"..."
Almost everyone present was speechless after hearing Nankain's words. Although she spoke very calmly, as if she were talking about something very ordinary, her words were actually full of domineering power, leaving no one with any choice but to accept them.
In an instant.
The Genin preparing for the Chunin Ninja Exams the scene felt an indescribable longing for Nankain.
They clearly saw the appearance of a powerful figure.
Everyone who comes to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams is an elite among the Genin, and they all fantasize about what it would be like to become a strong person. Nankain gives them that feeling right now.
He didn't need to speak loudly or use a strong tone; he simply uttered a seemingly ordinary sentence, yet his words conveyed an undeniable authority.
Not only did the genin preparing for the Chunin Ninja Exams Genin not say a word, but even the other ninjas from Kumogakure surrounding Nankain all wore expressions of respect, seemingly following Nankain's lead.
The mere instant they met stirred in everyone's heart a longing for the strong.
"Now let's talk about the Chunin Ninja Exams."
Nankain's voice rang out slowly, maintaining his unhurried demeanor, his expression unchanged as he spoke.
In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to the scene, and many people's faces showed tension.
Fundamentally, the Genin gathered here all share the same goal: to pass the Chunin Ninja Exams, become Chunin, and bring glory to their village.
Now that the rules for the Chunin Ninja Exams have been announced, everyone is listening attentively, afraid of missing any detail.
"I don't know if any of you have participated in the Chunin Ninja Exams or have any understanding of Chunin Ninja Exams. Personally, I really dislike the complicated and tedious parts of the Chunin Ninja Exams. In my opinion, the most important thing for a ninja is strength. As long as you are strong enough, many problems are not problems. The choices you have to make during the exams are often due to insufficient strength."
Nankain's voice rang out again, but this time it was much louder and her tone was more forceful, as if she had spoken about something she was very interested in.
Many people at the scene were confused, because they had never participated in the Chunin Ninja Exams and did not know what the other Chunin Ninja Exams were like, so they could only continue to look at Nankain.
Araki, however, had a feeling about his grandfather because he had seen the Chunin Ninja Exams in the Naruto anime. He knew the general outline of both the Chunin Ninja Exams Naruto participated in and the Chunin Ninja Exams Naruto's son Boruto participated in.
"As is customary, the first part of the Chunin Ninja Exams will be a written test, primarily assessing your intelligence gathering abilities. This is a fundamental skill for ninjas. However, I firmly believe that as long as your strength is sufficient, you can obtain intelligence. But without strength as a foundation, even if your methods are incredibly sophisticated, you are still likely to be exposed. In missions that require intelligence gathering, being exposed is equivalent to mission failure, a consequence that no village wants to see." Nankain said coldly, strongly conveying his viewpoint. Many nodded in agreement as he spoke, showing a degree of acceptance. He continued, "Therefore, in the Chunin Ninja Exams I oversee, I won't bother testing your skills too much. You can learn those skills after you become Chunin and return to your respective villages. So, I want to formally tell you..."
Nankain's words suddenly stopped, drawing everyone's attention and arousing their curiosity.
Even Araki was intrigued and eager to know what this person would say next. After all, from his current perspective, he didn't completely agree, but he couldn't say that what this person said was unreasonable either.
Indeed, a ninja's strength is based on power, but power is not everything. As a Chunin, one must not only be strong, but also have a calm mind and quick thinking ability. Of course, for him, it was just a test.
Regardless of whether he passed the Chunin Ninja Exams or not, he showed no strong emotional inclinations.
"The only thing tested in this year 'Chunin Ninja Exams is strength!"
Nankain's voice suddenly rang out, echoing clearly throughout the hall, so that everyone could hear it clearly.
"Therefore, I have cancelled the first exam. You can take this as my opinion that each of you has passed. You will then proceed directly to the second exam. Only those who survive will be qualified to participate in the third exam, which is a competition in front of the daimyo of various countries."
