Konoha Notes

Chapter 173 Who is it?
Among the Cloud Village ninjas watching from Konoha was Xi, who had failed the previous exam.

Beside him was Darui.

The two did not stand very close like the others, but simply looked at each other from a distance.

"How is Xi?" Darui asked calmly, his hands behind his head.

Xi shook his head.

Although it was expected that Itachi Uchiha, the ultimate victor of the last exam, would not be here, there was still some disappointment after it was confirmed.

To suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of a ninja so much younger than himself, even if that ninja was a genius of the Uchiha clan, was a huge blow to Xi.

“Really? They’re not here…” Darui drawled out his words. “However, perhaps among the other ninjas Konoha sent this time, there are some with considerable strength.”

"There are at least two people who are quite strong."

"It seems that Konoha was prepared for this as well."

Just as Kumogakure had its own plan. For the first time, Kumogakure held the joint Chunin Exams on its home turf, and Kumogakure did not intend to lose. Not only did they want to win, but they also wanted to defeat their opponents with an absolute advantage, just like Itachi Uchiha of Konoha.

Therefore, not only Hii, but also Darui participated in this Chunin Exam.

“Hi, Darui.”

A steady voice came from behind the two of them.

"Mr. Tsuchida," the two greeted each other simultaneously.

When Tsuchitai walked up to them, Darui scratched his head and asked, "Mr. Tsuchitai, do you really need me to consider your status as a genin?"

Tu Tai nodded: "This is the village's decision."

"Seriously, I'm not really motivated." Darui scratched his head. It would be fine if it were in another village, but this is a competition held in Kumogakure.

The villagers all know about his situation.

"Don't let your guard down just because you're on home turf. Konoha is clearly taking this exam very seriously," Tsuchida said solemnly. "That team leader, although only a little older than you, is no ordinary person."

"He was promoted to Jonin of Konoha at the age of fourteen and has completed many important missions for Konoha."

"It is said that he was someone trusted by the Fifth Hokage."

"The fact that someone like this is the leader already demonstrates Konoha's attitude."
-
Meanwhile, at Konoha's temporary base, Shuji gathered all the genin who had participated in the exam.

"...The examination process in Kumogakure is different from that in Konoha. Focus your main efforts on improving your personal strength."

Shuji explained the changes to this year's Chunin Exams, then signaled that everyone could disperse and go about their preparations.

In any case, the Joint Chunin Exams are essentially still an assessment of the comprehensive abilities of Genin.

There's no need to say too much, otherwise it would defeat the purpose of the assessment.

Moreover, regardless of what plans or inclinations the Hidden Cloud Village may have regarding the process and rules, once the exam results are finalized and qualified genin are selected based on the rules, the Hidden Leaf Village will need to acknowledge and grant them genin status in accordance with established practice.

This is the foundation for maintaining the credibility of the joint examination.

The detailed schedule for the Chunin Exams, prepared by the Hidden Cloud Village, was delivered to the Konoha headquarters by a Hidden Cloud Chunin in the evening.

Shuji carefully perused the document in the room. It was clear that Kumogakure had meticulously designed and commercialized the main stage of this exam, intentionally prolonging the entire competition to create more compelling events.

Perhaps to compensate for the lack of assessment in teamwork and survival skills after the elimination of the wilderness survival assessment, Yunyin has integrated the team combat cooperation assessment into the main competition.

Specifically, the main competition hosted by Yunyin this time is clearly divided into two major parts: the team competition and the individual competition.

Team competitions consist of two complete three-person genin teams competing against each other in a specific arena, with a greater emphasis on assessing the team's tactical coordination, division of labor, and collective combat capabilities.

The individual competition follows the traditional one-on-one elimination system.

In terms of the competition schedule, the team competition will come first, followed by the individual competition. Considering the potential for injury recovery from high-intensity combat, the Hidden Cloud Village will allow a month for the ninjas to heal after the first round of team competitions.

Furthermore, the schedule for the approximately week-long team competition is not entirely tight, with rest breaks also scheduled. The entire team competition phase is expected to last about a week.

The subsequent individual competition stage followed a similar format, consisting of elimination rounds plus necessary rest days, extending the entire process to approximately one week.

The entire event lasted two weeks.

The Hidden Cloud Village has put in a lot of effort to ensure that the audience enjoys the show.

This competition format, while barely meeting the basic requirements of the Chunin Exams, has greatly increased the entertainment value and commercial potential of the event.
-
Konoha Village, the land of the Uchiha clan.

Itachi refused Sasuke's request to teach him how to shuriken and walked out of the entrance door.

The refusal wasn't because of the mission from the Dark Division; today was his day off.

There is just one thing that needs his attention.

Regarding Uchiha Enjin's application to join the Anbu field team for missions, the relevant report and request have been officially submitted to the Hokage's office.

Tsunade did not reject the proposal, but simply asked Itachi to conduct further investigation.

Flame Blade is under strict surveillance. Even now, when relations between the Uchiha and the village seem to have eased somewhat, or rather, precisely because of this delicate period, his management and attention have become even more rigorous.

The village's push for police force reform continues. It won't stop just because two Hyuga squads have been deployed.

The ANBU squad that Itachi himself leads will face an important internal review next month.

This will be the last crucial assessment for their team members before they are promoted and officially transferred out of the secret service system and into other regular departments in the village.

Aside from Flameblade, the other three will most likely pass this review and be promoted to other departments in Konoha.

Those positions may not be prestigious, and their power may be limited, but they are much better than being stuck in the police force as ordinary officers.

Then came the third and fourth batches of Uchiha members.

If Uchiha Enjin insists on becoming a member of the field team, then he will lead a group out on patrol when the next batch of Uchiha enters the Anbu.

Itachi arrived at Uchiha Enjin's house and knocked on the door.

There was no immediate response from inside. After waiting a moment, Itachi knocked a few more times, this time with slightly more force.

After a while, the door was opened from the inside.

“Itachi.” Flame Blade’s voice was somewhat low.

"Flame Blade".

Itachi calmly called his name and stepped into the house. His gaze remained polite as usual, not casually glancing at the furnishings, but only landing on Flame Blade.

"I have submitted your application."

A hint of urgency flashed in Yanren's eyes: "Did the Hokage agree?"

Itachi nodded: "When the next batch of people enters the Anbu, you will be in charge of a team."

Flame Blade let out a long sigh of relief, his clenched fist loosening slightly: "I will definitely reclaim what belongs to the Uchiha!"

Uchiha Itachi said nothing more and took his leave.

As Itachi stepped out of Flame Blade's house and closed the door behind him, he paused slightly.

Uchiha Enjin, who were you talking to just now?

(End of this chapter)