This chapter shows the ambiguity I often feel whenever I read this series quite well. On one hand it does a superb job as giving attention to a multitude of characters allowing them to grow and develop, something that was largely absent from Naruto where always the exact same two characters got all the attention.
On the other hand it never made sense to me that their class was supposed to be the elite of the elite. To be honest I think the mangaka never thought that one through. Some characters are quite powerful, but there are several one that simply do no make sense as to how they were ever able to pass the preliminary tests of the academy. Apparently all of them have passed the first hurdle according to this chapter, but still I get the vibe that they are the underdogs in comparison to some of the other schools.
