The moment he entered the examination hall.
He saw that quite a few people had already gathered inside. A rough count put them at around a hundred. Half were Konoha Ninja, while the other half were ninja from the remaining villages.
Mist ninja, Kumo-nin, suna-nin, grass ninja, Rain Ninja, Hot Water Ninja, Takigakure Ninja, and so on.
He merely swept his gaze over the Konoha Ninja, focusing mainly on the mist ninja, Kumo-nin, and suna-nin.
While he observed the examination hall, the examinees were also observing the examiners.
But when the Konoha Ninja saw Qifeng, quite a few of them revealed surprised expressions.
Many of them had been in the same class as Qifeng, or had even graduated earlier. Even if they were not familiar with one another, they had met a few times.
They were more or less surprised to see him appear here as an examiner.
But it did not affect the examination.
Nara Chuichi gave a brief explanation before handing out the test papers.
Qifeng had seen this test before. Overall, it was difficult!
Even Konoha, which placed great importance on academic instruction, might not be able to answer every question, much less ninja from other villages.
Therefore, the content of the test was simple. It looked like a written exam, but it was actually testing their ability to cheat discreetly. It was an assessment of the finer details.
The test papers were quickly handed out.
Nara Chuichi gave Qifeng and the other two a look before leaving the examination hall.
Because of the smoke earlier, Yamanaka Akikaze and Akimichi Choji voluntarily gave Qifeng the chief proctor's seat, letting him supervise from the front.
Qifeng could only say that he was helpless about it too.
Swish, swish, swish—
After receiving the test papers, the sounds of frantic writing filled the examination hall.
Everything seemed calm on the surface.
The examinees had only been slightly surprised by Qifeng's identity, and it did not affect their participation in the exam.
Nara Chuichi sat in the monitoring room with one leg crossed over the other, observing the situation in the examination hall.
As the chief examiner for the traditional written first round of the Chunin Exams, he had the easiest job.
Very quickly, the examinees studying the questions discovered that the test was extremely difficult. One after another, they used their own methods and began cheating.
"Tsk, the quality of this batch of examinees is pretty good."
Nara Chuichi sighed.
Sitting in the monitoring room, he had already noticed some inconspicuous cheating.
As an experienced old examiner, he was used to such little tricks. As long as they did not go too far, he would not point them out.
But just because he did not say anything did not mean no one knew.
Qifeng, seated at the front, wore a stern expression.
"Number Seventy-Eight, one warning! Recall your Sand Eye!"
"Number Eighty-Six, one warning! Straighten those slanted eyes!"
"Number Thirty-Two, one warning! Hand over your cheat sheet! Forget it, hand over your underwear instead."
"Number Sixteen, one warning! Do you think I can't see your foot wrapped around the boy in front of you? This is a public place!"
"..."
Qifeng began displaying his "mighty power."
As a habitual offender in his previous life, he knew these examinees' little tricks far too well. Although the ways ninja used them differed, all the subtle movements and tendencies were the same.
Time and again, he spoke up, seeming to pour all the hardships he had once suffered onto these examinees in one go.
Almost no one's actions in the room could escape his eyes.
Even movements that Nara Chuichi had failed to notice did not escape him.
Less than ten minutes after the exam began.
"Number Eighty-Six! You are disqualified!"
"..."
For a moment, the examination hall became tense and fearful. No one dared make another move, afraid of being discovered.
But if they did not cheat, they would not be able to finish the test. How were they supposed to pass?
"This..."
Nara Chuichi's eyes widened in the monitoring room. At that moment, Qifeng had become the strictest examiner in his eyes. The problems Yamanaka Akikaze and Akimichi Chouba had pointed out were not even a fifth of those Qifeng had identified.
Was he planning to eliminate everyone in the first round of the Chunin Exams?
"Is Qifeng trying to kill the exam?" Nara Chuichi muttered.
He could no longer sit still.
If this continued, there might not even be enough people to count on one hand who could take part in the second round.
What kind of exam would that be?
One dejected examinee after another was sent out of the examination hall.
The examiners outside, who had originally thought they were just there to make up the numbers, suddenly became exceptionally busy.
They could barely keep up with escorting the examinees leaving the hall.
In just twenty minutes, Qifeng had "successfully" sent twenty examinees out of the examination hall.
It was not just the mist ninja and ninja from other villages. The Konoha side had not been spared either.
