Time flew by, and it was soon the eve of the Chunin Exams.
The once quiet Konoha Village had become bustling with activity.
Ninjas wearing various headbands appeared on the streets of Konoha; Ninjas from surrounding small nations had gradually arrived in the village.
Merchants from various lands—scenting the aroma of profit—drove their wagons, converging from all directions.
Aoki Yoru wove through the crowds, glancing around curiously, pushing through to check out every roadside stall.
Konoha had held Chunin Exams before, but back then, he hadn't dared to join the excitement.
Those Ninjas from small nations held high status in their own countries and didn't give a damn about civilians. If he ran into a hot-tempered one who decided to slash him, and the Anbu failed to intervene in time, he'd have nowhere to go to cry for justice.
Survival was his top priority.
A dazzling array of Ninja tools, medicinal herbs from different lands, and exotic toys—these novelties were a feast for his eyes.
What left him speechless was that the stalls selling intimate products were actually crowded with people.
"Is the Ninja World really this uninhibited?"
Aoki Yoru couldn't help but recall how, in his previous life, the best-selling items at the Olympics were actually health protection supplies.
"As expected, this is human nature, no matter the world!"
Suddenly, his gaze turned playful and suggestive: "Those guys in One Piece, spending all year on ships... wouldn't they be even more..."
A mischievous look crossed his face as his imagination began to run wild.
Suddenly, he froze.
Three dark-skinned Ninjas wearing Kumogakure headbands came into view.
The leader was a name that rang like thunder in his ears—the future Fifth Raikage, the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai user, Darui.
As for the other two, one had dark brown skin and red hair, while the other also had dark brown skin with white hair and a lollipop dangling from his mouth.
They were also characters who appeared in Shippuden—Karui and Omoi, the two disciples of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee.
"Why are Kumogakure Ninjas in Konoha to take the Chunin Exams?"
Konoha's Chunin Exams usually invited surrounding small nations to flex their muscles, showcasing their strength while keeping their allies in check.
Last time, tensions were high due to the Hinata kidnapping incident. Although it ended with Hyuga Hizashi's death, no peace treaty had been signed, and troops were still facing off at the border!
By any logic, they wouldn't be co-hosting the Chunin Exams with Konoha; otherwise, it would have been big news long ago.
The next day.
Aoki Yoru packed his gear and headed out to meet his teammates.
Led by Kakashi, they went to the exam hall to sign in.
On the way, Kakashi explained the situation; they were indeed there for the Chunin Exams.
Originally, the Hidden Cloud Village had proposed to participate, but the Third Hokage had flatly refused, as everyone knew they were up to no good.
Konoha couldn't afford any trouble right now.
However, somehow they had managed to get to the Daimyo. The Daimyo sent a letter urging Konoha to show the magnanimity of a great nation and so on, while subtly hinting at future funding issues.
Aoki Yoru didn't recall this happening in the original story.
'Is this the butterfly effect of my transmigration?'
While lost in thought on the road, he suddenly remembered the previous bandit suppression mission.
'Did those Kumogakure Ninjas I killed last time have some powerful backing?'
He then shook his head.
If he couldn't figure it out, he might as well stop thinking about it. If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up; the Third Hokage must have already prepared a countermeasure.
He walked into the classroom with his three teammates.
He was a bit surprised; he had expected a genjutsu test like the one during Naruto's time.
He stepped forward, found his seat, and sat down.
Tilting his head slightly, he scanned the other candidates in the exam hall.
Those from the Ino–Shika–Chō, Hyuga, and Sarutobi clans of the same year were all there; they certainly wouldn't miss the chance!
Oh!!!
It's them!
After seeing the people sitting in the front row, Aoki Yoru understood the Third Hokage's arrangement.
Two of them were none other than Konoha's famous future Gatekeepers—Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane.
As for their teammate, one look at those signature white eyes revealed they were from the Hyuga Clan.
However, Aoki Yoru didn't have high hopes for them. Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane were, at best, Chunin-level;
As for that Hyuga Clan member, they hadn't appeared in the original work, so their strength was likely mediocre.
If they faced the trio from the Hidden Cloud Village, Darui alone could probably wipe them out.
Bang...
The classroom door was kicked open violently.
Darui walked in with his teammates, coldly scanning the room with blatant arrogance and provocation.
He sat down and propped his feet directly onto the desk.
The rest of the room looked at them with frowns, anger, schadenfreude, or caution.
Swish—
The proctors instantly appeared in every corner of the room.
"Quiet! The exam begins now. The duration is one hour, and a score of 60 is required to pass."
Scanning the room, the proctor added, "This exam is team-based. If one person is disqualified, the entire team is out."
He then looked at Karui. "You there, put your feet down, or I'll disqualify you immediately."
Karui shrugged and put her feet down.
Ignoring the restless candidates, the head proctor tossed the exam papers, which landed precisely on each desk, carried by Wind Release.
"The exam begins."
Aoki Yoru picked up the paper and glanced over it.
Hmm???
Although the questions were obscure and difficult, many of them were from the Ninja Academy's extracurricular materials. As long as one had studied well, passing wouldn't be hard.
Then, as if realizing something, he closed his eyes to sense the situation in the room.
Just as I thought!!
There were no staff members planted around; back then, during Naruto's time, the test was about information gathering.
This time, it was specifically targeted at the Kumogakure Ninjas.
They were surrounded by Ninjas from small nations. Without excellent information-gathering skills, passing with this level of difficulty wouldn't be easy.
He then picked up his pen and began writing furiously.
Huh?
Aoki Yoru frowned as a faint electric current silently appeared on his exam paper.
Sensing it, he realized it was on the papers of over a dozen candidates, originating from Karui.
"Using electric currents to sense the pressure, pauses, and strokes of the pen on the paper!"
Having instantly deciphered the principle, Aoki Yoru was somewhat impressed by the creativity.
Then, with a flash of lightning on his hand, he severed the other's Lightning Release.
Feeling the current being cut off, Karui glanced at Aoki Yoru's back in surprise.
The various fluctuations in the exam hall couldn't be hidden from the head proctor, who was a Jonin.
"Kakashi's disciple? Unexpectedly excellent."
Thwack...
A Kunai embedded itself into the desk of a candidate from Kusagakure.
"Cheating. The team is disqualified." The proctor signaled for the candidate to leave.
The candidate and his two teammates slowly stood up and left dejectedly.
In the time that followed, the academic slackers in the exam hall used all sorts of tricks, but most were caught and cleared out by the veteran proctors.
In the eyes of a Chunin, those cheating methods were too amateurish, as obvious as a flame in the dark.
The scene reminded Aoki Yoru of something his teacher had said in his previous life:
"Standing on the podium, every single move you make is seen. Your cheating is too obvious; the teacher just can't be bothered to catch you."
Ring—
A crisp bell rang, announcing the end of the exam.
The candidates who were still racking their brains turned pale instantly.
"Everyone, stop writing and stand up, or you will be treated as cheaters."
A stern voice rang out as the proctors stepped forward to collect the papers.
"The results will be posted on the bulletin board later," the head proctor's gaze slowly swept over everyone.
"As for some of you, if you fail to pass, it might actually be a stroke of luck."
As the words fell, the room went dead silent.