198 198.Five Kage

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"Your kindness is appreciated, but this is Konoha; let us handle it ourselves," Naruto offered politely, subtly suggesting that Gaara's mediation was unnecessary.

"Sand Shinobi kid, if you keep meddling, you'll be next!" Sakon warned, his face marked with Madara's distinct curse seal patterns, glaring menacingly at Gaara.

Gaara's expression hardened as he sensed the tension rising. Despite being recognized as a top genius among the Sand Shinobi of his generation, he realized the folly of trying to impose his will on this group, especially since they were subjects of Yuki-sensei's experiments.

"Everyone, stop here!" Sasuke intervened, his Sharingan revealing its three tomoe. "Let's save any confrontation for the exam room."

Sakon, ready to escalate the situation, paused at the sight of Sasuke's Sharingan, recognizing the challenge it represented. "Forget it, this guy's right. The exam's what matters," Jirōbō suggested, defusing the situation.

Suddenly, Kidōmaru curiously inquired, "Hey! Konoha kids, who was your teacher in school?"

"He's the most handsome teacher in the world!" Sakura exclaimed, her admiration for their teacher evident.

Sakon and the others exchanged glances, their demeanor becoming more serious. "So, you were taught by Yuki-sensei too? No wonder you've got some skills," Zuo Jin remarked with a knowing smile.

"What? You were taught by him too?" Naruto expressed his astonishment.

"We'll prove to be better than you!" Kidōmaru declared confidently, pointing first to himself and then at the Konoha ninjas.

"Strength isn't something you can claim with just words," Sasuke retorted coolly.

"Then we'll see you in the exam room," Jirōbō concluded, signaling an end to the encounter at Ichiraku Ramen.

That afternoon, the Chūnin exam's first phase, a written test, was overseen by Konoha's special Jōnin, Morino Ibiki. This portion of the exam served to weed out the less capable Genin.

The first round of the Chūnin exam saw an exceptionally low elimination rate, with the majority of teams from all the major Ninja villages advancing:

Konoha: 33 Genin advanced.

-Sand Shinobi: 21 Genin advanced.

-Mist Shinobi: 15 Genin advanced.

-Cloud Shinobi: 27 Genin advanced.

-Rock Shinobi: 24 Genin advanced.

-Rain Shinobi: 12 Genin advanced.

"132 participants moving on to the next round?" Anko remarked, surprised by the high numbers.

"Anko, it seems your assessment skills need refining!" she teased Ibiki, who was the examiner for the first exam.

"No choice, this year's Genin are exceptionally skilled," Ibiki responded, accustomed to psychological tactics from his background in interrogation.

"Don't worry, I'll reduce 70% of them in the next phase!" Anko declared, eliciting excitement among the candidates.

"The second exam will take place in the Death Forest, a military forbidden zone of Konoha. Participation requires signing a life and death agreement," Anko explained, gauging the candidates' reactions. Yet, all displayed unwavering confidence, prompting her to outline the rules:

Teams must survive in the Death Forest for three days and nights.

1. Each team will start with a random scroll—Heaven or Earth.

2. To pass, teams must collect a complete set of all three scrolls without any member losing combat capability. 

3. The five Kages watched closely, ensuring fairness in the exam organized by Konoha.

"Konoha wouldn't favor its own, would it?" Ōnoki asked skeptically.

"Of course not. The scrolls are randomly assigned, and teams must collect all three types to advance. Even village ninjas must compete fairly," the Fourth Hokage assured.

Yet, skepticism lingered, with the Fourth Raikage expressing hope for an upright exam, contrasting the perceived deceit of the past.

"In terms of talent, Konoha certainly leads, but Rain Shinobi Village also holds its own," Rasa observed, with the other Kages acknowledging the need for smaller nations to exert extra effort.

Fourth Hokage emphasized the importance of peaceful coexistence and mutual prosperity, pointing out the economic losses incurred from the blockade against the Fire Nation.

Mizukage Yagura then spoke, challenging the notion of returning to a Konoha-dominated order, citing the past three Ninja World Wars as evidence of its failure.