Several days meant for rest and adjustment flew by at a crazy speed, like Schumacher taking corners—exactly that kind of speed. For us, it was an ideal time to prepare and relax a little before the Chunin Exams.
To be honest, I wouldn't say the rest was particularly impressive or even relaxing. Not at all. And frankly, there wasn't much of it. Kiochi-sensei, as promised, spent time reviewing theoretical material with us, which is essential for shinobi of any rank or title. He covered what could be done, how it could be done, and why something would or wouldn't work. We also explored theoretical and practical topics, like setting up standard ambushes, the physics of kunai movement, basic cooking methods, gathering herbs, identifying different types, and their uses. Essentially, it was a survival course in the wilderness.
Shiko and Ayamane showed decent knowledge, but it felt like they were slightly adrift. It was hard to pinpoint the topic they struggled with, but it seemed that the exact issue might surface during the exam.
For me, the theory was straightforward. I knew most of it by heart and could probably teach other genin if I felt like it. Maybe I'll do that in the future, but I'd need to become a Chunin or even a Jonin first. That way, my rank would speak for itself and draw the necessary attention.
"What can I say?" the captain said when we gathered at the restaurant. Other teams were there with their captains as well, but we didn't mingle. Everyone tried to maintain a little distance from each other. Our team was quite lucky with seating because we arrived first and took a spot by the aquarium. "Overall, I think you're ready. But it's hard for me to predict exactly what the exam will be like."
"Don't worry, Captain Kiochi," Shika said confidently, her voice firm and assured, as if trying to convince not only the captain but herself as well. "Our team will handle any problems that come our way. Don't worry."
Captain Kiochi smiled, his smile restrained but sincere.
"Well, if you say so," he chuckled, shaking his head. "One last thing. Be prepared. Treat all of this as another C-rank mission."
"Yes, Captain," we replied, aligning our mindset accordingly.
For me, sleep was calm and relaxing, unlike for the girls, who couldn't fall asleep and quietly chatted with each other. There was an opportunity to spend time together, but I didn't want to. Instead, I chose to rest and prepare mentally and physically for what could be several tense days ahead.
Allowing myself to relax, I let my mind slip into the darkness that carried away all my worries and anxieties.
Morning greeted us with bright rays of sunlight piercing through the curtains. I woke up first, feeling energized and ready for a new day. Meanwhile, Shiko and Ayamane, who had only fallen asleep a few hours ago, remained in their beds, clearly not ready to get up.
"Time to wake up," I said loudly, trying to rouse them.
Shiko slowly lifted her head from the pillow, her gaze sleepy and confused.
"A-a-a-h," she groaned, looking utterly exhausted from lack of sleep.
"I'm going to take a shower," I announced, leaving them to pull themselves together.
In the shower, I turned the faucet to cold water. The stream hit my skin, instantly driving away any lingering sleepiness and enveloping my body in a pleasant chill. It was invigorating and refreshing, clearing my thoughts and sharpening my senses—perfect preparation for the challenges ahead. After a quick warm-up, my body was fully ready.
The girls had just started to get up, completely unprepared for the fact that in a couple of hours, we needed to be at the examination center in the village administration building. If we didn't get there on time, it would be an automatic failure.
"Come on, sleepyheads," I said, falling back onto my bed. My uniform was already on, and my bag was packed and ready. "You have twenty minutes to get yourselves together."
The girls groaned, reluctant to move, but in twenty minutes, they were ready. We grabbed our bags and left the room. The captain was nowhere to be found, and only a few other genin, who hadn't yet grasped what was happening, lingered around.
"Hey, friends," a genin from a team also taking the Chunin Exam called out to us. I didn't remember his name because his skill level didn't seem quite "Chunin" to me. Maybe he was good at using his brain to win over others… Otherwise, he had no business being here. "What are you planning to do next?"
"Breakfast, then the Administration," I replied calmly. "After that, we'll wait for the exam to start."
"Oh, right," he said, and for a moment, something seemed to light up in his eyes. "Thanks for the answer."
He ran back to his team and began speaking to them quickly. Their emotional state shifted, indicating they hadn't quite figured out what to do in this situation. Their captain should have informed them about the exam's time and place—I was sure he did. The fact that they hadn't realized they needed to show up themselves… was a bit concerning. Better not to group up with them. They might cause trouble due to their carelessness.
