The world of ninja was cruel. Before the students could even breathe a sigh of relief, the results were read aloud.
It was so cruel that only the top teams had their names announced. The rest were deemed unworthy of even a mention.
"Fourth place in the first stage of the Chunin Exam: Kirigakure's Hozuki Zangetsu, Minazuki Yo, and Hozuki Tangetsu. Nine scrolls in total. Supervising ninja: Iguchi Yusho."
A burst of cheers rose from the Kirigakure side.
Hozuki Zangetsu and his teammates were all smiles, clearly pleased with their result.
They were not Kirigakure's strongest team, but placing fourth was still an achievement.
"Third place: Kirigakure's Ringo Ameyuri, Munashi Jinpachi, and Juzo Biwa. Nineteen scrolls in total. Supervising ninja: Minazuki Han."
Another round of cheers erupted from the Kirigakure side.
Having two teams in the top four was a point of pride for Kirigakure.
In fact, if Kaguya had not killed the team from the Kaguya Clan, fifth place might have gone to Kirigakure too.
Compared with Konoha and Sunagakure, both of which had been through the Second Shinobi World War, Kirigakure was truly strong right now. At the Genin level, at least, it held a considerable advantage.
But Ringo Ameyuri and her teammates were far from satisfied with the result everyone was celebrating.
"Tch. If you hadn't dragged us down, Juzo Biwa, we'd have taken first!" Munashi Jinpachi complained.
"Bastard. You want to fight me?" Juzo Biwa snapped, a vein bulging on his forehead.
His hand had already found the Kubikiribōchō on his back. It looked as though one word of agreement would be enough to make him draw it.
"Hmph. Even I couldn't make up for both of you dragging me down," Ringo Ameyuri said with a dissatisfied snort.
Her words angered both Juzo Biwa and Munashi