The competition arena inside the tower was now filled with tense yet anticipatory faces. The Genin candidates who had successfully survived the harshness of the Forest of Death – whether with great difficulty or relatively easily – were now gathered, awaiting their next fate. On the upper balcony, the Jōnin instructors observed from a distance.
"Hehe, you have all shown remarkable abilities..."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood in the middle of the arena, his favorite pipe tucked between his fingers. His wise eyes looked at the remaining Genin.
Only a few had managed to pass, and the fact that Konoha contributed more than half of them made him, as Hokage, feel very proud.
"Shortly, we will begin the preliminary rounds for the third exam," the Third Hokage's voice echoed. "Only those who successfully pass these preliminary rounds and then win the final battles will be eligible to participate in the true third stage of the Chunin Exams, which will be held one month from now. However, before that, allow me to say a few words first…"
The smile on the Sandaime's lips widened. His mood was very good today, so he felt the need to give some additional advice to these young successors of the village.
Naruto, standing among the crowd of other Genin, felt his lips twitch restlessly for no apparent reason. He started to get a bad feeling. 'A few words?' he thought. 'Don't tell me this is going to be a very, very long speech?!'
"Hana-neechan," Naruto whispered in his mind, his eyes starting to feel heavy as the Third Hokage began his speech.
Hana chuckled softly within the seal. "Fufufu~ It seems so, Naruto-kun. Old people do tend to enjoy reminiscing and giving lots of advice. Just consider it patience training for you."
In the arena, the Third Hokage's old voice resonated, like a monotonous lullaby for some of the Genin.
"The true purpose of what is called the Chunin Exams..." Hiruzen began, "...is to demonstrate the strength and stability of our village to the Daimyō and clients from various countries..."
Naruto tried hard to look attentive, but his mind had already begun to wander.
"Patience training, huh? But this is so boring, dattebayo!" Naruto complained. "Look at that Gaara, his face looks like it's about to explode." He glanced at the red-haired Suna Genin, who stood stiffly with an increasingly dense cold aura.
"He does look impatient," Hana commented. "The chakra within him also feels unstable."
"Among the five great ninja villages, our Konoha is the most prominent in terms of military and economic strength..." the Third Hokage continued, starting to delve into the history of the village's founding.
"Our first Hokage of Konoha, Hashirama Senju, went to great lengths to pacify the difficult times of inter-clan warfare..."
"Oh, now we're onto history lessons," Naruto said, his eyes starting to half-close. "I prefer physical training to this."
"Come on, Naruto-kun, a little historical knowledge won't hurt," Hana teased. "Maybe you can learn something about the previous Hokages. Who knows, there might be a secret jutsu you can imitate."
"A secret jutsu from a speech?" Naruto snorted. "More likely I'll fall asleep and have nightmares about being chased by history books."
Hana laughed again. "You're something else. Try paying attention to the others. Look at that Uchiha, he looks calm as usual. Sakura-chan is also trying hard to take notes, such a diligent girl."
Naruto glanced at Sasuke who stood with folded arms, his face flat and expressionless. Then at Sakura who indeed looked serious listening, occasionally nodding. 'Sasuke is always like that, acting cool. Sakura-chan... she really is smart,' Naruto thought.
"Think about the several Great Ninja Wars we went through back then..." The Third Hokage now turned to the topic of war, his voice sounding heavier. The group of Genin stood in the competition field, listening to the Third Hokage talk about the true purpose of the Chunin Exams, Konoha's status, then from the First Hokage to the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who fell as a hero. The topic then circled back and began to reminisce about the glorious years between the First Great Ninja War and the Third Great Ninja War, and listed the names of heroes and great ninjas who became famous in the Ninja World after Konoha's founding.
Half an hour later, the Third Hokage was still engrossed in reminiscing about Konoha's past glory.
"Hana-neechan... isn't this going to end?" Naruto was starting to get really restless. His legs were already feeling sore. "I'm hungry again..."
"Patience, my prince, patience," Hana tried to soothe, though she herself was starting to feel a bit weary of the rambling speech. "Just think of it as part of a mental test. A Hokage has to be able to stand for hours during ceremonies, right?"
"But I'm not Hokage yet!" Naruto whined. "And I'm sure my speeches will be much more exciting and shorter, dattebayo!"
An hour later, after extensively discussing the past, the Third Hokage began to look to the future with great hope. "With talented young generations like you, I am confident that Konoha's future will be even brighter..."
"Now, this part is a little interesting," Naruto muttered, slightly intrigued when the Hokage mentioned the younger generation.
"But it seems it will still be long, Naruto-kun," Hana interjected, sensing the direction of the Hokage's speech which seemed like it would start a new loop. "Look, he's starting to discuss the importance of teamwork again, then back to the spirit of fire..."
—----------------------
An hour and a half later, the Third Hokage still showed no signs of stopping. His voice remained loud, his spirit still burning. However, the patience of the Genin in the arena had reached its limit. A small commotion began to be heard. Some Genin started whispering, others shifted their footing impatiently.
