Konohamaru and his two friends shouted and continuously asked about the content of the exam. They didn't understand the relationship between Ninja strength and Ninja rank, simply believing that Chunin were stronger than Genin, and Jonin were more powerful than Chunin.
"I believe in your strength. The Chunin Exams won't be difficult for you, but..." Asuma still gave a few words of caution: "Ino, don't get arrogant just because you've defeated a few opponents your age. This world is vast, and there are many strong people. Shikamaru, don't be bothered by trouble; take every opponent seriously and fight with all your strength. Choji, be brave. Your comrades need your protection; you are their strongest shield."
Team 10 and the three children were eating barbecue.
At this time, deep underground in Konoha Village, in an area called Root, Danzo received a reply scroll from Orochimaru, delivered by a Root Ninja.
He unrolled the scroll and read it carefully.
Danzo lightly tapped his staff, and his two right-hand men, Fu Yamanaka and Aburame Torune, appeared before him simultaneously. Behind them, many black-clad Ninja knelt in a semi-circle, all extremely silent, like a group of machines.
"We are leaving the Village to execute a mission."
"Yes, sir." Root Ninja did not need to ask questions; they only needed to execute orders.
Danzo did not notify his old comrade, the Third Hokage. He took his subordinates and left the great whirlpool of Konoha Village in advance.
The application was submitted, and the Chunin Exams would be in three days.
Ino and her team gathered at the school gate. The three exchanged glances, nodded in unison, and then walked into the school.
Shikamaru clasped his hands behind his head: "Did you also run into Iruka-sensei on the way?"
Ino nodded: "Yes, we did. Iruka-sensei is probably worried about us newly graduated Genin, so he came to test us. He's such a dedicated and responsible teacher."
Iruka also seemed to have noticed her weakness in taijutsu. On the way, he transformed into an Amegakure Ninja to ambush her, but Ino used Water Instantaneous Body to create distance, then trapped him with Mist Hidden Jutsu and Water Prison Technique.
Choji, belatedly realizing, exclaimed: "So, the one who transformed into Ino just now and tried to persuade me to give up the exam was actually Iruka-sensei?"
A thoughtful expression appeared on his chubby face: "I was wondering, Ino would never be so weak. Even if everyone else gave up, Ino wouldn't."
Ino let out two dry laughs.
According to the rules, the Village organizes a Chunin Exams every six months. Kabuto participating in the Chunin Exams seven times in four years came from this. The difficulty of the exams varied; sometimes easy, sometimes extremely difficult.
If the Chunin Exams were always as exaggerated as this one, someone of Mizuki's level would never become a Chunin.
Logically, there was no rush, but the Third Hokage passed away after this Chunin Exams. Tsunade returned to the Village to become the Fifth Hokage, constantly busy, so busy she didn't even have time to drink. It took three years before the second Chunin Exams was organized.
Ninja strength is very important, and rank cannot be said to be unimportant; it involves a matter of face.
For the Yamanaka Clan, for Ino–Shika–Choji, for the permit to leave the Village freely, and for various other complicated relationships, Ino had to participate in this Chunin Exams and achieve good results.
As she walked, a question suddenly occurred to her: the Third Hokage died before the Chunin Exams even ended! How would she get this permit? Should she cry over his corpse, "Third Grandpa, don't die! Give me the permit first, and then you can die"? Or should she Edo Tensei the deceased Third Hokage back? It seemed this also involved that mask of the Uzumaki Clan. Things were getting more and more complicated.
She rubbed her temples. Thinking about it in reverse, things seemed a little off again.
If Tsunade returned to be Hokage, she wouldn't need this permit to leave the Village freely, but she truly didn't want to be confined to the Village every day.
Naruto no longer drew graffiti. The 'Karma Points' Ino gained from breaking windows in the Village were too few. She needed a lot of time to go out and cause trouble, requiring alibis, and assistance with manpower and resources.
Torn between options, she walked into the school building, still unsure of what to do.
The three of them arrived relatively early. On the way, they also saw Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, disguised as Genin. The two Old Iron used genjutsu to fake the room number, tricking Genin into going to another classroom.
Both sides were acquaintances, so there was no real test. They just greeted each other and passed by.
The three arrived at Classroom 301, where many Genin were scattered around.
The Hidden Sand Village trio they had fought before were also present. Gaara had been experiencing auditory hallucinations for the past three days, occasionally hearing those "clink! clink! clink!" sounds. He was afraid of fighting Ino, so he didn't even look at her.
Temari and Kankuro looked nervous, carefully guarding Gaara, afraid he would lose control directly.
Ino looked at Shikamaru, then at Temari, with a scrutinizing gaze.
"What's wrong? Your gaze is so strange." Shikamaru was puzzled.
"Did you see that woman from Hidden Sand Village?"
"Yes, I did."
"Does she meet your standard of 'plain-looking' for a wife?"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes and didn't say anything.
Choji didn't participate in such a boring conversation and sat in his seat, eating snacks.
Before long, the main group arrived one after another.
Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, Shino Aburame, and even Yakushi Kabuto, the "perennial Genin," had all arrived.
Apparently noticing the small circle of nine newcomers on Ino's side, Yakushi Kabuto whispered a few words to his companion, then walked over.
None of them recognized Kabuto, so Ino, as the "vice-president," had to make the introductions.
It would be too fake if both sides pretended not to know each other, so her introduction was a bit longer than Kabuto's self-introduction in the original timeline.
Everyone was not familiar with Kabuto but was familiar with Ino. With her as an intermediary, some strange questions arose.
Naruto clasped his hands behind his head, his eyes narrowed: "Kabuto? What's that?"
If anyone else heard this, it would definitely be a provocation.
Sakura thought his words were too direct and hurtful. While bowing and apologizing to Kabuto, she used her iron fist to hit Naruto hard on the head twice.
"Idiot! Show some respect to your Senior!"
Naruto had two large bumps on his head. He felt very wronged; he only asked because he didn't know.
Shikamaru, afraid he would say something else offensive, whispered an explanation: "Kabuto usually refers to a helmet. You've seen a helmet, right?"
Naruto had never seen a helmet at all. With his knowledge, he couldn't even imagine what a helmet looked like.
He didn't know how he figured it out, but he suddenly made an enlightened expression: "Is it like the pot for cooking rice at home?"
Shikamaru covered his head, truly not wanting to talk to this idiot.
Kabuto's expression was also a bit awkward, especially when Naruto loudly called him "Yakushi Pot," "Senior Pot," and "Brother Pot." The smile on his face was almost impossible to maintain.
Note:
Happy Lunar New Year, everyone!
I wish you all a year filled with blessings, success, good fortune, and happiness!
Important Announcement:
I will be on Lunar New Year holiday starting February 15th, 2026, and will return on February 23rd, 2026. During this time, I will focus on resting and spending time with my family.
During my break, I will prepare some new chapters, which I will post regularly after the holiday ends. Please stay tuned — the following parts are very interesting!
Thank you so much for your incredible support. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!