After the exam began, Yuuki picked up the screen on the table and started watching as well.
The screen naturally displayed Natsuri's team.
This wasn't relying on the 'Eye in the Sky' satellite; after all, the 'Death Forest' lived up to its name.
Yuuki was relying on a large number of covertly installed cameras throughout the Death Forest, as well as cameras carried by the proctors hidden in various parts of the exam area.
It wasn't just Yuuki; the team leaders from other Ninja Villages were also in a vast monitoring room, observing everything happening in the entire exam.
After all, these were the promising talents from their respective Villages, so not keeping an eye on them would be unacceptable.
The only ones who weren't particularly worried were the Konoha Ninja; the contracts signed by the Konoha Genin were essentially waste paper.
While some Konoha Genin might fail the second round of the Chunin Exams, no Konoha Genin would die.
This was the home-field advantage: if any unforeseen or uncontrollable factors threatened the safety of a Konoha Ninja, the Konoha Jonin, poised and ready in the Death Forest, would eliminate the danger.
At most, they would be disqualified and fail the exam; the Konoha Genin were unaware of all this, and there was no need for them to know.
The Genin from other Ninja Villages were the ones who truly had to face life-or-death challenges.
Yuuki watched the three figures on the screen, stealthily advancing while expertly disguising themselves.
Very good, they know their place!
They haven't let a little bit of strength make them forget who they are.
In the Death Forest.
The three-person team advanced cautiously, with Naruto asking in a very low voice:
"Do you think we can pass this exam?"
"I don't know."
"Not sure!"
Natsuri and Sasuke answered Naruto's question one after another, also in very low voices.
For once, Sasuke didn't make fun of Naruto; normally, epithets like 'rookie' or 'coward' would be unavoidable.
The three had no choice but to be careful and cautious; this assessment was team-based, not Village-based.
When Natsuri and the others saw Kabuto, whom they had spent over a month with, enter from another entrance with two seemingly formidable companions, their confidence waned.
After more than a month together, Naruto and Sasuke, two guys who constantly argued about various things and went off-topic, had deeply experienced the strength of Kabuto's Shadow Clone.
Kabuto, who was effectively their teacher but without the title, was merely a Genin and still had to participate in the Chunin Exams.
This gave the three a clear understanding of the saying 'you can't judge a book by its cover,' and they began to view the other unassuming Genin around them during the previous gathering with new eyes.
They all looked like hidden masters!
Especially after entering, Naruto's discovery further solidified this belief for the trio.
Because Naruto saw his beloved Utakata Sensei!
Naruto's limited vocabulary couldn't accurately describe Utakata's power, so he could only repeatedly use 'very very very,' finally adding 'powerful.'
Natsuri and Sasuke, who understood Naruto, easily grasped the meaning.
Is this the true Ninja World?
The three were aware of the difference between the Joint Chunin Exams and regular Chunin Exams due to the extensive propaganda from Konoha.
Compared to a regular Chunin Exams, the difficulty of the Joint Chunin Exams was actually the same, but it would be slightly increased due to other objectives.
Three rookie Genin, fresh out of the Ninja Academy, underwent a month of intensive training and then, somewhat cluelessly, participated in this unprecedented Chunin Exams.
This made the trio believe that the Ninja World was always like this, which also matched their yearning for the mysterious Ninja World.
Sasuke was fine; while he was dismissive of his peers, he was actually very respectful towards his elders.
As for Natsuri and Naruto, recalling their time at the Ninja Academy again brought new insights.
The teachers at the Ninja Academy were so gentle!
After all, the three knew that Iruka Sensei was a Chunin.
An incredibly powerful Chunin!
Natsuri's feelings ran even deeper; her experience in the Chunin Exams made her unable to imagine how powerful her brother, the Hokage, must be.
While the three were participating in what they viewed as a practice dungeon with the mindset of facing a hellish dungeon, the monitoring room was also in an uproar.
The other Genin didn't have the same worries as Natsuri's trio; each of them looked confident and assured of victory.
This led them to quickly encounter each other in the Death Forest; those from the same Ninja Village were fine, merely separating after a brief wary glance.
When different Ninja Villages met, they wouldn't part ways without a fight to determine a winner.
They all felt it would be an insult to the youthful hot blood flowing through their veins.
"Are you Iwagakure playing unfairly? Twelve people ganging up is practically breaking the rules!"
"We Iwagakure are united, unlike you Sunagakure guys who even kill your own Village comrades!"
"Tch, ignore these guys who eat sand every day. They're clearly the most shameless. If I'm not mistaken, that kid is a Jinchuriki, right? Sunagakure truly has no bottom line!"
"Hey, Kumogakure, you've got some nerve. If I remember correctly, your Kumogakure 'Genin' is worth twenty million Ryo on the black market!"
"Hey, you fishing guy, we Kumogakure didn't bother you, so why are you butting in!"
"...."
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