Qifeng had never expected that one day, he would become a proctor.
Qifeng walked back along the road.
If not for the things Orochimaru had done, he might have felt a faint sense of satisfaction in his heart.
Unfortunately.
Along the way, he could clearly sense that Konoha's streets had become somewhat more crowded.
As an event held throughout the Shinobi World at regular intervals, the Chunin Exams not only brought shinobi from other villages, but also boosted the village's economy.
For example, during preparations for the Chunin Exams, large numbers of merchant caravans would arrive in Konoha one after another.
Especially from the villages participating in the Chunin Exams.
He liked peace and quiet. Perhaps it was a habit formed from being a shut-in in his previous life, or perhaps he had simply spent too long in the quiet confines of the Morgue.
However, he did not reject this kind of bustle.
It added a touch of life to the cold Shinobi World.
But he could also clearly sense that the Anbu had tightened their control over the streets—or rather, over all of Konoha.
It was to prevent any unexpected incidents during the Chunin Exams.
Of course, at this special stage when war was about to break out, Qifeng believed the Anbu were more concerned with preventing people with ulterior motives from infiltrating Konoha and doing something unfriendly.
Hm?
Just as he passed through the busiest street and entered a narrow alley on his way back to the Morgue, he suddenly heard some unusual commotion.
The noise was not loud.
He had not particularly wanted to take a look.
But the disturbance was right on his route home.
As he drew closer, he quickly understood what was going on.
In the small alley stood two groups of people. They were all young, but the atmosphere between them seemed far from friendly.
One group wore Konoha Ninja forehead protectors, while the other wore mist ninja forehead protectors.
"Forget it. Better not make trouble. I should leave it to the Anbu."
He could tell that both sides were Genin from their respective villages.
He was not surprised by Genin from different villages looking down on each other. After all, such things had happened in the original story, and Konoha's relationship with Kirigakure was not particularly friendly right now.
However, just as he was about to take a detour, a casual glance revealed a familiar figure among the mist ninja.
".Huh."
If he was not mistaken, that person should be...
Kisame Hoshigaki!
One of the future Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of Samehada, a terrifying existence known as the "Tailless Tailed Beast," a member of the Akatsuki Organization, and Itachi Uchiha's partner.
However, Kisame Hoshigaki currently looked to be only around ten years old.
Qifeng had only barely recognized him because of his strange shark-like skin and the gill-like markings on his face.
As if sensing Qifeng's gaze, Kisame Hoshigaki, who had been leaning against the wall, turned his head and met Qifeng's eyes.
His shark-like eyes gave off an icy feeling.
Qifeng stopped.
He rubbed his head with some frustration.
"If Kisame Hoshigaki is here, then before the Anbu arrive, these Konoha Genin, these 'newborn calves,' are probably going to suffer."
Qifeng stared at him for a second, then withdrew his gaze and muttered to himself.
His eyes swept over the Konoha side.
Well, there was not a single impressive one among them. Even together, they probably were not Kisame Hoshigaki's match.
Should he interfere?
That was the question.
While Qifeng was observing them, the mist ninja also noticed this "uninvited guest."
Following their gazes, the Konoha side also discovered Qifeng standing not far behind them.
Qifeng shrugged.
Well then, it looked like he could not avoid this.
If none of them had noticed him, he could have simply left.
But now that they had all seen him, if something unexpected really happened and the higher-ups found out, he would be held accountable too.
After all, no matter what, he had successfully shed his status as a student and become a teacher.
After thinking for a moment, he straightened his expression, stepped forward, and asked, "Ahem, what happened here?"
Everyone looked at one another. Faced with Qifeng's sudden appearance, no one answered immediately.
The atmosphere became rather awkward.
"Qifeng?!"
Suddenly, someone on the Konoha side called out his name.
Qifeng secretly sighed in relief.
At least it was not quite so awkward now.
He looked toward the voice.
"Qifeng, it really is you? We haven't seen much of each other since graduation." The speaker stepped forward and lightly patted Qifeng's shoulder, apparently recognizing him.
Only when the person's face appeared before him did Qifeng finally remember.
This person seemed to have been his classmate before.
It was just that he had so little presence that Qifeng had not remembered him right away.
"Odasuke?"
"What are you doing here?" Odasuke asked.
"Oh, I heard some commotion and came to take a look. What happened?"
There was actually an "acquaintance" here.
