Intelligence-Gathering Ability
Turning our attention to the first question: Please answer all the following codes. One point is awarded for each correct answer, and zero points are awarded for any single error.
After reading the entire question, Shuichi confirmed his guess: it was still testing intelligence gathering skills.
Because this question is very difficult, even people who are very confident in their ability to decipher the code will worry about making a mistake.
He then looked directly at the second question, which was a calculation problem about a parabola. The question included a simple diagram depicting the positions of a ninja and an enemy.
The vertical height difference between the ninja representing your side and the enemy ninja is 8 meters, the horizontal distance is 30 meters, and the wind speed is a headwind of 3 meters per second. You need to calculate the range of force required to accurately hit the enemy's upper body.
This question was quite difficult, so Shuichi skipped it for now and quickly scanned through all the remaining questions.
The entire test paper was quite difficult. Even if he could solve it himself, he wouldn't have enough time, as the exam only lasted 45 minutes.
After reading the questions, all the Genin in the exam room basically understood that they would have to find the answers directly by cheating, as it would be difficult to do so in such a short time by their own abilities.
Shuichi didn't answer the questions. The three-person team had already discussed their strategy in advance. If there was an intelligence gathering test, they would use Hyuga Akiha's Byakugan as the core and have her take the lead.
"The difference between this Chunin Ninja Exams's written test and the original story is that it doesn't use a penalty system; instead, it uses a foul system. Since the purpose is to select Chunin, the so-called clumsy cheating should refer to information gathering behavior at the level of a typical Genin."
"Therefore, the safest approach for each team is to wait for the person with the strongest intelligence capabilities to obtain the answers to all the questions, and then use two clumsy cheating methods to pass the answers to their teammates."
"In this process, if the three members of a team do not share the same idea, they are very likely to face the risk of being eliminated." Shuichi was psychologically assessing the hidden meaning behind Konoha's rule.
"Teams without special reconnaissance methods must plan the use of fouls very carefully."
"As you might expect, teams with special reconnaissance methods only need one player to commit two fouls to get the maximum score of 30 points. To ensure advancement to the next round, all teams should aim for a perfect score, because it's foreseeable that some teams will achieve it."
"For an ordinary Genin squad, when they discover that the other two members of their team lack sufficient reconnaissance abilities, the pressure falls on the member with the strongest reconnaissance skills."
"First, he needs to identify the source of the information. Then, he must obtain all the correct answers with one foul, and then pass the answers to two teammates with two more fouls. At the same time, he can only gamble that his teammates trust him and will not use more than one foul."
Shuichi felt he was right; the first test was to select teams with Chunin -level intelligence gathering abilities.
If none of the three members of the team possess this ability, they still have a chance to get a perfect score by relying on strong teamwork, which can be considered as making up for the lack of intelligence capabilities with teamwork.
After figuring it out, Shuichi began to observe all the Genin within a 180-degree radius directly in front of him.
The total number of participants in the Chunin Ninja Exams was 120, with 10 people sitting in each row. Shuichi's position was in the middle of the 7th row, and his line of sight extended to all the people in the 1st to 7th rows.
Shuichi observed for more than ten minutes and identified a Genin who had been writing down answers as the intelligence provider who had been arranged in advance.
"Hmm? There's only one answer provider in the first seven rows, and that person is in the fifth row. Under the rule that you can't turn back, it's much harder for the 40 people in the first four rows to get the information. If they want to find the answer themselves, they'll have to commit more than two fouls as a price."
"Kohei has probably figured it out by now. There's absolutely no one to provide answers in his area; we can only wait for Akiha and me to pass on the information to him."
While Shuichi was waiting for information, Hyuga Akiha had already begun to take action.
"Byakugan!" Sitting in the second-to-last row, she rolled her Byakugan. Based on her previous observations, there were three people in the entire examination room who were intelligence agents planted in advance, located in the 5th, 8th, and 11th rows respectively.
Byakugan's observational skills were unparalleled; she could see the entire situation in the examination room clearly.
"The three intelligence agents have slowed down their answering speed. Are they trying to eliminate more people? Shuichi and Kohei are definitely patient, but the other teams might not be." Hyuga Akiha noticed that the three intelligence agents had deliberately slowed down their writing speed, as if they had agreed in advance to finish at the same time.
With 25 minutes left in the exam, Hyuga Akiha activated her Byakugan once again. This time, all three intelligence agents simultaneously stopped writing; they had finished all their answers.
"It seems that this exam, besides testing the number of fouls, is also testing the efficiency of information transmission within each team." While thinking about this, Hyuga Akiha also took out a very small piece of paper. From the Byakugan's perspective, it was flicked lightly and passed smoothly through the gaps between all the examinees' seats under the table, landing where Shuichi was.
"Oh? They've only just confirmed all the answers, and there are still 20 minutes left. It seems this exam is also planning to eliminate some Genin with poor information-gathering abilities." Shuichi and Hyuga Akiha were thinking similar things.
It's worth mentioning that the tables in the Chunin Ninja Exams hall at this time of year are different from those in the original story; they appear to be of a very rudimentary structure.
The space under the table was empty, as if it were specially prepared as a cheating area, which indirectly reduced the difficulty of the exam.
He formed several hand seals, and a thin snake crawled out from under his trouser leg, wriggling towards the Hyuga Akiha leaves.
"Does this count as hiding a snake in my crotch?" Shuichi thought the Shadow Snake Hand looked more respectable. Apart from men like Orochimaru, no one would think it was abnormal to release a snake through one's lower body.
Not long after, the little snake returned to Shuichi's feet. It opened its mouth, revealing a rolled-up piece of paper inside.
Shuichi took the paper, opened it, and quickly copied down all the answers. Then he rolled it up and put it into the snake's mouth.
After receiving the snake, it crawled back towards Sarutobi Kohei's direction, and Shuichi took the opportunity to glance under the table.
"... It's truly a case of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their unique abilities!"
The area under the tables in the Chunin Ninja Exams venue has practically become a zoo of insects.
Besides Shuichi's snake, you can see all sorts of strange cockroaches and rats, all of them standing together like an army, not daring to invade each other's territory. A timid ordinary person would probably faint from fright at such a sight.