At Kurenai Yuhi's command, all the ninja squads rushed into the dark forest like wild horses off the reins (indicating extreme eagerness and unrestraint) and soon disappeared from sight.
Natsume, Kabuto Yakushi, and Hana Inuzuka ran the fastest.
Because they were the most powerful.
After Itachi Uchiha left, Natsume planned to create a legend of the fastest completion.
Kurenai Yuhi withdrew her gaze, her eyes suddenly twitched, and she quickly stood in front of someone.
"Lady Tsunade, according to the rules, you can't go in."
"I won't go in. I'll just take a look from the side."
As Tsunade spoke, she moved inside.
"Lady Tsunade."
Kurenai Yuhi was a bit helpless and thought, 'Come on, stop!' "It's really difficult for us if you do this."
"Well, come with me."
Without even blinking, Tsunade stared at the direction where Natsume disappeared and asked, "With you around, can't I feel at ease?"
Obviously, she wasn't going to give up easily.
Finally, Kurenai Yuhi nodded and said, "But you can't interfere with the exam, nor can you help your students."
"Of course not."
Tsunade laughed. "Kurenai, don't you underestimate my students too much?"
Kurenai Yuhi recalled Natsume's outrageous combat records during the previous war between Konoha Village and Kumogakure.
To be honest, she was a bit skeptical.
At that time, Natsume was only nine years old and didn't have a Kekkei Genkai, yet he could take out several Jonin, including Toroi, a Magnet Release ninja.
She was more inclined to think that Tsunade beat them up first, and then her students finished them off.
"Lady Tsunade, slow down!"
Kurenai Yuhi was in a daze for only three seconds when she saw Tsunade speeding away like an arrow off the string.
She quickly dashed after her.
In a short while, they saw Natsume, two others, and a dog.
Since it was just the beginning, they hadn't encountered any enemies yet.
At this time, they were relying on Little Gray, the Husky, to search by smell.
A minute later, they got a result.
Kurenai Yuhi stood beside Tsunade, paused for a moment, and asked, "Is it too reckless to just go straight up like this?"
Natsume and the other two, without setting up any traps or launching sneak attacks, just rushed recklessly towards the other ninja squads they spotted.
"There's no need to waste time."
Tsunade understood Natsume. Seeing his hasty look, she knew what he was thinking.
But then she fell into deep thought.
This wasn't like Natsume's character.
He was usually quite lazy.
Why was he so enthusiastic about the Chunin Exams?
Suddenly, she was stunned, remembering her promise to give him a reward.
Tsunade fell silent.
She had just said it casually, but she didn't expect Natsume to take it seriously.
Oh no. It seemed she had to give the reward.
"A - rank Water Release?"
Kurenai Yuhi opened her mouth wide, as if she could fit an egg in it. Her face was full of shock.
She never thought the rumor was true.
Natsume could use the A - rank Water Release Ninjutsu so easily, which proved that his strength was indeed at the Jonin level.
Did that mean she might not even be able to defeat him?
But it seemed like overkill.
The opponents were just Genin. It shouldn't be like this, really shouldn't.
Tsunade came back to her senses, saw her expression, and proudly puffed out her chest, saying, "My students are naturally not bad."
Kurenai Yuhi instinctively took a look and immediately fell silent. With this contrast, any woman would shed tears.
"Jealous, huh?"
Tsunade noticed her look and laughed. "In a few years, you can also be a team - leading teacher. But whether you can pick good apprentices depends on your luck."
"Seems like they've got good luck," Kurenai Yuhi quickly changed the topic.
Natsume and the other two were heading towards the central tower, which meant they'd obtained the required scrolls.
"It doesn't count as a violation, does it?"
Tsunade's smile never faded.
Although she knew there was no doubt that Natsume and the others would pass the exam, showing off in front of outsiders was a different story.
That's why, in the past life, when people visited relatives and friends, they always inquired about academic achievements or work incomes.
"Once they enter the tower, it means the second stage is over, and the third stage won't start until everyone else arrives."
Kurenai Yuhi, who had suffered a double blow, still remained polite and said, "This waiting period isn't part of the Chunin Exams, so it naturally doesn't count as a violation."
The tower in the center of the Death Forest.
When Natsume and the other two entered, a young man teleported in front of them.
He looked rather surprised and asked, "It's only been twenty minutes. Did you get the Celestial and Earthly Scrolls?"
Judging from the speed of genin, it would take at least half an hour just to get from the starting point to the tower.
Is it reasonable for you to be this fast?
"Here they are," Natsume handed the Celestial and Earthly Scrolls to him.
After the young man checked them, he was speechless.
Konoha Genin are extremely terrifying!
He was glad he didn't encounter such an outrageous group during his Chunin Exams.
"The third stage is a one-on-one fight. Go to the waiting lounge to prepare," the young man pointed in a direction and said.
"Thanks," Natsume and the other two followed his instructions and entered the bare-walled waiting lounge.
Not long after, Tsunade pushed the door open and entered.
Kurenai Yuhi returned to continue her role as the chief examiner.
"Teacher," Natsume and the other two, including Hana Inuzuka, shouted in unison.
During this special training period, she had grown a lot.
So much so that she thought her previous team leader was a total failure.
Cough.
She really didn't mean to be disrespectful to her teacher.
It's just that people can't help but make comparisons.
"You did a great job. I just asked, and you're the fastest team in the history of the Chunin Exams."
This section isn't over yet. There's more exciting content later!
"It's not just about speed," Natsume said quickly after hearing Tsunade's praise.
Being too fast is a major taboo.
"They're also among the top in terms of strength," Tsunade patted his head, as if soothing a child, and added another sentence.
Kabuto Yakushi and Hana Inuzuka said they were accustomed to this sight.
It seemed like Natsume was her biological child, while they were kids from next door.
In the Joint Chunin Exams of the original story, there was actually a one - month break between the second and third stages.
Because the nature of the exams was different.
The Joint Chunin Exams would invite Daimyos or nobles from various countries to participate.
Ninja villages that perform well will receive more orders the following year.
In other words, it's an occasion to showcase one's military might.
However, ordinary Chunin Exams don't have so many rules. It's just a formality.
Tsunade didn't stay there for long before moving to the spectator stand.
With her around, the examinees would be under too much pressure.
Moreover, it could easily give the impression that Natsume and the others were cronies.
In the afternoon, the third round officially began.
By this point, the number of participants had been halved, leaving only five teams.
There's not much to say about the One - on - one fights.
Natsume's biggest threat was Itachi Uchiha.
But he had graduated early.
The same was true for Anko Mitarashi and Yugao Uzuki.
In the end, Natsume won first place.
Kabuto Yakushi came in second, and Hana Inuzuka was fifth.
The rankings were secondary. All three of them were successfully promoted to Chunin.
Tsunade had been watching the battle all the time. She suddenly noticed that Natsume's chakra had increased significantly. Maybe he could try practicing Sage Mode.
"Sister."
Taking the opportunity to be alone with her, Natsume directly asked, "I'm already a Chunin. What's my reward?"
He had just finished the battle, and his face was flushed. His already handsome look became a bit more endearing.
Coupled with his joyful and expectant eyes, it was really... hard for any woman to resist.
Tsunade kept a straight face, repeatedly telling herself that this was the last time and she wouldn't waver, but her heart had already been swayed.
Who can save me!
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