"Silence! The exam begins now. I advise against any excessive movements—I'll be watching you from above."
Scarface Ninja swept his gaze across the faces of the examinees one by one.
Most of them wore panicked expressions.
After all, having become ninjas, they had essentially discarded theoretical knowledge.
However, a small number of clever individuals had discerned the true purpose of this exam.
On the surface, it tested the examinees' knowledge, but in reality, it assessed their ability to gather intelligence.
Among the examinees sat several "staff members" who knew the correct answers.
Their purpose was to disseminate those answers.
How to obtain them was a matter of each showing their special prowess.
If someone stretched their neck like a giraffe, looking left and right, they would be immediately expelled from the exam hall.
This exam particularly favored ninjas from the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Yamanaka clans.
The Uchiha could copy others' movements with their Sharingan, while the Hyuga's Byakugan allowed them to see the answers directly.
As for the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique, it enabled them to briefly take control of others' minds.
Of course, if one's theoretical knowledge was solid enough, there was no need for such tricks—they could rely on their own abilities to power through.
Konan and Nohara Rin fell into this category.
Staring at the exam paper before her, which seemed as incomprehensible as a divine script, Yuhi Kurenai found herself in a dilemma.
Although her theoretical knowledge during her time at the Ninja Academy had been fairly good, she had effectively cleared her mind upon graduation.
She didn't dare make any conspicuous moves. Being caught herself was one thing, but if she ended up implicating Konan and Nohara Rin, the situation would become serious.
Just as Yuhi Kurenai rested her head on the desk, utterly at a loss, a piece of paper suddenly appeared on her desk, filled with answers.
Only, it began with two large characters: "Idiot," blatantly mocking her.
At that moment, Yuhi Kurenai couldn't afford to dwell on such details. She quickly picked up her pen and began copying.
Throughout the exam, examinees were continuously expelled from the hall, along with their entire teams losing qualification.
However, none of this concerned Yuhi Kurenai.
After copying all the answers, she promptly stuffed the paper into her mouth, beginning to destroy the evidence.
Konan, sitting behind her, slapped her own forehead upon seeing this.
The paper filled with answers was Konan's handiwork.
Konan had originally planned to erase the paper once Yuhi Kurenai finished copying.
Who would have thought Yuhi Kurenai would be so reckless as to shove it directly into her mouth?
With a loud "gulp," Yuhi Kurenai finally swallowed the paper in her mouth.
The texture of the paper was truly awful—like cow dung left to bake in the sun for months, extremely rough on the throat.
Nevertheless, Hayato Ren's team of three managed to pass the first exam, albeit with some close calls.
Even if the close call was borne by Yuhi Kurenai alone.
The classroom, which had been nearly full, was suddenly reduced to just one-third of its original number. Scarface Ninja glanced at the remaining candidates and declared:
"So many of you are still here? I'll eliminate over half of you in the second exam."
His words immediately stirred an uproar in the room.
Many candidates inwardly cursed Scarface Ninja's ancestors for eighteen generations.
Soon, Life and Death Contracts were distributed to everyone.
The moment he received his contract, a bespectacled candidate stood up and questioned, "I came here to take the Chunin Exams. What is the meaning of this Life and Death Contract?"
"Heh, it means exactly what it says. Did you think being a ninja was child's play? If you're scared, you can withdraw right now. No one's stopping you."
Scarface Ninja walked over to the bespectacled candidate, looking down at him coldly from above.
With this "example" made, the other candidates raised no further objections and quickly signed their names.
After collecting all the contracts, Scarface Ninja explained the rules for the second exam.
All candidates would enter the Forest of Death in their respective teams.
The first six teams to reach the destination would qualify for the final exam.
The rules were simple and clear, but the so-called Forest of Death and the newly signed Life and Death Contract sent chills down the spines of many candidates.
However, having already signed the contracts, backing out now was out of the question. They had no choice but to brace themselves and proceed.
Since only Leaf ninja were participating this time, the mortality rate wasn't actually very high.
After all, they were all ninja from the same village, seeing each other regularly. Who would resort to lethal force?
This was the Leaf, not that perverted place known as the Hidden Mist Village.
Soon, Konan entered the Forest of Death, beginning her struggle for survival.
....
"Are you even human? How did you learn it so quickly..."
Tsunade stared at the identical mark on Hayato Ren's forehead with an expression of utter disbelief.
Her Yin Seal, which had taken years of painstaking research to develop, had been mastered by Hayato Ren in just one morning.
In response, Hayato Ren flashed an infuriating grin and said, "The world of geniuses is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like you. It seems there's a thick barrier between us now."
Tsunade immediately threw a punch, but Hayato Ren nimbly dodged it.
"See? Resorting to violence at the slightest provocation—how primitive. Is brute force your only solution to everything?"
Hayato Ren spoke with mock disappointment.
Tsunade cracked her knuckles, producing a series of popping sounds, then said with a sarcastic smile, "I've noticed you've been getting a bit too full of yourself lately. Need me to loosen up those bones for you?"
Facing Tsunade, who resembled a volcano on the verge of eruption, Hayato Ren wisely chose to lower his head and apologize.
After all, she was his wife—what was a little humility between them?
"By the way, lend me some money. I'm a bit short on funds lately."
Tsunade extended her right hand, making the demand with unshakable confidence.
Hayato Ren's face immediately showed a skeptical expression.
"Don't tell me you've already squandered the Senju clan's ancestral fortune this quickly?"
Tsunade immediately put on a serious expression and responded righteously:
"How can you say that? Am I the kind of person who only cares about my own pleasure? I have to save some dowry money for Nawaki."
Tsunade's moral integrity was completely inversely proportional to her strength, so Hayato Ren simply wouldn't believe her nonsense...
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