I've Made a Fool of Myself (Seeking Collections, Recommendations, and Monthly Votes)

Outwardly calm and composed, inwardly he was panicking like crazy.

After all, while many examinees had been expelled by him, plenty still remained in the exam hall.

If they all ganged up on him, then...

Among them was Kisame Hoshigaki, a Genin on the surface but actually possessing Chunin-level strength or even greater.

Without fully revealing his own power, Qifeng felt he was no match.

Fortunately, these people still had their wits about them and wouldn't do that.

Just as someone dragged the unconscious Mist Ninja away, Nara Chuichi arrived.

He gave Qifeng a look, signaling him to come out.

Qifeng shrank his neck and walked out.

"Qifeng, well done." Nara Chuichi started with a compliment.

Qifeng breathed a sigh of relief.

He had thought Nara Chuichi was here to call him to account, since he'd nearly single-handedly killed off this Chunin Exam.

"Toward these ninjas from other villages, we can be polite and friendly, but that doesn't mean Konoha is weak and pushable. You did well this time."

Nara Chuichi understood the true purpose of this Chunin Exam all too well.

It was meant to intimidate the Great Hidden Villages attending, while also offering a chance for some "negotiation."

To give Konoha more leverage and initiative at the bargaining table, this Chunin Exam had to fully showcase Konoha's advantages and strength.

Qifeng rubbed his nose. "It was only right."

No one seemed to think it strange that he'd knocked a Mist Ninja unconscious with one kick.

Qifeng was a Chunin and an Examiner, while the other was a Genin and an examinee. There was an inherent, unbridgeable gap in strength. What was wrong with a Chunin knocking out a Genin with a kick?

That no one paid his strength much attention let him relax a little.

He'd been caught in a bind just now, and he didn't want to draw unnecessary scrutiny because of this incident.

Orochimaru alone was enough trouble; if he had to deal with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, the Uchiha, the Hyuga, and the rest on top of that, he probably wouldn't be able to peacefully work as a Corpse Collector.

Those tangled power struggles were too much of a headache—better leave them to the old folks.

Young people should act like young people.

After finishing the serious talk, Nara Chuichi glanced around, made sure no one was nearby, and said quietly, "Qifeng, ease up on the monitoring a bit. Don't kick most of them out. There are still two rounds left, and we've been preparing for a whole week. We can't let everyone's efforts go to waste, can we?"

Qifeng held up a hand and made an "OK" gesture.

"I get it. I only called them out after they'd finished their cheating moves. As long as they can finish the test paper within five attempts, they won't be disqualified."

It was just that a few individuals got "slightly" targeted by him.

He wasn't the type to hold grudges.

Nara Chuichi thought for a moment.

It seemed he'd been doing this from the very start.

Pleased, he patted Qifeng on the shoulder. "Good, then keep going at your own pace."

Nara Chuichi really admired someone with principles like Qifeng.

"A man who gets things done," he couldn't help but mutter.

He watched Qifeng walk back into the exam hall.

But his praise had barely left his lips when it got stuck.

"Number twenty-five! Disqualified!"

"Number thirty, fourth warning!"

Hearing Qifeng's stern voice from inside, Nara Chuichi's eye twitched.

He suddenly regretted it—he shouldn't have said to keep going at his own pace.

Would there really be hardly anyone left to pass the first round?

Nara Chuichi wanted to slap himself twice.

In truth, he overestimated Qifeng.

Even if Qifeng really had the ability to single-handedly kill off the Chunin Exam, he wouldn't dare do it.

If someone asked around, they'd find out it was him, and suddenly being exposed to everyone's attention wasn't what he wanted.

Besides, doing that wouldn't earn him Konoha's praise—it would just make him a target for the Genin he'd disqualified.

He slightly reduced the frequency of his callouts.

Two hours later.

