“Quiet!”
Yūhi Shinku’s stern voice reverberated through the room, carrying an air of authority befitting a Jonin. The oppressive aura swept across the classroom, causing the gathered ninjas to fall silent almost instinctively.
The room fell into an immediate hush.
“I am Yūhi Shinku, your proctor for the first exam,” Shinku began, his gaze sweeping over the participants, lingering briefly on Tenya before continuing. “Now, each contestant will draw a number and take the corresponding seat. The test papers will be distributed shortly.”
“Now, let’s start the draw. When your name is called, come to the front.”
With that, Shinku stepped aside, allowing his assistant to bring forward a prepared box containing numbered slips.
Standing among the crowd, Tenya glanced at Shinku. He hadn’t expected his former teacher to be the proctor for the first exam.
Yūhi Shinku had been quite the obstacle when Tenya signed up for the Chunin Exam. According to Shinku, this exam would be dangerous, and Tenya shouldn’t get involved.
However, after a serious sparring match, Shinku finally agreed to let Tenya participate.
Soon, Tenya drew his number and found his designated seat, patiently waiting for the exam to begin.
This Chunin Exam seemed to mirror the one Uzumaki Naruto participated in the original story. The first part tested intelligence gathering and theoretical knowledge, the second involved the Forest of Death and the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, and the last was a series of one-on-one battles.
After the draw, it didn’t take long for the test papers to be distributed.
Shinku went over the rules again, confirming what Kakashi had said. Cheating was allowed, but only if one wasn’t caught. Being caught would result in immediate disqualification.
As soon as the test papers were handed out, many participants felt a headache coming on.
The questions were incredibly difficult, leaving many clueless about where to start. Especially the participants from smaller villages, who looked utterly bewildered and began to sweat.
After a brief moment of silence, the classroom buzzed with activity as people began making small moves to cheat.
Many were caught red-handed and immediately disqualified.
In just half an hour, over a dozen contestants lost their eligibility, leaving the exam with regret. Most of the disqualified were from smaller villages, though a few from the five great villages were also eliminated.
In this half-hour, Tenya had a good grasp of the classroom dynamics.
Konoha had placed two Chunin as answer providers in this room. One started from the first question, and the other from the last.
With this knowledge, Tenya didn’t hesitate. Activating his skill, Heart Net, he began copying the answers from the two Chunin.
Other participants soon noticed this too and began to act.
With prior examples, contestants from various villages moved more discreetly.
Almost everyone present used their best skills to fill in what they believed were the correct answers.
The classroom bustled with activity as participants worked on their papers.
Yūhi Shinku observed the room, his brow furrowing slightly.
“Too many participants left. I need to thin them out further.”
With this thought, Shinku secretly formed a hand seal.
A large-scale genjutsu enveloped almost all participants.
“Huh?”
Tenya was the first to notice something amiss.
In his Heart Net state, his vision began to blur, and strange illusions appeared.
This wasn’t right!
It had to be a genjutsu.
Without hesitation, Tenya activated Heart Zen.
Immediately, his vision cleared, and Shinku’s genjutsu no longer affected him.
“Ah!”
“Get away!”
“I don’t want to die!”
…
Affected by the genjutsu, many participants lost their composure on the spot, reacting to whatever horrific visions they saw.
Those who lost control were immediately disqualified and escorted out by Konoha ninjas.
The classroom saw another twenty or so eliminations.
The remaining participants were almost entirely from the five great villages.
As for those from smaller villages, they had all been eliminated.
And this was only the first round.
What kind of turmoil would the second round bring?
After finishing his answers and double-checking his paper, Tenya stood up and walked to the front to submit his test.
“Handing in early?”
Yūhi Shinku naturally noticed his student, his gaze flickering but saying nothing more.
There was no rule against early submission in the first exam.
Only those confident in their answers would take such a step.
Shinku didn’t consider his student a rash person.
Tenya’s early submission indicated his absolute confidence.
It seemed his student had grown significantly.
Don’t disappoint me!
After Tenya left, Shinku reviewed his paper.
His eyes widened slightly.
Every answer was correct, matching the standard answers perfectly.
The only ones who knew the correct answers were the two Chunin placed by Konoha.
Yūhi Shinku could see through most cheating methods at a glance.
Had these participants not been discreet, he would have caught them long ago.
But Shinku couldn’t detect any sign of cheating from Tenya.
How did this kid cheat?
Rubbing his temples, Shinku felt a rare sense of defeat.
Tenya’s early submission naturally drew the attention of the remaining participants.
Many turned their gaze to him, expressions ranging from surprise to suspicion.
“Did this guy already know the answers?”
“He moved pretty fast!”
“Looks like we’ve got a strong competitor. See you in the second round.”
In the crowd, Kisame Hoshigaki narrowed his eyes as he watched Tenya leave.
“That guy isn’t simple.”
Amid the curious and wary gazes of many contestants, Tenya calmly exited the exam room.
There were still about fifteen minutes left until the first exam ended.
Taking this time to rest wasn’t a bad idea.
After all, the second exam would be physically demanding.
“Tenya, I didn’t expect you to finish early!”
A familiar voice sounded nearby.
Looking up, Tenya saw Kakashi watching him with interest.
“Kakashi, what are you doing here?”
“Got bored, decided to take a look!” Kakashi shrugged. “You finished early, so I take it you’re confident you’ll pass this round, right?”
Tenya shrugged without answering.
But Kakashi already got his answer from Tenya’s demeanor.
The outcome was clear!
“Be careful in the second exam!” Kakashi advised. “Rumor has it that some participants from the five great villages have questionable strength. Without evidence, they haven’t been exposed, but these people might possess Jonin-level abilities.”
Tenya nodded, saying nothing.
He had already sensed something was off.
Now, with Kakashi’s information, it was clear some participants were hiding their true strength.
A major battle was inevitable!
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