At the other end of the crowd, Yakushi Kabuto, wearing round-rimmed glasses, pushed up his spectacle frame with a finger.
Underneath the lenses, a flicker of extreme excitement and curiosity sparkled.
On the intelligence scroll in his arms, a new line of text was swiftly recorded and marked by him with a special symbol as top priority.
"Uzumaki Naruto, possessing an unknown mechanical destructive weapon, confirmed capable of directly breaking Gaara's 'Absolute Defense'."
"I never expected this," he muttered softly, his tongue lightly licking his dry lips.
"Besides Uchiha Sasuke, this perfect vessel, Konoha actually hides such an unexpected surprise."
"It seems Lord Orochimaru is destined to reap a rich harvest this time."
The frozen air was broken by a series of heavy footsteps.
Proctor Ibiki, accompanied by a squad of stern-faced Chunin, appeared from the stairwell.
The scars crisscrossing his face made the surrounding examinees instinctively clear a path for him.
"What's going on?" Ibiki's voice was low, carrying the oppressive feel of an interrogation.
"The Chunin Exams testing ground is not a place for you to settle personal grudges."
Kakashi's figure appeared ghost-like before Ibiki, still with his lazy tone, one hand in his pocket, the other raised in a greeting.
"Oh, Ibiki, long time no see. Don't be so serious."
"It's just a small scuffle between examinees; young people have a lot of energy, it's normal."
Ibiki's brows furrowed. He had received a report that the Hidden Sand Village's Jinchuriki showed signs of losing control, and he had rushed over specifically to suppress it and protect Konoha's examinees.
But the scene before him was completely reversed.
The Hidden Sand Village's trio looked worse than the last.
The boy named Gaara, on the contrary, seemed to be the one who was overly startled, lowering his head and retracting his sand.
In contrast, on Konoha's side, the blond boy's expression was normal, as if the deadly conflict just now was merely a breeze brushing against his cheek.
Ibiki couldn't help but glance at Naruto a few more times.
Kakashi took the opportunity to pat Ibiki's shoulder, guiding him towards the classroom.
"Alright, alright, it's getting late. Let them go in and take the exam."
"If there are any problems, we can talk about them slowly after the exam."
Ibiki gave Kakashi a deep look, then swept his gaze over the silent Team 7, and ultimately did not pursue the matter further.
"All examinees, enter the classroom immediately and find your seats!"
The three members of Team 7 walked into the classroom under countless gazes mixed with awe, fear, and curiosity.
Sakura walked last, feeling her back stiffen.
Sasuke sat down in his seat without a word, arms crossed over his chest, seemingly cool, but the tense lines of his shoulders betrayed his inner turmoil.
When Naruto walked past him and sat in the adjacent seat, Sasuke finally couldn't hold back.
He turned his head and asked in a very low, yet incredibly serious voice.
"What was that?"
Naruto was checking the stability of the desk and chair, and did not even raise his head when he heard the question.
"A tool for judging heretics."
This answer, like a cold key, opened a door that Sasuke completely failed to comprehend.
Heretic?
Judgment?
These words simply did not belong in the Ninja world.
Sasuke felt an inexplicable irritation and stifling sensation in his chest; he found himself understanding Naruto less and less.
"Quiet!"
Ibiki walked to the podium and slammed a stack of test papers onto the table.
"Starting now, the first exam, written test."
"The exam duration is one hour. The rules are simple: there are ten questions on the test, each worth ten points. Deductions are calculated by squad; if one person in a squad scores zero, the entire squad is eliminated."
He bared his teeth, revealing a cruel smile.
"Additionally, during the exam, anyone caught cheating 5 times will be eliminated, and their squad will immediately lose their eligibility for the exam and will never be able to participate in the Chunin Exams again!"
This threat caused a repressed commotion in the classroom, and the examinees' breathing became a few shades heavier.
Naruto's heart remained unperturbed.
His brain automatically deconstructed Ibiki's words into a complete logical model.
"Basic Psychological Screening Model: Through rule pressure and high-intensity surveillance, test examinees' stress resistance, information gathering ability, and teamwork spirit."
