The examination hall was deathly silent.
Hundreds of genin sat in their assigned seats, their backs straight, eyes lowered, and expressions tense as they stared at the papers placed in front of them. Even the sound of breathing felt too loud in this suffocating atmosphere.
Naruto Uzumaki lowered his gaze and glanced at his own test paper.
Then his pupils shrank.
"…What the hell is this?"
He nearly cursed out loud but barely managed to swallow the words back down.
"These questions are insane!"
Naruto was not the dead-last student he once had been. Over the years, his academic performance had improved drastically. He could now read complex materials, understand tactics, and analyze information well enough to survive as a shinobi.
Even so…
Looking at the test paper in front of him, Naruto could only estimate that—at best—he might score around seventy points.
And that was if everything went smoothly.
If even he found the exam this difficult, what about everyone else?
But soon, Naruto steadied himself.
"…Still, that should be enough."
This wasn't a ranking-based graduation exam. The written test wasn't designed to eliminate all but a handful of people. As long as one passed, that was sufficient.
If he could pass, then Hinata definitely could as well.
Naruto glanced sideways.
Hinata Hyuga sat upright, her posture neat and composed. Her pen moved carefully but steadily across the paper, her expression focused yet calm.
Naruto exhaled softly in relief.
As expected of Hinata.
Then he looked the other way.
Sasuke Uchiha sat rigidly in his seat, gripping the exam paper tightly. His face was dark, his brows tightly furrowed, and his eyes scanned the questions again and again as if hoping the text might magically change.
"…No way."
Naruto's heart sank.
"That guy wouldn't… would he?"
Sasuke's academic record had always been excellent. But Naruto knew the truth better than most—over the past year, Sasuke had almost completely abandoned theoretical studies. Every waking hour had been poured into ninjutsu, taijutsu, and combat training.
A bead of cold sweat slowly trickled down Sasuke's temple.
"…I see," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
"I can't answer even one question."
Naruto's scalp tingled.
"So it is like that…"
Sasuke wasn't panicking, but Naruto could tell—this situation was bad.
Logically speaking, Sasuke should have been able to score well. But this wasn't a normal exam.
This test was designed to separate good students from true academic geniuses.
On a ninety-point exam, Sasuke could easily score ninety.
But on a paper filled with questions set at the absolute limit of difficulty—questions that required advanced analysis, experience, and interpretation—someone like Sasuke, who had abandoned academic studies, would score zero.
Right now, his theoretical foundation simply couldn't compare to Naruto's, Hinata's, or especially Sakura Haruno's.
However—
Sasuke did not panic.
He closed his eyes briefly and took a slow breath.
"Calm down," he thought.
"The Chunin Exams are meant to select people—not eliminate everyone in the first stage."
"If I can't answer these questions, then most people can't either."
"That means the test isn't about the questions themselves."
At that moment—
"He was caught cheating five times and is eliminated!"
Morino Ibiki's cold voice echoed through the hall.
A genin was immediately dragged out of the room by examiners. His face was pale, his eyes filled with disbelief and despair. His teammates followed behind him, equally devastated.
A heavy chill spread through the room.
Cold sweat appeared on countless foreheads.
"If one person fails, the whole team is eliminated."
"If one person cheats too many times, the whole team is eliminated."
The pressure was crushing.
Ibiki's expression remained completely emotionless as he surveyed the candidates like livestock awaiting slaughter.
"The exam has officially begun!"
The atmosphere instantly became suffocating.
Extremely difficult questions.
Harsh rules.
A brutal environment.
And above all—
If one person fails, the entire team is eliminated.
Under such conditions, it was impossible for anyone to remain calm.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and carefully reread the entire paper.
"…Yeah."
"If I really focus, I can score about seventy."
"No problem."
Naruto's academic ability wasn't extraordinary, but among the rookie nine, only Sakura and Hinata were clearly superior to him.
In the original exam, Naruto had passed.
