After returning to the village, life for Team 7 returned to a peaceful routine, punctuated by the occasional tedious D-rank mission. Finding lost pets, clearing clogged riverbeds... these tasks weren't even a warm-up for Yao. He usually sent a Wood Clone to deal with them. In fact, even a Wood Clone was overkill; a Shadow Clone sufficed.
Yao spent most of his time deep in the forests behind the village, either researching Wood Style or performing secondary development on Chidori and Rasengan.
Time flowed quietly, and another half-month passed. One evening, after finishing his day's training, Yao returned to the village alone. The setting sun bathed Konoha in a warm golden hue. The streets were bustling—more so than usual.
Yao immediately sensed the change. There were ninjas from other villages everywhere: Sand, Sound, Grass... most were young, roughly the same age as Genin. Yao paused, realization striking him instantly. The Chunin Exams are here!
The Chunin Exams served as a major stage for hidden villages to showcase their new generation and test each other's strength. And, of course, they were the key path for Genin to advance. Yao's mind whirred. By tradition, as fresh graduates, his class was eligible to participate.
"The Chunin Exams, huh?" Yao's lips curled.
If memory served, Orochimaru would launch the "Konoha Crush" plan during these exams. The Third Hokage would fall in battle. But more importantly, Itachi Uchiha would return to the village shortly after to warn the higher-ups.
And that would be the perfect opportunity to seize Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan! Yao knew that one of Shisui's eyes was with Itachi, and the other was with Danzo. If he could get both, he would have his own Mangekyo!
With his Sage Body, those eyes would surely exert power comparable to the Eternal Mangekyo.
"I can hardly wait," Yao licked his lips.
The Chunin Exams officially began. After Kakashi consulted Yao, Naruto, and Sasuke, he signed all three of them up. The written exam started soon after. The spacious classroom was packed with ninjas from various villages.
Yao sat by the window, scanning the unfamiliar faces—especially the "famous" ones. Without a doubt, the Sand Trio was the most striking. Gaara sat with his gourd, radiating a cold, murderous aura. Beside him were Temari with her giant fan and Kankuro, wrapped in bandages with his puppet never far away. They sat with Gaara at the center, their expressions arrogant.
On Konoha's side...
Besides familiar classmates, there were also Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten. And of course, there was the silver-haired youth with round glasses and a gentle, harmless smile—Kabuto Yakushi. This spy was currently chatting familiarly with several Konoha Genin.
Idiots like Naruto were being completely played by Kabuto's words, feeling the immense pressure rise within them. This Kabuto guy... his disguise is pretty good. Should I find an opportunity to take him out? Yao wondered.
Then, Yao's gaze drifted toward a figure in the corner. Her red hair was a bit messy, and she wore thick, round glasses—a girl who looked quite timid. This was Karin! At this time, Karin was just a twelve-year-old girl, far from the fierce personality she would develop later. She sat with her head down, her fingers fidgeting nervously as if she were uncomfortable in such a crowded environment.
Karin's perception was incredibly sharp. Sensing Yao's gaze, she looked up. Their eyes met. Karin froze for a moment, then looked away like a startled fawn. A clear blush crept across her pale cheeks, even tinting the tips of her ears pink, as she buried her head even lower.
Twelve-year-old Karin... is actually quite cute!
Yao withdrew his gaze. Karin was a pure Uzumaki, possessing the "Mind's Eye of the Kagura"—a top-tier healer and support! Though her personality is a bit... well... prone to being a "simp." If I can recruit her as a healer and a human radar, it would be quite beneficial!
Just as Yao's thoughts were wandering, the classroom door was slammed open. A group of stern-faced Chunin proctors filed in, led by a man with a scarred face and a menacing glare—Ibiki Morino. His presence instantly silenced the room; one could hear a pin drop.
"I am the proctor of the first exam, Ibiki Morino! The rules for the written test are simple: ten questions..."
The rules were harsh, bordering on unreasonable: No cheating! Team-based scoring! If one person was caught cheating, the whole team was disqualified! The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point, and many candidates turned pale.
The papers were distributed. The questions covered ninjutsu theory, intelligence analysis, cryptography, and even obscure strategic simulations. For most combat-oriented Genin, the difficulty was absurdly high.
Yao picked up the paper, scanned it, and realized he didn't know how to do any of it. Some questions he couldn't even understand. But it didn't matter. The true purpose of this exam wasn't to test knowledge, but to test information-gathering skills under extreme pressure. In other words, as long as you could copy—and do it stealthily enough not to get caught—you would pass.
Yao didn't even bother to copy. He knew there was a bonus question at the end: a test of whether a Genin had the will to never give up on a mission or abandon a comrade under immense pressure. As long as you chose not to quit, the previous test results were irrelevant.
So, Yao didn't answer a single question, spent the whole time looking out the window, lost in thought. In contrast, other candidates were scratching their heads, sweating profusely, or using various methods to cheat. The result was exactly as expected. Except for those caught cheating or those who failed the final psychological test, the rest passed smoothly—including "slackers" like Yao and Naruto who turned in blank papers. Naruto really was something else; he couldn't do a single problem either. What a dork!
The second exam: pass through the Forest of Death within five days. The twenty-six teams that passed the written exam gathered before the iron gates. Each team received a sealed scroll, the core objective of the test: collect both a "Heaven Scroll" and an "Earth Scroll" and reach the tower in the center of the forest within the time limit.
Team 7 received the Heaven Scroll.
"Great!" Naruto's fighting spirit burned bright. "We just need to snatch one Earth Scroll to pass!"
Sasuke looked at Yao beside him and said deeply, "Brother, once we enter the forest, don't interfere!" He knew his brother's strength was unfathomable. If Yao got serious, all the candidates in the Forest of Death combined wouldn't be enough to take him on. If that happened, this trial would lose its meaning for Sasuke as a way to temper himself.
Yao shrugged. "Fine! I'll let you show off this time. But... if you encounter a danger you really can't handle, don't forget to call for help. I don't want to lose my 'foolish little brother' and become the sole survivor of the Uchiha!"
"Hmph!" Sasuke had long grown accustomed to Yao's teasing but caring way of speaking. He gave a cold huff and looked away, but he secretly vowed he wouldn't lose—and he certainly wouldn't ask this guy for help!