Chapter 56: Second phase of chunnin exam
The second day, early morning.
Kiba woke up feeling refreshed.
After leaving Gai's ward with Kakashi yesterday, he did some daily training and
then went to bed early.
This morning, he washed up as
usual and bought Konoha's extra-large steamed buns. This time, the boss was
just doing business normally and didn't recommend the special pork chop
extra-large steamed buns like last time. But Kiba was lucky and got a special
extra-large steamed bun anyway.
Good luck today!
As Kiba walked away, the boss
remained silent, doing business quietly. Inside the shop, the proprietress
complained, "What's wrong with you today? Why did you put all the special
steamed buns out? Are you planning to sell out by morning?"
Kiba was too far away to hear
this. He was thinking about Kakashi's answer to his question about the Chunin
exam when they left together yesterday.
Now that Kakashi is already a
Chunin, he naturally took the Chunin Exam, but Kiba didn't get any substantial
information from him. It wasn't that Kakashi concealed it; it's just that,
according to him, the content of each Chunin exam varies depending on the
examiner.
For example, in Kakashi's Chunin
exam, the first test was a written exam, and the examiner was Ibiki Morino. The
second test was similar to the competition Kiba and the others had, and the
third test was an actual combat test, a hostage rescue.
Therefore, there's no specific
hint or experience to talk about. This time, the chief examiners are the
Sannin. It's their first time presiding over the Chunin exam, and no one knows
what exam questions they'll ask.
However, Kiba learned from Kakashi
that there are only three tests in the Chunin Exam: the pre-selection test, the
re-examination, and the final test.
He has passed the pre-selection
test, and now it's time for the re-examination. After this is over, there will
be a final test.
Kiba didn't know what the
re-examination would entail, but the first practice field should be similar to
the pre-selection test.
He looked up at the practice field
with a circular structure labeled "First Practice Field." Outside the
door, Kiba heard the voices of many people inside.
This place... should be the venue
for Naruto's Chunin exam.
After the two Chunin outside the
door confirmed Kiba's identity, they allowed him to enter. The defense seemed
very tight.
As Kiba walked in, the two Chunin
guarding the gate started talking.
"Is this the son of the
traitor? It's been seven years," one Chunin said.
"True leaf..." another
Chunin murmured.
"Hey, Zhen, don't mention
that name again," the first Chunin quickly stopped him.
"What's wrong? Can't we
mention that name now?" Zhen frowned.
"This is an order from the
Third Hokage. Never mention that name again. This child has suffered enough.
Let that name be forgotten forever, and his situation will improve."
"Well..."
The two looked at each other and
sighed.
But Kiba, who walked into the
practice field, didn't hear their chatter. He was surprised at the moment.
Inside the first practice field,
which is also the venue for Naruto's Chunin exam, there was a din of voices,
much louder than the human voices outside.
Entering felt like stepping into
another world.
"Uchiha, is Uchiha Hirohiko
competing today?"
"Yes, all the ninjas
participating in the test today will compete. The genius of the Hyuga family,
Hyuga Yutaka, I want to see his performance!"
"There must be another genius
in the Hyuga family."
"You mean Miss Yukina? I'm
looking forward to her match, but I'm also excited about Hyuga Yutaka's
match."
"Wow, I'm so excited! What's
gotten into the Third Hokage, making the second test of the Chunin Exam public?
Even though there's only one test, I'm thrilled. I heard Uchiha Hirohiko and
Hyuga Yutaka will definitely face off today."
"My son qualified! Be
serious! This gives me face in front of the whole village!" A father stood
up excitedly, with a horn and other cheering equipment. He watched as his
daughters and wife pulled out a banner with words like "Jiangren, come
on" written on it.
There were discussions about the
experiment all around, and the audience was clearly looking forward to it.
Kiba glanced around. The first
practice field was exactly as depicted in the anime, surrounded by high walls
of bricks and stones. Above the high walls were three buildings, which served
as stands and spectator seats. The highest point in the middle had a stone
high-backed chair, likely the Hokage's seat. The stands on the left and right
were already full of spectators, all very excited and talking loudly.
Under the high wall was an open
space with a solid soil ground. Occasionally, there were clumps of green grass
scattered around. Kiba stepped on it lightly, finding it very firm.
Taking a closer look, he saw two
green figures. Upon closer inspection, it was Might Gai and Might Duy, both
wearing green tights. They were embracing each other, shedding youthful tears.
Their father-son duo was quite eye-catching.
Kiba's mouth twitched.
Then he heard the two green
tights-clad shinobi shouting, "White Night! Come on! As my (my son's)
'eternal rival,' come on! Burn your youth! Shine, Konoha's youth!"
Their voices were so loud that
they drowned out many excited shouts, and almost all the players in the field
heard them.
Kiba's face was full of black
lines. He hurriedly walked towards Hirohiko and Yukina, who were waving at him,
both stunned by the sight of Gai and Duy's display.
"Kiba, is that Might Gai who
fought with you? Is his father next to him? Is there any player named White
Night?" Yukina asked as Kiba reached them.
Hirohiko also looked over
curiously.
Kiba coughed lightly. "We'd
better ignore them."
With that, Kiba turned slightly,
completely blocking the two green-clad shinobi from view.
Seeing Kiba ignoring them, Gai and
Duy glanced at each other.
"Father, Kiba didn't seem to
hear our youth cheering!"
"It must be because we didn't
shout loud enough, Gai! Cheering for our friends and rivals is also youth. Come
on, let's shout louder. This is youth!"
"Yes, Father."
The two then shouted even louder,
causing many people to start looking.
Kiba felt his face heat up and
coughed several times. He said to Hirohiko and Yukina in a low voice,
"Don't pay attention to them. Ignore them, or you'll catch the youth
virus."
Hirohiko and Yukina exchanged
glances and blinked. Although they didn't understand, they listened to Kiba and
ignored the shouts.
Kiba glanced around the field.
Twenty-one people were eliminated in the previous test, leaving twenty-two.
Compared to Naruto's Chunin exam, many more people remained.
But yes, these ninjas were
recognized by the Third Hokage for their excellent talents. It was an elite
selection. Given the first test mode, it was normal to retain half of them.
Kiba withdrew his gaze and felt a
stare behind him.
Hyuga Yutaka!
The killing intent seemed
stronger, mixed with other emotions?
Kiba frowned but didn't turn
around.
At that moment, two people walked
into the field.
One had plaited white hair and
wore a toad forehead protector with the word "oil" on it. It was
Jiraiya.
And another...
Kiba's pupils shrank slightly.
This is...
The other, handsome with blond
hair, was the future Fourth Hokage and current elite Jonin.
Namikaze Minato!