Qifeng remembered that back at the Ninja Academy, Odasuke had been one of those utterly unremarkable average students. He was neither as dazzling as the top students nor as noticeable as the dead-last students.
Qifeng had been one of those dead-last students, so Odasuke recognized him.
When asked about the reason.
Odasuke wore an indignant expression. Pointing at the mist ninja across from them, he gritted his teeth and said, "They said Konoha's Genin are completely worthless, and that coming to the Chunin Exams this time is nothing more than humiliating ourselves."
After saying that, he looked earnestly at Qifeng, waiting for him to show the same expression.
But Qifeng's eye twitched, and he tried his best to keep his expression from changing too much.
It could not be helped.
Because he felt that the other side had a point.
At this stage, there really did not seem to be any Konoha Genin capable of contending with Kisame Hoshigaki.
Of course, he could only think that to himself. He absolutely could not say it aloud.
"Who is that guy?"
"Plain appearance, plain presence, nothing distinctive. Never seen him before."
The mist ninja also discussed Qifeng quietly among themselves.
"He's probably some unknown Konoha Genin too, maybe another piece of trash here for the Chunin Exams."
Someone sneered disdainfully. "Konoha really has fallen. All they raise are Genin with no presence at all. There isn't even a hint of fighting spirit on them."
Kirigakure's Genin did indeed have the right to mock Konoha's Genin like that.
Because of Kirigakure's Bloody Mist Village policy, Mist Genin had to stain their hands with their comrades' blood in order to graduate.
Moreover, Kirigakure's methods of training Genin were far crueler than Konoha's. Or rather, compared to every hidden village in the Shinobi World, Kirigakure's methods were the most brutal.
Calling it the "gu-raising rule" would not be an exaggeration.
"He's not trash."
Kisame Hoshigaki bared his sharp, shark-like teeth and scrutinized Qifeng. "From the very beginning, that guy noticed me. He seemed like he wanted to leave earlier, but stopped the moment he saw me."
"Is that so?"
The mist ninja beside him looked somewhat surprised, but then sneered. "It doesn't matter. At most, he'll make this Chunin Exams a little more difficult."
After saying that, he turned his head with extreme arrogance, made a throat-slitting gesture at the Konoha group, and shouted, "Konoha Genin, wash your necks and wait!"
The moment those words came out, the Mist shinobi laughed wildly, while the Konoha Genin glared at them furiously, seemingly ready to fight at any moment.
And the mist ninja were waiting for them to strike first, so they would have a proper excuse to make a move in Konoha.
Otherwise, the Anbu would invite them to the Anbu headquarters for tea within minutes.
However, Qifeng could not simply sit by and watch this happen.
He revealed a slightly disgusted expression.
He was not disgusted by the mist ninja, nor by Konoha's Genin. He was disgusted by the forehead protector he was wearing.
It still had an effect.
He stepped forward and raised a hand to stop the Konoha Genin, who were eager to rush off and get themselves killed.
Seeing him step forward, the mist ninja also readied themselves.
They looked at him as though he were a lamb preparing to die, while they were hungry wolves who had been coveting him for a long time.
Smacking his lips, Qifeng chose his words carefully. "Mist Genin, please watch your words. Otherwise, you will lose your qualification to participate in this Chunin Exams."
Hearing him, everyone froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha... I'm dying of laughter. You're just trash. What right do you have to... you..."
However, before he could finish speaking, the words caught in his throat.
He pointed at Qifeng with an incredulous expression.
Because he saw that Qifeng now held a badge in his hand, with the words "Examiner" clearly written on it.
It was not only the mist ninja whose expressions stiffened. The Konoha side looked equally as though they had seen a ghost, especially Odasuke, who knew Qifeng.
He looked at Qifeng as if he did not know him at all.
They had originally thought Qifeng, like them, was a participant in this Chunin Exams.
Who would have thought that he would suddenly pull out a badge and transform from a student taking the exam into an examiner supervising it?
That change in status.
Was rather unexpected.
Qifeng helplessly rubbed his nose.
"I think that, as one of the examiners for this Chunin Exams, I should have the authority to bar you from taking this exam."
He had not wanted to do this.
He had wanted to interact with them as an ordinary person, but they had been so aggressive. He had no choice but to lay his cards on the table. He would stop pretending—he was an examiner. So, were they scared or not?
In any case, even if he had not revealed his identity today, everyone would know tomorrow.
Damn it, I showed off again.
Before you continue