Did this guy have a Sharingan or Byakugan?
The examinees felt utterly frustrated, yet they could not shout it out openly.
After all, cheating was only something that could be hinted at discreetly. It did not mean they could do it openly.
As more and more dejected examinees left, Nara Chuichi finally could not remain seated.
"Number Sixteen, you are disqualified!"
Qifeng's cold voice rang out again.
At that moment, he had only one feeling.
Proctoring was awesome!
Fucking awesome!
But by sheer coincidence, Number Sixteen was the mist ninja he had encountered in the alley last night.
Qifeng did not have any selfish motives.
Definitely not.
He had merely paid "slightly" extra attention to those mist ninja.
But this hot-tempered mist ninja did not see it that way. He believed Qifeng was targeting him.
Though his feeling was not wrong.
Although others had also been called out for cheating, at least they had only been discovered when they were nearly done. He was different. The moment he made even the slightest move, Qifeng immediately noticed him.
He deeply felt Qifeng's malice.
So.
"I refuse to accept this! You're targeting me! Targeting us mist ninja!"
Instead of leaving at once, the mist ninja stood before Qifeng with a face full of resentment.
Qifeng's expression did not change as he looked straight at him.
"This examinee, we are very professional in our proctoring. We will not target anyone."
Unless he could not help himself.
He was not a saint. If he had the chance, why would he not target someone?
He clearly remembered that this guy had called him "trash" yesterday.
When it came to fighting, he was timid and hesitant. When it came to proctoring, he struck with full force!
If he could somehow become a Special Jonin through his proctoring abilities, that did not seem too bad either.
Seeing Qifeng's utterly calm expression, the mist ninja clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
The more he endured, the angrier he became. The more he backed down, the more he felt he had lost out.
Yesterday's matter, combined with today's, old grudges and new hatred together—he could not endure it anymore.
"Die!"
In his eyes, although Qifeng was an examiner and a Chunin, someone his age could not be that strong. Besides, he had never heard of such a person in Konoha.
He was not stupid. He knew he could not kill someone in Konoha, but he had to make Qifeng understand his strength, understand the strength of the mist ninja.
He drew his short blade and covered the distance in three strides. His fury-laden attack was about to descend like lightning.
Yamanaka Akikaze and Akimichi Chouba's expressions changed in the examination hall.
This was an appalling act of an examinee attacking an examiner!
At the least, it was contempt for Konoha's rules. At worst, it represented Kirigakure's attitude toward Konoha.
But the examination hall was enormous, and the two of them stood in the rear corners. Even if they wanted to help, it was too late.
Nara Chuichi had just stood up in the monitoring room when he saw this scene, his expression turning grave.
At that moment, the examiners outside were all busy escorting examinees away. There was almost no one left standing guard outside.
It would depend on Qifeng's own ability.
But they truly did not know how strong Qifeng was.
Before this, many of them had never even heard his name or seen him.
Some examinees watched the scene with interest. Among them were Kisame Hoshigaki, as well as several strong Kumo-nin and suna-nin. They were curious how Qifeng would respond.
Qifeng's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes flashed.
For an instant, he weighed dodging against counterattacking. Given his personality, dodging was naturally more fitting.
But if he dodged as an examiner, it would weaken his bearing. The examinees would inevitably look down on him, making future proctoring more difficult, and it would tarnish Konoha's reputation.
Konoha's honor could not be compromised!
His forehead protector showed its power once more.
He made his choice in an instant.
Wind rose beneath his feet as he charged straight at the mist ninja's short blade. One punch knocked the attack aside, then he spun and drove a heavily coiled kick into the man's chest.
All that could be heard was—
Crack! Crack!
The crisp sound of bones breaking.
The mist ninja had come quickly, but he flew away even faster, slamming hard into the examination hall wall.
His face was full of disbelief as he slowly slid down. Blood sprayed uncontrollably from his mouth.
Qifeng slowly walked over to him, looking down from above as he said calmly, "We are very professional. We will not target anyone."
Pfft—
Whether from his injuries or from rage, the mist ninja rolled his eyes back and fainted.
Qifeng's sharp gaze swept across the entire hall. No one dared meet his eyes.
"The exam continues!"
Most people were not surprised by the outcome. A Chunin kicking a Genin flying was perfectly normal, was it not?
Intimidated by Qifeng's "tyranny," they lowered their heads and continued answering the questions.
Before you continue