A month was neither long nor short, and at last, the third stage of the chunin ninja exams arrived. The venue was a specially built arena that could seat over a thousand spectators. This was the only stage open to everyone, and ninja and civilians alike had eagerly gathered there early.
"Wow, there are so many people." Tsunade entered the venue and looked at the stands in surprise. Almost every seat was occupied, with only a few scattered vacancies.
Satomi and her two daughters had come with Tsunade. Satomi was a little surprised as well, but everyone attending had bought a ticket with an assigned seat number. She and Tsunade naturally had theirs too, so despite the crowds, they had no concerns about finding seats.
They soon found their seats. Satomi and Tsunade sat down with Akemi and Asuna between them. The stands were divided into different sections according to the spectators' identities: civilians, ninja, and nobles. Their seats were in the section for ninja and their families.
"Mother, where is Father now?" Akemi craned her neck, looking around. When she failed to spot Kazemori Masaki, she turned to Satomi.
"Your father is serving as the Second's Personal Guard, so he'll be in the section reserved for the leaders of the shinobi villages. Look, over there." Satomi pointed to a raised viewing platform. It stood higher than the regular seats and offered a complete view of the arena. That was where the village leaders would sit.
"I heard the leaders of the other shinobi villages are coming too, right?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes, the Raikage, Kazekage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage will all be here." Satomi nodded. "They arrived three days ago and have been staying in the guesthouse the village prepared."
"That's surprising. They actually dared to come into another shinobi village