had disappeared, a burly, bearded middle-aged man asked the thin man leading them in a muffled voice.