34 Chunin Exams (1)

A couple of days passed in a flash.

The lands of river were bountiful and 'green'. Vegetations grew very easily in the region, and unlike the lands of wind where humans could barely survive, life in the lands of river was pretty easy. The land was very fertile and more importantly, they had mastered the arts of daily life water jutsu (suiton).

The village was even more surprising, with canals coursing the city and providing clean water for all of its inhabitants. To the 13 genin teams from Sunagakure, such a sight was mesmerizing.

'No wonder the village decided to launch an attack on them...', Kaito thought, 'According to Jiya, though, there was a ceasefire for the entire duration of the chunin exams, which is why the attack will take place right after the finals. Although it is playing with fire, Sungakure can always use Tanigakure's wicked attack on Kagero Village twenty years ago, which was a close ally to the hidden village of the sand. They, too, ignored a ceasefire at the time and they were not reprimended for that. Knowing the third Hokage's personality from the series, I don't see him retaliating either...', Kaito thought

All elements pointed towards a great opportunity that was too alluring to ignore, and with his knowledge of events, he could already tell that there would be few repercussions, should the operation be a success.

At this point, he could already tell that his knowledge of canon was becoming increasingly more obsolete. Sungakure was not the weak village it used to be, and its growth was only beginning. Who knew how much stronger it would become in the future? If it became even stronger, then Shukaku would never fall into the hands of the Akatsuki, and the apocalypse planned by them would never happen.

Of course, he could not rest easily. Although his ambition had grown tremendously in a single year, becoming aware of the impact he had on Sunagakure, Kaito knew that it would take much more, infinitely more to make Sunagakure an overlord in this world. However, it was the least he could achieve to prevent the destruction of the world, and survive. Only the strong could rest easy when knowing a world-class apocalypse was coming for them.

And right now, he was still the captain of a genin team. It was an elite genin team that had gained tremendous recognition over the years, but it was a genin team nevertheless. And while he had a mission to complete, the current goal was simple: getting through the chunin exam and reach the final stage. 

Next to him, there were hundreds of genins. Although Sungakure sent 13 genin teams, which was roughly 40 genins, other villages also sent a lot of candidates. The alliance between the hidden villages of the east served a purpose of showing off strength and allowing for maintaining peaceful relations, which is why the hidden cloud village and iwagakure sent no genin to this chunin exam.

Konohagakure always showed off, sending many genins from noble clans into the chunin exams, sending exactly 57 shinobi. Amegakure was much weaker at this point, sending 33 shinobi. Otogakure, however, was still a minor village at this point. The political state of the Lands of Sound was always a mystery, but surely Orochimaru had already seized power and constructed many laboratories there. Still, they sent 6 genin teams, which amounted to 18 genins in total.

All in all, there were more than a hundred genin participating in the chunin exams.

Kaito recognized familiar faces from the Sunagakure genin corps. 

For instance, there was Jaito, the taijutsu specialist who graduated from the academy at the same time as he did, and to whom he sold gauntlets a year ago.

[Jaito - Lv. 15 Sunagakure Genin]

It seemed like he had grown much stronger in the past year too, growing from level 12 to level 15. 

Kohaku and Harumi, too, had grown stronger too. They replaced Tomoko's spot with another genin, a year older, who similarly lost his team. He was a level 21 puppeteer called Haryu.

[Kohaku - Level 24 Sunagakure Genin]

[Haryu - Level 21 Sunagakure Genin]

[Harumi - Level 18 Sunagakure Genin]

Unsurprisingly, the growth of noble clan kids like Kohaku was unmatched by regular people. He had already met the requirements to become a chunin, and there was no denying that his presence on the Tanigakure front were inferior to team 146 only, being the main reconaissance team that allowed the Sunagakure genin corps to deal so many blows to Tanigakure.

However, on this stage, everyone was a potential enemy.

And the first part of the chunin exam was...a survival game.

A man approached them all, followed closely by the different Kage from other villages, the only kage missing being Orochimaru, who most likely did not want to face the third Hokage, or perhaps he was simply too busy with his experiments.

[Tanigakure Kage Senno - Lv. 87 Shinobi]

As expected of a kage, Senno was very strong. However, his strength was not that of a Kage-level powerhouse, but rather, that of an elite jonin. It was to be expected from a minor village, especially one that had faced near destruction in the third shinobi war. Even if the old man had retired, he had to step up again despite his injuries to guide his village towards reconstruction. According to what Kaito had heard, he was desperately trying to find a successor, to no avail.

Unlike Sunagakure and Konohagakure, there were few noble clans capable of producing kage-level powerhouses after all. They might produce jonins, but the gap between regular jonins and kage was immense, even more so than that of genin and chunin.

"Esteemed Genin from all villages and respected members from Konohagakure, Otogakure, Amegakure and Sungakure. Esteemed fellow shinobi from Tanigakure.

Today, as we gather in Tanigakure underground, we are set to begin a remarkable chapter in the Chunin Exams. This first stage, unique to our village, is not just a test of strength, but a trial of strategy, intellect, and resilience.

You, the Genin, will enter the labyrinthin underground city of Tanigakure. Your mission: to navigate through this maze, overcome obstacles, and emerge on the surface. You will face not only the formidable summoned beasts of our village but also the challenge of competing with fellow Genin teams. These encounters will test your combat skills, strategic thinking, and adaptability.

Success in this exam hinges on more than survival. The tokens you collect in the underground city carry great value. They signify your skill and strategy, with additional rewards for those who gather more. Exceptionally skilled teams that collect enough tokens can earn the privilege of advancing directly to the final stage of the Chunin Exams. There are two ways to gather tokens : defeating summoned beasts, and defeating other genin teams. Teams with less than ten tokens will be eliminated.

As you embark on this journey, remember that the true measure of a shinobi lies in their ability to face adversity, make strategic decisions, and uphold the honor of their village.

To all participants, may your courage and wisdom guide you. Let the Chunin Exam begin!"