"I hope he can remain this arrogant later."
From across the classroom, Kasamo gazed at Nawaki with a cruel smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He had already marked the four participants from Konoha as prey, particularly Nawaki.
"I didn't expect this guy to say something like that... Either he's overconfident in his strength but lacks temperament, or he's so overwhelmingly strong that he believes he can crush everyone here," said Kei Yuki, a glint of curiosity flashing in his eyes as he observed Nawaki.
"We'll find out soon enough," Ranzuki replied. Regardless of what kind of person this boy from Konoha was, he was determined to defeat him and all of Konoha's peers.
"Silence!"
A coarse, booming voice suddenly filled the room, causing everyone to fall still and quiet. All eyes turned toward the source of the voice—a middle-aged man in the attire of an Iwagakure Jonin.
The man had a rugged face, a tall and imposing figure, thick eyebrows, and powerful limbs.
"I am Takashi Ishida, the proctor for this year's Chunin Exams, and I am responsible for overseeing everything."
His voice was loud and commanding.
"This Chunin Exam is an event that brings together nearly all the most outstanding Genin from across the ninja world. Regardless of your intentions or expectations for participating in this exam, I wish you the best of luck. Now, let me explain the rules for this year's Chunin Exam."
Without unnecessary preamble, Takashi Ishida went straight to the point, officially announcing the start of the exam.
The participants, fully focused now, turned their attention to Ishida, who retrieved a scroll. Unrolling it, he began reading the rules aloud.
"This year's Chunin Exam consists of only one round. This single exam will encompass all the qualities a Chunin is expected to possess.
"I will distribute red and blue ribbons at random, with equal numbers of each. Those with red ribbons will form one faction, while those with blue ribbons will form another.
"The goal of your faction is simple: defeat the opposing faction!
"We don't care what methods you use. As long as one side surrenders completely, the other will be declared the winner.
"During this process, you are free to use any techniques or strategies. We will not intervene. As such, you must be prepared for the possibility of numerous deaths."
Takashi Ishida's declaration of the exam format left many participants stunned. Completely randomizing teams with red and blue ribbons? That meant one's allies might end up becoming one's enemies.
Realizing this, many faces turned grim. Even Ranzuki frowned slightly, though Kasamo's eyes lit up in excitement. This was exactly the kind of chaotic challenge he relished. As for teammates? He never felt the need for them.
In the distant seating area for accompanying ninja, Hui's shadow avatar revealed an intrigued expression upon hearing the rules.
The method was crude and appeared to lack complexity. However, upon deeper consideration, it was far from simple. As Ishida had said, this format tested a whole lot of essential qualities of a ninja.
Not only Chunin-level qualities but those expected of all ninjas. The key aspect was this: Ninjas live to follow orders, with the mission as their highest priority.
The rules emphasized the necessity of defeating the opposing faction. But in randomized teams, a faction could consist mostly of strangers, ninjas who had little to no connection with each other.
Even if not completely unfamiliar, at least 80% of one's faction would likely be strangers.
Such a haphazardly assembled team would naturally lack cohesion. Most would likely splinter into smaller groups or act independently. Given this, why even split into factions?
The answer was clear: to assess leadership, adaptability, and execution skills.
The quickest way for a faction to defeat the other would be to form a cohesive unit before the opposing side could organize itself. This required strong leaders who could inspire trust and convince others to follow their lead. It also required individuals capable of suppressing personal grievances and quickly integrating into the faction.
Only under such circumstances could a faction swiftly take shape.
Even then, execution ability was crucial. Without it, a cohesive team would fail to translate into combat strength.
Additionally, if both factions managed to form solid units, the exam would evolve into a test of strategy, tactics, and overall ingenuity.
Disputes over command and task distribution could lead to internal conflict. How these were resolved would also be part of the evaluation.
Luck also played a role. A faction that gained an overwhelming advantage through sheer coincidence might quickly dominate the other.
However, Iwagakure would ensure this scenario didn't occur by manipulating team assignments. For example, Nawaki from Konoha, Kei Yuki from Kirigakure, Kasamo from Kumogakure, and Ranzuki from Kirigakure, the four strongest observed participants, would likely be split between the factions.
Although billed as random, there was undoubtedly some degree of manipulation.
This setup ensured the factions' strength was evenly matched unless extraordinary luck skewed the balance during the ribbon distribution.
Even then, Takashi Ishida had clarified that victory alone wouldn't guarantee promotion to Chunin. Instead, the emphasis was on individual performance throughout the exam.
A strong leader, an efficient executor, or someone adept at maintaining order and minimizing disruption could all earn recognition.
Conversely, troublemakers who failed to respect stronger individuals or displayed poor judgment would likely face elimination.
The process was complex, and comprehensive in a way a chunin exam should be.
Each participant would be scrutinized, and their suitability as a Chunin determined based on their actions.
The rules also allowed for various possibilities. Factions could splinter into smaller groups or even form alliances across opposing factions, using numbers to eliminate others before resolving internal disputes. Ultimately, everything depended on the participants' creativity and decisions.
"Interesting," Hui's shadow avatar murmured with a grin.
A thrilling show was about to unfold.