I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

Although Sakura hesitated for a moment, seeing how well her two teammates performed, and not wanting to hold them back, she finally gritted her teeth and agreed.

"In that case, let's go." Seeing this, Kakashi nodded calmly.

In his team, Naruto and Sasuke are both highly accomplished individuals who have undergone ninja training since childhood and possess extraordinary abilities. It would be a waste of their talents for them to remain genin.

Although Sakura was born into an ordinary family, her control over chakra was highly praised even by Kakashi.

During her time at the Ninja Academy, she participated in medical ninja training, and now that she has become a formal medical ninja, she is an indispensable asset to the team.

If such a team cannot participate in the Chunin Exams, Kakashi really can't think of anyone who is qualified.

but......

"The Chunin Exams include a written test. Sakura, I'm not worried about Sasuke, but Naruto, you need to be careful. If you don't pass, the whole team will be eliminated," Kakashi kindly reminded him, suddenly remembering this.

"What? There's a written test?" Naruto was instantly devastated.

You should know that what he dislikes most is studying.

During his time at the Ninja Academy, he was always at the bottom of his class in academic subjects.

Sasuke and Sakura, who were also well aware of their teammates' backgrounds, changed their expressions upon hearing this.

Just then, a lazy voice came from behind: "What a hassle. As for the Chunin Exams, I'd say it's better to end them as soon as possible for peace and quiet."

"Shikamaru! How many times have I told you? Get your act together! Do you want to be a genin for the rest of your life?"

In an instant, Ino's expression changed, and she yelled at Shikamaru, who had his hair styled in a pineapple shape and was walking lazily with his hands behind his head, with a look of exasperation.

Immunized by this, Shikamaru still looked listless and said, "Isn't being a genin pretty good? Simple job, peaceful life."

"Shikamaru, there are still some downsides. The genin's salary is a bit low, and we can't afford to eat barbecue more than a few times a month." Choji, who was holding a bag of snacks, said seriously while eating.

Then, he came up to everyone and handed the bag of snacks in his hand to Naruto, saying, "Naruto, want some?"

Surprisingly, Choji, who always cherished snacks and wouldn't give them to anyone else even if they wanted them, was willing to share them with Naruto.

Even teammates like Shikamaru and Ino didn't receive this kind of treatment.

"Choji, thanks!" Naruto grabbed a handful of snacks without ceremony, and while eating, he said to Shikamaru, "Shikamaru, cheer up! We're still a long way from retirement!"

"This is such a hassle!" Shikamaru said listlessly.

Seeing this, Sakura, who was initially worried about Naruto, looked at Ino with sympathy.

It seems that not only their own squad, but other squads also have their own problems.

Haha! Everyone's here!

Suddenly, a deep male voice, deliberately imitating an adult tone, rang out, accompanied by the barking of a dog.

Naruto and the others looked over and saw Kiba, with Akamaru on his head, leading the way and greeting everyone in a serious, old-fashioned manner.

Beside her were Hinata, still shy but not weak, and Shino, whose presence was almost nonexistent.

"It seems everyone will be participating in the Chunin Exams this time. Let's decide who is the true champion of this year's exams!" Kiba announced confidently.

Without a second thought, Naruto immediately declared with high spirits, "Let's go! I'm determined to win this first place!"

"What a passionate anthem of youth! Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't mind, please include me!"

A boy wearing a green bodysuit and sporting a watermelon-shaped haircut rushed over at lightning speed, speaking passionately to everyone.

Behind him was Tian Tian, ​​who had lost her grip and looked utterly helpless.

And Neji, whose gaze immediately fell upon Hinata, bowing respectfully.

"Hinata-san."

"Neji-nii-nii."

At the same time, Might Guy, dressed in the same green bodysuit and resembling a larger version of Rock Lee, appeared beside Kakashi and said with great enthusiasm, "Kakashi! It seems that our sixty-third match will be between our respective students."

"After going through so much, Kai, you've finally learned to apply what you've learned to other situations."

Kakashi smiled with satisfaction, then put down the "Icha Icha Tactics" book in his hand and looked seriously at the young men and women in front of him.

The new generation of Konoha... no, the Land of Ninja is finally about to unleash their own dazzling brilliance.

Chapter 346 I'll Expose Myself for You All

At the same time.

Just as the original Konoha 12 were putting their best efforts into the Chunin Exams.

In a quiet courtyard in Konoha, the capital of the Land of Ninjas, which has been renamed a castle from a village.

Wearing a headband with the character "忍" (patience) on it and dressed in a dress resembling a cheongsam, Hei Tu knocked on the door and said:

"grandfather."

"It's Kurotsuchi. Come in." The voice of the owner of this place, the former Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Onoki, came from inside the room.

Kurotsuchi pushed open the door and entered. The first thing she saw was Onoki, dressed casually and looking like an ordinary old man, watching a TV program with great interest.

"What brings you to this old man's place today?" Ono asked without turning around.

Heitu stepped forward and glanced at the television.

Although Onoki changed the channel in time, she still caught a glimpse of the numerous bikinis and the sea of ​​white swimsuits that had appeared earlier.

Black lines immediately appeared on Heitu's face.

If she hadn't been certain that the grandfather in front of her was the real deal, she would have almost thought he was someone in disguise.

