Just from the results of the First and Second Ninja World Wars, Konoha, by its own right, can be called the strongest village.
However, considering the relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure, Rasa was obviously not expressing admiration but rather seemed to be provoking him.
"The title of the strongest village is not so easy to bear."
Suddenly, a voice interrupted their conversation.
From which, soon after, a small young man with a long scar beneath his left eye appeared, walking toward them with a cold expression.
Rasa looked at the young man and immediately became alert, a glint of caution in his eyes.
Because this young man was the leader of the Kirigakure team, and his age was not as young as his appearance suggested—his strength was immense.
If Gen were also here, he would surely recognize him—he was, in fact, the future Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.
"Indeed, the so-called 'strongest' is itself a kind of pressure."
"Hmph, the strongest ninja village can only be Kumogakure!"
As if to complete the presence of the Five Great Villages, right after Yagura, two tall and robust figures also approached.
The first was a very tall man with a large nose, long sideburns, and a red bandana covering his head—the leader of the Iwagakure team: Kitsuchi.
The second was also tall, with dark skin, light blond hair, a long beard, and a muscular, sturdy body.
He was in charge of the Kumogakure team in this Chunin Exam—the future Fourth Raikage: A.
Normally, "A" was just the title shared by the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village throughout history, but because the Third Raikage had high expectations for his son, he directly gave him the name "A."
With the addition of Kitsuchi and A, the group surrounding Orochimaru became even more formidable.
Rasa, Yagura Karatachi, and A—all future Kage of their respective villages.
Kitsuchi was the son of the Third Tsuchikage.
And Orochimaru was the Third Hokage's favorite disciple.
But it was entirely reasonable for the village representatives to be powerful.
After all, this Chunin Exam itself was a kind of prelude to war between the great villages. Whether to ensure the safety of their village's new generation of talents or to demonstrate their power, it was inevitable that they would send some of their most formidable forces.
At the same time, with the leaders of the Five Great Villages gathered, an atmosphere of tension quickly spread, making the representatives of the smaller villages immediately nervous and uneasy.
...
On the endless and steep cliff, figures climbed with effort or attacked other figures to reduce the competition.
As time passed, someone finally reached the top of the cliff.
With a swing of his right arm, his body propelled upward, and upon reaching the edge of the cliff, he immediately used his left hand to grab hold.
With a push from his arms, he spun nimbly in the air and landed elegantly at the top of the cliff.
The breeze blew gently, slightly stirring his short black hair. The first to reach the top of the cliff was none other than Gen Uchiha.
After landing, his gaze swept across the surroundings at the top of the cliff.
Before his eyes, the summit seemed to have been cut flat, forming a plain, and a group of Cloud ninjas was stationed not far away.
Swish
Just as he was observing his surroundings, another figure leaped over the edge of the cliff from a nearby side.
Hearing the sound, he glanced to the side and immediately saw that the person who had appeared was Killer B.
After landing, Killer B also scanned the area, and upon seeing Gen, he started moving his arms in a strange manner while rapping: "Hey, Uchiha, this time you won, but in the next exam, i'll show my true one!"
"Oh?… Then I'll be waiting."
Gen wasn't bothered by Killer B's strange way of speaking and responded indifferently, paying him no further attention.
The Cloud ninjas waiting there were obviously not just for show. In fact, as soon as Gen arrived, one of them quickly approached him.
"Hello, we are the organizing team for this test. Here is your numbered plate—please take good care of it, as it will determine your entry order in the next test."
The Cloud ninja handed Gen a circular plate while briefly explaining its function.
"Understood."
Hearing this, Gen nodded slightly, took the plate, and looked at his number.
The silver plate he received had the number "1" engraved on it, indicating his position as the first to arrive in this test.
After handing over the plate, the ninja stepped back. At the same time, Killer B also received his from another ninja.
Sliding his fingers over the surface of the plate, Gen paused for a moment in thought before putting it in his pocket and sitting off to the side, crossing his arms to rest.
Killer B did something similar—after receiving his plate, he moved to another spot to wait for the exam to end.
After the two of them, it wasn't long before others began to reach the top.
Each one, just like them, received a different numbered plate.
As time passed, more and more people arrived at the summit.
At the same time, the distribution of ninjas by village also became evident: Kumogakure had the highest number of participants, followed by Konoha and the other four great villages, with the representatives of the smaller villages in last place.
Very soon, the number of people at the top had already exceeded a hundred, but at that moment, two figures approached from in front of Gen.
It was Ku and Reiko.
"We're sorry, Captain, we arrived late."
Upon reaching Gen, Ku lowered his head in embarrassment and apologized deeply.
Beside him, Reiko did the same.
Both held plates with numbers in their hands, meaning they had managed to place within the top 150 and had thus qualified for the next test.
However, their rankings were not particularly high—one had the number 113, and the other 120.
For their Uchiha pride, such rankings were obviously not a cause for joy, so Ku and Reiko looked visibly ashamed.
Seeing this, Gen waved his hand.
"Don't worry. This test favored certain skills over others. Making it into the top 150 is already enough. Besides, this is just the first test. Focus on doing better in the next ones."
________
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