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Chapter 25: The Written Exam and a Little "Mistake"
The teams participating in this year's Chunin Exams, including Konoha's seven groups, numbered nearly a hundred individuals.
For the first stage's written exam, everyone was divided among three classrooms.
Upon receiving the test paper, Liumu began answering with fluent confidence. In his past life, while he hadn't pursued graduate studies, he'd still earned a bachelor's degree. Facing the ninja world's knowledge, he felt as natural as a fish in water.
'In what year did the First Great Ninja War begin?'
'Konoha Year 17.'
'What ninjutsu do the hand seals Boar, Snake, Boar, Snake, Boar, Snake correspond to?'
'Water Release: Water Formation Wall.'
'Please describe in detail the mutual restraining relationships among the five chakra natures: Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind.'
...
Looking at the final question, Liumu shook his head, amused. For the last major question of the Chunin Exams, they were testing the five elements theory? He sighed and picked up his pen to answer.
Less than half an hour had passed.
After finishing all the questions, Liumu glanced over his test paper with satisfaction and lazily stretched.
At that momentā¦
'What theā¦?'
Liumu stared, dumbfounded, at the chaotic scene unfolding in the classroom. It was like a dance of demons.
The first written exam had no proctors, and not every candidate knew all the answers like Liumu. But to get a satisfactory grade, many were blatantly using ninjutsu to cheat, right in front of the monitoring devices.
Beside Liumu, a slender man from Sunagakure, eyes slightly closed, hands forming seals, caused an almost imperceptible stream of fine sand to flow from a pouch at his waist. It bypassed the monitoring devices, passing in front of Liumu and appearing in the air outside the classroom window.
Intrigued, Liumu looked closely. Under the man's control, the sand gradually formed charactersāthe exact year the First Great Ninja War began.
Creakā¦
A sound of wood rubbing came from near Liumu's ear. He turned to see a small, humanoid puppet hovering behind him.
'Holyā¦'
The sudden puppet startled Liumu. On pure instinct, like swatting a fly, he grabbed the puppet in his palm and crushed it.
'Daring to steal my answers!'
'Waitā¦'Ā An idea struck Liumu. A mischievous smile touched the corner of his mouth.Ā 'Daring to copy my answersā¦ hehehe.'Ā He picked up his pen againā¦
A few minutes later, Liumu, as if finally relieved, said confidently in the quiet classroom, "That should do it. Getting a perfect score is just so-so. Such simple questions are an insult to my IQ!"
After saying this, he pushed his test paper forward, then promptly fell asleep with his head on his arms, utterly carefree.
Almost all the candidates in the same classroom heard Liumu's arrogant declaration. Watching him fall asleep and even begin to snore softly, many immediately turned their attention to his test paper.
...
Ding-ding-dingā¦
The bell marking the end of the exam rang. As Liumu walked to the classroom door, the Suna ninja who had sat beside him suddenly appeared in front of him with a smile.
The man patted Liumu's shoulder, grinning. "You got the first question wrong just now. The First Great Ninja War didn't start in Year 19, but in Year 17."
Liumu: "???"
Seeing Liumu's suddenly enlightened expression, the man's smile grew even more pronounced, as if he couldn't contain it. "However, I should thank you. If it weren't for you, I might not have been sure about the last question's answer either."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Liumu raised the corner of his mouth slightly. In front of the other, he suppressed the glee in his heart, instead wearing a look of deep regret. He stomped his foot, pounding his chest in feigned anger. "You copied my answers, fine! But since you realized my mistake, why didn't you remind me?!"
"Remind you?"
The Suna ninja looked at Liumu with a sneer. "Why should I remind you? What I want to tell you is, not only did I copy your paper, but so did my teammates, and more than half the people in our exam hall."
Having said his piece and seeing Liumu's now "dumbstruck" expression, the Suna ninja left, thoroughly satisfied.
"Pfftā¦"
It wasn't until all the candidates had left that Liumu finally burst out laughing. He raised an eyebrow, mimicking the Suna ninja's tone.Ā "Why should I remind you? Oh, I'm so regretful, so sorryā¦ Hahaha! What an idiot!"
After discovering widespread cheating, Liumu had altered almost all the correct answers on his test paper. For example, he changed the First Great Ninja War's start from Year 17 to Year 19. He changed the ninjutsu forĀ Boar-Snake-Boar-Snake-Boar-SnakeĀ from Water Release: Water Formation Wall to Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet. He even exaggerated the Lightning nature's capabilities for the final question, claiming it could not only counter Earth Release but also forcibly break Genjutsu.
After making these changes, he deliberately made that arrogant statement to solidify his image as a top student, then took no precautions, letting them copy his "answers" freely.
As for Liumu himself? In the few minutes before the exam ended, he quietly changed all his answers back to the correct ones.
"These guys didn't even stop to think. One's ninjutsu, the other's genjutsu. Aside from both needing chakra, do those two have anything in common?"
Muttering to himself, Liumu walked out of the classroom.
Arriving at the school plaza and seeing Mizukage and Kakashi waiting for him at the gate, Liumu couldn't help but burst into wild laughter again.
Mizukage: "???"
Kakashi: "???"
Was this kid's brain fried? The questions were simple, but surely notĀ thatĀ simple.
"Alright, stop laughing. We need to hurry to the Valley of Thunder. That's where the second exam will be held."
After Kakashi finished speaking, he set off first with Mizukage.
Seeing this, Liumu, who had laughed himself into a coughing fit, finally followed.
The Valley of Thunder was located less than 500 meters outside Kumogakureāa massive mountain range formed by dozens of peaks encircling the village. It served as a natural barrier. While not ideal for attack or defense, its barren, rugged terrain was perfect for concealing sentry posts. Any foreign invasion would be quickly detected, making it an ideal early-warning system for the village.
When Liumu's team reached the mountain's base, a dark-skinned Kumo ninja was explaining the rules for the second round of exams to the assembled participants.
(End of Chapter)
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