It's hard to imagine that the Third Tsuchikage, who was always known for his toughness and stubbornness, is now so obsessed with swimsuit fashion shows.

This change is too drastic.

Hei Tu took a deep breath and quickly put what he had just seen out of his mind.

Not forgetting the purpose of her trip, she explained to her grandfather, "Grandpa, the Chunin Exams in the Land of Ninja are about to begin, and I'm going to participate."

"The Land of Ninja... the Chunin Exams..." Onoki finally looked away from the television and turned to his granddaughter, nodding slightly. "She should participate. As my granddaughter, she can't keep being called a genin forever. Show the world your strength; this is a time to bring glory to the Iwagakure lineage."

"The Iwagakure lineage?" Kurotsuchi's eyes held a complex expression.

If it weren't for her grandfather's reminder, she would have almost forgotten her former identity as an Iwa ninja, now that she works for the Land of Ninja's military, has settled down in Konoha, done all sorts of missions, and made friends from all over the world. It would have been as if the Fourth Shinobi World War had been over for many years and everything from the past had long been forgotten.

But in reality, World War IV had only ended three years prior.

Three years ago, a large number of Iwa ninja were defeated and captured. Given the temperament of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, there was no way he would surrender.

Unexpectedly, for some reason, the other party's attitude suddenly changed, and they ultimately chose to submit to Konoha.

Thanks to Onoki's high reputation in the Land of Earth, Konoha's rule in the Land of Earth has become much less troublesome.

In return, Konoha accepted many Iwa ninja who were willing to surrender, and they became members of the ninja community in the Land of Ninja.

Heitu, whose own grandfather had surrendered, was naturally among those in this group.

Because of her status, she received preferential treatment in the Land of Ninja that was no less than that of the Plain Yellow Banner people born in Konoha.

The reason why Onoki was able to undergo such a transformation was naturally due to Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan eye technique, Kotoamatsukami.

No longer concerned about the existence of Iwagakure, having fully accepted reality, his only hope now is that the people of the original Land of Earth lineage can occupy an important position in the newly reborn Land of Ninja.

The upcoming Chunin Exams will be a great opportunity to showcase myself.

"Kurotsuchi, you must perform well in this Chunin Exams. Leaving aside the Konoha guys, you absolutely cannot be worse than those guys from the Cloud and Mist Villages," Onoki said solemnly.

Although the Land of Ninjas treats everyone in the ninja world equally, there are still unspoken differences of favoritism on the surface.

Among the original five major powers.

The hidden privileges enjoyed by ninjas from the old Konoha go without saying.

Following them in the rankings are the Cloud Ninja who surrendered early on and the Mist Village who surrendered en masse.

Then came the Iwa ninja and the Suna ninja.

Onoki's current goal is to elevate the status of the Iwagakure lineage in the Land of Ninja to surpass that of the Kumogakure and Kirigakure.

"Don't worry, Grandpa! Even those genin from Konoha, I can knock them all down with one punch after another." Kurotsuchi clenched her black-gloved hands, full of confidence.

"Haha! Indeed!" Seeing his granddaughter's confidence, Onoki nodded in agreement.

Kurotsuchi, who received elite education from a young age and was even groomed to be the next Tsuchikage, would have been a Chunin or even Jonin of Iwagakure long ago if it weren't for the Fourth Shinobi World War.

With such strength, dealing with a group of genin would be a piece of cake.

"Then I'll watch from the stands and enjoy your performance, Kurotsuchi. If you can get first place, that would be even better. That way, I can swallow my pride and beg the Hokage to let Deidara leave the Construction Corps as soon as possible." At the end, Onoki sighed deeply, suddenly thinking of his disciple who was still suffering.

“Deidara-ge…” Upon hearing this, Kurotsuchi’s face was also filled with sadness.

Originally, with the Third Tsuchikage Onoki setting an example, many Iwa ninja who had willingly chosen to surrender could have become members of the new nation's ninja after undergoing Konoha's political review.

However, in this political vetting process where 99% of people could pass as long as they didn't make a stupid mistake, Deidara was rejected and even thrown into the construction corps with its massive workload.

The reason for this is his serious antisocial crimes.

He constantly shouts "Art is an explosion," as if he wants to blow up everything he sees. After listening to Deidara's sacred explanation of his artistic views, the Konoha personnel in charge of political vetting unanimously agreed that if this guy had the ability, he would definitely want to blow up the planet beneath his feet.

Such dangerous individuals cannot be tolerated, nor can they be allowed to escape.

Therefore, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, with its abundant talent pool, was his final destination.

"Don't worry, Grandpa! I'll definitely get first place in this Chunin Exams."

At this moment, Heitu, determined to win, spoke with unwavering resolve.

"Deidara, wait for me! I'll get you out of here!"

......

at the same time.

"Art is an explosion, drink!"

Accompanied by a loud shout, a violent explosion resounded from the mountains on the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind.

In an instant, a mountain peak was destroyed in the huge mushroom cloud, and another gap was opened in the continuous mountain range.

"Well done, Deidara!"

After the smoke cleared, the commander-in-chief of the Production and Construction Corps came over, patted Deidara on the shoulder with a smile, and said, "With you here, you are worth hundreds or thousands of us."