CH_79

Though Neru wasn't exactly a firecracker, women were a tricky subject—you could never over-analyze them.

Who knew if what they heard matched what you actually meant?

"Oh, by the way—I heard some news earlier." Tōji said as he walked into the Academy with Natchi and Neru. "There are exactly sixty examinees in this Chūnin Exam."

"Isn't that the smallest class ever? I heard it was usually over eighty to over a hundred before." Natchi was a little surprised by the sharp drop in numbers.

"Years of war—these past few years, even genin have been sent to the front. It makes sense." Neru's rare smile had vanished, replaced by her usual expressionless look.

"Fewer competitors means a better chance for us, so that's good news, right?" Tōji tried to stay positive.

Only twenty teams—how many would be eliminated in the first round?

They reached the main entrance of the Academy building. Behind a table sat two Konoha chūnin.

"Hand in your registration forms, then draw one ball from this box." One of the female chūnin said.

Tōji and the others placed their completed forms on the table and took turns drawing a ball from the box.

"A red ball—what does that mean?" Natchi pinched the red ball between two fingers and asked the staff.

"Each of you should go to the exam room that corresponds to the color you drew. You'll receive further instructions from the proctor once you're there." The male chūnin explained.

Tōji looked at the yellow ball in his hand and the blue ball in Neru's.

『Looks like the exam is designed to split each three-man squad into three different rooms.』

When drawing the ball, Tōji had already felt inside the box—there were only three balls total.

"They're even separating the exam locations." Natchi was a bit puzzled. But the three of them didn't block the entrance—they headed for the stairs after receiving their instructions.

"Red ball examinees, proceed to the second floor."

"Yellow ball examinees, proceed to the third floor."

"Blue ball examinees, proceed to the fourth floor."

At the stairwell, they spotted a prominent sign with those three lines.

"Even the floors are different!" Natchi complained slightly, thinking it was overly complicated.

"They're probably splitting up each squad's members." Tōji thought it was perfectly normal.

『They're probably testing for cheating skills again—and that whole "never abandon your teammates" spirit too.』

"Remember—if any question involves teamwork, always pick the answer that says you won't abandon a teammate." Tōji gave them a crucial piece of advice.

Natchi didn't seem to fully understand, but he nodded anyway.

"Let's go—we won't get anywhere discussing it here." Neru urged the two of them to keep moving up.

On the third floor, just as Tōji rounded the stairwell, he saw a sign: "Yellow ball examinees, enter the exam room marked with the character for 'Yellow'."

"They really spell everything out, huh." Tōji muttered under his breath. At the door of the exam room in front of him, a paper with the character "黄" was pasted on it.

Tōji pushed the door open and looked inside…

Not many people had arrived yet—there should be about twenty examinees per room.

He didn't bother talking to anyone. He just picked a seat and sat down.

Among the nameless Konoha extras, besides a couple from his own class whose names he'd forgotten, he didn't recognize anyone else. No need for chit-chat.

After waiting about ten minutes, one more examinee came in—and then the proctor arrived.

『Only nine people showed up?』 Tōji was deeply puzzled.

"Alright—the written exam will now begin." As the proctor—a completely forgettable face—spoke, the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room were suddenly covered in a barrier…