Chapter 126
Besides the allied Land of Wind's Hidden Sand Village, various other countries and Villages, big and small, such as Otogakure Village, Grass Ninja Village, Hidden Rain Village, and Hidden Mist, all sent Ninja to participate in the Chunin Exams.
Konoha Village became increasingly lively.
But with more Ninja, there were also more conflicts, as many historical grievances existed between the different Ninja Villages, leading to frequent outbreaks of disputes.
Finally, the day the Chunin Exams began arrived.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata, holding the registration forms given by Kakashi-sensei, headed to the Chunin Exams venue to report.
"Naruto!"
Suddenly, a warm voice called out.
Naruto looked back and was overjoyed.
"Lee! Long time no see!"
The person who arrived was Rock Lee, and of course, Hyuga Neji and Tenten were also with him, the members of Team Guy.
"Yes, you seem to have grown a lot, and your strength has improved by leaps and bounds, hasn't it?!"
"I heard you defeated Zabuza Momochi, that demon of Hidden Mist!"
"That's truly amazing!"
Naruto scratched his head and chuckled dryly: "It's alright, it's alright!"
Hyuga Neji said coldly: "Zabuza Momochi is a Jonin, and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. It's absolutely impossible for you to defeat him with your strength."
"That was Kakashi Hatake's credit."
Naruto was about to be modest, but Hyuga Neji's constant cold water made it hard for him to tolerate.
"Of course, it was Kakashi-sensei's credit!"
"But we also took down Zabuza's Water Clone, and in the end, I personally killed him!"
"What, are you unconvinced?!"
Hyuga Neji said: "Then don't go around proclaiming that you were the ones who killed Zabuza himself!"
Naruto was furious: "Bastard! When did we ever go around proclaiming that?!"
Hinata tried to mediate: "Forget it, Naruto-kun, there's no need to explain anything..."
Naruto snorted: "Hyuga Neji, Lee and I made a promise with you a year ago that we would have a fair fight with you in a year and completely defeat you!"
"This wager will be settled at the Chunin Exams!"
Hyuga Neji said indifferently: "Whatever, you won't be my opponents anyway."
After saying that, he strode away proudly.
Tenten smiled slightly at the three of them and followed closely behind.
Rock Lee sighed: "Neji's temper is just like that, but in reality, he's not a bad person..."
"But you're right about one thing, Naruto..."
"This Chunin Exams is the moment for us to fulfill our wager with Neji!"
"No matter which of us encounters him, we must absolutely defeat him completely!"
"Oh! Of course!"
Rock Lee smiled confidently: "I've also become much stronger, and I have a secret weapon that will surely make everyone acknowledge my strength!"
Naruto laughed: "Me too!"
"Well, see you at the Chunin Exams!"
"Alright!"
As soon as Team Guy left, they encountered Team 8 and Team 10 at the same time.
"Sasuke-kun! Long time no see!"
Sakura Haruno was the first to shriek, immediately rushing towards Sasuke, chattering non-stop.
Sasuke snorted and ignored her.
Ino smiled and walked up to Hinata.
"Hinata, you're here too."
"Sure enough, it seems we were all recommended for the Chunin Exams."
"How about it, do you have confidence?"
Hinata nodded: "I will try my best."
"Oh, there's definitely no problem for your Team 7. After all, you're recognized as a genius Ninjacombination, the strongest squad, and this time you're also Konoha Village's seeded team for the Chunin Exams!"
"Is, is there?"
"Of course! It's better than our Team 10!"
Ino rolled her eyes at Shikamaru, who was yawning, and Choji, who was frantically eating potato chips.
"Look at my two teammates, then look at yours..."
"Sigh, comparison is the thief of joy!"
Naruto also excitedly greeted Shikamaru and Choji.
"Shikamaru, Choji! You're also participating in the Chunin Exams!"
"Can you do it?!"
It's no wonder Naruto doubted them so much, as basically all the students of this generation had been spurred on by Naruto, but these two remained as they were.
Shikamaru stretched, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"It's all Asuma-sensei's fault for insisting on signing us up, it's such a hassle..."
Choji munched loudly.
"Don't say that, Shikamaru, Asuma-sensei did it because he believes in us."
Ino sighed: "Don't even mention Asuma-sensei, even I don't believe in us!"