Among them, Gaara, who indeed had the most impatient and easily angered temperament, was now truly showing his displeasure. The mouth of the sand gourd on his back began to open slowly, and clumps of fine sand started to float around him, emitting a faint killing aura. His face looked very grim, and his eyes stared sharply at the Third Hokage.
Naruto, who from the moment the Third Hokage opened his mouth (after the first few minutes of trying to pay attention), was now completely engrossed in conversation with Hana in his mind, trying various ways to ignore the Grandpa Hokage's seemingly endless voice. They had even discussed what would be a delicious dinner menu if Naruto managed to become a Chunin.
Apparently, it wasn't just the Genin who were starting to lose patience. Someone from among the crowd of adults – the Jōnin and Chunin proctors – standing around the competition venue, finally mustered the courage.
"Lord Sandaime, cough... cough... cough..."
A pale-faced man with dark circles under his eyes, Gekkō Hayate, leaped out from the crowd. He took a few steps forward, covering his mouth, interrupting the Sandaime's speech with a series of severe-sounding coughs.
"Oh? Hayate? What's wrong with you? Are you sick?" the Third Hokage asked, pausing his speech for a moment, looking at Hayate with slight dissatisfaction in his eyes. 'This boy, truly unwise. Can't he see I'm enthusiastically delivering an important message?' the Sandaime thought to himself. 'So disruptive. Coughing like that, why not just be quiet and rest?'
"couuugh..... Lord Sandaime," Hayate bowed respectfully, though his face grew paler. "As the proctor appointed to lead the preliminary round of this third stage of the Chunin Exams, please allow me to handle the subsequent work!" he said in a voice that was somewhat hoarse but firm.
Hayate looked at the Sandaime very seriously, even a little pleadingly. He really couldn't bear to listen to the Sandaime's lecture any longer. It had been almost two hours! If allowed to continue, he worried his lungs would completely give out.
The Sandaime frowned. "Very well, Hayate. But your health doesn't look good. You should rest first before working. I also still have some important things I want to convey to them!" the Third Hokage asserted, still reluctant to end his speech, which he considered very inspiring. 'This boy really can't read the situation. I'm in high spirits!'
"Hehe, cough, cough, Lord Sandaime, you don't need to worry about me," Hayate replied, trying to smile though it was difficult. "I'm still young, my body can still endure. It is you who works day and night tirelessly for Konoha, you need rest more than I do!"
Hayate faced the Sandaime's unfriendly gaze, took a deep breath, then said, clenching his teeth slightly, as if gathering all his courage: "Don't worry, Lord Sandaime, I will ensure this task proceeds perfectly and according to your expectations!"
"..."
The Sandaime looked at Hayate calmly for a few seconds, the aura around him feeling slightly oppressive. The Jōnin in the stands held their breath. Finally, after a silence that felt suffocating, the Third Hokage sighed softly and uttered the word "Alright" from between his teeth, his tone clearly still a little annoyed.
As the Third Hokage turned and walked with slightly forceful steps towards the exclusive Hokage seat in the stands, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and several other Jōnin who knew Gekkō Hayate better, secretly gave him a thumbs-up from a distance. 'That's a true warrior! Daring to interrupt the big boss's speech when he's fired up!' they thought with admiration and a bit of amusement.
The Sandaime walked towards his seat with displeasure, secretly starting to think of ways to 'teach Hayate a lesson' later. 'If I remember correctly, this poor boy seems to have a lover, right? And if I'm not mistaken, his lover is an ANBU member. Hmm, alright, it's happily decided! I'll send his lover on a very long business trip mission later, so he won't have time for romance and disturbing important people's concentration anymore!' the Sandaime thought with a hidden, cunning smile.
"Couuugh... couuugh... couuugh..."
Hayate turned, now directly facing the group of Genin before him. A heart-wrenching cough once again sounded from his dry throat.
"Hello... cough... everyone. I am Gekkō Hayate. I will be... cough... the host for the preliminary round of the third exam which will begin shortly. Let's... cough... discuss participant statistics first. If any candidate feels... cough... not in good physical or mental condition, they may choose to... cough... withdraw now..."
"..."
The group of Genin candidates stared at Hayate's pale skin, his gaunt face, and the dark circles under his eyes that made him look like he had just pulled an all-nighter for a week or perhaps suffered from chronic kidney deficiency.
They all simultaneously thought, 'The one in the worst condition isn't you, Mr. Proctor?!'
Especially his incessant coughing, it made everyone wonder inwardly whether the proctor named Hayate would cough up blood or suddenly faint in the next second.
Seeing Gekkō Hayate, who had bravely saved them all from the Third Hokage's long scolding, like a savior god descending from heaven, Naruto and Hana in his mind couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up (in their imagination).
"He's a true warrior, Hana-neechan!" Naruto whispered full of admiration. "Not only did he dare to interrupt Grandpa Hokage's speech, but he did it so persistently!"
"Fufufu~ That's right, Naruto-kun. We must learn from his spirit," Hana replied, also impressed by Hayate's courage.