The exam that these Genin would probably never forget in their lives finally ended. The examinees still sitting in the hall silently wiped the sweat from their foreheads, looking at Qifeng with sheer terror.

Was this guy a demon?

If there was even the slightest little move, the faintest hint of cheating, he could spot it.

Luckily, plenty of people had frantically copied during the chaos when that Mist Ninja went berserk and Qifeng was called out of the exam hall by Nara Chuichi; otherwise, even more would have failed.

Especially with him looking so calm and carefree now, as if catching them cheating hadn't cost him any effort at all.

Ridiculous. Qifeng declared that in the subject of cheating, everyone present was trash.

Brandishing an axe at the doorstep of Lu Ban, showing off one's skill before the master.

What a display!

When Nara Chuichi walked in, his expression froze for a moment.

A hundred thirty or forty people, and in the end fewer than sixty remained.

A elimination rate like that in the first round of the Chunin Exams—there was no one else like it.

What relieved him was that Qifeng had shown some restraint, leaving a few from each major village.

Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure each retained a base setup of six Genin, plus some ninja from minor Hidden Villages and Konoha Ninja.

A rough count put it at nineteen teams that passed the first round.

Nara Chuichi gathered everyone, and under the escort of the various Examiners, they headed to the venue for the second round.

This Chunin Exam wasn't the Forest of Death at Training Ground 44 like in the original; instead, it was the Terrifying Cave at Training Ground 11.

The Terrifying Cave was underground, its surface a barren, rocky wasteland, as if gnawed on by a giant mouth—jagged and rugged.

And you could see caves of various sizes beneath those rocks, interconnected in all directions.

The dark cave mouths were like a demon's gaping maw, and just approaching them stirred a pang of dread.

What was certain was that underground held a whole other world, teeming with fierce creatures, some of which were no less intelligent than humans.

In this Terrifying Cave, you had to watch out not only for ninja from other villages but also for these wild beasts.

"Chuichi, you're here."

As Nara Chuichi led the group closer, a ninja with long yellow hair, wearing a Konoha Jonin vest and a red cloak over it, stepped forward to greet them.

"Iyo." Nara Chuichi nodded.

Yamanaka Iyo, head of the Yamanaka Clan, the current "Ino" of the Ino-Shika-Cho, a Jonin skilled in the Mind Transfer Jutsu, and captain of the Konoha Analysis Team.

"So few this time?" Yamanaka Iyo frowned.

Qifeng, following behind, subtly shifted his steps, trying not to draw attention.

Nara Chuichi gave an awkward smile and didn't explain.

Qifeng was just the proctor; he was the head examiner—this kind of thing couldn't be dodged.

"It's fine. Leave the rest to me."

With that, he stepped forward.

His sharp gaze swept the crowd, and everyone who met his eyes felt a sting, a chill rising in their hearts, as if all their secrets had been laid bare.

He said with a smile, "Before the second round begins, you all need to sign a consent form. Casualties are unavoidable, but you can still choose to refuse now. The way back is behind you."

The ninja exchanged glances.

They'd survived the devilish first round; giving up now would be a disservice to all the brain cells they'd burned through.

No one backed out, and soon they all signed the forms one by one.

"Good. Now for the exam rules."

Yamanaka Iyo put away the forms and said in a grave tone, "There are nineteen teams in total. Each team will receive one scroll: the 'Scroll of Heaven' or the 'Scroll of Earth.' Only teams that collect both types of scrolls and reach the Cave of Salvation at the center of the Terrifying Cave will pass this round.

Time limit: three days!"

"Now, come collect your team's scroll."

The real exam had already begun. The Examiner didn't hide the scrolls when handing them out, so every team knew which one they'd gotten.

Many had already started locking onto their hunting targets.

"Alright, each Examiner will lead one team into the Terrifying Cave from a different direction."

With that, the teams departed under the Examiners' guidance.

And as luck would have it, Qifeng was assigned to the team that included Kisame Hoshigaki's squad.