"Then, let's begin the first stage of the Chūnin Selection Exam."
Morino Ibiki dismissed Naruto's request, assuming it was just youthful bravado. Young people were often impulsive.
Next, Ibiki explained the examination rules. First, candidates submitted their applications. Then each examinee found their assigned seat using their number plate.
Naruto located his seat and discovered, to his surprise, that Hinata was sitting directly beside him.
What are the odds?
Hinata clutched her number plate tightly with both hands, scarcely believing her fortune. She was taking the exam next to Naruto-kun! Her heart sang with secret joy. She was so incredibly lucky!
"Ah, what a coincidence, Hinata! We're sitting together." Naruto smiled at her warmly.
Regardless of whether he cared about the exam itself, Naruto always appreciated having a friend nearby.
"Y-yes! What a coincidence, Naruto-kun. Let's both do our best." Hinata's face flushed pink. She kept her eyes lowered, not daring to look at him directly.
The problem was that with an important exam ahead and Naruto-kun sitting right beside her, if she looked at him and smelled his scent, she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate. His image would consume her thoughts completely.
Naruto, naturally oblivious to Hinata's internal struggle, glanced around the room. Sasuke and Sakura were seated far away. When they caught his eye, both nodded in acknowledgment.
After everyone found their seats, Morino Ibiki outlined the exam rules in detail. As soon as he finished explaining, the crowd erupted in shocked murmurs. These rules were incredibly harsh! Many people would be eliminated immediately.
A sense of crisis settled over the examination hall. No one wanted to be sent home.
Naruto didn't care about the rules at all. He had zero interest in the Chūnin Selection Exam itself. His interest lay in the candidates—potential friends from across the ninja world. With that in mind, he'd already decided to submit a blank paper.
Therefore, Naruto's expression remained completely calm.
As expected of Naruto-kun. He's not nervous at all. Hinata stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye. Maybe this kind of exam is child's play for him. Admiration swelled in her chest.
Test papers were distributed quickly. At the sound of the starting signal, candidates began racing against time, writing their answers with intense focus.
Some attempted to cheat. The proctors caught several on the spot and immediately disqualified them from the selection process. The atmosphere in the examination room grew increasingly tense, eerily quiet except for the scratch of pencils on paper.
Naruto stared at his test paper blankly.
His mind wandered. Should I go make friends with Examiner Morino after this test ends? Or wait until all the Chūnin Exams are completely finished?
Lost in thought, Naruto lifted his head and glanced toward Morino Ibiki. The examiner possessed exceptionally keen senses. Sensing someone watching him, he raised his own head and locked eyes with Naruto.
The two stared at each other. An almost electric current seemed to flow through the air between them.
What an amusing kid, Morino Ibiki thought.
After several minutes of this standoff, Ibiki looked away first. Naruto also returned his attention to his blank test paper, continuing to stare at it absently.
Hinata worked through the questions diligently but couldn't resist glancing at Naruto from the corner of her eye. She discovered him staring at his test paper, which remained completely blank. He hadn't written a single answer.
Hinata's heart jumped. Why isn't Naruto-kun writing? Doesn't he know the answers?
Should I show him mine?
She cautiously observed the proctor ninja scattered throughout the examination room. Her heart pounded wildly. She desperately wanted to show Naruto her test paper, but she was terrified of being caught.
In the end, affection won out. Hinata looked around carefully. Finding that none of the proctors were watching their direction, she leaned over slightly and whispered, "Naruto-kun."
Naruto heard the subtle voice and turned his head. He saw Hinata lower her head, pressing her elbow onto her test paper and gently pushing it toward him, clearly offering to let him see her answers.
Naruto shook his head, indicating he didn't need it.
Hinata sighed quietly. There's nothing I can do if he won't look. She couldn't force it. That would get them both discovered by the proctors and expelled for cheating.
The exam continued with a few memorable incidents, but Naruto sat quietly throughout and emerged unscathed at the end.
"Naruto-kun, you're amazing! Did you figure out all the answers?" Hinata had also passed. Relief flooded through her as she looked at Naruto with open admiration.
She thought back to when he'd declined to look at her paper. So he'd already solved everything! That's incredible!
"It wasn't particularly difficult," Naruto said casually, not bothering to explain further.
The exam had been genuinely interesting. After the written portion concluded, Ibiki had presented everyone with a final question. They could choose to answer it or give up. If they answered incorrectly, they'd receive zero points and be eliminated immediately.
