The moment Aoshi laid eyes on the group of Kumo shinobi, he immediately recognized Killer Bee. After all, he was the Eight-Tails jinchūriki featured prominently in the original story and had a close relationship with the protagonist, Uzumaki Naruto.
When Naruto was learning to control the Nine-Tails' power, Killer Bee played a significant role in helping him.
Moreover, the original work even showed glimpses of Killer Bee's childhood. With his signature sunglasses from a young age, he left a lasting impression on Aoshi.
As for the one who spoke just now, it wasn't Killer Bee—it was his companion.
That Kumo shinobi looked at Aoshi, who had stepped forward, still wearing a scornful expression, clearly not taking Aoshi seriously.
"Seriously, old guy? You actually believed that crap from the Sand brat? You really think you're the strongest one here?"
Although Aoshi was older than them, he certainly wasn't old enough to be called "old guy." Completely ignoring the rude words from the Kumo genin, Aoshi turned his gaze to their jonin leader.
"Is this how all Kumo shinobi behave? Don't forget—this is Konoha, not Kumogakure!"
It wasn't that Aoshi was afraid of a fight—he had already sensed the presence of ANBU nearby.
This area was one of the busiest in all of Konoha, with countless ordinary villagers passing through. The ANBU would never allow anyone to start trouble here.
And if things dragged on, even the Uchiha's Military Police Force would be drawn to the scene.
"This is Konoha. If a disturbance breaks out, your team's participation in the Chunin Exams will be revoked immediately."
Sure enough, before the Kumo shinobi could respond, a group of Konoha ANBU appeared and issued a stern warning.
"Apologies! This is all a misunderstanding—we just came here to eat."
The Kumo jonin leading the group quickly stepped in to explain, then grabbed Killer Bee and the others and led them away in haste.
They were on an official mission in Konoha—if they were disqualified from the exams, how would they carry it out? Still, even as they left, the same Kumo genin couldn't resist throwing out one final provocation.
"Old Guy, better pray you don't run into us during the exam! You won't even need to face the real strongest—Killer Bee. I, Motoi, will be enough to take you down!"
Aoshi, of course, didn't take those words to heart. After all, why would an elephant care about the provocation of an ant? It was nothing more than a joke—something to chuckle at and move on.
After exchanging a few words with Pakura and her group, Aoshi also left the scene.
A short while later, after walking around the village a bit more, Pakura's team returned to their lodging.
"Let me tell you all—there's a Konoha shinobi named Aoshi, and he's incredibly strong. Without a doubt, he's the strongest genin in this entire Chunin Exam. If you run into him, don't act recklessly."
Goke took the initiative to warn the others, not wanting Masaki and his fellow Suna shinobi to get hurt.
But when Rasa overheard that comment, he scoffed coldly. "The exams haven't even begun, and you're already praising the enemy? Masaki, if you do encounter this Aoshi, you had better not bring shame upon our village!"
Among the six genin representing Sunagakure, Masaki was the strongest, highly proficient in Wind Release techniques.
In Rasa's eyes, Masaki wasn't just the strongest Suna genin—he was the most powerful genin of all. That's why he issued such a command.
But Goke immediately objected. "That Aoshi you're talking about is the one who defeated Lady Pakura. No matter how strong Masaki is, there's no way he can win!"
Ironically, those words didn't make Rasa withdraw his command. Instead, they only made him even more displeased. His displeasure wasn't directed at Goke—it was aimed at Pakura.
In Rasa's opinion, although Pakura wasn't as strong as him, she was still a jonin. Yet she'd carelessly lost to a Konoha genin, causing the mission to fail.
To him, that was a disgrace to Sunagakure. This incident was the very reason Rasa harbored deep resentment toward Pakura.
"Pakura, discipline your subordinates properly. Don't let them humiliate the village the way you did." With those harsh words, Rasa left with Masaki in tow.
He planned to put Masaki through special training before the Chunin Exams officially began.
While Rasa didn't truly believe Aoshi was that strong, the fact remained: he had defeated Pakura—even if it was due to her carelessness.
That alone proved he had some real ability and thus couldn't be underestimated.
"Masaki, remember this—no matter who you face, never let your guard down. You carry the honor of Sunagakure."
"And once the Chunin Exams begin, you must defeat Aoshi and restore our village's pride!"
"Yes, sir!" Masaki responded immediately to Rasa's command.
Over the following days, Masaki learned what true hardship meant. His training was pushed to the absolute limit. By the time he collapsed onto his bed at night, he would fall asleep the moment he shut his eyes.
It was grueling, but the results spoke for themselves. Masaki could feel his strength growing rapidly.
Meanwhile, the Kumo ninja were quietly investigating everything they could about Uzumaki Kushina. But to avoid attracting Konoha's attention, they acted with extreme caution—which limited their progress significantly.
---
And just like that, in the blink of an eye, several days passed.
All genin set to participate in the joint Chunin Exams had arrived in Konoha. That meant the long-anticipated Chunin Exams—grand in scale and significance—were officially underway!
Having already applied for leave from Minako, Aoshi woke up early that morning, strapped on the ninja blade he had retrieved from the weapons shop the day before, and made his way straight to the Ninja Academy.
That was the location of the first exam, and also the designated meeting place he had agreed on with Kushina.
"Aoshi! Over here!" As soon as he arrived outside the academy, he saw Kushina enthusiastically waving both hands at him. Her vivid red hair made her hard to miss.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"No worries, I actually just got here myself."
Kushina lived in the Senju Clan compound, which was very close to the Ninja Academy. Unlike Aoshi, whose home was located outside Konoha's main neighborhood, making his commute longer.
"Alright, let's go inside."
Soon, the two of them stepped into the examination room for the first test. At a glance, there were a total of 189 genin participating in this year's exam.
Konoha had 87 participants, Sunagakure and Kumogakure had 30 each, and Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Amegakure each had 9. The remaining participants came from other small hidden villages.
Thankfully, the exam hall was large enough—otherwise, there wouldn't be room for everyone.
Scanning the room, Aoshi noticed that there weren't many familiar faces. At the same time, both Motoi and Masaki—who had previously challenged or confronted him—were also eyeing him with interest.
Just as they were about to approach and speak to Aoshi, the proctors for the first round arrived.
"All examinees, immediately find your assigned seat and sit down. The first written test will begin shortly. Anyone who fails to comply will be disqualified."
The moment those words were spoken, the noisy room instantly fell silent.
Seeing this, the chief examiner finally nodded in satisfaction. "Next, I will explain the rules of the exam. Everyone, listen carefully."