Hinata smiled: "Ino, you're very strong, you should have confidence in yourself."
On the other side, Kiba Inuzuka also walked forward.
"Naruto, Sasuke, you two are really in the limelight right now!"
"But, hey, I won't lose to you guys!"
Akamaru, who was perched on his head, also barked twice to cheer him on.
Naruto said: "Oh! Then let's see!"
Shino Aburame said unhappily: "Please don't ignore me."
Kiba Inuzuka laughed heartily and clapped Shino Aburame on the shoulder.
"Yes, yes, and this guy Shino, don't underestimate him, he might just be the strongest one!"
"Alright, time to go, Sakura!"
Kiba Inuzuka urged Sakura.
Sakura complained: "What's the rush? I finally get to chat with Sasuke for a bit!"
Kiba Inuzuka said casually: "That's not chatting, you're completely talking by yourself!"
"Let's go quickly, if we delay registration, Yuhi-sensei's hard work will be in vain."
Thinking of Kurenai Yuhi, Sakura could only sigh: "Alright."
"Sasuke-kun, my training with Yuhi-sensei has been very fruitful! She's always praising me, saying I have a talent for genjutsu. I'm sure I'll shine brightly in the Chunin Exams, so please watch me closely!"
After saying that, she joined Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame's group and left with them.
Ino watched her retreating figure and shook her head.
"Sakura is still so obsessed with Sasuke..."
Hinata whispered: "What about you, Ino?"
"Me? Of course I still like Sasuke! But..."
"I can tell that Sasuke doesn't want to be in a relationship at all. His heart is filled with sadness and pain, and he's only focused on his own matters..."
"So Hinata, if you can, please help Sasuke out more..."
"Mhm, I will."
"Thank you, you're still so gentle."
Ino smiled brightly, waved goodbye, and left with Shikamaru and Choji.
After everyone had completed their registration, all the Ninja from the various Villages gathered in one place.
Naruto pushed the door open, and immediately... people were as numerous as immortals.
In the large room, there were people of all heights, weights, and ages, men and women, with diverse appearances and styles.
Although it was called the Chunin Exams, all sorts of people had truly come.
There were youths of similar age to him, as well as young adults, middle-aged people, and even elderly individuals... As Naruto pushed the door open with a bang, the entire room suddenly fell silent.
Gaze after gaze, like countless Shuriken, shot towards him.
Naruto was unafraid, crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and strode in.
"Who is that arrogant brat?"
"According to intelligence, he is a member of the Konoha squad led by Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake, named Uzumaki Naruto. He previously participated in the Land of Waves mission, and it is said that Zabuza Momochi died by his hand..."
"What?!"
"Zabuza Momochi, one of the Seven NinjaSwordsmen of the Mist, died by the hand of such a brat?!"
"It must have been Kakashi Hatake who killed him, after all, the difference in strength is too great..."
"But this Team 7 is Konoha Village's strongest team, so it should be correct..."
"Hmph, just a bunch of newly graduated brats, daring to be so arrogant. They probably don't even know that people can die in the Chunin Exams?!"
"Heh, then let's wait and see..."
Naruto quickly spotted the other Konoha 12 members. In addition, the monster trio from Hidden Sand Village—Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro—were also present.
Just as the entire room was abuzz with discussion.
Suddenly, several figures burst through the windows, soaring in and precisely landing in various parts of the classroom, blocking all entrances and exits.
Then, a tall and burly figure strode in through the front door.
This person was not only tall but also very muscular, as stable and heavy as an iron tower, giving off a strong sense of oppression.
He wore a Ninja hat, his features were sharp and severe, his eyes cold and piercing, and his face was crisscrossed with many terrifying scars, making him look grotesque and distorted.
With just one glance, everyone immediately fell silent.
Naruto couldn't help but swallow.
"Who is that terrifying guy?"
Hinata shook her head, and Sasuke also frowned.
The terrifying man walked to the podium and said coldly: "I am the examiner for the first written exam of the Chunin Exams."
"My name is, Morino Ibiki."
"I now declare the Chunin Exams officially open!"
"Hand out the test papers."
"Yes! Ibiki-sama!"
Several equally stern and ruthless Ninjaimmediately distributed the confidential exam papers one by one.