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Chōjūrō, with a serious expression on his youthful face, showed remarkable talent at the tender age of five, hinting at a trend of becoming a leading figure for the next generation of Kirigakure. He was granted exceptional permission to participate in this [Chūnin Exam].
He signed his name on the registration list and then forcefully slapped the table: "Yo, let's go! Let's show 'em what we've got!"
—
Inside the Mizukage Tower, Momochi Zabuza received a summons from the acting Mizukage, Aoi. "Zabuza, the village will revoke your Elite Jōnin status, demoting you back to Genin. If you can bring honor to the village in the [Chūnin Exam], will you accept?"
"Tch—has the village reached the point where it needs to demote elite Jōnin to participate in an exam?" Zabuza scoffed, but still accepted the village's assigned mission.
—
Iwagakure Ninja Academy—Deidara used his hands to knead two sticky clumps of white clay, casually tossing them onto the ground, splashing mud several meters high.
After the [Clay Explosion] was detonated, the instructor, wearing an Iwagakure headband, walked in and tied it around Deidara's head, saying: "Deidara, you will represent our Iwagakure in the [Chūnin Exam]. You must perform well and show the shinobi world that Iwagakure ninjas are the strongest!"
—
—
Konohagakure University.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi wore their usual expressions, naturally signing their names on the Konoha registration form.
As the most outstanding Uchiha twins of their generation, despite being only six years old, they were strong contenders for the [Chūnin Exam] championship.
Their instructor, Pakura, holding the registration form, sighed as she approached Temari, who looked dazed.
Pakura asked: "Temari… are you going to participate in this [Fire Games]?"
Temari's identity was somewhat sensitive in this situation.
On the one hand, she hadn't returned to Sunagakure for a long time, and hadn't even been able to go back to pay her respects after her father, Rasa, died. There was growing criticism within Sunagakure about Temari's unfilial behavior.
On the other hand… the Fourth Kazekage's death was too suspicious, and the Fifth Kazekage, Baki, had come to power through a "Coup." It was hard to say whether he would recognize Temari as the legitimate orphaned daughter of the former Kazekage.
If Temari performed too well… she might arouse Baki's suspicion, leading to a formal notice from him requesting the Hokage Tower to send her back to Sunagakure, or even worse, dispatching ninjas to assassinate her.
From a rational perspective, giving up on this [Chūnin Exam] might be the best choice for Temari.
Slowly fading into the background, quietly developing, and waiting until she was strong enough to return to Sunagakure with Konoha's help, to right the wrongs and restore order!
But Pakura clearly underestimated Temari's determination.
Temari shook her head gently, her eyes gradually becoming firm, turning to look out the window towards Sunagakure:
"If my father were still alive, he would definitely want me to participate in this [Chūnin Exam]! I'm not only going to win, but I'm going to win spectacularly! At least, I have to defeat the ninjas Baki sends to participate in the [Chūnin Exam]!"
"Let that bastard know that ascending to power through underhanded means can never erase the glory of the Fourth Kazekage!"
Temari took the Sunagakure registration form from Pakura and quickly wrote her name on it.
She smiled brightly at her best friend, Uchiha Izumi: "Sorry, Izumi, I can't participate in the exam with you representing Konohagakure. When we're in the exam arena, we'll be enemies!"
"Saying we're enemies is an exaggeration! We're rivals! We're competitors, and we're also good friends!"
—
Unlike other ninja academies.
From Konoha University, you could see the giant arena built not far away. Perhaps from a high vantage point, the arena looked like a huge egg… For this reason, the registration enthusiasm at Konoha University was unprecedented.
Although there were no guiding instructors, and many students hadn't obtained their Genin headbands, all the students here were granted direct exemption from the exam requirements to participate in the [Fire Games]. The number of registrants was steadily increasing!
At this moment, Otogakure was completely different from when Konoha's Anbu first arrived.
Everywhere were newly built construction sites, buildings in the Konoha aesthetic rising from the ground under the catalysis of cash.
On the streets, Otogakure's police force patrolled back and forth, their kunai flashing with cold light.
The first phase of the planned main city was bustling with people and traffic, a scene of prosperity. Shops lined the streets, and a dazzling array of goods filled the streets and alleys. Merchants and pedestrians bustled about, creating a lively atmosphere.
The taverns and teahouses were filled with people, fragrant aromas wafted through the air, and laughter echoed everywhere. The casinos were filled with people shouting and cheering, with shouts and curses intertwined.
In front of the building material stores, owners with dragon and tiger tattoos waved banknotes, scrambling to buy goods. There were also quiet bookstores, forming a unique and lively atmosphere.
Otogakure's architectural style was unique, There were six-story ninja apartments, as well as small and exquisite courtyards specially designed for investors, and high-density low-rent housing complexes named "Nine Bulls Village," targeting ordinary workers who came to build Otogakure.
As night fell, it didn't interrupt Otogakure's development. It was still brightly lit and bustling with people.
The newly built Otogakure displayed the vitality of barbaric growth, but also had various problems.
Some villains, criminal gangs, and rogue ninjas took the opportunity to pour into Otogakure, wanting to take root in this golden land of the shinobi world. The emergence of these people made Otogakure's law and order increasingly serious, but fortunately, the number of ninjas sent by Konoha was sufficient to maintain control.
The first batch of tickets for the [Fire Games], which would be held at the [Oto Dome] tonight, was officially released.
But what was somewhat novel was that the first batch of [Fire Games] tickets wasn't bought—it was drawn.
The people gathered at the [Oto Dome] ticket center looked curiously at the new thing in their hands.
Looking at the large characters on it, they couldn't help but read it aloud: "Scratch-off tickets? What is this?"
A staff member at the ticket center held up a large megaphone, his voice clear and bright amidst the noisy crowd: "Everyone! There are a total of one thousand outer [Fire Games] tickets in the first batch! But they are not sold individually, only through purchasing lottery tickets!
"The ticket is printed under the scratch-off coating! Scratch it off to draw! Each scratch-off ticket costs ten ryo and has a chance to win one million ryo! Hurry up and buy!"
Upon hearing this, a commotion broke out in the crowd.
Watching a spectacle is human nature. Those who had just come to see what was going on suddenly felt itchy and curious.
They might not be interested in the [Fire Games], but they were very sensitive to the final numbers.
Ten ryo? A chance to win a million ryo?
Was this a casino run by Konohagakure's elite? But this gameplay was strange—they had never heard of it before, so they might as well try it.
A lazy man rubbed his hands, pulled out ten ryo from his pocket, and eagerly took a scratch-off ticket that felt a bit hard, scratching off the coating with his muddy fingernails.
After seeing the gameplay instructions, the lazy man's pupils shrank: "If a Konoha Village logo appears, you can win five times the prize shown below?"
"My number is…?"
"100 ryo?! And a [Fire Games] ticket exchange voucher?!"
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