The Written Exam Begins

Sandstorms are a constant presence in the Hidden Sand Village, day or night.

The sound of grit rubbing against earth and stone filled the air with a "shasha" sound as the morning sun shone down on the Hidden Sand Village amidst this slightly noisy environment.

Although the Chunin Exams were being held jointly, the Hidden Sand Village's presentation was clearly inferior to Konoha's. This time, most of the participants were shinobi from the Hidden Sand Village itself and Konoha. Unlike before, when Konoha could rally support with a single call, the Hidden Sand Village's Chunin Exams this year felt somewhat deserted.

However, even with their strength significantly diminished, the Sand Shinobi still maintained their vigilance, such as monitoring shinobi from other villages.

Moriyue had opened the windows and doors of the inn early. The slightly dry air flowed into the not-so-spacious room through the windows.

Ando was leaning against the doorframe. He hadn't slept very soundly; he had already woken up when Moriyue opened the window. It was dangerous to be completely asleep in someone else's territory.

As for Kazeki, she had already gone to wash up. As a sensory-type ninja, she had also set up a sensory barrier throughout the entire room early on. Although if someone truly wanted to invade, they would likely use ninjutsu specifically targeting the barrier, it was better than nothing, serving as a form of psychological comfort.

Moriyue was very satisfied with the vigilance of Kazeki and Ando. His two teammates were much more outstanding than their peers, possessing both character and ability, only lacking in practical combat experience. He believed they would surely achieve great things in the future.

"Let's go. Most of the people should have arrived today, and the written exam should start soon. Ando, go find some sacks; we might need them for the practical exam later."

Moriyue let out a breath. He overlooked a small portion of the Hidden Sand Village from the attic. Many eyes were secretly sizing them up. Yesterday, he had wanted to sneak out under the cover of night, but he was stopped.

Kazeki nodded, tied her hair into a ponytail with one hand, and wiped the water droplets from her temples. She was quite confident about this exam.

"Good luck, Captain. At least passing the written exam shouldn't be a problem." Kazeki bumped her fist against Moriyue's, a smile appearing on her cold profile.

Ando, on the other hand, felt a headache coming on looking at these two inexplicably confident individuals. The enemies this time were very strong. He had seen many from Konoha – the Byakugan clan, secret jutsu clans; those people were all skilled. If they really encountered them, they would most likely be wiped out.

And then there were the local Sand Shinobi, who would definitely band together to suppress them. Wasn't this just walking into a death trap?

"Captain, you guys are really too confident, truly..."

Moriyue ignored Ando's complaints. This guy's personality was a bit like Darui's; he was the type to say he didn't want to do something but would actually give it his all, saying one thing and meaning another.

"Let's go. Bring out the same spirit you have when you argue with people. I'm not good with words; our team will rely on your verbal output in the future."

"Hey, hey, I'm a civilized person, Captain, don't talk nonsense!"

"Civilized in another sense, perhaps you and the 'Anzuan Horse Hunter' could find common ground?"

Kazeki, who usually seemed quiet, actually delivered sharp, heart-piercing remarks whenever she spoke, proving to be quite cunning.

"Forget it, forget it, as long as you guys are happy..."

Ando spread his hands helplessly. He couldn't win against either his captain or Kazeki. They could do as they pleased.

Led by Moriyue, the two left the inn. The Hidden Sand Village, which had been deserted and only filled with sand, was now crowded with people. The already narrow paths were completely blocked by the bustling crowd.

Moriyue pulled the two away from the black tide of people. Unlike in the original story, the Chunin Exams in reality had people flocking in numbers comparable to the Spring Festival travel rush. Even with only two villages responding to the call, the number of participants was still considerable.

After all, the Chunin Exams were like the college entrance exams of their previous life. Every person who officially became a Chunin was a pillar of the village and could rise to the village's high echelons. This golden path was naturally crowded, like thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge.

"So many people..." Kazeki covered her small mouth, surprised by the sheer number of people.

"A stampede could easily happen. The village's design in the Hidden Sand Village is very unreasonable; it's hard to accommodate such a large crowd. The slopes are also designed strangely. Is this a execution ground?"

Ando began to complain about the architectural layout of the place.

"Don't worry. A few deaths are fine; it'll just reduce the number of competitors. Let go of the desire to help others; people have to be responsible for the choices they make."

Moriyue knew that with Gaara present, he wouldn't allow a melodramatic event like a stampede to occur here. They just needed to prepare for the exam.

As expected, sand poured into the dense crowd, like an invisible hand, dividing and transferring the dark sea of people into different areas.

"Everyone, the Chunin Exams written test is about to begin. Candidates from each team will be assigned to different rooms. Please come forward to register."

Gaara, standing with his arms crossed above the sand cloud, spoke with a commanding presence. The Kazekage's aura made his words more convincing. The chattering crowd fell silent, and people voluntarily lined up to register. In just a moment, the square, which had resembled a marketplace, instantly became orderly.

"Let's go, time to draw lots. Remember the questions we practiced earlier?" Moriyue obediently joined the queue, moving quickly. It seemed like it would be their turn soon.

"I remember. One question was for each of the three people to fill in a number, with the total score reaching 100..." Kazeki raised her small hand. Influenced by Moriyue, they both remembered this question the most vividly.

"It's good you remember. What if we get it?" After confirming again, Moriyue went forward to fill in his information. As expected, the three of them were assigned to different rooms. The rooms were connected, but the soundproofing was quite good.

Moriyue followed the crowded flow to his assigned room. After casually finding a seat, he began to survey his surroundings.

Just like in the original story, Shikamaru, the chief examiner, did not enter the room. An old-looking television was placed in the center of the room. The candidates hadn't all arrived yet, and the machine hadn't been activated.

"Judging by the model... it should be equipment discarded by the Cloud Shinobi a few years ago, which the Sand Village acquired..." Moriyue chuckled as he stared at the small television.

He then turned his attention to the candidates already seated. As expected, he saw many familiar faces.

At a seat near the door, a black-haired youth in white clothing, with an extraordinary demeanor, sat upright in the most prominent position. His eyes were slightly closed, as if he were resting, exuding an air of a master.

"Neji, that guy... hmm..." Moriyue narrowed his eyes slightly. Neji was indeed a genius. He was also directly promoted to Jonin during this exam. In his memory, it seemed he was the first to figure out the trick to the first question.

"Telling others to let them pass? That's not good. How can we not cause trouble? It's best to deliberately mislead those guys and make more people answer incorrectly."

A mischievous smile spread across his lips, and Moriyue immediately came up with a wicked idea. If he could reduce the number of competitors, why wouldn't he do it?