We had a light breakfast and packed the leftovers into our bags for a quick snack if needed.
"Let's go, girls," I said to my teammates, and we headed towards the Administration.
The local Administration building was separated from the rest of the village by four canals, forming a small square. They could be crossed by bridge, jumped over if you had the skill and strength, or crossed by gondola. You could even walk across the water, but no one wanted to do that.
"Should we take the bridge?" Ayamane asked.
"Why not," I shrugged. "Let's not waste our strength just yet."
"Sure," Shiko nodded, agreeing to cross the bridge.
We calmly stepped onto it and moved forward. A team from the Hidden Sand had stepped onto the bridge ahead of us. They were dressed in uniforms very different from ours, all carrying strange, large bags on their backs that vaguely resembled mummies. I suspected they were puppeteers from the Hidden Sand—dangerous opponents if you don't know how to counter them. Fortunately, I knew how to fight them. I remembered clearly from my studies: to defeat them, you must avoid prolonged battles with their puppets and aim to completely destroy them. Find the one controlling the puppets. Three in one team could be very dangerous.
The door to the Administration building was open, so our team walked in calmly and entered a large hall filled with various conversations. At the entrance, we paused, and I glanced at the girls. They nodded at me, concealing their emotions and fatigue.
I stepped into the passage first, immediately drawing a dozen different stares—ranging from completely neutral to hostile, some with hints of madness. I noticed a guy from the local village watching us with wide eyes, even licking his lips a little. His face had a few thin scars, seemingly left by some animal. I didn't want to think he got those marks from a woman's hand, especially if she was weaker than a genin.
"Let's move to the side," I told the girls. "Backs to the wall."
They silently followed my instructions, and we pressed against one of the walls, carefully observing the other exam participants. Being the first ones from Konoha to arrive, we attracted a lot of attention. This meant we'd likely be the first to have our mental resilience tested. Who would be the first to step out of this pack of hyenas?
Such a person soon emerged. He was tall and muscular, with a small beard and thick eyebrows that almost merged into one. He began making faces, trying to appear intimidating, but to me, he looked like he desperately needed to use the bathroom.
"Hey, kid," he said gruffly. From his village sign, it was clear he was a local. "Move aside. A real man wants to chat with these pretty ladies."
He started pressuring me, trying to push me away. But… I had no intention of backing down.
"Before addressing any girl, you should brush your teeth," I retorted. "Because you stink."
"Kid, don't be rude to your elders," he replied, frowning and trying to intimidate me with his gaze. "Or these elders will give you a good spanking. Step aside nicely and save yourself the trouble."
He tried to shove me with his body, but I stood firm like a rock. Not the right person to mess with, buddy, not at all.
"If we meet on the battlefield as enemies," I began, after his attempt to push me failed, "when that happens, I'll run you over and leave not a single bone intact."
I said this calmly, as if stating a fact. And it wasn't just "as if"—it was a statement of fact, because I really don't like rude people. It's fine if someone's rude during a fight; that can be an understandable tactic to provoke or psychologically affect an opponent. This situation could be seen that way too, but you can't give any slack to such people. Take one step back, and they'll try to take two forward.
"Don't get cocky," he muttered, unable to hold my gaze. His eyes darted around, trying to find a focal point to regroup his thoughts.
"I'm not being cocky," I replied evenly. "I'm stating a fact. It's not that I'm in the same room as you… it's that you're in the same room as me."
Without a sound, a kunai appeared in my hand, which I pressed lightly against his crotch, teasing the area. Not as effective through clothes, but the message got through. His eyes widened slightly in fear, and he took a step back as I deftly and swiftly sheathed the kunai back into my pouch.
"Nice meeting you," I said with a smile. "Better get back to your team. They're probably waiting for you, aren't they?"
He turned sharply and walked away, trying to look like the victor in our exchange. But those who could see knew that I was ready to use the kunai against his vital organs. In situations like this, it's best to show everyone that messing with me isn't worth it. A preventive warning, so to speak.
"Not bad," Shiko commented. "I liked it."
