Many of these questions completely exceeded the knowledge scope of Genin.
After five minutes had passed, several long brown snakes shot out of Orochimaru's sleeve, fiercely slamming one of the candidates against the wall.
*Boom!*
The noise startled the candidates.
"Five counts of cheating, disqualified. The other two people in this squad are also out." Orochimaru said calmly.
The long snakes that shot out swiftly retracted into his sleeve, leaving their destination unknown.
The two assistant proctors immediately ushered the disqualified team out.
After this incident, the entire examination room became even more silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Only Kiyoshi continued to write without pause from the start.
Due to his quick pace, the sound of Kiyoshi's writing was quite noticeable, especially since he was sitting in the back left corner.
The comma-shaped pattern of the Sharingan appeared in his left eye, copying the questions from the two candidates sitting in the center.
Their movements were perfectly clear in Kiyoshi's eyes.
These two were actually Chunin who knew the answers to the test in advance.
Since the two wrote the answers in different orders, Kiyoshi's writing speed was much faster than theirs.
He could copy two sources at once!
"That's the Sharingan!" The pattern in Kiyoshi's left eye shook the hearts of the candidates who sneaked a look.
The Bloodline exclusive to the Uchiha clan!
But wasn't that cheating?
Almost everyone had this thought flash through their minds.
Someone had just been disqualified by Orochimaru, and yet Kiyoshi was cheating so blatantly.
Wouldn't he be instantly caught?
Asuma's heart was in his throat.
He couldn't figure out what Kiyoshi was playing at. Had he gone mad?
A trace of understanding flashed in Kurenai's eyes.
Such heavily advanced questions couldn't possibly be something they could answer.
The only answer was that the test was about cheating!
Because Bloodline were exclusive personal abilities, they fell within the scope of advanced cheating.
The person who was just caught was busted because he kept turning around, a method of cheating that was too crude.
Kurenai quickly followed Kiyoshi's lead, copying the questions from the two central ninjas.
In the large examination room filled with numerous candidates, only a few smart people guessed the truth.
"How bold, this Uchiha." Mei Terumī also realized what was happening.
Before any guess was confirmed, there was always a risk.
Yet, he dared to continue using his Bloodline right under Orochimaru's nose.
"Heh heh, even more brazen than the first one." The corner of Orochimaru's mouth curved into a smile.
The ninja who was previously eliminated was constantly looking over his shoulder, terrified of being seen.
Unlike Kiyoshi, who remained perfectly composed even when his Sharingan occasionally met Orochimaru's gaze.
Finally, after forty-five minutes.
A proctor announced the final question.
Kiyoshi chose to continue the exam. Kurenai, seeing Kiyoshi's confidence, chose to follow suit.
Asuma Sarutobi, who had wracked his brain to answer only one question, which might not even be correct, chose to follow Kurenai's decision.
As in the original plot, some chose to quit, and some chose to continue.
Ultimately, those who chose to continue successfully advanced to the next stage of the exam.
This was because the final question tested a ninja's courage to accept even the most dangerous missions and the will to see them through.
As long as they chose to continue the exam, they would pass, even if they handed in a blank paper.
"Excellent intelligence gathering and willpower." Orochimaru watched the backs of the departing candidates, focusing his attention on Kiyoshi's back.
His trip here wasn't in vain.
He already had the intention of inviting Kiyoshi to join him.
From the intelligence he gathered at the Hidden Leaf Hospital, Kiyoshi's Medical Ninjutsu was also impressive.
There was no one more suitable to become his assistant than Kiyoshi.
***
"This is the site for the second stage of the exam, also known as the Forest of Death."
Shortly after the candidates left, they encountered Minato Namikaze, who had been waiting for a long time.
Minato Namikaze then led the successful candidates here.
"Good luck." Kiyoshi thought to himself.
He had made quite a bit of preparation earlier, fearing that he might draw a terrain that countered his affinity.
The Forest of Death was a universally neutral terrain, highly compatible with all elemental techniques. The only things to worry about were the giant creatures inside and the dense, intricate ancient trees that obscured the sky.
Kiyoshi looked at Minato Namikaze in front of him. This was their first formal meeting.
He wasn't very interested in Minato, focusing instead on fielding questions from Asuma and Kurenai about how he deduced the results and how he knew the answers before the exam.
Kiyoshi casually used the excuse that a ninja from the Land of Lightning had once revealed the information, adding that the ninja was severely punished.
"The Hyūga twins are here too." Finally, Kiyoshi spotted a familiar face.
He had originally thought they would be eliminated in the first round, but they made it to the second.
"The advantage is with our clan here!" Tetsu Hyūga said excitedly.
Through the wire fence, Tetsu Hyūga could see the lush vegetation inside.
The more complex and hard to see the terrain was inside, the more advantageous it was for those with the Byakugan.
Regardless of the environment, they could use those eyes to see through things and even use their long-distance vision to scout the positions of other teams.
"We can smoothly advance to the third stage of the exam." Homura Hyūga nodded in agreement.
Unusually, all three of their squad members were from the Hyūga clan.
Their scouting ability was maximized.
"That's good." Natsu Hyūga nodded slightly.
They had all chosen to graduate early.
Because of Kiyoshi Uchiha, the Clan Head had urged them all to graduate as quickly as possible.
It seemed he wanted the Hyūga clan to demonstrate more value to the Hidden Leaf higher-ups.
However, Natsu Hyūga didn't understand the internal politicking and underlying logic.
As members of the Branch Family, all they could do was follow orders.
Kiyoshi read their lips from afar, gleaning the content of their conversation.
Smoothly advance to the third stage?
Kiyoshi let out a small laugh.
That depended on whether he agreed.
The words of the Hyūga Main Family member, who said the Uchiha were an innately evil clan, were still fresh in Kiyoshi's memory.
If that was the case, he naturally had to embrace the wickedness completely.
Then... Kiyoshi looked at Pakura.
This was one of his main goals for this exam.
That was to see if he could acquire a Trait.
The Bloodlines of the ninja world had a genetic effect, which, conversely, meant a change at the genetic level.
If he could obtain a corresponding Trait, Kiyoshi speculated he might be able to use it to strengthen his own Fire Release techniques.
The two new techniques he received from Samui were also due to be tested.
Furthermore, he needed to use this opportunity to further evolve his Dōjutsu.
Kiyoshi gently stroked the area around his left eye. The Dōjutsu power in his left eye was fluctuating.
Following his detailed observation of Samui last time, Kiyoshi had seen more... landscapes.
Not just the surface, but the internal aspects as well.
Everything was laid bare before Kiyoshi.
Kiyoshi learned more about Samui, such as how many meridian channels converged around her strong heart, and so on.
The Dōjutsu power, in terms of both depth and breadth, had reached the limit of what the cup could hold.
The next step was the two-tomoe Sharingan.
This would further enhance Kiyoshi's Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and learning abilities.
He would be qualified to challenge more powerful figures and acquire more Traits.
"First up is... Pakura." Kiyoshi locked onto his target.
Such a ninja was also an excellent choice for Dōjutsu enhancement.
***
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