"Simply put, the second stage of your assessment is the strength of your team. If anyone in your team is not up to the task, your entire team will be eliminated. The third stage will test your individual abilities."
"Only the strongest individuals within such powerful teams will ultimately have the chance to stand out and become Chunin."
"Have I made myself clear enough?"
Nankain looked around. He still looked like an uncle, but his aura was overwhelming. No one dared to speak and could only nod silently.
"Then I'll begin talking about the second exam!"
Nankain's lips curled up slightly, revealing a wicked smile. With just that one expression, everyone could sense that there was a lot more to the second exam than met the eye.
"According to the list of participants in this Chunin Ninja Exams, there are a total of thirty-eight teams, and twenty of them are from Kumogakure, which means they make up half of the total."
"I have prepared ten special Kunai here."
"Later, these twenty teams from Kumogakure will play rock-paper-scissors. The winner will receive a Kunai."
"Everyone here will see which of you got the Kunai."
"I will lead you into the venue for the second exam, where you will stay for a full seven days. The venue isn't particularly large; if you're willing, you can bump into anyone."
"Seven days later, if you have Kunai in your hand and no member has lost their fighting ability, you are considered to have passed the test and can proceed to the third test."
"If you don't have Kunai, or if you die, or if you lose your fighting ability and are unable to participate in the third test, you will be eliminated."
"There are no restrictions on the exam. You can use any means necessary. A team as powerful as yours could even destroy all the Kunai or kill all the other participants."
When Nankain uttered those words so casually, it sent chills down the spines of almost everyone in the room.
"The weak, even if they don't die in the Chunin Ninja Exams, will die on the battlefield later."
Chapter 63 Unfair (Happy New Year)
Konoha: Nobody knew I could use Wood Release! Chapter 63 Unfair Happy New Year
Nankain's voice echoed in the hall, causing almost everyone present to subtly change their expressions.
I have to say...
Nankain's words sounded extremely cruel, but they were the stark reality.
Many ninjas, such as those from Konoha, were very well protected from a young age, like flowers growing in a greenhouse, and did not experience any particularly great hardships or setbacks.
When they were at the Genin stage, the missions they experienced were not particularly dangerous, so they maintained an almost naive optimism about the ninja world and did not fully realize that it was a dog-eat-dog society.
But Nankain revealed everything.
In the world of ninjas, the weak will inevitably face a difficult future.
All schemes and tricks are based on strength. Even if someone as intelligent as Shikamaru can turn the tide and achieve a victory against all odds, it is not actually that easy.
Truly classic examples of the weak defeating the strong are still very limited, especially for a village like Kumogakure that reveres strength. They believe that absolute power is what ninjas truly need, and everything else is not so important.
After Nankain revealed this bloody truth to everyone present, no one was in a particularly good mental state.
"I know you must have a lot of opinions in your hearts, and of course you can bring them up. Although I'm the kind of person who can't stand listening to other people's opinions and won't change things according to their opinions, I won't try to shut you up. You can still raise any questions you have, it just won't have any effect."
Nankain's voice rang out again, echoing clearly throughout the hall. This place had now become his personal fiefdom, and no dissenting voices were allowed. Of course, at this stage, no one dared to voice any dissent.
Almost everyone's eyes were fixed on Nankain, and a sense of helplessness flickered in each person's eyes.
This is not the first time Nankain has emphasized this matter.
The suggestion was good, but it didn't work.
This effect created an immense sense of pressure on everyone present, a feeling they had never experienced anywhere else before.
No objections?
Nankain surveyed his surroundings once more, projecting the aura of Jonin to its fullest extent. A slight smile played on his lips, but it wasn't a boast. Instead, after saying this, he added, "Actually, even if you didn't say it, I know you're wondering why the Kunai, were distributed to a select group of Kumogakure ninjas, instead of everyone who came here, right?"
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on Nankain. No one said anything, but in reality, everyone was thinking the same thing—this was indeed the only point of doubt.
That's not fair, after all.
