The next day.
The Chūnin Exams officially began!
Outside the ninja academy, Naruto, seeing the long line of ninjas from various villages, complained, "Why are there so many people here!"
Furen nodded in agreement, also feeling the overwhelming number of participants in this Chūnin Exam, which he hadn't anticipated.
"Let's head inside first." Furen grabbed Sakura's hand and used the Body Flicker Technique to swiftly bypass the crowd, reaching the front.
Seeing Furen disappear, Sasuke's eyes revealed a competitive glint, and he too quickly flashed and headed toward the third floor of the ninja academy.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Naruto looked around, only to find his teammates had already entered, leaving him alone outside.
The first section of the Chūnin Exam was a written test held in Classroom 301.
Outside the doors of Classroom 301, two Konoha Chūnin were blocking the entrance. Around them were a number of examinees, but none dared to approach because the ground was already littered with several injured Genin who had tried and failed.
Spotting the familiar green jumpsuit, Furen instantly recognized one of the fallen as none other than Rock Lee, one of Guy's students.
The two Chūnin blocking the entrance were Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki.
"No way... he still dared to show up for the Chūnin Exams in that condition?" Kotetsu mocked the injured Lee. "I suggest you all give up. You're too green for this."
Leaning against the door, Izumo chimed in, "Yeah, seriously."
"The guy really got hit hard," whispered some of the onlookers.
"What did you just say?" Kotetsu scratched his ear, catching the quiet complaints. "Listen up! I'm saying this for your own good. The Chūnin Exams are really tough. We've taken it three times and still haven't passed."
"You could end up worse than this guy or worse... dead if you fail on a mission. So, yeah, I'm saving you some trouble!" Kotetsu sneered.
One of Lee's teammates, Tenten, hesitated for a moment after seeing Lee's condition, then walked up to Kotetsu and pleaded, "Please... let us in."
"You clearly didn't get what I just said," Kotetsu's eyes gleamed as he suddenly lashed out and slapped Tenten hard.
Tenten, still a Genin and no match for a veteran Chūnin like Kotetsu, couldn't dodge and was knocked to the ground.
Kotetsu grinned, about to mock the group again, when suddenly he felt a bone-chilling cold run down his spine. As a seasoned ninja, he immediately recognized the sensation—killing intent!
The other examinees quickly noticed too and parted to form a path.
Furen slowly walked up and helped Tenten to her feet.
"Furen!" Tenten's eyes lit up. It had been a while since she'd last seen him.
"Sakura, take care of Tenten," Furen said as he checked where Kotetsu had struck her. Seeing there wasn't any serious harm, he moved her behind him.
Furen was getting a bit irritated. First, Gaara had injured Hinata, and now this Chūnin Kotetsu was picking on Tenten.
"Trying to be the hero, huh?" Kotetsu felt a surge of excitement as he noticed Furen was different from the other Genin.
Izumo, more cautious than Kotetsu, sensed something off about Furen and tried to stop Kotetsu, but it was already too late.
"Let me show you the power of a Chūnin!"
Kotetsu shouted as he drew the two short swords from his back, eager to teach this cocky Genin a lesson.
"Double Fang Slash!" Kotetsu hurled both blades toward Furen.
Furen's expression didn't change at all. With a flash of movement, he easily dodged the incoming blades.
"Not bad!" Kotetsu smirked, slamming his hand onto the ground.
Boom!
A cloud of mist dispersed, revealing a massive weapon floating above him. The weapon resembled a hammer, but its head was oddly shaped like a giant shell.
Kotetsu lifted his arm with excitement and then slammed it down. The weapon, following his command, shot toward its target.
"You're annoying," Furen muttered, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.
With a casual wave of his hand, Furen knocked Kotetsu's giant shell-shaped weapon aside, sending it flying.
The weapon crashed through the floor, creating a huge hole and falling to the level below, revealing just how powerful it had originally been.
Kotetsu, seeing his weapon thrown aside so effortlessly, retrieved his short swords and nodded at Furen. "You pass."
Furen shot him a look as if he were a fool. "Who do you think you are?"
Kotetsu, already heading to retrieve his weapon, froze in fury. "What did you—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Furen appeared in front of him, lightning-fast, and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground.
"Who do you think you are, to judge me?"
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A/N:
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