His True Strength!

The entire match looked utterly ordinary to Takizawa Dan—so much so that it was downright sluggish.

If he had been Naoki Senmaru, he could have ended the fight with a single move at least seven or eight times over. Instead, Naoki Senmaru had missed every opportunity, doing nothing but circle around like an idiot. His efficiency was who knew how many times worse!

It was only because Inokai Peng was even more hopeless that the outcome of this match was still up in the air!

Of course, in Takizawa Dan's eyes, the match had been two amateurs flailing at each other. But to the many other examinees watching, it had been a dazzling spectacle, each moment more exciting than the last.

In their eyes, Naoki Senmaru had perfectly embodied an assassin's ability to appear and disappear without a trace, ending the fight swiftly and cleanly. He'd looked incredibly cool!

A few girls even shouted Naoki Senmaru's name, declaring that he was so handsome they just had to marry him!

Unbelievable!!!

The referee loudly announced Naoki Senmaru as the winner.

After that, the matches continued one after another.

In Takizawa Dan's eyes, most of these fights were like children playing house—dull and utterly unremarkable.

But that was only to be expected. The current state of the ninja world was still stuck in the earlier part of the anime. Shippuden hadn't even begun yet, so naturally, all the techniques and Taijutsu were low-level.

They were worlds apart from the later free-for-all between giant "mechs" like the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and Susanoo!

Neji had a match during this time. He used the Byakugan and Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists, knocking his opponent out of the ring in fewer than two moves and earning a round of cheers!

At last—

"Thirteenth match: Nochi Yoshino versus... Takizawa Dan!?"

The Chunin responsible for announcing the matchups raised his voice in surprise as he read Takizawa Dan's name!

What was going on? Takizawa Dan's name was actually among the examinees taking the Chunin Ninja Exams?!

The Konoha High Command in the stands frowned and exchanged baffled looks.

One of the officials quickly stepped forward. "This must be a mistake. Give this round a bye and move on to the next—"

"Wait. I'm right here! I'm also taking the Chunin Ninja Exams!"

Takizawa Dan walked to the front of the crowd and confronted the Konoha official directly!

For a moment, the entire arena fell silent!

Every eye turned toward him!

"Takizawa Dan! What on earth are you up to? You don't have a shred of chakra, so why are you here making a spectacle of yourself at the Chunin Ninja Exams?" The official pointed at Takizawa Dan and scolded him furiously. "Besides, you have to become a Genin before you can take the Chunin Ninja Exams! Are you even qualified? Do you have a Forehead Protector?!"

At that, everyone in the arena looked at Takizawa Dan with amused skepticism.

That was right.

Even if you really were strong, even if you really had defeated Hyuga Niuer and Hyuga Niuda, so what?

You weren't even a Genin. How could you take the Chunin Ninja Exams?

"I have a Forehead Protector."

With everyone watching, Takizawa Dan slowly pulled a Konoha Forehead Protector from his pants pocket!

Then he slowly tied it around his forehead!

He had to admit, wearing the Forehead Protector gave Takizawa Dan an even more impressive air. He stood tall in the arena like a graceful bamboo stalk, making quite a few girls blush and lose their composure!

"Y-you... where did you steal that Forehead Protector? You're nothing but a useless good-for-nothing who can't even gather chakra..."

The Konoha official's chest heaved with anger. Even now, he couldn't believe that Takizawa Dan had actually earned Genin status!

"If you don't believe me, call Teacher Danda Hiroshi over," Takizawa Dan said calmly. "He's the one who granted me Genin status. Whether I'm a Genin or not is easy to verify!"

Takizawa Dan's calm demeanor only made the Konoha official feel less sure of himself.

Could this kid really have earned Genin status?

But with so many people watching, he couldn't back down now. He snorted. "Fine. Since you insist on denying the obvious, I'll call Danda Hiroshi over and have him explain whether this really happened!"

Soon, Danda Hiroshi was summoned.

He arrived looking rather nervous. He was just an ordinary Chunin, a nobody, and now a member of the mighty Konoha High Command had summoned him. It was enough to make anyone uneasy.

"Danda Hiroshi, explain in detail what happened that day. Did Takizawa Dan really earn Genin status from you?"

The Konoha official stared Danda Hiroshi down as he questioned him!

Faced with such pressure, Danda Hiroshi naturally didn't dare hide anything. Besides, Lady Tsunade, the Hokage herself, was watching him.

He dropped to one knee and answered respectfully, "Reporting to you, sir, yes. Takizawa Dan is indeed a Genin. I personally awarded him his Forehead Protector!"

Boom!!!

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire arena erupted in shock!

Under normal circumstances, earning a Genin position was nothing worth getting worked up over—or rather, it was something very basic!

As long as they graduated from the Ninja Academy normally and learned a few basic jutsu, all ninja became Genin!

So there wasn't even any need for special certification. The ninja instructor only had to award them a Forehead Protector!

But the person who'd been awarded one was Takizawa Dan!

It was like giving a college diploma to a kindergartener. Who could possibly believe or accept that?

The crowd buzzed with excitement, and the expressions on everyone's faces were a sight to behold...

"Why? Can you explain the reason?"

Before the Konoha official could speak, a clear voice suddenly rang out from the stands.

The speaker was none other than Tsunade!

"L-Lord Hokage, Takizawa Dan defeated Hyuga Niuer and then Hyuga Niuda, who is a Chunin! I judged that his strength had already reached Genin level, so I gave him a Forehead Protector!"

Boom!!!

A Chunin instructor from the Ninja Academy had just told the Hokage herself that Takizawa Dan had defeated Hyuga Niuer and Hyuga Niuda.

There was no doubt about it now!

Especially since Rock Lee and Neji had already personally vouched for him!

Everyone's expression changed as they looked at Takizawa Dan.

"Good, I understand. Since Teacher Danda has confirmed that his Genin Forehead Protector is legitimate, Takizawa Dan is indeed a Konoha Genin. According to the rules, he's allowed to take part in this Chunin Ninja Exam."

Tsunade nodded, then turned to the official who had questioned Takizawa Dan.

"What do you think, Mr. Saga?"

Mr. Saga looked embarrassed. His lips moved a few times, but he was at a loss for words. Faced with Tsunade's question, all he could do was nod silently.

"Fine. Since Lord Hokage has said so, this old man has no objections."

"But after hearing that he defeated Hyuga Niuer, who was at Genin level, and Hyuga Niuda, whose strength was on par with a Chunin's, I've become curious about Takizawa's abilities too. I hope Takizawa Dan can surprise me later."

With that, he returned to his seat.

"Good luck, Takizawa Dan."

Tsunade smiled as she spoke, but there was something hard to read in the way she looked at Takizawa Dan...