Uchiha Ling was probably the earliest to arrive; apart from the task squads entering and exiting Konoha's main gate, there was no one else waiting, and Ling's sudden appearance didn't startle anyone.
Previously, when Ling practiced the Flying Thunder God Technique in Konoha, she had already let them know that besides Minato Namikaze, another person in Konoha had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Ling, you've arrived quite early. For this mission, I'll have to trouble you to take good care of Kakashi and his provisional team."
Minato Namikaze instantly appeared beside Ling; both of them had left a Flying Thunder God Mark on the large tree by the roadside.
"Isn't Kakashi already a Chunin? Why does he still need to participate in the Chunin Exams?"
"Well, these Chunin Exams are different. The main purpose is to showcase the strength of the various Ninja Villages, so even if some young-looking Jonin participate in the Chunin Exams, it's acceptable."
Minato Namikaze didn't comment on such an operation. Originally, these Chunin Exams should have been a self-contained event within Konoha, but unexpectedly, the three Great Ninja Villages came up with this open conspiracy.
If Konoha didn't participate, its reputation would be damaged, with claims that it didn't dare to participate. The Daimyo of those smaller countries might then allocate mission quotas to other Ninja Villages, as Konoha would have seemingly conceded defeat.
If Konoha did participate, a shameless Ninja Village like Iwagakure, led by Ōnoki, might replace all its participating teams with Jonin.
And the Genin from Konoha who genuinely participated would face slaughter by these enemy Jonin, thereby reducing Konoha's effective forces.
Moreover, Konoha couldn't openly arrange for Jonin to participate because Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure were the initiators of these Chunin Exams, and they directly disallowed people who were older or too strong from participating.
In fact, this situation was also related to Konoha's arrangement of the Hokage going to Amegakure and supporting the Akatsuki Organization, which made Hanzō feel a crisis. Although he didn't explicitly favor those three Great Ninja Villages, there was definitely a warning to Konoha.
Ling still overestimated Hanzō's fortitude; after he grew old, he was no longer the hero who could talk down Mifune. Ling also underestimated the threat Danzo and the Akatsuki Organization posed to Hanzō.
Uh, so, in a way, these Chunin Exams were also Ling's fault. That's why the Third Hokage probably thought of this when he arranged for Ling to participate in the Chunin Exams, making her resolve this bitter outcome herself.
"Minato-nii, how many Genin teams from Konoha are participating this time, and how many are Jonin or Chunin in disguise?"
Ling didn't yet know the information about the participating teams. Logically, Konoha shouldn't be so reckless as to arrange too many Genin to participate.
"Including your team, there are a total of four teams. Among them, six people have Jonin-level strength, and the other two small teams are each assigned a Jonin for protection."
Ling's Anbu team had four people, but she knew she was participating, and the remaining two should be Shisui and the weakest person. The other person with Jonin-level strength should be disguised as the team leader.
Shisui and the others were incredibly fast, quickly arriving beside Ling while she was still distracted. It seemed they all knew Ling was the captain; perhaps the Third Hokage had instructed them.
Ling looked at the tallest person in the team, a middle-aged man in his thirties with Jonin-level Chakra and a weathered face. His clothes bore the Sarutobi clan crest: three crescent moons linked end-to-end in a character-like shape, adorned with three semicircles.
"Captain, I am Sarutobi Aoki, an Anbu Jonin, Anbu codename Green Ape. This time, I am disguised as the team-leading Jonin. I specialize in Fire Release and Wind Release. Please guide me."
Sarutobi Aoki was clearly arranged by the Third Hokage, likely out of concern that Ling, as a first-time captain, lacked experience, so he found an experienced Anbu Jonin to assist her.
"Hello everyone, I am Uchiha Ling, an Anbu Genin, codename Kyōri. I am also your captain. I specialize in the Five Elemental Ninjutsu, Sealing Technique, Medical Ninjutsu, and Sensory Ninjutsu. Please guide me."
Ling nodded to Sarutobi Aoki, then looked at Shisui, and finally at the last person, a young man of about fifteen with short, brownish-yellow hair and a resolute face.
"I am Kamikawa Shuji, Anbu Chunin codename Rock Antelope. I specialize in Taijutsu and Earth Release Ninjutsu."
Ling could tell that Kamikawa Shuji was a serious person, though she didn't see his Taijutsu proficiency, as his physique wasn't particularly strong.
"Hello everyone, I am Uchiha Shisui, Anbu Genin codename Dark Crow. I specialize in Fire Release Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Kenjutsu. Please guide me."
After the four introduced themselves, the other two surprisingly showed no doubt about Ling, a Genin, being their captain, likely because the Third Hokage had given them instructions.
"Has everyone been briefed on this mission?" Ling didn't have a mission scroll in hand, unsure what the Third Hokage was planning.
Seeing the three nod, Ling understood. "On this escort mission, there's a high probability of encountering attacks en route. So, I'll take the lead, Green Ape will bring up the rear, and Dark Crow and Rock Antelope will be responsible for support."
Ling didn't have any special arrangements. With Minato Namikaze and herself in the team, even the Kumogakure AB duo would have to leave something behind. As for bounty Ninja or Rogue Ninja, there was no need to worry at all.
"Should I place a Flying Thunder God Mark on you? It would make it easier for me to intervene in a crisis." Ling knew some people might not want a Flying Thunder God Mark placed on them, as it would be a hellish joke if they ever became enemies. However, Ling could place it on their clothes or Ninja tools.
"Ling, I'd like one. Just put it on my forehead protector." Shisui smiled. He trusted Ling completely, so he pointed to his forehead protector, asking Ling to place a mark.
"Haha, the Flying Thunder God Technique, it truly is convenient! Please, Captain, place one on my Jonin vest. In a crisis, I'll rely on you, Captain."
Sarutobi Aoki naturally knew what kind of person Ling was from the Third Hokage's words, so he didn't refuse to have a Flying Thunder God Mark placed on him.
"Me too, on my clothes." Kamikawa Shuji's words were brief, but he also had a certain level of trust in Ling.
Ling placed a Flying Thunder God Mark on each of them, one by one. This way, as long as she wasn't held back, she would be able to provide assistance in time.
Looking at the cat paw prints on the three of them, Minato Namikaze also felt a bit out of place; his own Sword of the Ninja Lover was cooler. Unfortunately, Ling had refused his designed Flying Thunder God Mark.
"Minato-sensei, huh, Ling is here too? Are you also participating in the Chunin Exams?" Obito and his two teammates quickly arrived and saw Ling, though her short stature made her easy to overlook.
"Obito-Nii, Kakashi, Rin-elder sister, hello there."
Ling turned sideways, revealing her head, and looked at the three of them with a smile.
Before they could converse, the other two teams also arrived. Ling noticed that both of their teams had a Jonin-level individual, and the other four seemed very familiar: Might Guy and Iwa Ibuse, and the other team was Shiranui Genma and Izumo Kamizuki.
It seemed they had been re-teamed. Ling remembered that Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu used to be teammates. Now, with a Jonin inserted, they naturally re-teamed. All four seemed to have Chunin-level strength, but participating in these Chunin Exams was still a bit challenging for them.
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