A huge crow hovered in the air, carrying a young girl spectator on its back. Every so often, it let out a few caws, providing an unpleasant soundtrack for the battle below.
The chief examiner on the stage stared with his dead-fish eyes, occasionally looking up at the sky. Even through his mask, his reluctance to host the exam was obvious.
Although there were plenty of spectators, Hatake Kakashi's laid-back attitude as host left the entire venue without the slightest bit of excitement. Even the Third Hokage probably regretted assigning him this job.
Until... Uchiha Itachi stepped onto the field.
Which changed nothing.
Even Kakashi's announcements sounded impatient. "Winner, Uchiha Itachi... Winner, Uchiha Itachi... Hurry up, next one... Winner, Uchiha Itachi."
Itachi's battles were neither flamboyant nor flashy. Calmly using Uchiha-style taijutsu, he won three consecutive matches without using a single ninjutsu. He had not even activated his Sharingan.
Before each match, Uchiha Itachi had even obediently formed the Seal of Confrontation used in sparring practice, and throughout the fights, he always stopped at the right point.
There was simply no thrill at all in watching this kind of combat assessment.
If the Chūnin Exams were all at this level, there was no point in continuing to watch.
The only thing worth mentioning was how astonishingly fast he won, and Hatake Kakashi seemed to have expected it all along.
While the friends and family in the stands were still cheering wildly, Itachi had already finished all three of his matches.
"Itachi is amazing!"
Inuzuka Hana applauded softly. The little veterinarian was truly polite; even after the sparse applause in the stands had stopped, she was still clapping hard.
"Caw!"
Kitahara proudly raised his head. This brat was raised by me!
Did those people below not understand that simplicity was beauty?