After finishing bowls of ramen as tall as a person at Ichiraku, my cousin Rock Lee, Naruto, and I all patted our bellies and headed home.
The next day, after gathering with the ninja team, Li Zhenwu spoke up to say goodbye.
Or rather, it was a brief farewell.
"I'm just going to participate in the Chunin Exam. Who knows, I might come back after it," Li Zhenwu said with a bright smile.
"The Chunin Exam?"
Inuzuka Hana and Shiranui Gensui were taken aback. They had just graduated from the ninja academy not long ago, and now Li Zhenwu, their teammate, was already headed for the Chunin Exam!
In comparison, Inuzuka Hana was relatively unfazed; she didn't have much enthusiasm for this kind of thing.
However, Shiranui Gensui felt that his life suddenly seemed so mundane!
Then again, thinking about it, Li Zhenwu was considered a prodigy from Konoha; he was not someone you could easily compare yourself with!
With this thought, Shiranui Gensui eased up a bit.
After the shock wore off, both of them cheered for Li Zhenwu.
"Young man, embrace your ninja way in the exam, and fully unleash your youth!" Might Guy raised his right hand and gave a thumbs up.
"Heh heh, my strength makes it a piece of cake," Li Zhenwu humbly smiled, though his words were anything but modest.
"I just hope to encounter a worthy opponent in the Chunin Exam..."
Upon reflection, Li Zhenwu's words were not exaggerated; given his strength, it was indeed a convincing statement.
However... Shiranui Gensui looked at Li Zhenwu, who was significantly shorter and younger than him, and felt like he had wasted all these years of his life.
Or perhaps it seemed that Li Zhenwu appeared in this world just to overshadow others.
...
After leisurely bidding farewell to his two teammates and Might Guy, Li Zhenwu arrived at the Chunin Exam venue.
One couldn't help but say that it was quite fortunate for Li Zhenwu to return at this time. If he had come back just a day later, he might have missed the chance to participate in the Chunin Exam, but he timed his return perfectly and was able to join this exam.
In the exam venue, ninja from various countries had gathered, all waiting to take the Chunin Exam.
In a sense, the Chunin Exam was also an invisible contest between nations, a way to gauge each other's strength.
After all, the number and quality of ninjas from each village participating in the Chunin Exam could reveal the village's future strength.
For instance, in this Chunin Exam, there were twenty ninjas from Sunagakure (Sand Village) in the Land of Wind, showcasing their formidable strength and robust backup of ninjas.
Meanwhile, Amegakure (Rain Village), located between the Land of Earth, Wind, and Fire, had thirteen genin participating.
Smaller ninja villages, such as Kusagakure (Grass Village) and Takigakure (Waterfall Village), only sent three each.
Hoshigakure (Star Village) sent two ninjas.
As for Konoha's own genin participating in the exam, there were nearly thirty, indicating Konoha's considerable strength.
Of course, not every village sent ninjas to the Chunin Exam, but many of the ninja villages participated brought together a crowd of ninjas.
When Li Zhenwu confidently walked into the exam venue, if it weren't for the small ninja headband on his forehead, some might have thought he was simply a villager who had walked into the wrong place.
"Hey, is that kid here for the exam too?"
"Your intel is outdated; that kid is the 'Konoha Monster.' Look at the tail behind him."
"Wow, there's really a tail! Is that a special Kekkei Genkai?"
"I don't know; they say he's just the son of a commoner and doesn't have any special bloodline, but he is definitely an anomaly. He was born during the Kyubi attack on Konoha, which is why they refer to him as an ominous monster."
"Hey, your information is also outdated," a ninja sneered.
"This kid just graduated from the ninja academy this year, making him the youngest ninja to graduate in Konoha's history, yet he's about to take the Chunin Exam—unusual, right?"
"How is that possible? Such a small kid, does he have the strength to participate in the Chunin Exam?"
"How could it not be possible?" the sneering ninja replied.
"Do you think his title of monster only refers to his unusual tail? If that were the case, you'd be terribly mistaken!"
"What else could it mean?"
"Talent! A talent that far exceeds the majority! Because it's beyond what others possess, the title of monster is truly deserved!"
"Is he really that impressive?" The other ninjas were taken aback, and after exchanging some intel, they were even more astonished.
"The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took him as a disciple? Oh my!"
"How do you know so much?" one ninja questioned.
The sneering ninja laughed coldly, saying, "How oblivious are you to intel gathering? Did you not see him running weighted laps around the village with Konoha's Noble Green Beast yesterday for daily training?
Plus, all of this information is something you could learn by simply asking any villager from Konoha!"
After sharing information, many outsiders were astonished, but some still refused to believe, scoffing, "He's only four years old; there's no way he could be that strong! Even if he started training in the womb, it couldn't be that impressive!"
Others echoed the sentiment: "Exactly! I reckon this so-called 'monster' will reveal his true colors in the Chunin Exam."
...
"Ah~" Li Zhenwu yawned as he arrived. After sensing the presence of all the participating ninjas from outside villages, he found it a bit boring and couldn't muster the energy, particularly because these people were so chatty.
Moreover while sensing their Ki, he realized that there wasn't a single capable challenger among them!
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