Whether it was Kakashi, Asuma, or Kurenai, all of them were jonin leading this year's newly graduated genin. Normally, as leaders of new teams, they would not recommend rookie genin who had only just graduated for the Chunin Exams.
After all, while the Chunin Exams were meant to be peaceful, people could still die if they were careless. No matter how cold-blooded a ninja was, they generally would not send their subordinates to their deaths. They were their subordinates—and, in a sense, their students as well.
Just as the Third Hokage had once led Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, and Namikaze Minato had later led Kakashi.
Everyone present naturally assumed that these three jonin would not recommend their newly graduated subordinates for such an exam. Yet what happened next thoroughly surprised all those who had taken that for granted.
Hatake Kakashi stepped forward first, made a hand sign, and declared with an exceedingly solemn expression, "In the name of jonin Hatake Kakashi, I recommend my subordinates Second Pillar, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura for the Chunin Exams!"
Immediately afterward, Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai likewise recommended their three genin.
When Yuhi Kurenai recommended her students, Ueno Kei's brow twitched slightly, because he heard another familiar name: Hyuga Hinata, the princess of the Hyuga Clan.
She had also been at the center of the incident through which Ueno Kei had come to know Naruto.
The image of that pretty, shy, and timid girl slowly surfaced in his mind. Ueno Kei could not help shaking his head. This body of his was only a year older than hers, yet he acted as though he were already very old.
While Ueno Kei was lamenting to himself, the other ninja had already been thrown into an uproar. They stared at the three jonin with incredulous