Chapter 179: Power Rankings? No, Just a List of Cringe-Worthy Nicknames

“Konoha really is generous!” “These rules are pretty fair. As expected of the number one village—they’re showing real class. They’re even treating their own village the same as everyone else. Just for that, I respect them.” “Well… it has its pros and cons.” The room buzzed with discussion, with the smaller villages showing more appreciation overall. After all, making it to the third wave of eliminations would now qualify participants for the rank of chūnin. In other words— Each wave of eliminations was a grueling trial. Those who failed could be disqualified at best, and at worst… Die. Sёarᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Small villages never had strong ninja to begin with. If they ran into a top-tier team early on, they’d be crushed instantly. But with this new draw system, at least they had a sliver of hope. For the major villages, it wasn’t a bad deal either. Sure, assigning two average genin to every “genius” ninja could hold the genius back, but if that prodigy could still carry the whole squad to the third round… Then— The chances of their village producing more chūnin would shoot up dramatically. Of course… That meant more than just raw strength—it would test each squad’s leadership and coordination. That was the true focus of the exam. Very different from how the villages typically ran things themselves. Outside the arena, nobles and some weaker ninja who didn’t have the strength or status to enter the inner viewing area couldn’t really grasp the implications behind the rules. But then— A voice rang out. “I believe many of you have noticed by now,” “Ordinarily, chūnin exams are arranged based on registered teams. But…” “This time, we’re not only valuing individual strength. Genius ninja often don’t have strong teammates. In such cases, teamwork and leadership become key.” Kyoichi’s voice echoed across both the inner and outer arenas. Inside, the elite ninja fell silent. This kind of thing… If they didn’t already realize it, they had no business leading genin teams. However… Their confusion only lasted a moment before they realized: Kanda Kyoichi wasn’t talking to them—he was explaining it for the sponsors outside. Those people definitely wouldn’t get it. To the trained eye, there’s depth; to the untrained, it’s just a show. Outside, the nobles had looked bored, unable to understand why the drawing phase had stirred so much unrest among the genin. And since the screens had no sound… They hadn’t grasped a thing. But now they did. So that’s what it was about. --- “Kyoichi-kun really is working hard,” Orochimaru chuckled from within the observation hall. The viewing room— Kyoichi had truly thought of everything. He even anticipated that the nobles wouldn’t understand the matches. Making money sure isn’t easy! “If you think I’m working hard, then help out. Otherwise, stop with the peanut gallery commentary.” Kyoichi shut off his radio and couldn’t help but roast Orochimaru. The guy had been yammering endlessly on the side, but when it was time to actually say something, he suddenly went mute. Unbelievable! “Heh… my voice might frighten the nobles. Better to stay quiet, don’t you think?” Orochimaru waved his hand. But… Catching Kyoichi’s glare, he sighed in resignation. “Fine. Sitting here doing nothing isn’t right either…” His gaze sharpened. He scanned the five crystal balls before him. Four of the crystal balls were shifting between scenes. Using ninjutsu, Orochimaru manipulated them to observe each area, looking for ninja worth watching. “Good, let’s start with Yugito.” Kyoichi had him lock onto Yugito’s screen and began introducing her background and abilities to the nobles. Naturally, most of them didn’t really understand what he was saying. But that didn’t matter. Phrases like “the aloof flower in the clouds” and “a vessel of the feline demon, brave and wise”—as chūnibyō as they sounded—instantly gave her an air of importance, even though she was just a genin. A covered his face with a hand. He didn’t mind letting others know Yugito’s identity, but those descriptions were just too… much. He didn’t even know how to react. “The aloof flower in the clouds…” Everyone else was holding back laughter—even Yagura had a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Yugito, unaware, was calmly observing her surroundings, completely oblivious to the over-the-top nickname now attached to her. Next moment— The screen switched. Yagura wasn’t smiling anymore—because it was Kirigakure’s turn. “The Kiri’s greatest prodigy.” “The child adored by the Seven Ninja Swords.” You’ve got to be kidding me. Yugito just got a cheesy nickname. But this? You’re putting me right on the spit and turning the fire up! The Kiri’s greatest prodigy? The child adored by the Seven Ninja Swords? Hell no! Three of the Seven Swords are currently in your village, and the other three were so unimpressed they returned them! Besides— The Seven Swordsmen got wrecked by Kyoichi. So even if you’re “adored,” what’s there to be proud of? Yagura’s lip twitched. Because the next image… was another Kirigakure ninja. Mei Terumi. “The dazzling flower of the mist.” Yagura wanted to jump up and stop it, but seeing everyone else’s amused expressions, he could only mimic A—facepalm, sigh, and suffer in silence. Of course… By this point, A was already over it. Because he realized— Kirigakure had it way worse. Two of their ninja made the list. And without a doubt— Those on the “list” were the ones the exams would focus on. Their teams would get extra screen time, which meant more chances to expose intel. Then the screen changed again—to another Kiri-nin. Yagura couldn’t take it anymore. “Tsunade-hime, don’t you think this is a bit much? The first two, fine… but this one?” He