Jugo was back in his tower, currently with Guren glaring at him angrily and Dosu, his single visible eye as monotonous as ever.
Everything was ready before the end of the exam period. Ninjas from other villages began arriving in Otogakure and the anticipation was palpable.
The announcement of the televised Chunin Exam had been circulating for a long time, so the civilians were very excited, naturally cheering for the Sound teams, even though they were just Mobs to Jugo, it was clear that the Genin were still known in the village.
The Genin were all from the new generation, none of them were actually Orochimaru's guinea pigs, so they looked a lot like Genin who had just left Konoha, acting more like children than ninjas.
The village environment was good, unlike most other villages with limited resources, but precisely for that reason these Genin were very "green".
Most of them were children of civilians who arrived after Jugo created the new village of Otogakure, this could be a bad thing, because the sense of belonging to the village wouldn't be as strong as in other ninja villages.
But it was actually the opposite, due to faith in the Father of Devils, the sense of belonging among most civilians was very strong.
Of course, with only two years of training, most of the civilian recruits were still in the academy, only a select few who excelled were admitted, so despite being considered "green", they weren't actually weak.
This middle ground, between peace and excellence, brought them even closer to Konoha's Genin, due to the short preparation time. Even the best team registered had only been active for a few months, but while Konoha focused on improving teamwork, Otogakure's focus was on pure power.
The academy taught not only the three basic jutsus, but also various other disciplines such as medical jutsu, taijutsu,genjutsu, sealing techniques and weapons handling. Of course, due to the village's name, Jugo also included many sound-based jutsus, so sound-based jutsus were very popular among the genin.
To graduate, a ninja had to master at least one "advanced" jutsu, regardless of the type. For example, in Taijutsu, opening the first gate could guarantee graduation, or in medical jutsu, learning the hemostasis technique and passing a written medical exam could guarantee graduation too.
Basically, Jugo wasn't afraid of traitors, so each of these Genin had their own unique ability.
Sure, whether it was Jugo or Guren, they were still a bunch of weaklings destined to be cannon fodder if they didn't grow up fast enough.
Jugo didn't reveal the details of the exams, not even to the Sound ninjas. He wanted the genin to be truly tested, so each one was on their own.
But among these teams, one made Jugo the most satisfied, its Jonin Sensei is none other than Dosu.
Jugo, in his office, pulled out the team's file while taking a look through it.
[Aomine Kenta, male, 11 years old - Passed by Taijutsu, exceptional physical aptitude, currently can open up to two gates with difficulty.]
[Midorime Nanami, female, 13 years old - Completed medical jutsu, has good chakra control, can use most basic medical techniques such as hemostasis, diagnosis and disinfection, has shown talent in using poisons to fight.]
[Kamishiro Ryuta, male, 10 years old - Passed through sound ninjutsu, just like Dosu, uses a gauntlet to attack, the best talent among the three]
Jugo raised his head and looked at Dosu curiously. -Are you sure you want to send them? They're the most talented to graduate this year, you did a good job with them, it would be a shame if they died.
-They want to go, let them find out for themselves.- Dosu shrugged, he didn't want to, but the trio had heard about the Chunin Exams from the other Genin and in the end they bothered him so much that he didn't care anymore. If they wanted to die, so be it.
Jugo chuckled lightly, Guren beside him pursed her lips, but said nothing, it wasn't that Dosu disliked his students, but that their mentality was different.
Dosu, Guren and even Jugo grew up under Orochimaru. Back then, taking students to hunt cats and sweep leaves was laughable, so most, if not all, Senseis were actually quite harsh in their teaching approach.
If it weren't for Guren's control, some Genin would already be rotting on the ground, so while Dosu understood that these new Genin wouldn't be created like they were, he saw no problem in facing life-or-death challenges, if they returned alive, they would return stronger.
If not, that's fine too, that's the life of a ninja. Jugo didn't care much about it too.
Finally, Jugo shrugged, even though Guren was looking at him with lips pressed together in irritation. -Alright, since you said so, let them go see the world. I'll ask Kimimaro's team to keep an eye on them and help if possible.
The first and last exams were quite safe, as long as they didn't die, Jugo could heal them perfectly. But in the second exam, anyone could die, even if Dosu were the examiner. Knowing him, he probably wouldn't help his students.
As for Guren, she herself wanted this exam, so she wasn't really worried about the Genin from the village, what she was concerned about were the elites, that is, Dosu's students being the best among the Genin. She didn't want them to participate and die in vain.
Dosu nodded and left soon after.
-That's a waste.- Guren commented as soon as Dosu left.
-Yes? Well, what do you want me to do? He's their teacher.- Jugo pulled her onto his lap as he asked.
Guren didn't even blink, used to Jugo's shamelessness, she looked at him with boredom and said. -You're the village leader, if you say no, that's it.
-Yeah, but what's the fun in that? Besides, these guys asked for it, what's the point of stopping them now?- Jugo said as his hands moved inside her clothes.
Guren bit his lip, trying to concentrate as he continued. -They're going to die!
-No, they probably won't die, but if you're so worried, I can leave some spores on them so they can still be saved in critical moments.- Jugo sighed and promised.
Guren's eyes sparkled and a slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. - "Victory." - She thought.
Jugo knew Guren only wanted a promise from him, so he gave it right away so the fun could begin, but Guren seized the moment and continued. - Why not leave spores on all the genin?
Jugo's lips trembled. What was the point of this exam? This was clearly cheating, okay? But in the end, he just rolled his eyes in silent agreement. In the end, being a ninja is about cheating. Right?