Ino hung on Jokichi's back, popping her head out from beside his face to look at him, her smile as bright as a spring flower.
"I knew you would come to take the exam."
Feeling the gazes directed at him, Jokichi smiled bitterly in exasperation.
He was afraid of trouble and didn't want to attract too many stares.
But looking like this now, the gazes of all the examinees had been drawn over.
Especially Naruto and Sakura.
As teammates, they naturally knew the relationship between Jokichi and Ino.
They usually envied them very much.
Now, seeing the two of them showing off their affection in public, they felt all sorts of envy, jealousy, and hate.
"So many people are watching!"
Jokichi patted Ino's small hand, signaling her to get down.
"Jokichi-kun is still so shy!" Ino giggled. "Let them watch, what does it have to do with us?"
However, she said that.
But Ino still let go and got down from Jokichi's back.
At this time, Shikamaru and Choji also walked over.
Choji was still holding a bag of snacks and eating, and Shikamaru's expression was equally listless.
These two seemed to be like this forever.
Seeing Shikamaru, Naruto's eyes lit up. He hurried over to him and asked curiously, "Shikamaru, you came to take the exam too!"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sighed, "I didn't want to come either."
"Ahaha, I knew it would be like this..."
The group started chatting as if there was no one else around. Later, Team 8 also came over to catch up.
However, it was mostly them talking and Jokichi watching from the side, just like in the classroom before.
The difference was, this time there was an Ino linking her arm with his, sticking closely together.
Inside the classroom, the other 148 people all remained silent, staring coldly at them.
Jokichi noticed the surrounding situation but said nothing.
Just a group of Genin, all of them combined weren't his match. There was absolutely no need to care.
Although he hated trouble very much, being with this group of guys, it was impossible not to be noticed.
Since I can't keep a low profile, then I might as well be high profile.
As long as I display a power that deters everything, then even if I'm high profile, no one will dare mess with me.
The group chatted for a while. Yakushi Kabuto, acting as a kind upperclassman like in the anime, came up to lecture them a bit, then gave them some exam information using his Ninja Info Cards.
Of course, he casually dropped a line about Otogakure being a minor ninja village.
Originally, this wasn't a big deal, but then Naruto stepped forward and publicly mocked everyone, drawing the hostility of all the other examinees.
The three Oto ninjas could no longer endure it and attacked one after another.
The three hunched their bodies and shuttled through the crowd, appearing in front of Naruto like phantoms. They formed seals with their left hands and threw punches with their right hands.
Yakushi Kabuto pushed Naruto away and retreated himself, preventing the enemy from pursuing.
However, a figure flashed in front, the Oto ninja trio felt a tightness in their chests, and they flew backward on the spot.
Jokichi stood in front of the group, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone in the classroom, then finally looked at the Oto ninja trio who had stood back up, his chin raised high.
"Small fry should have the self-awareness of small fry. Having no skill but a big temper, I can send you to hell right now."
"What did you say!?" Zaku, who had "Death, Death, Death" written on his clothes, was full of anger.
"I'm going to slaughter this kid."
Kin, with long straight black hair and bells tied to the ends, directly took out a senbon needle with a bell attached to it.
And the remaining one, Dosu, whose head was wrapped in bandages with only his left eye exposed and wearing a broom-like cloak, stretched out his right hand wearing a porous gauntlet and stopped the two.
"Stop." Dosu said in a deep voice, "The exam is about to start soon. This guy can't be dealt with in a short time. Let's settle this during the exam."
"Hmph! Consider yourself lucky."
Zaku and Kin indignantly put away their attacking stances.
But Jokichi smiled dismissively.
"It's okay, come at me all you want. Dealing with trash like you won't even take me a second."
Saying that, he looked at the rest of the people in the classroom and said arrogantly, "And the rest of you, if you don't like the sight of me, you can come at me together. No matter how many small fry there are, they are still small fry. Even if you all attack together, you won't be my match."
"I can't stand this."
Zaku charged out fiercely, and charging out together with him were six other people sitting in the classroom.
Three Ame ninjas, three Kusa ninjas.
Their speed was very fast, no less than Zaku's.
Even, those three Ame ninjas, looking fierce and menacing, were somewhat stronger than Zaku.
Amegakure valued this Chunin Exam very much. The two Genin teams they sent were specially selected elites; ordinary Chunin were no match for them.
But Jokichi's gaze fell on the Kusa ninjas.
Especially the one wearing a bamboo hat, with flowing long hair and a purple rope belt tied around his body.
After observing carefully, although his speed was decent, it was only at the level of a Genin.
It seems this guy hasn't been replaced by Orochimaru yet.
Jokichi breathed a slight sigh of relief internally and placed his right hand on the sword hilt at his waist.
"Die!"
Zaku had charged right up to him. He brought his hands together, aiming at Jokichi's head, revealing two pitch-black hollow tubes in his palms.
"Decapitating Air..."
Before he could finish his words, a cold current drifted through the room. Zaku in front of him was frozen into a block of ice in that instant.
Seeing this, the three Ame ninjas and Kusa ninjas hurriedly stopped in their tracks and retreated.
The cold air quickly pursued, freezing the ground and walls into ice along the way. But it was ultimately a step too late; the Ame ninjas and Kusa ninjas had already retreated back among the examinees.
Unless Jokichi wanted to take out everyone here in one breath, he had to hold back.
But if he really took out everyone here, the subsequent exams couldn't be held.
Thus, Jokichi pushed the partially drawn sword back into the scabbard.
The cold air finally stopped in front of the group of examinees.
However, looking at the podium that now resembled an ice cave, all the examinees couldn't help but gasp. Every gaze looking at Jokichi was full of wariness.
Those six Ame ninjas and Kusa ninjas who escaped disaster looked even more relieved.
If they had run a little slower just now, they would have been frozen into ice sculptures like that Oto ninja.
"As expected of the first place in this batch, this kind of power..." Rock Lee fell silent for a moment before saying, "I really should have asked him for a match."
"This kind of ninjutsu strongly counters you, right! Do you have a chance of winning?" Neji asked.
"Of course I do." Rock Lee clenched his fists confidently, the flames of fighting spirit burning in his eyes.
Tenten exclaimed in admiration, "However, that guy's personality is like two entirely different people from before!"
Neji and Lee remembered Jokichi's modesty when greeting them, compared to his arrogance and dominance now; it was completely two extremes.
On the other side, Kankuro looked astonished.
"That guy doesn't just know Wood Release, but Ice Release too?"
Temari's expression was no better, extremely solemn.
She hadn't expected that the person who defeated Gaara back then still hid such a ninjutsu.
Although Gaara still maintained an indifferent look, his eyes also showed a slight change in emotion.
Having never had a good sleep, he slept peacefully for a few days because of Jokichi.
From this perspective, he was very grateful to Jokichi.
However, as an object of fear and hatred, Gaara was very puzzled by Jokichi's situation.
Clearly possessing such a powerful enemy, why didn't anyone fear him, be afraid of him, but instead gathered around him one by one?
Confusion, envy, jealousy, hatred...
Various emotions surrounded his state of mind, ultimately turning into endless killing intent within his chaotic and disordered mind.