This condition made many candidates question their life choices. However, in the end, many people passed. The specific process wasn't worth describing in detail—those who understood it, understood it.
Naruto looked around and confirmed that all his friends had passed the exam. Happiness warmed his chest.
While feeling pleased, Naruto raised his head toward the examiner's table. He spotted Ibiki cleaning up, apparently preparing to leave.
Maybe I should try to become friends with him now...
Naruto stood and called out, "Examiner Ibiki, please wait!"
Ibiki stopped what he was doing and looked up. Ah, this guy. The one who slapped another examinee against the wall, then said a few words to me about wanting to be friends. What strange thought processes. Though I admit, it's entertaining.
"What is it, kid? Did you stop me to say something about making friends with me?" Morino Ibiki's voice carried amusement, his lips curving into an inscrutable smile.
The proctor ninja beside Ibiki all chuckled. It had been a long time since they'd encountered such an amusing candidate. Though their laughter was good-natured, not mocking.
Naruto ignored their amusement entirely. He nodded seriously. "Yes, I genuinely want to make friends with Examiner Ibiki. However, I have one condition. Becoming my friend isn't that simple. You have to spar with me first. Only after I acknowledge your strength can you become my friend."
The moment the words left his mouth, gasps rippled through the examination hall.
"Is he challenging the examiner?"
"This guy's from Konoha, right? Are all Konoha genin this explosive? The examiner is at least a jōnin! This genin is challenging a jōnin? That's seriously overestimating himself!"
"I like the courage," Morino Ibiki said, his expression unchanging. "However, I don't have time to accept your challenge right now. After you're successfully promoted to chūnin, you can challenge me again."
He returned to cleaning up without waiting for a response.
Since Ibiki had declined, Naruto felt a twinge of disappointment. But the examiner had essentially agreed to fight later, so Naruto would simply become chūnin first, then make friends with him properly.
Throughout the examination room, candidates who'd passed stared at Naruto with mixed expressions. Most assumed Ibiki had refused for personal reasons. First, he was an examiner. Second, he was a jōnin. He probably didn't want to bully a mere genin.
However, they all wondered the same thing: Does this Konoha guy actually have the strength to back up that challenge? Or is he just blindly arrogant?
Only Sasuke and Sakura knew the truth. Naruto possessed that strength and more. Jōnin? Naruto had fought more than one. Haku, Zabuza, Might Guy—all had fallen to Naruto.
A mere Morino Ibiki wouldn't pose any challenge.
Sasuke and Sakura could already imagine the scene. After the Chūnin Exam concluded, Ibiki would be lying on the ground with a bruised and swollen face, humiliated into becoming Naruto's friend.
Of course, they kept these thoughts to themselves.
Suddenly, a new figure appeared beside Ibiki in a blur of motion.
She wore a tan overcoat and brown shorts with a black mesh bodysuit underneath. Her movements were exaggerated, her tone dramatic. She waved her hand and announced loudly, "Now is not the time to relax! I'm Anko Mitarashi, the examiner for the second test. Come with me immediately!"
Her theatrical entrance left the candidates stunned.
Candidates from other hidden villages thought, Konoha's ninja are all weird.
Konoha's own ninja thought, Except for us, ninja from other villages are weird.
Morino Ibiki silently hid behind a curtain, trying not to be seen. Being associated with Mitarashi Anko was social suicide.
"Read the atmosphere..." Anko muttered, realizing something was off. But she could only assume her presence was intimidating them into silence.
Ignoring the awkward expressions on every candidate's face, she continued without missing a beat. "Seventy-eight people. Ibiki, you left twenty-six teams? You're way too soft."
"There are quite a few excellent candidates this year," Ibiki replied from behind the curtain. Then he pointed toward Naruto. "Look, that guy even wants to challenge me."
Following Ibiki's gesture, Anko spotted the tall boy with long golden hair. A smile curved across her lips. "Hey, there is an interesting one."
She nodded decisively. "Don't worry. I'll reduce the number to less than half in the second exam."
Hearing Anko's declaration, the examinees tensed once again.
In the Hokage building, Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed into his crystal ball. Of course he'd pay attention to such an important exam. From beginning to end, he'd watched everything that happened in the examination room.
When Naruto had casually slapped Kabuto against the wall, Hiruzen had been surprised, though not overly so. He'd assumed it was luck or a surprise attack.
