Feng An found Kurenai Yūhi outside the Hokage's office.
Seeing him panting, Kurenai asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Kurenai-sensei, I want to sign up for the Chunin Exams."
Kurenai Yūhi looked at him strangely.
It had only been a few hours, and the kid had changed his mind.
"That's not what you said this morning."
"The me from this morning is in the past tense; the me now is in the present tense."
Kurenai Yūhi covered her mouth and chuckled, "Hehe, then come with me. I'll help you find some suitable teammates."
Feng An followed Kurenai Yūhi to the Chunin Exam registration site.
Although the venue was spacious, there weren't many people.
Kurenai Yūhi smiled and said, "There's still some time before the Chunin Exams. Many ninjas from other countries are still on their way, so it doesn't look crowded yet."
Feng An nodded.
As she said, many ninjas from foreign countries and other villages would also participate.
On the surface, the Chunin Exams are the only path for Genin to be promoted to Chunin, but they hold another, deeper meaning.
They are a display of strength for ninjas from all nations and villages. The era of peace is only temporary, after all. Only by demonstrating powerful strength and potential will other countries be deterred.
Of course, many villages, unwilling to reveal their strength, choose not to participate in Konoha's Chunin Exams.
"Feng An, what do you think of that man over there?"
Feng An followed Kurenai's gaze.
He saw a young man about twenty years old with well-built muscles who seemed full of strength.
Kurenai Yūhi continued introducing the candidate's background.
"His name is Tanakami. He possesses excellent taijutsu and some ninjutsu. Unfortunately, every time he takes the exam, he encounters ninjas who outperform him in showcasing their abilities. As a result, he's failed the Chunin Exam five times now."
She noticed no particular interest in Feng An's eyes and then looked at others to introduce.
"His name is Tayuya. He's seventeen years old, and his skills are basically at Chunin level, but he doesn't play well with others. He was eliminated during the team coordination rounds and failed the assessment."
"And that girl over there—her chakra reserves far exceed her peers, but her personality is too timid. She was too afraid to fight others and has failed the exam five times."
"He's participated in the Chunin Exams eight times…"
…
"If you want capable teammates who are compatible with you, consider the top four I mentioned. They have well-rounded abilities."
Soon, Kurenai Yūhi had introduced all the registered individuals present, regardless of gender, age, or status—except for some first-time participants, whom she only briefly mentioned.
In her opinion, with Feng An's ability paired with the stronger candidates, they would likely pass the Chunin Exams and perform well.
But after listening, Feng An already had his own candidates in mind.
Kurenai's suggestions were good.
But he knew the rules. Except for the top performer, who would pass outright, the others would be selected for promotion to Chunin based on a comprehensive evaluation of willpower, individual skill, and team cooperation.
Otherwise, it would be too cruel if only three out of hundreds of participants passed each time.
Besides, he wasn't participating to become a Chunin. It was enough for Hiashi to see his performance.
Kurenai Yūhi grew slightly anxious seeing Feng An deep in thought.
"Have you decided?"
She noticed that the four people she had mentioned were already starting to talk with others. If they formed teams before Feng An joined, he'd have no chance.
Feng An nodded.
"I'll choose both of them."
When Kurenai Yūhi saw the two girls he pointed to, she was stunned.
"No, I meant for you to choose from the top four, not the bottom two."
Feng An looked at Kurenai Yūhi and said calmly, "I choose them."
No, are you crazy?
Kurenai Yūhi almost couldn't stop herself from cursing.
I worked so hard to analyze all that for him, and in the end, he picks the two I thought had the least chance of passing.
The key point was that these two were sisters who insisted on staying together, which meant no strong players would join their team.
Kurenai Yūhi asked angrily, "Do you even want to pass?"
"Yes."
"So you choose these two sisters?"
He couldn't tell her that he'd deliberately chosen weaker teammates to make his own performance stand out.
Without blushing or skipping a beat, he said seriously:
"Their abilities complement mine well."
How can you say something like that with a straight face?
When Kurenai Yūhi heard this, her nostrils flared with anger.
"You playboy! Are you just attracted to these two sisters?"
He was taken aback by her words and then looked at the two girls again.
The sisters were quite good-looking…
If Kurenai hadn't mentioned it, he honestly wouldn't have thought of that.
Now he had to choose them.
"Kurenai-sensei, please head back first. I'm going to spend some time getting to know my new teammates."
Feng An smiled at Kurenai Yūhi and hurried over.
Kurenai Yūhi frowned and shook her head with a sigh.
"Kids these days are too frivolous. Good thing my Asuma never flirts with other girls."
After saying that, Kurenai Yūhi shunshined away.
Now she just wanted to go back and train Hinata properly so that when she met Feng An during the Chunin Exams, she could slap some sense into him.
Feng An straightened his expression, walked up to the two sisters, and smiled warmly.
"Hello, my name is Feng An. Would you like to team up with me?"
The cute black-haired girl with short twin tails glared at him fiercely. "No."
Feng An's smile froze momentarily.
Then the other girl, also with short black hair, tugged her sister's hand and smiled politely at Feng An.
"Hello, I'm Yukime, and this is my sister, Fubuki.
We both want to be on the same team, so please find someone else. Sorry."
"Hmph," the younger sister, Fubuki, snorted and pulled her sister toward a quieter spot.
Many people had likely invited them to team up, but because the two insisted on staying together, most had backed out.
After all, passing the Chunin Exams was the priority.
Just then, the muscular man from earlier placed a hand on Feng An's shoulder and grinned brightly.
"Hey, brother, join our team! We're just one person short."
Feng An looked back.
These two were exactly the ones Kurenai Yūhi had introduced to him.
The muscular man was the first one mentioned, named Tanakami.
The one behind him was the second, named Tayuya—a cool guy who looked somewhat similar to Sasuke, leaning against the wall striking a pose.
He hadn't expected these two to team up; they seemed like complete opposites.
Feng An shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I know my limits. I wouldn't want to hold you back."
With that, Feng An turned and walked toward the two sisters.
Seeing this, Tanakami wanted to persuade him further, but Tayuya stopped him.
He said disdainfully, "That pretty boy is as skinny as a monkey. What kind of strength could he have? It's obvious he's just mesmerized by those two girls' looks. He's nothing but trash."
Tanakami nodded. "Alright, let's wait a few days and see if there are other candidates."
After saying that, Tanakami excused himself, saying he had something to do, and left.
Tayuya deliberately raised his voice so everyone present could hear.
Feng An had met many people like this in his previous life and couldn't be bothered to respond.
The others nearby began whispering among themselves.
"Didn't Tayuya just try to team up with them?"
"Yeah, the sisters originally agreed, but he insisted on separating them and said he'd only take one."
"Actually, he has a point, but saying someone is a burden to their face shows poor character."
"What? The sisters clearly wanted to stay together, and he pretended not to understand and tried to poach one. What a creep."
"Actually, I think the younger sister is kinda cute too…"
The discussion among the others grew louder, and fragments of conversation reached Tayuya's ears.
Tayuya's face turned pale, and he shouted at the crowd, "What the hell are you all talking about?!"
*****
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