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Thanks to the relentless promotional efforts of the five great nations, news of the first-ever Joint Chunin Exams spread like wildfire throughout the Shinobi World.
Tickets at the Otogakure Do ticketing center sold out almost imdiately.
Advertising slots were snapped up by wealthy rchants, acting like sharks drawn to blood, bidding astronomical sums.
The top advertising spot fetched a staggering one billion ryō, shocking everyone.
This convinced the daimyo of the four great nations, who had been skeptical of Konoha's business plans, to fully commit. Following Konoha's lead truly ant... prosperity.
———
The competitions for ordinary citizens had already begun within the Otogakure Do.
However, even the participants themselves seed uninterested. While the stadium was filled with enthusiastic spectators, the discussions and excitent paled in comparison to the anticipation surrounding the upcoming Chunin Exams.
Take the 100-ter dash, the most popular event among ordinary citizens. The record, set by a robust individual from the Land of Lightning, was 9.58 seconds.
But how did this compare to ninja standards? It barely reached the level of a Genin. In the ninja academy, such a ti would earn one the title of "dead last." If the graduation requirent was based on running speed, the peak performance of an ordinary human might not even be enough to graduate.
For this reason, the ordinary citizens' competitions lacked even a proper opening ceremony. They served rely as appetizers, warm-up acts for the main event.
Everyone knew the real spectacle was the Chunin Exams!
———
Every day, the Fire Gas Organizing Committee's registration center received a flood of applications from smaller hidden villages.
Despite the risk of being overshadowed, Genin from these villages eagerly sought to showcase their villages' strengths in the Joint Chunin Exams, hoping to attract sponsors and investors for their impoverished hos.
The Otogakure administration announced the construction of the "Fire Gas Village," providing free accommodation for all participating ninja during the event.
However, those wishing to train during the exams would have to pay for access to the training grounds and gyms surrounding the Fire Gas Village.
The ninja training grounds and gyms near the Otogakure Do buzzed with activity, radiating an intense martial atmosphere.
The density of ninja was astounding. If you threw a kunai out the window, seven out of the ten people it hit would likely be ninja.
———
The newspaper industry also flourished amidst this martial fervor.
The Otogakure Publishing House, in collaboration with the Konoha Welfare Lottery, launched a new publication: Ninja Today.
Ninja Today featured a special Fire Gas edition, utilizing inside information from the registration center to reveal the list of participants in advance.
It devoted extensive coverage to the key Genin from each village, providing detailed analyses and reasonable assessnts... Most importantly, at the end of each analysis, it included the betting odds provided by the Konoha Welfare Lottery departnt.
This piqued the interest of gamblers.
Of course, these odds weren't updated in real-ti. The director of the Konoha Welfare Lottery would adjust the odds based on the betting patterns.
———
Inside a small Konoha Welfare Lottery outlet, gamblers huddled together, cigarettes dangling from their lips, poring over copies of Ninja Today, analyzing the information.
"Let's see who the featured ninja are today..."
"Otogakure, Kidōmaru. a third eye under his headband? Proficient in spider-based ninjutsu? Damn, Otogakure ninja are strong? I thought most Genin were still stuck on the three basic jutsu. How is this guy already mastering ninjutsu?"
"Otogakure, Sakon and Ukon. Conjoined twins? Taijutsu masters, capable of shattering rock with a single blow? Tough custors~"
"Majide sugoi~" (Seriously aweso~)
"Iwagakure, Deidara. Four years old. Creates explosive clay, power unknown? Haha, a four-year-old brat playing with explosive clay? Does it pack more punch than my kid's firecrackers? Iwagakure must be desperate if they're calling a four-year-old mud-pie maker a Genin."
"Majide sugoi~" (Seriously aweso~)
"Kirigakure, Zabuza. Fifteen years old. Proficient in the three basic jutsu, skilled with a large sword? Hmm... this one seems normal, but isn't fifteen a bit old to still be a Genin? Unimpressive..."
Having read nurous profiles of prodigies in Ninja Today, the gamblers' standards had beco quite high.
"Sunagakure, Temari. Five years old? Proficient in the three basic jutsu, uses wind-style ninjutsu with ninja tools."
"Hiss—can't argue with this one. I've heard of Temari. Isn't she the daughter of the Fourth Kazekage, who was assassinated recently? They call her the Pearl of Suna, a genius ninja."
"Sunagakure, Tōgo. Ten years old. Proficient in his father's kekkei genkai, Master of taijutsu, the three basic jutsu, and shurikenjutsu... Impressive."
"Kumogakure, Omoi and Karui. Both ten years old. Students of Killer B, from the Kumo's 'A-B Brothers.' Proficient in taijutsu and kenjutsu..."
"Konoha, Uchiha Itachi, five years old. Proficient in the three basic jutsu and shurikenjutsu."
Lively discussion erupted in the lottery outlet.
"I think Otogakure's Kidōmaru and Sakon/Ukon, and Sunagakure's Temari and Tōgo, are the ones to watch~"
"What about Konoha's Uchiha Itachi? Aren't Uchiha ninja supposed to be unbeatable at their level?"
"Fool! The Uchiha are powerful because of their eyes. They can see through enemy movents, copy ninjutsu and taijutsu, and possess resistance to genjutsu." A gambler adorned with a gold chain rattled off the information gleaned from Ninja Today.
He spoke of "ability scores," "Nin: 1, Tai: 2, Gen: 3, Int: 4..." incomprehensible jargon to most.
But because it sounded technical, he quickly beca the resident expert among the gamblers.
——
Just as the gamblers were itching to place their bets, the lottery outlet staff posted the latest competition schedule.
[ Tomorrow・Fire Gas・Joint Chunin Exams・First Round・Written Exam ]
[ Which village will have the highest pass rate in the first round? ]
[ Single Bet ]
[ Odds: ... ]
"Huh?" The gamblers were stunned. Soone asked incredulously, "Wait, the first round is a written exam? Ninja have to take written tests?"
"Brother, what do you think? How should we bet?"
The gold-chained gambler scratched his head. He had no idea. Ninja Today hadn't ntioned anything about the villages' academic prowess.
"I know this one!" Soone volunteered, raising his hand eagerly. "I read about it in Iki! Konoha's Chunin Exam papers have the answers on the back!"
"What does that an?"
"It ans the answers are probably printed on the back of the test papers! It's a test of whether a ninja is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goal, to complete the mission!"
The man declared confidently, "The exam described in Iki was for selecting Hokage Tower officials... but this Chunin Exam is for selecting actual Chunin!"
"Since Konoha is hosting the Joint Chunin Exams, they're likely responsible for creating the test."
"Ninja live to complete missions... So, I believe the answers are on the back. It's a test of whether the participating Genin possess the determination to set aside personal feelings and prioritize the mission!"
The gold-chained gambler's mind opened up. It wasn't about which village's ninja were smarter, but which village's ninja were more ruthless, more willing to bend the rules to succeed.
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