Just then, a dark red object suddenly flew in from the distance outside the window. Mamoru felt something and subconsciously looked in that direction.
CRASH!
Accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of shattering glass, that dark red mass smashed through the window in an extremely violent manner and burst into the classroom.
Following that, two Kunai with dark red ribbons tied to their ends went "thud-thud" as they were accurately pinned into the ceiling. A huge dark red satin cloth then unfurled with a "whoosh" in front of the podium, revealing large, flamboyant characters on the fabric, as well as a figure originally hidden behind the satin.
"Now... is not the time to be happy!" An energetic female voice rang out.
A woman wearing a light brown trench coat over a black mesh bodysuit stood in front of the satin cloth with one hand on her hip. Behind her was a banner that read: 'Second Examiner—Mitarashi Anko, has arrived!'
"I am the examiner for the second exam, Mitarashi Anko! The next test is waiting for you!" Anko clenched her fist and raised it high, shouting in an almost hyperactive volume.
"Attention everyone! Follow me immediately!"
However, the expected enthusiastic response did not appear. The classroom fell into a long silence, as everyone stared at this uninvited guest somewhat blankly. An awkward atmosphere spread silently.
Finally, Ibiki, out of the goodness of his heart, poked half his body out from behind the unfurled satin and reminded her flatly, "Anko, read the room."
Anko's face instantly turned bright red. She clearly hadn't expected her entrance to be such a flop.
But she quickly forced herself to regain composure, her gaze quickly scanning the exam room as she muttered, "78 people?"
She then turned to Ibiki, frowning to express her dissatisfaction. "Ibiki, there are still 26 teams left? You were way too soft for the first exam."
Ibiki replied calmly, his expression unchanged, "There are more excellent Genin this year."
"Hmph, fine." Anko snorted coldly, turning her gaze back to the candidates, her tone becoming stern. "In that case, for the second exam, I'll be the one to eliminate you down to less than half. The specific exam content will be explained in detail tomorrow after we change locations. As for the meeting place and time, go back and ask your respective Jonin instructors. Now, dismissed!"
Mamoru couldn't help but roll his eyes. After all that, she basically said nothing of substance. So you just came here specifically to throw two Kunai, hang a banner, and act cool.
The moment the word "dismissed" left Anko's mouth, Mamoru's figure vanished from his seat with a "poof" and a small cloud of white smoke.
"What... a Shadow Clone?" Tenten blurted out in surprise.
"Hmph, brat, actually using a Shadow Clone to take the exam." Ibiki said with his arms crossed, his tone unreadable.
"It seems there are some very interesting fellows among the rookies this year." Anko licked her lips, a glint of interest flashing in her eyes.
"This guy... still catches me off guard as always." Yuya lamented in a low voice.
"..."
Among the candidates, most were shocked by this Shadow Clone exam stunt, and whispers began to fill the classroom.
Meanwhile, at the Ninja Academy's rooftop garden.
The real Mamoru was lazily lying on a bench, with warm sunlight drenching his body. After receiving the memories and information sent back by the Shadow Clone, he just indifferently rolled over.
He didn't care at all about the farces happening in the exam room. In his view, as long as the sky wasn't falling, there was nothing to fear.
—
In a dim room, a strange chuckle suddenly sounded.
"Ehehe... ehehehe... ehehehehe..."
A pair of deep black eyes suddenly snapped open. Sasuke sat up abruptly from the bed, his dazed gaze looking around, and immediately discovered the strange sound was coming from the other bed.
This discovery instantly made Sasuke breathe a sigh of relief.
He saw Mamoru sleeping on the bed, curled into a ball while clutching the quilt between his legs. Strange laughter came from his mouth from time to time, and his face wore a wretched expression that didn't match his age.
Sasuke let out a deep breath. Seeing that face, all his sleepiness vanished, and he shook his head helplessly.
Then, he threw back the quilt and got off the bed, walking across the smooth floor to the sliding balcony door.
Slide...
The curtains in front of the sliding door were drawn open, and the soft morning light chased the dimness of the room into the corners.
"Aaaah... Stop..."
Whether he was having a nightmare or was disturbed by the bright light, Mamoru suddenly began to struggle on the bed without any warning.
"Stop... stop it!"
As his thrashing grew more intense, accompanied by a strange shout, he finally rolled off the bed and onto the floor.
He then sat up from the floor with a face full of confusion. The morning light crossed the glass of the balcony door and shone on his face, making him squint involuntarily and raise his hands to shield against the piercing light.
"Wha... what's going on? Why am I sitting on the floor?" Mamoru asked groggily.
"Idiot, you fell off the bed yourself. Are you sleep-dazed?" Sasuke gave him a speechless look and casually pulled open the sliding door to the balcony.
Fresh air poured into the room with a hint of coolness, dispelling the stuffiness inside.
Mamoru stood up from the floor, feeling a bit dazed from sleep. He first scratched his thick black hair, then rubbed his bleary eyes, standing in place in a stupor.
He seemed to have had some incredible dream just now. It felt great in the beginning but very stifling later on. What kind of dream was it? He couldn't recall it no matter how he tried, so he gave up.
He turned his head to look at the alarm clock on the nightstand. The time displayed made him rub his eyes. After confirming he hadn't misread it—
"What? It's still so early." He very decisively lied back down on the bed, wrapped himself in the quilt, and went back to sleep.
Then, a muffled voice sounded from inside the quilt. "Sasuke, call me when breakfast is ready."
Sasuke, standing on the balcony, did not respond. It was unclear if he hadn't heard or simply didn't want to bother with him.