Chapter 18: The Chunin Exams

“Kisame? He’s also on the list for this Chunin Exams. If you recognize his strength, you can invite him to be your teammate.” The Third Mizukage spoke as he retrieved a list from his drawer and handed it to Mangetsu Hozuki.

While Mangetsu browsed the list, the Third Mizukage offered words of guidance to his cherished disciple: “Mangetsu, the Chunin Exams will begin in one month. This time, the exams are hosted by Konoha, who has invited us from the Hidden Mist and several other smaller ninja villages for a joint event. Starting today, you must focus on preparing. Take first place and prove the strength of the Hidden Mist to the other villages. Only then will the Daimyo continue to fund our village. Do you understand?”

Mangetsu Hozuki responded with a careless smile, patting his chest in assurance. “Don’t worry, Sensei. You know my abilities are more than enough for Jonin. The Chunin Exams are nothing—I’ll breeze through them.”

“Do not be overconfident. Underestimating your opponents comes at a cost.” The Third Mizukage frowned, warning him.

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Mangetsu replied impatiently, scratching his ear and finding an excuse to slip out of the office.

Three days later.

Early morning, Kisame was sweating it out in the gym when he received orders to report to Training Ground Three. Upon arrival, he found over twenty others already gathered, all Genin, and several familiar faces among them.

“Kisame.” A gentle voice called from the crowd. Kisame turned to see Mei Terumi and Ringo Ameyuri approaching.

“You… how did you get so tall?” Ringo Ameyuri stared in shock, mouth agape, gazing up at Kisame. It had only been a few months since they last met, and he was already nearing two meters in height, while she was only about one meter twenty.

Before Kisame could reply, she tugged his sleeve and blurted, “What do you eat? How do you train? Why are you growing so fast? Tell me!”

“Genetics are the main factor in determining height,” Kisame answered honestly, glancing at the petite girl.

“What does that mean?” Ringo Ameyuri was momentarily confused, then put her hands on her hips and huffed, “Are you saying my genes are bad?”

“Actually, there’s no need to worry so much.” Kisame switched to his gentle side, comforting her. “You’re still young. When you grow up, you’ll gain at least twenty centimeters and reach one meter forty.”

In his memory, when Ringo Ameyuri died young, she was about one meter forty in height.

One meter forty...

Hearing Kisame’s “comfort,” Ringo Ameyuri’s little face twitched, nearly bursting into tears.

Mei Terumi, standing nearby, couldn’t help but laugh, covering her mouth as her eyes curved into crescents.

“By the way, do you know what’s going on? Why are we gathered here?” Kisame turned his head and asked Mei Terumi curiously.

“You don’t know? The Chunin Exams are about to start. We were all chosen by the village to participate.” Mei Terumi blinked as she replied. As a member of a prominent clan, she was always quicker to hear such news.

Chunin Exams?

Kisame was a bit surprised, thinking deeply.

“Kisame, congratulations. I believe you’ll pass the exams and become a Chunin.” Mei Terumi added. It was clear she was genuinely happy for him.

Indeed.

A ninja of Kisame’s caliber could have been promoted to Chunin long ago; all he lacked was a chance—a spot in the exams.

The Chunin Exams were held twice annually. In previous years, the slots from the Hidden Mist were monopolized by Genin from the major clans, but according to Mei Terumi, this year was different.

To restore the village’s reputation and prove its strength, the Hidden Mist would send its strongest Genin, so many “lower-class” ninjas like Kisame finally had an opportunity.

Just then, escorted by several ANBU, the Third Mizukage arrived at the training ground. The once noisy crowd immediately fell silent.

Hmm?

Within the crowd, Kisame’s eyes flashed with interest, drawn to one of the Mizukage’s guards.

He was a middle-aged man with an unusually large nose and a beard on his chin. On his shoulder rested a massive iron hammer, which was connected by a rope to an axe-like blade—an imposing presence.

Tōkusa Yabirō, wielder of the Blunt Sword: Kabutowari.

This was the fourth member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen Kisame had encountered.

Almost instinctively, Kisame marked him as a target, quickly plotting in his mind.

At the front of the crowd, the Third Mizukage cleared his throat, eyes still closed, and announced the upcoming Chunin Exams. He stated he would personally lead the squad to Konoha.

He demanded that everyone present give their all, defeat the other villages’ ninjas during the exams, and those who achieved excellent results would be honored and rewarded.

His words immediately fired up the participating Genin. Some even boasted aloud that they would take first place, hoping to impress the Mizukage in advance.

Seeing their enthusiasm, the Third Mizukage nodded in satisfaction, gave a few instructions to Tōkusa Yabirō, and departed.

“Ahem.” Tōkusa Yabirō coughed twice, radiating an invisible authority that quickly quieted the crowd again.

His sharp gaze swept over the group before he spoke: “The Chunin Exams are always entered as squads. Some of you already have your teams, but others do not. Now, you may freely form groups. There’s one month until the exams begin. During that time, newly formed squads must quickly get used to working together and improve combat capabilities.”

With these words, he hefted the Blunt Sword Kabutowari and left the training ground.

Forming teams?

After hearing the order, Kisame didn’t immediately look for teammates.

Going by memory, the Konoha Genin participating this year should include Might Guy, Obito Uchiha, Kurenai Yuhi, Shizune, and their peers.

Among them, only Might Guy, his “lifelong rival,” posed a real threat.

With his current strength, even using only Water Style jutsu and unrestricted taijutsu, Kisame could easily place in the top three.

Truthfully, Kisame wasn’t particularly interested in the Chunin Exams—at most, it was just a formality.

Still, as a transmigrant to the world of Naruto, he was eager to see Konoha for himself. After all, the main characters were born there, and most of the great stories happened in that village.

Additionally, Kisame planned to gather intelligence and discreetly inquire about Konoha’s famous ninja tools, such as the Second Hokage’s Sword of Thunder or Orochimaru’s Kusanagi Blade.

These ninja tools rivaled the Seven Swords of the Mist—some were even superior.

He swore that sooner or later, he would claim them all.

While Kisame was lost in thought, beside him Mei Terumi had already received several invitations to join a team.