After Anko departed through the window, Hiruzen finally looked up and rubbed his eyes. Watching this for too long hurts my eyes. Though watching the bathhouse never makes me tired. That's actually pleasant.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen summoned an ANBU operative. "Two panes of glass in the examination room were damaged by Mitarashi Anko. Record the repair costs on her account. Deduct it from her next salary."
"Understood, Lord Third." The ANBU nodded acknowledgment.
After all the candidates and examiners had dispersed, Ibiki descended from the podium and collected the test papers. When he reached Naruto's desk, he saw the completely blank answer sheet. The boy hadn't even written his name.
Ibiki's eyes widened slightly. He muttered under his breath, "What an interesting kid. I'm looking forward to your challenge." A genuine smile touched his lips as he collected the blank paper.
On the other side of the village, Kabuto Yakushi left the assessment building and made his way to a dark room.
In the darkness, a voice spoke. "You've arrived."
"I'm here, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed slightly, showing respect.
The voice spoke again from the shadows. "How did it go?"
Shame colored Kabuto's expression. "I'm sorry, Orochimaru-sama. I originally planned to make contact with Sasuke, but I was stopped by that boy named Uzumaki Naruto. I couldn't test Sasuke at all."
"I know what happened," the cold voice replied.
Hearing this, Kabuto's pupils shrank in disbelief. "Orochimaru-sama, you know?"
"Of course I know. I was there at the time." A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
Kabuto saw the newcomer clearly—wearing a bamboo hat, beneath which was a feminine face. Kabuto recognized the disguise immediately. This was one of the candidates from Kusagakure who'd come to take the examination. Orochimaru-sama had taken over the body of a Kusagakure ninja. No wonder he'd known all along.
"I'm useless," Kabuto lowered his head immediately.
"No, you have your uses." The girl's tongue flicked out, long and serpentine. "Go back now. Be careful not to be discovered."
"Understood, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed and retreated.
After Kabuto left, the disguised kunoichi raised her face, tongue darting out habitually. She murmured to herself, "Uzumaki Naruto... interesting. Very interesting."
The next day arrived quickly.
The examinees gathered together, waiting for Anko Mitarashi to announce the content of the second examination.
Ninja from each hidden village formed small groups according to their teams. Naruto stood with his friends, Sasuke close beside him.
What they didn't know was that not far away, a gaze constantly fell upon Sasuke and Naruto both.
"Such excellent bodies... truly exciting..." The Kusagakure girl's eyes gleamed beneath her straw hat.
Sasuke... Naruto... hehe. Which one should I choose?
After a moment, a smile curved beneath the hat's shadow. "Why choose? Children make choices. Adults..." The tongue flicked out again. "I want both."
Naruto continued chatting with Sasuke and the others, completely unaware that someone was coveting his body.
Eventually, Anko Mitarashi arrived, her entrance as theatrical as ever.
Standing on elevated ground, she surveyed the candidates below. Seeing them all fall silent at her appearance, she nodded with satisfaction. Her eyes found Naruto in the crowd.
Suddenly, without warning, Anko raised her hand and hurled a kunai directly at Naruto.
Naruto tilted his head casually. The kunai whistled past his ear.
He looked toward where Anko had been standing, but she'd vanished. Through his Ki and blood sensing, he detected a new presence directly behind him.
Anko's body pressed against his back, her voice purring near his ear. "Hey, Ibiki said you were interesting. I wanted to see just how interesting you are."
At that moment, another kunai shot toward Anko. She caught it deftly. Then a figure stuck to her back, mirroring her position against Naruto.
A long scarlet tongue wrapped around a kunai, positioning it before Anko's face. A cold voice, devoid of emotion, said, "Your kunai. I'm returning it to you."
"How troublesome. Thank you." Anko's voice remained cheerful, but her tone shifted. "But don't stand behind me with that murderous aura. Not unless you want to die young."
"I apologize..." Orochimaru retracted his tongue, about to continue speaking.
"Hey." Naruto's voice cut through the moment, calm but laced with clear displeasure. "Do you two think you're playing some kind of game? This isn't fun."
Of course Anko heard Naruto's irritation. She simply didn't care.
Orochimaru had intervened because he didn't want Anko damaging Naruto's body. After all, Naruto's body belonged to him alone.
But in the next second, both Anko and Orochimaru froze in shock.
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