was exasperated and confused. Mangetsu and Mei, fine—maybe their identities had been leaked. But Zabuza? Even he hadn’t seen anything particularly special from him yet. Strong? Sure, but not on par with Mangetsu or Mei. “Well…” Tsunade pondered how to answer, but just then, a cringe-inducing line flashed across the screen. “The wind’s elf, the dancing swallow.” Sarutobi Asuma! “Yagura-san, as you can see, this is clearly a misunderstanding. The footage is only showing your team because they happened to be in that location.” Tsunade was quick on her feet and jumped in to clarify. Yagura was left speechless. Kanda Kyoichi… What a madman. He even threw his own student onto that list. With a nickname like that, Asuma was definitely going to hold a grudge one day! And there were still plenty of people left on the list. Shisui was on it too, of course. After thinking it over, Kyoichi decided to just use his original title: Shisui of the Body Flicker. At least that one sounded normal. Later, Samui from Kumogakure appeared on the list, as did a few from Iwagakure and Sunagakure—two from each. The smaller villages didn’t have anyone listed. Not that they complained. In fact… The listed villages didn’t feel honored at all. If anything, they wished Kyoichi would tear the damn list down. Too bad that wasn’t going to happen. Because next, Kyoichi explained it all very clearly: “These ninja are some of the most outstanding elites in this year’s chūnin exams. We’ll be focusing our footage more on their teams—please look forward to it.” Obviously— These were the “anchors” of the broadcast. Focal points to help with camera switching and coverage. People understood that. But being spotlighted meant your skills—and your secrets—would be laid bare. And there was no way to argue against it. Because— That madman Kanda Kyoichi even put both of his own students on the list, leaving everyone at a loss for words. If either of them choked, it’d be an embarrassment broadcast across the entire ninja world. All anyone could say was— This guy really was confident! Of course… Everyone else was in the same boat. If your star player got knocked out in round one? Now that would be the ultimate joke. Ebizō slipped out quietly to take a look at the outer arena. Good grief! The atmosphere was absolutely buzzing. A whole crowd of nobles were holding fruits and snacks like they were at the movies—every one of them enjoying themselves immensely. In fact, the festivities outside were even flashier than the ones inside— Konoha had invited several performance troupes for music and dance. They’d already stepped off stage by now, but with his sharp eyes, Ebizō spotted the performers still mingling below, decked out in their makeup and costumes. “Now that’s how you make money.” He saw it clearly, and couldn’t help but admire it in his heart. Kanda Kyoichi had the psychology of these nobles and commoners down to a science. He knew exactly what mattered. Ninja battles? Intelligence gathering? What would nobles know about any of that? All they cared about was whether it looked good. These “edgy code names” were really just a way to make the audience remember the contestants—so when the exams began, they’d actually know who to look for. It was like… A ninja war suddenly had the Three Legendary Shinobi—or even the Five Kage—mixed in. Even an idiot would recognize that. Ebizō observed in silence, quietly savoring Kyoichi’s money-making brilliance. Since Rasa came to power, he’d gradually been stripping the old generation of their authority, diminishing the influence of the elders. That was one of the reasons he and Chiyo had been considering retirement. But now… He’d found a new purpose. Money! He’d start studying how to make money and bring prosperity to the village! So... He stayed outside. No intention of going back in. “Right now, you’re seeing an overhead view of the entire testing field. In a moment, the signal flares will mark the entrances...” The words had barely left his mouth— Boom! Signal flares burst in the sky. There were twenty of them in total, five teams entering from each gate. And the instant the fireworks bloomed, the display was already showing signs of jutsu being activated— Mist, crashing waves, bursts of flame—everything. They had only just entered, and the teams were already clashing. “Orochimaru, when you see anyone from the list getting into action, cut the feed to them right away. I’ll handle commentary.” “Got it…” Orochimaru licked his lips. The next moment— He switched the feed to Mei Terumi. Her team had the “bad luck” of running into Samui’s squad from Kumogakure. A true showdown between seeded teams! “You’re now watching the Mei Terumi squad versus Samui’s team. Clearly, the Kumo-nin have studied Kiri-style techniques—they’re not panicking at all. In fact, it looks like they’ve already predicted Mei’s team’s escape route…” “Wait—what’s this?!” “Lava Release—A Kekkei Genkai technique!” Lava Release? The entire arena, inside and out, erupted in a chorus of gasps. A Kekkei Genkai. Mei Terumi had actually mastered a Kekkei Genkai technique. All eyes immediately turned toward Kirigakure— Mei had just revealed a glimpse of her true strength. The ranking board's value had just shot up considerably. Yagura sighed softly. He’d known this would happen. Fortunately, Mei still had one more jutsu she hadn’t used yet. Hopefully… she wouldn’t. He let out a silent sigh in his heart. “A Kekkei Genkai, huh?” A narrowed his eyes. Kirigakure clearly had a deep foundation. They couldn’t be underestimated. Hopefully Samui wouldn’t get careless. If she stayed calm… “Mhm, Samui’s already pulling her team back—very decisive, extremely composed. If every Kumo-nin were this cool-headed, they’d be downright terrifying.” Who the hell are you mocking?! A flared up in rage—!