"Kakashi, you're already a Chūnin. Isn't it kind of a scam to make you take the Chūnin Exams again?" Kiyosuke chuckled.
"Yeah, seriously. You've already been through one. Why do it again?" Asuma nodded along.
"This is youth! As expected of my eternal rival, Kakashi! I'm fired up!!" Guy suddenly burst out, striking a dramatic pose.
Kakashi replied flatly, "It's just a mission from Minato-sensei."
"Ahem... But have you guys gathered any intel on the other participants?" Kiyosuke asked with a grin.
"I only know that Sunagakure sent someone with a kekkei genkai this time," Kakashi said quietly. "I heard it's Scorch Release."
"Scorch Release..."
From what Kiyosuke remembered, the user of Scorch Release in Sunagakure was supposedly a beautiful woman with a killer body. She had once been a hero of the village, only to be betrayed by the Fourth Kazekage and left to die at the hands of Kirigakure.
Kiyosuke looked over at the Sunagakure team and spotted a green-haired girl. Her hair was tied up in two buns, and she wore the village's forehead protector. Two strands of orange-yellow bangs framed her face.
Flat as a board. Well, she looked about his age, so he couldn't really expect much. Still—potential!
Maybe sensing some hostility, the little girl glanced over. Her eyes met Kiyosuke's, and she gave him a vaguely hostile look before turning back to her teammates.
"So it's her, huh? Makes sense. I remember Orochimaru-sensei once said that Scorch Release is an extremely dangerous kekkei genkai," Kiyosuke said.
Scorch Release is a nature transformation created by combining wind and fire chakra. It can evaporate the water inside the human body, leaving behind nothing but a dried-up corpse.
"Yeah. If we face her, we'll need to be careful."
"No doubt about it."
The exam room was buzzing with noise when a group of people suddenly walked in. They carried kraft paper envelopes and a box. The man in front had a stern face and gave off a commanding jōnin aura that instantly silenced the crowd.
"Quiet down! We're drawing lots for seating. Line up!"
The genin obediently formed a line to draw their seat numbers.
"I'm number twenty-five!" Kiyosuke said, holding up his card.
"I'm eighteen!" Asuma chimed in.
"Four here," Kurenai said. "Looks like we're sitting far apart."
"It's fine, it's fine. I came prepared." Asuma patted his chest, relieved.
"Alright, it's time. Get ready."
Everyone took their assigned seats. The head examiner swept his eyes across the room and began:
"I am the chief examiner for the first test—Mochizuki Kenboshi. I'll now explain the rules, and I'll only say them once."
Satisfied that everyone was quiet, he continued:
"Rule one: the exam lasts sixty minutes. There are ten questions in total. Everyone starts with ten points. Each incorrect or unanswered question deducts one point. So if you get three wrong, you lose three points. If you get everything right, you keep your full ten points. If you get everything wrong, you get zero—and you, along with your teammates, are out!"
"Rule two: cheating. Get caught once, you lose two points. Get caught five times, your score is wiped out, and your whole team is out. Don't try your pathetic little tricks—we've stationed elite Konoha Chūnin all around this room just to deal with you. Try your best, and start the exam like real ninja."
"That's all. Test papers will now be handed out. No questions during the test."
With that, exam sheets were distributed.
Kiyosuke stared at the questions in silence. The first one was a code-breaking puzzle—it might as well have been written in an alien language. He could barely make sense of it and had no idea how to derive answers from the scattered hints.
Question two: Ninja A is standing atop a tree 10 meters high and throws a shuriken. The diagram shows the maximum range of the throw. Based on the image, deduce the enemy ninja's likely characteristics within the shuriken's elliptical attack range, and provide the maximum horizontal combat range along with justification.
Kiyosuke: ???
How the hell would I know the enemy ninja's characteristics? And isn't maximum range just how hard you throw it? What kind of logic—
MMP!
This felt just like doing advanced math again—no, worse. At least he used to understand a little of that. Now he was just completely in the dark. He didn't even bother reading the other eight questions. No way he'd be able to answer them.
He reached into his sleeve and patted the snake hidden there. The serpent slithered up to his shoulder and poked its head out from his collar.
"What are your orders, Kiyosuke-sama?" it whispered in his ear.
In a voice only they could hear, Kiyosuke said, "You see these test questions? Find someone who's finished theirs and copy the answers. Now."
"Understood."
The snake climbed to the top of his head and casually scanned the room.
The proctors noticed but didn't deduct points. After all, this test wasn't about basic knowledge—it was about intelligence-gathering ability. And this method? Not bad at all.
A snake peeked out from the top of Asuma's head, too. Clearly, he'd given up as well.
Kurenai, on the other hand, didn't summon anything. She was probably still within her comfort zone knowledge-wise. But for Kiyosuke and Asuma, these questions were way beyond them.
About half an hour in, Kakashi turned in his paper early.
Then the snake slithered back to Kiyosuke's ear.
"Kiyosuke-sama, I've seen everything."
"Let's do it."
The snake slipped into his sleeve and bit his arm. Its venom flowed into his bloodstream—and with it, the memories it had gathered.
Kiyosuke had asked Ichikishimahime if Ryūchi had any snakes that could read. She told him flat-out that no snake could read, but she did recommend this species.
Its venom could transmit memories from the snake to the bitten target.
Sounded familiar somehow, but Kiyosuke didn't care. He was glad to have something like this.
The snake's memories flashed in his mind, and he immediately began writing out the answers with smooth, confident strokes.
Meanwhile, the clock was ticking. The examinees who couldn't answer resorted to all kinds of tricks. Konoha's Sharingan and Byakugan users silently copied answers. Sunagakure used puppet techniques.
There was no end to the variety of cheating methods.
Of course, not everyone was clever. Some idiots acted like the proctors were blind—blatantly copying answers in full view. After five questions, their entire teams were booted.
One guy got caught and tried to deny it. The examiner made an example of him on the spot and tossed him and his teammates out.
"Time's up! Pens down!"
The proctor's voice rang out, and everyone stopped writing.
Looking over the remaining participants, the head examiner gave a nod of approval.
"Not bad. Hand in your papers."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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