Konoha.

*It appears that the first exam will not be a written exam*

Aokiji, Mei, and Ichiro were standing on one of Konoha's training grounds, a grassy area roughly the size of three football fields.

A stream runs down the center of it, with no end in sight.

All of the contenders from the neighboring villages, as well as Konoha, the hosts, had assembled here with glee.

The Chunin exam begins today; Aokiji and others were notified of the location of the first exam last night.

So, after getting dressed, Aokiji, Mei, and Ichiro arrived at the exam site and noticed right away that the first exam was not what he had expected.

Asahi did not join them because the Jonin instructor was not permitted to be present during the exam.

"Orochimaru, Tsunade, aren't those guys from that day? Should we go meet them?"

The excited Jiraiya spotted Mei and others and looked towards Tsunade and Orochimaru as he wanted her to accompany him to greet them.

"Shut your mouth and stay here, honestly!!!"

But Tsunade ruthlessly rebuked him and held him from the collar to prevent him from meeting with others.

She knows this pervert will molest every girl out there, making more enemies for them.

While Jiraiya was being abused by Tsunade, Aokiji looked around, sick of waiting and with nothing to do.

*Oh~*

Two groups standing alone by the stream rapidly drew Aokiji's notice, and no other team ventured to approach them.

Six children, all about the age of ten, stood alone, four males and two girls.

One was a young man with white hair and a slightly cold, attractive face, and he was carrying a sword on his back.

The second youngster was unremarkable, with an ordinary face that was difficult to spot in a crowd.

One of the females had red hair and a nice face, although she appeared a little shy.

But it was the boy from the opposite squad who was always bickering Sakumo that drew Aokiji's attention.

He was dressed in green tights, had bushy brows, and a watermelon head.

"Hatake Sakumo"

Ichiro recognised him and spoke to him as he stood near him.

Ichiro remembers Sakumo in particular because Asahi had claimed that Sakumo was unquestionably the strongest Genin in Konoha and his nemesis.

The Hozuki Clan is well-known throughout the world for their Hydrification Jutsu, which makes them practically impervious to physical attacks.

However, this Jutsu has a huge flaw: lightning Style fully counters it, hence a Shinobi of the Hozuki Clan has little chance of prevailing against a skilled Lightning Style Ninja.

As a result, Ichiro saw Sakumo as significantly more dangerous than the others.

"It's exactly what Sensei said; the others don't appear to be remarkable."

Mei put on her typical poker expression, unable to see anything noteworthy in the other two.

"Hehe, don't judge individuals based on their appearance, Mei; after seeing me, you should have understood this much."

Aokiji smirked and looked at Mei, whose expression changed for a split second and a hint of embarrassment was obvious for a split second before it vanished.

Aokiji, who is familiar with the plot, realizes that the person with the most potential here is not Sakumo, but the watermelon head kid.

The green-skin Monster, the ancestor of the youth family, Might Dai.

*However...it appears he hasn't begun to create that Jutsu yet*

Aokiji observed Dai cheerfully conversing with the shy girl and deduced, based on his slightly weak aura.

*It seems that clown isn't simple.*

Mei thought as her eyes changed and fighting intent burned in them as she glanced at Dai.

After working with Aokiji for so long, she knows he won't make a frivolous claim, and if he does, it implies that he is strong.

*Swoosh*

When all of the contestants were about to lose their cool, a flurry of shadows flashed by, and Shinobi dressed in Chunin garb emerged in front of everyone.

"Now, pay attention; I will only explain the rules of the first exam once, so listen carefully."

The one in the foreground was dressed in Jonin garb and had white eyes as he came forward and became the focus of everyone's attention with his statements.

"The first exam is just a "Water Race," you can see the stream here; the starting point is the green flag on the shore."

As everyone's expressions changed, the Hyuga proctor pointed towards the stream.

"Water Race...

Haha... is this the Chunin Exam? It's too easy."

Many of the Shinobi in the area laughed, and some even had disappointed expressions on their faces.

"Silence!!!"

The Hyuga Proctor yelled, and everyone immediately stopped speaking because those white eyes terrified them.

"Your finishing spot is marked by a red flag roughly four kilometers ahead."

"You have two hours to reach the red flag by running on the water, but don't think it'll be simple."

When everyone assumed they would easily pass the exam, the proctor's next few remarks scared them too much.

The Hyuga proctor nodded to one of the Chunin examiners.

*BOOM!!!*

Everyone noticed the Chunin creating a shadow clone as it began to walk on water... but then they heard an explosion as the peaceful water became turbulent.

The turbulent stream had an effect on the Chunin's balance as he plummeted into the water.

"As you can see, we've planted hundreds of Exploding Tags beneath the stream, which will detonate occasionally."

"The depth of the stream is approximately 15 feet, which will protect you from injury from the explosion, but your stability on the water will be impacted."

"At this point, I'll go over the race rules."

"First and foremost, if any member of the team falls in the water, the entire squad will be eliminated from the race."

"Second, you are only permitted to run on water, the ground surrounding the stream; if you run there or fall out of the stream, you will be disqualified from the race."

"Last but not least, only the first 20 teams to reach the endpoint will go to the next exam."

"Hehe~ what happened now? Wasn't it simple?"

The tough rules were announced by the Hyuga proctor, who grinned at the stunned candidates.

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