"Assessment: The methods are crude, with an overly high proportion of intimidation, but it possesses basic functionality and is very suitable for young people."
The test papers were distributed.
Naruto glanced at the questions.
As expected, the questions involved cryptography, ballistic calculations, and advanced sealing jutsu theory, with a difficulty far exceeding the knowledge base of a regular Genin.
This was an exam designed to force you to cheat.
"These questions are indeed too difficult for Ninja Academy graduates," he thought calmly.
"But for graduates of the Zhongsi Academy, they are a bit too simple."
He could pass without cheating, so he wasn't in a hurry to start writing.
His gaze slowly moved around the classroom, taking in every corner.
"Proctor A, Aoba Yamashiro, disguised as an examinee, located in the third row, fifth seat, breathing steady, heart rate seventy-two, in observation status."
"Proctor B, Raidō Namiashi, disguised as an examinee, located in the seventh row, second seat, left hand has calluses from long-term use of blades, gaze lingered on Sasuke and Neji for more than three seconds."
"Within the testing room, there are a total of eight Chunin-level undercover Ninja, distributed in blind spots and advantageous monitoring points."
Analysis complete.
Naruto picked up his pen.
He did not bother to answer the questions that he found too basic.
On the blank answer sheet, he quickly wrote in a cipher that to an outsider would look like indecipherable scribbles, mixing Gothic letters and mechanical symbols.
That was not an answer, but a report, and also his habitual mental exercise.
An analysis report on the design flaws and security loopholes of the exam itself.
"First Written Exam Security System Assessment Report"
"Invigilator Staffing Analysis: Eight undercover Ninja, uneven distribution, a 2.7-second surveillance vacuum exists in the rear-left area, sufficient for three high-level intelligence transmission actions. Recommend adding one patrolling staff member, or adjusting the observation sector of the C-4 position undercover Ninja."
"Test Question Design Flaw: Unreasonable difficulty gradient setting, lacking a tiered pressure test for examinees' adaptability and psychological fortitude. Recommend introducing sudden situations, such as 'intelligence leak' or 'rule change' variables, to assess examinees' true adaptability."
"Conclusion: This screening process contains twenty-three percent redundancy and seventeen percent potential risk."
"Optimization Suggestions: To be determined."
After writing the last symbol, Naruto spent five minutes filling in the test answers, put down his pen, and calmly closed his eyes to rest.
He made no further unnecessary movements, just sat quietly, like a statue blending into the background.
Time passed minute by minute.
In the classroom, various covert cheating methods had already begun to unfold. Inuzuka Kiba pretended to yawn, allowing Akamaru on his head to peek at answers; Shino Aburame's parasitic insects silently scattered; Ino Yamanaka was already preparing to activate her Mind Transfer Jutsu.
Sasuke's Sharingan rotated slightly, like a high-grade camera, precisely capturing the writing movements of a disguised examinee.
Sakura, on the other hand, was writing furiously based on her solid theoretical knowledge, though fine beads of sweat were already forming on her forehead.
"Hmm?" Naruto noticed a sand-formed eye hovering above the classroom, furtively watching him.
Gaara was observing him with both fear and curiosity.
Naruto stared coldly in the direction of the sand eye, and it quickly dissipated into sand, retreating.
Ibiki wore a cruel smile, as one by one, cheating examinees were caught and expelled along with their squads.
"Number fifty-seven, eliminated!"
"Number twenty-three, eliminated!"
"Number one hundred one, eliminated!"
Each pronouncement made the atmosphere in the classroom even heavier.
Finally, only fifteen minutes remained for the exam.
Ibiki straightened up, his scarred face appearing even more menacing under the lights.
"Alright, now I will announce the tenth question."
Everyone stopped writing, looking at him nervously.
"For the tenth question, you can choose to answer, or not to answer."
"Those who choose not to answer will receive zero points, and their squad will be directly eliminated."
"Those who choose to answer, if you answer incorrectly, you will permanently lose the qualification to participate in the Chunin Exams!"
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