I shrugged at this and continued watching the other teams as they arrived. There were even two teams from the Hidden Rain, which was unexpected. But oh well. Teams from Konoha also began arriving, and as soon as they noticed us, they tried to stick together to feel a bit safer.
"Suzuki," Kabuto waved at me as he approached with his teammates. "I see you've already started having fun?"
"Not really," I replied with another shrug.
"Rumors are going around about you," he chuckled, nodding towards several teams still watching me. I wasn't paying them any mind anymore.
"Oh," I said. "One of the locals tried to show off how tough he was. Had to calm him down..."
"With words?" Kabuto asked. "Did it work?"
"Sort of… Words and a kunai near the family jewels work quite well," I answered.
"Ugh," Kabuto grimaced. "I wouldn't want to experience such 'fun' myself. Sounds really unpleasant."
"Yup," I agreed with a grunt.
When the time came, one of the doors at the other end opened, and two shinobi appeared, standing on either side. Then, a tall and skinny man entered, scanning us all with a sharp gaze as the conversations quickly died down into a quiet stillness.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat in a surprisingly high voice. "Welcome to the Chunin Exams. You will now pass by these two esteemed shinobi in turn," he gestured to the locals, who were trying to smile politely. "They will give you a number. In the next hall, there are tables with numbers. You must sit at the table that matches your number. If you fail to do so, the exam will be considered failed, and you will be escorted out."
With that, he quickly returned to his office, and we began forming a line. Somehow, I ended up first among all the Leaf genin, with the girls right behind me.
We received our numbers, which weren't in sequence but scattered. I got number "5," Shiko had number "33," and Ayamane had number "47."
"Hmm," was all I could say to that.
We entered the hall and indeed saw single-person desks that resembled school desks. Each desk had a small placard with a number on it. The hall itself looked quite ordinary, with neutral-colored two-tone walls separated by a white stripe and large lamps trying to mimic daylight.
"Alright, let's split up," I told them. "But be ready for any unexpected situation."
"Understood, Suzuki," the girls replied. To be honest, I still didn't quite understand how the exam would proceed, but I assumed the first part would be a theoretical test.
We took our designated seats. The other genin seemed to avoid tempting fate and quietly sat at their desks as well. Everyone settled quickly and waited in silence.
The same shinobi we'd met earlier reappeared. At the same time, the door to the exam hall closed. With a quick glance, I noticed that not all the desks were occupied. Some were left empty. Interesting—did they set out too many desks, or did some people just not show up?
"And hello again," the man said. "My name is Tetsuen Iba, and I will be your chief examiner. Welcome. The fact that you are here means the Chunin Exam has already begun for you. Now, each of you will receive your exam papers. You must answer all the questions. The rules forbid you from moving on to the last questions without completing the first ones. Anyone who breaks this rule will be disqualified."
At that moment, the chunin began moving quickly between the rows, handing out papers to each of us. They also gave everyone identical pencils. No one touched anything yet, waiting for the signal to begin.
The chunin moved back to the walls and began scanning us with sharp eyes. Nothing was happening, and we continued waiting without taking any action. I wasn't sure… Should I start doing something? Or just keep waiting? Seeing no reason to hesitate any longer, I decided it was time to get to work.
I flipped the page with the questions and twirled the pencil on my finger. Then, I quickly wrote my name on the title page. After that, I opened the paper and focused on the first question. It was fairly straightforward: "Calculate the amount of rations needed for three standard teams to complete a mission delivering an important letter from point A to point B. The journey between these points takes twelve days by ox-drawn carts."
The question was simple because there are standards, more or less the same across all villages. The other genin near me noticed what I was doing and began following suit. Examiner Iba didn't say anything, indicating we were on the right track.
I answered the first question and moved on to the next. This one was slightly more complicated, as it required outlining five of the most likely scenarios for a confrontation in a mountainous area with some streams, given that I had three genin with me. My opponents were a similar team of three genin led by a single chunin. Still, it wasn't particularly difficult—just a matter of thinking strategically and calculating risks.
The subsequent questions were also manageable. For instance, one asked me to calculate where a kunai would land if thrown directly, but with winds blowing in four different directions due to an "unknown" technique. This was a straightforward task involving vectors, easy to solve.