One of their biggest demands in participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams was fairness.
Regardless of the rules, everyone starts on the same footing, so even if they lose, they accept it. But if they have to fight for Kunai while the ninjas of Kumogakure only have to guard Kunai, then it will cause dissatisfaction in their hearts.
In an instant.
Although no one spoke or expressed agreement, no one denied it either.
This is actually the question that everyone cares about most!
Why were the Kunai, which had a decisive impact on the exam results, given to the ninjas of Kumogakure first? This had a significant impact on the Chunin Ninja Exams, and everyone had their own thoughts on this.
Now let me answer this question that's on your mind!
Just as everyone was pondering, Nankain suddenly spoke up. His tone was quite indifferent, and he didn't seem to realize that he had done anything to affect the balance. His tone was no different from when he spoke before, as if he were talking about something trivial.
"I've decided to give the special Kunai used in the Chunin Ninja Exams to the Kumogakure team. There are two reasons for this, which I'll explain to you. It's nothing more than that."
When Nankain spoke, she raised two fingers and waved them in front of everyone, drawing the attention of almost everyone present.
"Firstly, and very simply, this year 'Chunin Ninja Exams are being hosted by our Kumogakure. As the host, we should have some special arrangements. Therefore, I've decided to give the special Kunai to the Kumogakure ninja teams first. Teams from other villages will need to compete with the Kumogakure teams for them. Only after you've secured them will you have a chance to pass the exam."
"As for whether this undermines fairness, I personally don't care at all. There is no such thing as absolute fairness in the ninja world. On our Kumogakure's territory, we call the shots. If you can't accept this, you can choose to withdraw from this Chunin Ninja Exams, but if you choose to accept it, you are agreeing to these rules."
"Consider this a lesson I've taught you!"
"No matter when or where, don't think about so-called fairness. Instead, use your own strength to change potentially unfair situations. That's the right solution."
"When you are strong enough to handle unfair treatment, then you are qualified to become Chunin. But if you are not, then please go back and be Genin!"
"If you all had my strength, then even if everyone in the arena had a special Kunai except me, once I was put into the arena, I would still take all of your Kunai. Do you understand this?"
Nankain spoke one sentence after another, his tone remaining calm and even, without any emotional fluctuation.
His words, however, only made the room fall even more silent.
Some people were dissatisfied but didn't have a better solution, while others quietly pondered the matter and felt that there was some subtle truth to it.
I have to say...
All of this still boils down to valuing strength.
Just as Nankain said, once you have that kind of ability, passing this level of exam is incredibly easy.
Gradually.
Many people at the scene still harbored some resentment.
But no one dared to bring it up.
After this incident, everyone seemed to have been brainwashed. They all understood the importance of strength and began to increasingly admire power.
Araki listened to everything silently. He was perhaps one of the few people present who showed little emotional fluctuation. His gaze remained fixed on Nankain, yet he skillfully concealed himself within the crowd, appearing inconspicuous and unlikely to attract attention.
"That's interesting."
Araki pondered inwardly. He didn't have any particular reaction to Nankain's ideas. After all, there were plenty of people in the ninja world who only valued strength. But to be able to speak about these things so frankly was a different feeling altogether.
To some extent, he felt that Nankain was the kind of person who was extremely confident in his strength and greatly admired powerful people. Moreover, he also had a deep-seated contempt for the weak, which was why he could so openly express such a philosophy.
This is no longer simply about admiring the strong.
Rather, it means that even if you encounter unfair treatment, if you can't resolve it, it's because you're not strong enough, and you deserve it...
This is the kind of concept that Nankain instilled.
However, due to Nankain's imposing presence, no one dared to voice their dissatisfaction, resulting in a tacit acceptance of the situation.
However, Araki was also thinking that, given Nankain's assertive attitude, even if someone raised a different opinion, the rules would not be changed because of such a suggestion. The fact that she could openly bring up unfair treatment was enough to prove this point.
"Second point!"