The Tsuchikage and his team followed the Konoha ninjas for a while before they entered a large residence, where the Hokage was waiting to greet them.
"Welcome, Tsuchikage. I'm glad you've come to witness the Chunin exam," the Hokage said, offering a warm smile.
"It's an important event for the genin, and I had to be here," the Tsuchikage replied.
"Well, since you've just arrived, let me give you a quick rundown of the Chunin exam. There will be three trials in total, and the entire exam will span several days. I believe that's all you need to know for now," the Hokage continued.
"Thank you for the information, Hokage," the Tsuchikage said, nodding in acknowledgment.
"Ah, I forgot to mention—you're the first Kage to arrive. Why aren't the others here yet?" the Tsuchikage asked, curious.
"The Kazekage is too busy; he sent a letter explaining his absence. The Raikage also said he would be here in a few days," the Tsuchikage replied.
"Understood. Well, now that your genin have arrived, the Chunin exam should be starting soon," the Hokage remarked.
"Aren't we going to keep an eye on them?" the Tsuchikage asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The first two trials are not really ones we can observe, so it's better to wait for the third trial, which was designed to be watched. It's acceptable if we can witness the final outcome," the Hokage explained.
"We still have some free time. What do you think about discussing a few matters, Hokage?" the Tsuchikage asked, eager to engage in conversation.
"We can chat, but what about?" the Hokage replied, intrigued.
"We could talk about the future, how we perceive it—whether it will be better or worse, if there will be peace or conflict," the Tsuchikage suggested thoughtfully.
"An interesting topic," the Hokage mused. "I'll have a servant bring us tea so we can converse in a more comfortable setting."
Meanwhile, the genin were preparing for the first trial of the Chunin exam.
After being separated from the Tsuchikage, Zato, Iwame, Okura, Togi, Asato, and Mata were escorted to the area where the other genin were waiting. The Konoha ninjas who guided them told them they would need to wait until the exam began.
Despite the genin being ready to start, the exam did not begin immediately. They waited for the examiner, who was still not present. As time passed, the genin observed other teams from different villages, noting that every squad appeared to be quite strong, which suggested the exam would be challenging for everyone involved.
After about 15 minutes, a man in his forties walked up in front of the genin and addressed them. "All of you are finally here. Let's not waste any more time. The first trial starts now. Follow me."
For the first trial, the examiner instructed the genin to follow him as he raced toward a specific area. "Oh, and along the way, some ninja teams have set traps, so be careful not to step into one," he added before sprinting off.
The genin were momentarily stunned but quickly realized the exam had already begun. After a brief pause, the entire group started running, trying to keep up with the instructor.
Team E was one of the first to start following the examiner. After a few minutes of sprinting, they left the plain and began hopping from tree to tree, staying vigilant for any traps.
As they ran through the dense forest, the traps became harder to spot, and the instructor didn't slow down, making it difficult to avoid them while maintaining speed. They watched as some genin from other teams fell into explosive traps or other snares set by the examiner.
Three hours into the trial, the forest began to thin out, making the traps easier to see. Unfortunately, during a jump from tree to tree, Asato from Team Y stepped into an explosive trap. He managed to jump backward just in time to minimize the impact, but the explosion still knocked him out. His teammates had to check on him before continuing, marking the first failure of the exam from Iwa.
In contrast, Team E, led by the strong Okura, was faring well. Okura's sharp reflexes allowed her to avoid every trap. However, fatigue was starting to set in, and they weren't sure how much longer they could keep up. Luckily, after another hour of intense running, the instructor finally came to a halt in a small clearing.
The first team to reach the instructor was a team from Kumo, followed by a team from Konoha, and third was Team E from Iwa. Gradually, the other teams began to arrive, although some were missing members. After 15 minutes of waiting, the instructor spoke.
"All teams present here will advance to the next trial. The only ones who didn't make it are one genin from Iwa, two from Suna, and one from Konoha. Out of the 24 participants, only 20 remain."
While only four genin failed the first trial, the second trial was specifically designed to reduce the number of participants even further.
The instructor grinned, knowing that after the second trial, at least half of the remaining genin would be eliminated, making his job easier. The genin who failed the trial—likely injured or unconscious—would be tended to by the medical team.
History of Kumo ( from wiki )
Kumogakure was founded after the Warring States Period by the First Raikage. Shortly after the formation of their villages, Konoha's First Hokage sold tailed beasts to Kumo as a sign of friendship and to ensure a balance of power amongst their new villages. The Second Raikage and Second Hokage later tried to formally agree to peace between their villages, but the ceremony was interrupted by the Gold and Silver Brothers and the Hokage was nearly killed. Konoha and Kumo ended up on opposing sides during the First Shinobi World War, with Kumo's Kinkaku Force killing the Second Hokage. Decades later, during the Third Shinobi World War, Kumo and Konoha would fight again, often with A on Kumo's side and Minato Namikaze on Konoha's. Following the death of the Third Raikage in a battle against 10,000 opposing shinobi, A succeeded him as the Fourth.