The first round of the exam concluded swiftly without any unexpected twists or surprises.
The results were announced on the spot, as expected.
Unsurprisingly, the three participants who had used their Mangekyō Sharingan and space-time ninjutsu to cheat successfully passed the exam.
After the announcement, Jiraiya, like a curious child, eagerly followed behind Rinjin, flashing a cheeky grin as he tried to pry into the cheating methods of the trio.
However, Rinjin rejected him outright without hesitation.
Despite Jiraiya's seemingly honest and straightforward demeanor, Rinjin knew better. If he revealed any information about Rie and her team's tactics, it wouldn't take long before those details landed on the desk of the Third Hokage.
After decisively refusing Jiraiya, Rinjin led the group of newly qualified genin to the Thirteenth Training Ground outside the village.
At the first gate, Tsunade, dressed in a white cropped short-sleeve shirt, was already waiting for them.
She briefly explained the mission:
In the Thirteenth Training Ground, participants were to locate and collect both the Heaven and Earth scrolls. Once they had both scrolls, they needed to reach the central tower to advance. The exam would last three days.
After finishing her explanation, Tsunade opened the wire mesh gate, and the genin instantly transformed into streaks of black shadows, darting into the training ground.
Once everyone had entered, Tsunade let out a long sigh of relief. It was evident that addressing such a large group of young ninjas had made her a bit nervous.
Meanwhile, Rinjin casually found an open spot near the gate and lay down.
Seeing this, Tsunade clasped her hands behind her back and gracefully walked over to Rinjin.
"Rinjin, aren't you going to check on them inside?" she asked.
Rinjin instinctively shook his head.
As long as Rie and her team didn't cause trouble, the likelihood of fatalities in the training ground was minimal.
Besides, wasn't monitoring the participants the job of Shadow Clones?
Seeing Rinjin's refusal, Tsunade sat down beside him, her gaze fixed on the empty entrance of the training ground as she muttered:
"The Land of Wind is being so shameless, sending examinees who are practically my age.
The Land of Lightning isn't much better—aside from that boy who called you 'uncle,' the others are clearly older than fifteen or sixteen.
Only Konoha is naive enough to treat this joint Chūnin Exam as an actual exam."
Hearing this, Rinjin opened his eyes slightly, casting a curious glance at Tsunade before asking in a low voice:
"Isn't the Ninja Academy supposed to have a six-year curriculum?
Kids enroll at six or seven, graduate at twelve or thirteen, and then train for six or seven years. Isn't that normal?"
At his words, Tsunade rolled her eyes and grabbed Rinjin's ear.
"Rinjin, you're so clueless!
The Ninja Academy may be a six-year program now, but there's no rule that says students must attend for the full six years!
Talented kids can graduate early instead of wasting time at the academy.
Besides, children from prominent clans often start at four or five years old.
And some kids, even after passing the exams to become genin, choose to stay in school for various reasons, like not meeting the graduation age or other personal circumstances!"
Hearing this, Rinjin realized he had made an assumption.
Everything has its developmental process.
When the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, founded the Ninja Academy, the ninja world was still in turmoil. The academy had to churn out ninjas quickly to strengthen the village.
But when the Third Hokage took over, an era of peace lasting over a decade began.
With less external pressure, the village shifted its focus to prioritizing quality over quantity in cultivating young ninjas.
Thus, the academy extended its curriculum to six years.
At the same time, to address ongoing instability, talented children were allowed to graduate early for one-on-one mentorship.
No wonder some characters in the original story had similar ages but vastly different ninja registration numbers.
Realizing this, Rinjin felt a sudden clarity.
It was a well-thought-out system—one that allowed prodigies to graduate early for advanced training while giving average students more time in school, delaying their entry into the battlefield and indirectly increasing their survival chances.
Time always seemed to fly by when Rinjin was with Tsunade. Before he knew it, the second round of the exam had concluded without any major incidents.
At the central tower, four teams—twelve participants in total—had earned the right to advance.
Next came the third stage: the arena battles.
The venue for this round was the newly constructed Konoha Arena, naturally funded by Konoha Unlimited Liability Company.
The arena was a massive circular coliseum surrounded by over 3,000 spectator seats.
At its center was a round dirt field with a single crooked tree standing alone—an aesthetic that exuded a sense of poverty.
As Rinjin put it: "The budget Sarutobi Hiruzen allocated was only enough for this postmodern minimalist style."
The proctor for this stage, unsurprisingly, was Orochimaru.
After a three-day break, the remaining four teams gathered at the bustling arena.
By morning, the arena was packed with Konoha villagers who had purchased tickets to watch the matches. They cheered and waved their money in the air, rooting for their favorite contestants.
Meko, along with employees from Konoha Unlimited Liability Company, held registration books in hand as they kindly inquired about the audience's wallets.
Sarutobi Hiruzen profited from ticket sales.
Rinjin ran the betting pool.
Soon, from the VIP section, Sarutobi Hiruzen announced the start of the matches.
The first match featured a brawny man from Iwagakure against a feisty girl from Sunagakure.
With Orochimaru's signal, the battle began.
Rinjin sat in the stands, leisurely watching the fight.
The two contestants were clearly holding back, pretending to be clumsy as they cautiously tested each other.
Rinjin didn't mind.
Even if these two were seasoned chūnin, they wouldn't stand a chance against Rie's team.
In other words: They're like Cao Pi's wife entering a vegetable garden—Zhen Ji picking greens!
The fight gradually escalated.
Eventually, the Sunagakure girl broke her facade first, launching a Wind Release technique that forced the Iwagakure man to retreat repeatedly.
The man then feigned an opening, using an Earth Clone to deceive her before landing a decisive blow with Earth Release: Rock Fist, sending her flying.
The match was over.
Using the Flying Thunder God mark on the man, Rinjin instantly appeared beside him, grabbing his wrist just as he was about to attack further.
"That's enough, Lone Wolf. You've already won."
With that, he raised the man's arm high, declaring his victory.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
Nearby, Orochimaru, who had just arrived, cast a subtle glance at Rinjin.
The Flying Thunder God Technique!
Orochimaru had studied the technique's manual before but lacked the aptitude for it.
Precisely because of this, he couldn't help but envy Rinjin's mastery of the skill.
After escorting the two contestants off the field, the second match began.
This time, it was Rie Sōhō versus A.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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