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Minato looked at Obito and Rin with a gentle smile. The two young genin stood ready in their combat outfits, looking determined but also a little nervous before their big matches.
"Do your best you two. You two have done your best in the past month so do not worry even if you fail," Minato said encouragingly.
He wanted them to feel supported no matter what happened in the arena. Obito puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Do not worry sensei. I will win this whole Chunin Exams." His voice was full of confidence and energy as he clenched his fists.
Kushina who was nearby snorted with amusement. "Well not unless you manage to defeat that cute boy Shunsui."
Minato looked embarrassed at his wife supporting a kid that was not part of his team. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly while Obito turned to argue.
"Hey, whose side are you on!!" Obito argued loudly.
"Of course, I want Shunsui to win. He is such a cute boy unlike you Obito baka," Kushina said as if it was a matter of fact.
Before Obito could argue with Kushina further which Minato knew would end very badly, he teleported both Rin and Obito to the participants area with a flash.
Then he came back to teleport Kushina and Kakashi to the stands to watch the Chunin Exams.
As they arrived at the stands, he could see the entire stadium was jam packed with not a single seat empty. People from the village and visitors from other lands filled every corner, talking excitedly about the upcoming fights.
Minato looked at the VIP booth where the Hokage sat with the other seats empty. 'The Mizukage chose not to come huh,' Minato thought.
He then turned to see two Kiri jonin standing with the Kiri genin. 'But they did send two of the Swordsmen of the Mist. Two of the strongest ones at that. Juzo Biwa and Fuguki Suikazan,' he thought before he was snapped out of his thoughts by Kakashi. "Do I really need to be here?" Kakashi asked with a groan.
"You have to cheer up your teammates Kakashi. They have worked hard to reach this stage," Minato said patiently.
"Anyone can become a chunin. It is nothing special. I did it when I was half their age and half their height," Kakashi said with a snort.
Minato could only wryly smile. 'Well not everyone is a genius like you Kakashi. They have to work harder.'
Kushina gruffed, "Ugh, I completely forgot that the old man gives a speech before the start of the fights. We should have come after an hour or so because that is how long the speech is going to be. I could have done the laundry in this time."
She crossed her arms and pouted like a child who was been forced to sit through a long lesson.
Minato could again wryly smile. 'I will have to look out for her. I am pretty sure if Lord Third does not complete his speech quickly, Kushina would have no qualms of shouting at him in front of everyone.'
And as Kushina expected, Hiruzen got up, gave his speech and walked to the edge of his balcony then infused chakra into his voice.
"Today we have gathered to witness the young generation's skills..." Hiruzen spoke with warmth and pride in his voice. He looked over the crowd.
"I, or rather Konoha, hope that with the young generation of Konoha exchanging pointers with genin of other villages it could help establish a sort of relationship with other villages." He said this part while looking at the Kiri corner with a meaningful gaze since they were the only village that managed to reach the last round along with Konoha shinobi.
Hiruzen continued with passion. "This is also to show the world that the Konoha future generation is not weak by any means. The villages that we are currently facing in the war would cower at the sight of our bright young talents standing tall and proud."
His voice grew stronger, filling the stadium with energy. "This is also a tribute to those who are currently fighting or have lost their lives on the battlefield. Their lives were not meaningless. Their Will of Fire that once protected the young generation, they could now see the same Will of Fire but much bigger burning in this young generation."
The crowd listened in respectful silence as the Hokage honored the fallen shinobi. "Every sacrifice made by our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters has led to this moment. These children carry their dreams and their strength forward."
Hiruzen's words touched many hearts in the stands. "Let us cheer for them not just as fighters but as the hope of our village and the future of the shinobi world."
Minato could see that the speech had the desired effect as everyone in the crowd from Konoha roared in cheers.
The energy in the stadium was electric now, with people clapping and shouting support for the young genin. He then looked at the stage where the proctor for the exam which to his surprise was Orochimaru san.
'Was he not the proctor of the second exam?' He shook his head from the thoughts as Orochimaru san announced the first match.
"First battle is between Shunsui Kyōraku from Konoha against Mangetsu Hozuki from Kiri."
He saw Shunsui the weird boy with abnormal levels of chakra and an even abnormal clothing walking to the centre of the arena. And his opponent, a white greyish hair boy coming to meet him.
Before he could think further, he had to hide his face in embarrassment similar to Kakashi as Kushina was drumrolling some utensils as she shouted, "GO GO SHUNSUI!!" She had somehow brought a pair of chopsticks and was banging them together like drumsticks while cheering loudly.
"Show them that pink is the color of victory! Beat that sword boy into the ground Shunsui-chan!!"
"Kushina, maybe a little quieter," Minato whispered, but she was too excited to listen.
------Author Notes---------
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