"Eh? Why are there more guards outside the village?" Li Zhenwu exclaimed softly, noticing the changes in the village since he left.
Inuzuka Hana and Shiranui Gensui were equally puzzled and didn't understand the situation in the village.
"Let's go and ask," said Guy Sensei as he led the way to the village entrance, where he inquired of the ninja on guard, "Hey, what's going on in the village right now?"
"Ah... It's Might Guy Sensei!" The ninja guarding the entrance recognized him and smiled, "The Chunin Exam is going to be held soon, and ninjas from other villages are coming to participate."
"Chunin Exam?" Guy Sensei realized suddenly, while Li Zhenwu thought of something else.
In the ninja world, the exam for lower-ranked ninjas (genin) to become middle-ranked ninjas (chunin) is held twice a year, and it usually serves as an important occasion for observing the national strength among major countries.
Li Zhenwu was contemplating whether he should participate in the Chunin Exam to level up his rank. Otherwise, the missions available to him as a genin would remain too low-level, and the battles he would encounter would become increasingly mundane.
Only by advancing to chunin and eventually jōnin could he take on higher-level missions and engage in combat with more skilled ninjas.
Realizing that the heightened security in Konoha was due to the Chunin Exam, the team felt relieved.
Shiranui Gensui said goodbye to everyone, eager to return home. Inuzuka Hana, missing Konoha after a long time, also departed.
This left only Li Zhenwu and Guy Sensei to report their mission's completion.
Li Zhenwu's real objective was to inform his teacher, the Third Hokage, about his return and to discuss some matters with him.
Upon arriving at the Hokage Building, Guy Sensei went to report the details of their mission, while Li Zhenwu waited nearby, feeling bored.
Guy Sensei did not hold back on telling the Third Hokage about his team's experiences during the mission.
As a result, the Third Hokage learned about the three waves of ninja attacks that Li Zhenwu handled entirely on his own, especially the surprise of defeating Akatsuki-level ninja. This astonishment made the Third Hokage's mouth slightly open in disbelief.
Despite being knowledgeable and wise, the Third Hokage couldn't fathom that a four-year-old could possess such combat power.
Consequently, the Third Hokage's perspective on Li Zhenwu grew more complicated.
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under the Third Hokage's intense gaze, Li Zhenwu shifted slightly and finally said, "Um, are you finished? I have something I want to discuss with you, Sarutobi Sensei."
"What is it?" The Third Hokage withdrew his gaze, intrigued by Li Zhenwu's question.
"Well, since the Chunin Exam is about to happen, I wanted to ask if I could participate?" Li Zhenwu said with a grin, recalling that he couldn't think of any ninja who had advanced to the chunin level as quickly as he had—having graduated from the ninja academy just over a month ago.
"The Chunin Exam?" The Third Hokage looked taken aback. It was surprising to hear this from Li Zhenwu, who had only recently transferred to and graduated from the ninja academy and already wanted to participate in the Chunin Exam?
The Third Hokage was astonished, but after contemplating Li Zhenwu's current strength, he realized that he is actually qualified. In fact, Li Zhenwu had a good chance of standing out in the Chunin Exam!
"Hmm..." The Third Hokage pondered, feeling conflicted.
While Li Zhenwu's strength was indeed sufficient, throughout Konoha's history, there had been no one who advanced as rapidly as he did.
After a moment of hesitation, the Third Hokage eventually relented.
"Alright, you can participate," he said slowly, nodding.
"Yayyy! Thank you, Sensei!" Li Zhenwu exclaimed with joy.
The Third Hokage smiled wryly, shaking his head. He wondered what more he could teach Li Zhenwu, as his disciple was already exceeding expectations in every aspect.
However, the rapid progress of this exceptional student left the Third Hokage feeling a mix of pride and amazement.
After exiting the Hokage Building, Li Zhenwu was in high spirits.
"Zhenwu, let's start our burning youth by running three hundred laps around Konoha!" Guy Sensei said enthusiastically, breaking the mood.
"Okay, three hundred laps it is." Li Zhenwu readily agreed.
Thus, on this day, the familiar sight of a green figure running around the village reappeared, followed closely by a small body resembling the Konoha monster...
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