This time, there was no reason he wouldn't.
He glanced at Hinata again. She was already deeply focused, her pen never hesitating.
Naruto smiled faintly.
But when he looked back at Sasuke—
Sasuke was still staring at the paper, unmoving.
"…Damn it," Naruto clenched his fists.
But then—
Sasuke's lips curled upward slightly.
"…I get it now."
Naruto blinked.
Sasuke continued thinking rapidly.
"They didn't say cheating is forbidden."
"They said being caught cheating five times leads to elimination."
"That means…"
"What's forbidden isn't cheating itself."
"It's clumsy cheating."
Understanding dawned instantly.
Sasuke's eyes sharpened.
"Sharingan…"
"Activate."
The tomoe spun.
In that instant, Sasuke's vision expanded dramatically. He could see every subtle movement, every twitch of a pen, every glance exchanged across the room.
Some candidates were answering too smoothly.
Some were glancing at papers with deliberate precision.
Some movements were unnatural.
Whether they were planted staff members or simply skilled examinees didn't matter.
Sasuke adjusted his breathing.
Then—
He began copying.
With the Sharingan's incredible perception and imitation ability, he perfectly replicated the movements of those answering correctly. His pen began moving across the paper, fast and confident.
Naruto finally let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"So he really didn't know the answers…"
"But at least he figured it out."
As more careless cheaters were eliminated, the true nature of the exam became increasingly obvious to the remaining teams.
The classroom transformed into a silent battlefield.
Everyone fought using their own unique methods.
Ino Yamanaka used Mind Transfer Jutsu to temporarily possess Sakura Haruno's body, memorizing all the answers before returning to her own body. She then shared the information with Choji and Shikamaru.
Gaara silently used his Sand Eye.
Kankuro manipulated his puppets.
Kiba relied on Akamaru.
Tenten used ninja tool manipulation.
Neji activated his Byakugan.
Shino commanded his kikaichū.
Sound ninja interpreted vibrations and subtle noises.
It was like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea—each displaying their own divine ability.
Before long, most of the unqualified teams had been eliminated.
Then—
Ibiki revealed the final question.
And with it came true psychological torture.
The last question was not written on the paper.
Instead, Ibiki explained it slowly, cruelly.
Each team could choose whether to answer or not.
If they chose not to answer, the entire team would be eliminated—but they could try again next year.
If they chose to answer and got it wrong, they would permanently lose the qualification to become Chunin.
Forever.
The room erupted into chaos.
This was no longer an exam of knowledge.
It was an exam of resolve.
Even Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto felt uncertainty creep into their hearts.
Some candidates immediately chose to withdraw.
Others hesitated, trembling.
Hinata and Sasuke both glanced toward Naruto unconsciously.
"…Naruto-kun, what should we do?" Hinata asked softly.
Sasuke scoffed lightly.
"That idiot wouldn't even consider giving up."
Naruto clenched his fists.
"Only a ghost would quit!"
"If I give up, I can retake the exam next year."
"But the problem is—"
"That damn system already forced me to become a Chunin this year!"
"If I fail, I'll probably get electrocuted!"
Naruto's courage surged instantly.
He slammed his hand on the desk.
"Stop underestimating me!"
"At a time like this, what's the point of talking about retreat?!"
"And don't be fooled—just because the first nine questions were hard doesn't mean the last one is!"
"Maybe it's incredibly simple!"
"Let's go all out!"
Hinata's eyes widened—then she smiled.
"You're right, Naruto-kun."
Sasuke snorted.
"Hmph… that idiot really hasn't changed."
Naruto's words echoed through the room, steadying the hearts of many remaining candidates.
"That blond kid has a point!"
"What if it is simple?"
"It could be an opportunity!"
"Don't listen to him! That man is terrifying!"
Ibiki stared at Naruto in silence.
"…Interesting," he thought.
He hadn't expected such bold resolve.
And yet—
That resolve was exactly what this exam was meant to uncover.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)