Inside the Hokage's Office—
Several of Konoha's jōnin had gathered.
Kiyosuke glanced around and walked over to stand beside Asuma, Kakashi, and Guy.
The jōnin instructors of the "Konoha 12" were now officially assembled. These four were considered the elite among the village's jōnin—and among them, Kiyosuke was recognized as Konoha's strongest.
Once most people had arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi began to speak.
With age came verbosity. After half an hour of rambling, Hiruzen finally got to the point.
"Now, with the Chūnin Exams about to begin, would the jōnin in charge of the new genin please come forward?"
Kiyosuke, Kakashi, and Asuma stepped forward.
"How about it? Do your subordinates meet the qualifications to participate in this year's Chūnin Exams?"
"Kakashi Hatake, leading Team 7, recommends Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura to take part in the Chūnin Exams under my name."
"Kiyosuke Asakawa, leading Team 8, recommends Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyūga Hinata to take part in the Chūnin Exams under my name."
"Sarutobi Asuma, leading Team 9, recommends Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji, and Yamanaka Ino to take part in the Chūnin Exams under my name."
The three of them didn't care whether their genin had only recently graduated—they believed they were ready, and that was enough.
However, aside from them, none of the other instructors of rookie genin had chosen to recommend their teams. Most felt it was still too soon and opted to wait out of caution.
But these three didn't hesitate. They just signed them up—throwing nine brand-new genin straight into the fire of the Chūnin Exams. A little harsh reality wouldn't hurt, and in fact, would help them grow.
"All three teams are being recommended?"
"Rookies participating in the Chūnin Exams? Hasn't it been almost five years since that last happened?"
Some of the other instructors were shocked. Letting freshly graduated rookies join the Chūnin Exams? Wasn't that basically sending them to their deaths?
"Please wait!"
From the crowd, Iruka stepped forward and said,
"Hokage-sama, pardon my intrusion. I know this might be meddling, but all nine of those students used to be mine. They're undoubtedly talented, but isn't it too early to put them in the Chūnin Exams? They need more time to gain experience through real missions before taking on something this serious."
"When I became a chūnin, I was six years younger than Naruto is now. Kiyosuke also took the exam right after graduation and passed." Kakashi spoke in his usual dead-fish tone.
"Yeah, the Chūnin Exams aren't that hard," Kiyosuke added casually, downplaying it as if it were nothing.
"You can't compare them to you two!"
One was a born genius, the other a hero who once saved the village. It was only natural they achieved those results.
"You'll ruin them like this!"
Even though they'd already graduated, Iruka still couldn't stop worrying about his former students. He was a good teacher through and through.
Kiyosuke said calmly, "If participating in the Chūnin Exams is enough to ruin them, then this generation of ninja has no value to begin with."
"A little suffering is good for them," Kakashi added. "Besides, ruining them? That might be kind of fun to watch… Just kidding. But seriously, as Kiyosuke said, if something like the Chūnin Exams can break them, then Konoha's next generation really is doomed. Back in our day, we had to claw our way out of real battlefields. Compared to us, they've got it easy."
"I understand your concerns, Iruka… but there's no point arguing. They're not your students anymore. They're our subordinates now."
"But—" Iruka tried to protest again.
He was cut off by Hiruzen.
"Since that's the case, why don't you give them a preliminary test? If they pass, they can participate in the exams."
"...Understood."
Iruka let out a sigh of relief.
Kiyosuke and Kakashi, however, remained completely at ease. They weren't worried at all that their genin might fail the so-called "preliminary test."
"Alright, moving on—here are the proctors for the three rounds of the exams. First, the written test: Morino Ibiki."
"Yes, sir."
The scarred, sadistic-looking musclehead accepted the task without flinching.
"Second round: Forest of Death. Proctor: Anko Mitarashi."
"Got it!"
Anko, who had matured tremendously over the years, accepted the task with confidence. Her outfits had gotten even bolder, and paired with her stunning figure, she drew quite a bit of attention. But her no-nonsense, tomboyish attitude had scared off many suitors.
Her family had already asked Kiyosuke to help find her a blind date.
"Third round: Gekko Hayate."
"Cough cough... Yes."
The man, pale and constantly coughing with heavy dark circles under his eyes, accepted the task.
Kiyosuke couldn't help but recall this once-flashy junior from the ANBU.
Was he… drained dry?
Well, no need to worry about his death this time. Sunagakure wasn't part of Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan anymore, so Hayate wouldn't be ambushed during patrol.
...
After receiving the application forms from Hiruzen, Kiyosuke went to find Hinata and the others.
"Here's the application form for the Chūnin Exams. Whether you want to join is up to you. I'm not expecting any amazing results—just treat it as a way to gain experience."
"The Chūnin Exams? Just watch me show 'em what I can do!" Kiba said, taking the form.
"I'll participate as well." Shino picked one up.
Hinata hesitated, then reached out and took hers.
"Alright. Once you fill them out tomorrow, start training. If you're unsure about anything, come ask me."
...
A few days later, the Chūnin Exams officially began.
The first round took place in the morning, with Morino Ibiki leading a large group into the exam room.
As always, the written exam was meant to test information-gathering skills—something Kiyosuke wasn't worried about.
His team specialized in reconnaissance. Whether it was Shino's insects or Hinata's Byakugan—well, she didn't even need it. Hinata was a straight-A student.
And Kiba had Akamaru.
Akamaru could read. He would look at someone's test paper and communicate the answers to Kiba. After years together, the two had practically developed telepathy.
Meanwhile, sadistic proctor Morino Ibiki, head of Konoha's Intelligence Division, excelled at manipulating people's minds. He spent the last hour tormenting the examinees psychologically, eliminating a whole wave of weaklings in one go.
Those with strong wills made it through.
Oh—and Naruto turned in a blank test.
...
The second round began soon after, with everyone gathering at the edge of the Forest of Death.
Kiyosuke originally planned to just take a look in passing, but Anko dragged him over to sit beside her.
When Konoha's strongest ninja stood at the entrance with a scowl on his face, all the rookies looked like terrified quails.
It was a hilarious sight.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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