Thanks to Naruto's delicious bait, Little Uchiha Fan's weakness had been completely exposed, and he obediently volunteered to be the sacrificial pawn of the third round. From the moment Sasuke abandoned all pride under the lure of food and shot out from the crowd, to the moment he grabbed his equipment and supplies and dashed out of the academy gates, only about three seconds had passed.
At the same time, many of the villagers standing at the front—previously hesitating whether to let their children quit the exam—were still caught in a daze. Before they could react, Sasuke had already flashed past them like a gust of wind. With a blink, he had effortlessly weaved his way out of the crowd. His swift and fluid movements left those watching in awe, even questioning if they had accidentally signed their children up for the Chūnin Exams instead.
Of course, Sasuke's display of strength—far beyond others his age—didn't just shock the common folk. Like the stunned villagers who had seen only a fraction of Sasuke's true power, even the seasoned Ino-Shika-Chō trio stood dumbfounded, jaws hanging as if unhinged.
"Hey, Shikaku, Inoichi, did you guys see that too? Or am I just hallucinating?"
Akimichi Chōza, who looked like an adult version of Chōji, stared wide-eyed after Sasuke's burst of speed. The food he was about to eat slipped from his hands and fell to the ground. Even more shockingly, he didn't even mourn the loss of his snack. Instead, he wiped his oily hands on his clothes and rubbed his eyes furiously.
"I swear I just saw… a kid?!"
"You've got to be kidding me! That kind of speed isn't something a child that age should have!"
Yamanaka Inoichi, a seasoned member of the Intelligence Division, looked like he'd just been sucker punched. He groaned, pinched his cheek hard, and winced.
"Ow! Okay, okay, this isn't a dream. But with speed like that… that kid's already got Genin-level ability. No, wait, he's definitely qualified to take the Chūnin Exams already!"
"Hey, Inoichi, you don't think he's…"
Seeing his fellow teammate just as bewildered—if not more ridiculous-looking—Chōza finally gave up trying to console himself that he had imagined the scene. As he bent down to pick up his dust-covered food, he added in a doubtful tone, "Could the school have arranged for a Chūnin to disguise himself using the Transformation Jutsu?"
"...Right! I totally forgot that was an option!"
Hearing Chōza's theory, Inoichi froze, then lit up like he'd found a lifeline, nodding fervently. "Yeah, that makes sense! No way a kid that age could…"
But before either of them could fully relax, their other companion shattered their fantasy with a blunt reality check.
"Impossible. Don't even bother. I know that kid. He's Uchiha Fugaku's youngest son—Uchiha Sasuke. And Fugaku is standing right over there. No way the school would disguise someone as his son, right in front of him. And judging from the expression on Fugaku's face… that really is his kid."
Among the trio, only Nara Shikaku still retained some composure. Frowning slightly, he glanced toward Fugaku's content expression nearby. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. But that only left him more confused.
"This year's academy entrance exam is… strange. Way too strange."
As the saying goes: amateurs watch the excitement; professionals see the details. Shikaku had been too distracted by the harsh rules Tenzo laid out earlier to catch the full picture, but he had seen enough.
When Sasuke ran out, he hadn't forgotten to pick up the weights. Yet his speed didn't seem hindered in the slightest… that was the most baffling part.
If Sasuke were like other kids his age, such a performance would be impossible unless the weights were fake. But judging by the clear dents and scuff marks, even an idiot could tell those things were heavy.
So if the weights weren't the issue, there was only one possibility: Sasuke, being part of the genius-laden Uchiha Clan, was simply too strong—so much so that the weights barely mattered.
Still, even for an Uchiha, that level of speed was outrageous. Unless he'd been trained in taijutsu from a very young age, no amount of talent should allow a kid to surpass the limits of their immature body like that.
But Shikaku scratched his head—weren't the Uchiha known for their Sharingan and Fire Style jutsu? He'd never heard of them being taijutsu specialists.
In fact, wasn't physical prowess more of a specialty for their old rivals—the Hyuga Clan and their Gentle Fist techniques?
Meanwhile, while the three fathers were reeling from this existential crisis, the younger Ino-Shika-Chō trio, blissfully unaware of Sasuke's shocking display, quietly shuffled forward, eventually arriving at the area where he had picked up his weights and supplies.
"Ugh… how annoying. Looks like Dad's overthinking things again."
Even after hearing Tenzo explain the exam rules with his own ears, Shikamaru still wore his usual lazy face. He let out a soft sigh as he stood before the pile of discarded weights and lazily scanned them over.
"Tch. They all look heavy… This is why I said school is such a pain…"
"Mmmgh… Hey, Shikamaru, are you really gonna keep taking the test?"
Despite his mouth being full of food, Chōji—clearly having inherited his dad's appetite—kept stuffing his cheeks with chips. Swallowing just enough to speak, he raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Dad said this year's test is harder than usual… And you hate trouble, so why bother?"
Standing beside them was a blonde girl who stepped in smoothly, giving Chōji time to chew so he wouldn't choke. She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned toward Shikamaru with a teasing smile.
"I thought you'd just quit like in hide-and-seek—go home and ditch the test because it's a hassle."
"Tch. You think I want to be here? Hide-and-seek is totally different… You can quit anytime. But if I give up now and fail to enroll… Mom will definitely—ugh, forget it. I've got no choice but to push through."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, clearly recalling the ominous smile his mother gave him that morning. He passed two of the lighter weights he'd picked to his friends, then secured his own to his arms. His lazy face gradually shifted to one of quiet confidence.
"Besides… if my guess is right, this exam is full of loopholes just waiting to be exploited."
"Loopholes?! No way—you're not thinking of cheating, are you?!"
Ino gasped, then slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized what she said. After a short pause, she furrowed her brow and hissed, "Don't be dumb! Didn't you hear what the proctor said? There'll be teachers watching us the whole time—if we get caught…"
"We'll be considered failures and eliminated, right?"
"If you know that, then why—"
"But think about it… if we cheat and don't get caught, then what's the problem?"
Watching her stomp in frustration, Shikamaru rubbed his forehead and sighed. 'Man… thinking really is a pain. Guess it's up to me again.'
He began swinging his arms to adjust to the weight and motioned subtly toward Tenzo on the platform.
"When that guy specifically said the first two rounds' rules also apply here… that's when I was sure. After all, both previous rounds were about finding hidden loopholes in the rules."
"In other words, my next move isn't 'cheating'—it's just interpreting the real rules that he purposely left buried. This third test may look difficult and confusing, but at its core, it's just another round of misleading wordplay."
"The only real difference… is that this one comes with multiple solutions. So at least it won't be boring."
As he spoke, the laziness vanished from Shikamaru's face. His eyes gleamed with sharpness. With his body now accustomed to the added weight, the boy who normally hated trouble was the first to step forward, officially kicking off the third round.
"It might be annoying… but this kind of logic puzzle? That's my specialty."