Naruto - The Wind Calamity

Chapter 93 : Gambling

The next morning, Fujin woke up early. He ate a few Ration bars and did some light exercises before heading to the stadium where the tournament would be held.

When he neared the stadium, he could hear multiple announcements being made over the loudspeaker. There were a lot of stalls outside the stadium. The area was very crowded. Fujin thought, 'It's almost like a fair. This world barely has any good means of entertainment. So I suppose the Chunin exams are the biggest entertainment for normal people. No wonder it's so crowded and noisy."

On entering the stadium, a guard informed him where the participants had to gather. Fujin went there and saw that all the remaining genins were already there. He walked towards Mieko and Hoka, "Hey."

Both greeted him while smirking. Hoka asked, "So, how was your training?" Fujin sighed and was about to answer, but Mieko spoke first, "No need to tell. We already know. Everyone was talking about a certain someone being carried to the hospital daily." Both Hoka and Mieko began laughing.

Fujin gave them a deadpan look. He muttered lightly but loud enough for them both to hear, "At least I was defeated by a Jounin instead of a fellow genin teammate." This interrupted their laugh.

Hoka replied, "Last time you caught me by surprise. That will never happen again!" Mieko snorted and said, "Hmph, I was injured by Hoka and you took advantage. This time you will have to fight more opponents first. I'll send you back to the hospital on sensei's shoulder!"

Fujin smirked and was about to reply when Inoichi called them and asked them to assemble at the center of the ground. Announcements were made to introduce all 9 genins to the audience.

While the announcements were made, Fujin noticed where Hiruzen was sitting. There were a few Anbu around him. But there wasn't any other Kage. Fujin analyzed, 'Hmm, no genin from Suna qualified. So no wonder their Kage didn't show up. And while Kiri genins did qualify, they don't represent the 4th Mizukage. I thought Mei might come, but it looks like either she's busy, or Hiruzen refused to host her publicly before she wins.'

Next, he checked out the important officials who were sitting with a few Daimyos. He didn't notice anyone interesting there. Lastly, he looked at a spot where a lot of familiar faces were. He noticed Ibiki, Genma, and Raido sitting next to each other, with some papers in front of them, and wondered, 'Are they the judges for the tournament?'

He recalled his discussion with Renjiro earlier.

A week ago, in the training ground : 

Fujin was resting having just fought Renjiro. Renjiro was sitting nearby as well. Fujin asked, "Who decides the chunin promotions sensei? Will it be just the proctor for the 3rd round, or do others also have a say?"

Renjiro answered, "There will be a panel of judges who will evaluate your performances during the tournament. Their decision is the most critical for getting promoted. The proctors of the 3 phases will also submit reports of their evaluation. Promotions will be based on these evaluations.

Their evaluations are sent to the Chunin Exam Supervisor, who makes the decision and sends it to the Hokage for approval."

Fujin asked, "Chunin Exam Supervisor? Who is that?"

Renjiro nodded, "He is the one who makes decisions regarding the Chunin exams. The current Chunin Exam Supervisor is a retired Elite Jounin. He is a few years older than the Sannins."

Fujin thought and said, "Okay. But don't the Jounin instructors or anyone else get a say?"

Renjiro answered, "The Jounin instructors can make recommendations. But it is very rare as the genins are their own students and it could be seen as favoritism. As for others, there are a few who can make recommendations such as the Jounin commander, Anbu commander, Village elders, and Clan heads. But again, it's very rare. They get more involved during the Jounin promotions."