"Hmph. Think this is absurd? Then you have only yourselves to blame for not knowing your own limits."
Ibiki Morino sneered. "What kind of exam did you think you were taking? This is the first joint Chunin selection held by three villages in the history of the shinobi world. Anyone who came here without knowing a thing doesn't deserve to continue this exam. Do you think the major shinobi villages want to select useless fools who can't even cheat without getting caught?"
"In previous Chunin Ninja Exams, at most two major shinobi villages worked together. Most of the time, the Chunin they recognized weren't fully recognized by every nation. But the Chunin selected in this exam will be an elite group recognized by the Three Great Nations..."
Ibiki Morino surveyed the remaining candidates, unleashing the imposing presence of the head of the Interrogation Department. "In other words, the Land of Fire, the Land of Water, the Land of Wind, and all their neighboring allies will grant the Chunin selected in this exam a special privilege—
"Regardless of their nationality or village, the Chunin selected here will be able to carry out missions in each nation on behalf of the Three Great Shinobi Villages!"
Every candidate froze at those words, then was overwhelmed by shock.
They weren't shocked that someone could carry out missions in different countries under a single affiliation.
It was what that implied—
Were the Three Great Nations and the Three Great Shinobi Villages going to form a comprehensive alliance?
That was unheard of!
"That's why this exam is so unusual, and why our selection standards are especially strict."
Ibiki Morino's explanation helped everyone understand, at least somewhat, why this Chunin exam was so difficult. After all, several of the candidates had taken previous Chunin exams multiple times.