Just like the previous generations, the genin in Boruto were asked to participate in the Chunin Exams. The exams always have several stages. Ninja have to demonstrate the ability to work as a team and to stand out as individuals. Any ninja who shows incredible skills might be promoted to chunin rank.
Though many take the test, few seem to be given the promotion. The test is about more than simply passing. It is about impressing the higher-ranking ninja with their skill. The Chunin Exams give every genin a chance to show why they are worthy of being promoted to the next level. Some genin even manage to show incredible skill that goes well beyond their young ages.
10 Inojin Wasn't Able To Overcome Araya's Strategy
Unlike the rest of his team, Inojin didn't really stand out during the early stages of the Chunin Exams. He didn't have Shikamaru's brainpower, and there was no moment where he showed his abilities like Chocho during capture the flag.
When he was placed in a fight against Araya, he opened a scroll and brought his drawings to life. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to defeat Araya's puppet strategy. He was able to last longer than many other competitors.
9 Boruto Failed To Show His True Abilities & Resorted To Cheating
Over time, Boruto has shown he has the ability to learn and grow fairly quickly. Boruto showed he had a greater capacity to learn than his father did at his age. Unfortunately, Boruto doesn't seem to use his ability to learn when he is preparing for the Chunin Exams.
Instead of relying on his own knowledge and strength, Boruto decided to resort to cheating as he believed it could secure his victory. In cheating, he failed to show his true strength.
8 Yurui Might Have Won If Boruto Hadn't Cheated
Yurui's jutsu revolved around the creation of bubbles. He was able to use his bubbles to save his teammates during an early part of the exam. When he was placed in a fight against Boruto, he used his bubbles to gain the upper hand.
Boruto had to resort to cheating in order to win the fight against him. If Boruto had been forced to rely on his own strength and knowledge, there's a chance Yurui would have succeeded.
7 Yodo Could Use Her Hearing To Overpower Opponents
During the Chunin Exams, Yodo proved she had incredible speed and fantastic hearing that allowed her to anticipate her opponent's movements. Yodo almost managed to overcome Shikadai during their fight, but he was able to strategize around her abilities by trapping her with his shadow. She might have succeeded against someone else, but Shikadai quickly managed to overcome Yodo. With a little more training, she might be able to make it further in the future.
6 Chocho Managed To Master Some Of Her Clan's Advanced Jutsu
Before the beginning of the Chunin Exams, Chocho began trying to master some of the more advanced techniques of her clan. She would use the expansion jutsu to prove her skills during the exam. At one point, Chocho would turn herself into a giant to help capture a flag for her team.
Chocho's first fight was against Shinki. She came against him with everything she had, but he held her back with his sand. Even though she showed incredible skill, she didn't manage to overpower the other ninja.
5 Araya Used A Puppet Strategy That Allowed Him To Fight From A Safe Distance
Along with his team, Araya showed incredible promise before the fights. In his first match against Inojin, he easily obtained a victory. His next match was against Sarada, and he quickly gained the upper hand.
Araya's downfall was that he found it difficult to have people watching him. When Sarada used his Sharingan against him, she saw through his strategy - Araya was using a puppet to fight in his place while he stood on the stadium roof. Once Sarada exposed him, his fear of people watching him got the better of him, and he ended up losing his match.
4 Sarada Utilized Her Sharingan & Was Almost Promoted To Chunin
Sarada showed incredible leadership and strength during her testing. During her fight with Tarui, she managed to defeat her opponent with a single punch. During her fight with Araya, she exposed him as being a puppet after using her Sharingan.
The higher-ranked ninja were impressed by Sarada's display of skills, and they expressed interest in promoting her to the rank of chunin. Naruto was dissuaded from promoting her after her father expressed his concern that she wasn't ready.
3 Mitsuki Choose Not To Use His Greatest Power During The Fight
Mitsuki initially fought against Toroi. He was able to quickly and easily defeat the other ninja. In the manga, his next match was interrupted by the Otsutsuki. The anime saw him pitted against Shinki.
During the fight against Shinki, Mitsuki could have used his Sage Mode. With that ability, he might have been able to match or surpass Shinki, but he chose not to use it. The high-ranking ninja never got to see his greatest power on display and didn't evaluate his greatest skill.
2 Shinki Showed Incredible Skill But Wasn't Promoted
Shinki is the adopted son of Gaara. Like his father, he was introduced during the events of the Chunin Exams. His ability to control sand is reminiscent of his father's own ability. He is an incredibly serious person and has great faith in his own abilities. During the Chunin Exams, he managed to defeat Chocho, Mitsuki, and Sarada. He was defeated by Boruto but only because Boruto cheated. Despite his display of power, he didn't manage to achieve a promotion.
1 Shikadai Showed His Intelligence Before Forfeiting
Much like his father, Shikadai was the first one in his generation who managed to achieve the rank of chunin. He was promoted after the first time he and his team took the test.
During his match against Boruto, he managed to capture Boruto and all of his friend's clones. With Boruto seemingly defeated, the Hokage's son resorted to cheating to win. Shikadai couldn't come up with a strategy to overcome Boruto, and he decided to forfeit.