You're Chopping My Melon, Aren't You

Since it's a Chunin exam, whether Konoha arranged real or fake enemies, the enemy's strength would at most be Chunin level. Otherwise, this exam wouldn't even be established.

Therefore, as long as it wasn't dozens of people charging at Yuhara all at once, he basically wouldn't have any problems.

After Yuhara entered the exam area, he didn't encounter any enemies immediately. He went deep into the forest and finally found a relatively flat and open area near a stream, then brazenly started a bonfire.

This person didn't look like he was here to take the exam, but rather for a picnic... Well, it should be said that Yuhara couldn't even be bothered to find enemies. He planned to wait by the stump for a rabbit, patiently waiting for the person who should appear to appear.

Daring to start a fire in such a densely populated ninja area, as long as those hundred people weren't all blind, Yuhara would definitely be discovered.

Things didn't go against his expectations. Soon, a pair of enemies noticed the anomaly here.

"How did someone get in so quickly? Didn't they say it would take at least an hour or two for someone to reach our area?"

"Perhaps there's a Genin who has experience in intelligence or code-breaking participating in this exam."

"Then the problem is, would a ninja who did that kind of work build a fire at their feet?"

"...You stumped me."

For a ninja in a specific position, the first priority is caution, because if they aren't cautious, they'll either die quickly themselves or cause their comrades to die quickly.

So, these two ninja immediately suspected that Yuhara might have a serious problem.

"What do we do?"

"What do you mean, 'what do we do'? It's time to get to work."

These two were indeed Konoha ninja playing the role of enemies, but perhaps they had relaxed a bit after leaving the battlefield, as they fell into a mental trap, completely failing to realize that Yuhara's blatant actions were actually bait.

The two pulled down their masks, covering their faces, and charged directly at Yuhara not far away.

"Konoha ninja, prepare to die!"

From this, it's clear that these two were indeed carrying out their mission. Normally, when ninja attack, who would shout beforehand... This shout was actually to remind Yuhara to prepare for battle.

However, Yuhara seemed to be scared stiff, sitting on a rock motionless. It wasn't until the two ninja were almost upon him that they found themselves unable to move.

"Huh... Huh?"

One ninja looked down and saw black strips, as thick as fingers, crawling all over their bodies like slippery snakes.

"Shadow Binding Technique? Are you Nara..."

"No, it's actually Binding Curse Technique."

Ever since leaving that ninja tool shop, Yuhara's control over metal had significantly improved. This was because his chakra could attach to metal in a more fluid manner. Therefore, with a trap set, he could bind them directly as they charged at him.

Although it had nothing to do with the Nara Clan's Shadow Binding Technique, and the move Yuhara used wasn't even considered a jutsu, it was merely metal control. However, in terms of its effect, it did resemble the Shadow Binding Technique.

Of course, the Shadow Binding Technique is activated faster.

Yuhara securely bound the four hands of these two together, then searched them for two scrolls containing secret messages. After stuffing their mouths, he hung them up and hid them inside the trunk of a nearby large tree.

Two secret messages were definitely not enough. Yuhara's "waiting by the stump for a rabbit" activity definitely had to continue.

And the efficiency of his fishing activity was unexpectedly high. In just half a day, he had dealt with four waves of "enemies" attacking him, and two squads of examinees who tried to take care of him along the way.

By this time, he had fifteen secret messages in his possession, not including his own.

The proctors also finally noticed the situation on Yuhara's side. After all, a black hole had appeared in the exam area, with people going in but none coming out. They had to figure out what was happening there.

While notifying the chief proctor, the proctors summoned a Hyuga ninja, preparing to have him scout out what was happening over there.

The Hyuga ninja activated his Byakugan, aimed in the direction, determined the distance, and then saw a scene that made him gasp in shock—he saw a tree densely packed with "ginseng fruits."

The "ginseng fruits" that had just been hung were still wriggling ungracefully, trying to break free, while those hung the earliest had already adopted a look of utter despair, resigned to their fate.

"What do we do? We've encountered someone causing trouble. This person's strength is far beyond Chunin level. If we wait any longer, I'm afraid everyone in the area will be hanging from the trees."

"He's passed. Get him out."

Soon, someone made this decision.

The first Chunin exam since the Fourth Hokage took office – who dared to mess it up?

Yuhara dared, because he wasn't in charge and hadn't violated any exam requirements. Therefore, his compliant actions carried no responsibility.

"I'll go notify him."

Upon hearing the proctors say this, a ninja behind them, who had been listlessly watching the show, voluntarily took on the task.

After receiving an affirmative reply, this ninja quickly left and headed straight into the exam area. Soon, he found Yuhara, who was still faithfully executing his fishing plan.

Yuhara's gains had already exceeded his expectations. At this point, his thoughts had shifted to wanting to reach a round number.

Then he saw a ninja wearing a Konoha headband, relatively slender and short, with white hair, walking step by step towards him... It was Kakashi Hatake.

It was a shame Yuhara had gray hair, otherwise, with his current appearance, he could have formed a special bond with Kakashi, like father and son.

Kakashi was a Jonin, so he definitely wasn't here to take the exam. Thus, Yuhara didn't do anything unnecessary.

This genius Jonin approached step by step, then stopped, and looked up...

"It's truly a spectacular sight... You've passed this exam. Come with me," Kakashi said.

Yuhara: "..."

He was still looking forward to the scene where he would pull out secret message scrolls one after another in front of the proctors. Now they were telling him he had passed?

But since the genius ninja said so, Yuhara could only accept this outcome.

"Do you need me to let them down?" Yuhara asked.

"No, someone will come to rescue them soon... It's good for them to learn a lesson."

Kakashi was also quite absurd. His mission was to take Yuhara away from here, so he didn't plan to bother with his happy companions hanging above.

Since he didn't need to worry about these people, Yuhara directly followed behind Kakashi.

Perhaps it was a bit boring on the way, and after a while, Yuhara asked, "Senior Kakashi, what do you think of ninja clan members? Compared to ordinary ninjas, their growth speed seems faster, and their upper limit as ninjas also seems higher..."

"You recognize me?" Kakashi was surprised that this unfamiliar ninja would suddenly ask such a question.

"I've seen you from afar a few times," Yuhara said.

"Ninja clan members have a better starting point, so they perform much better than ninjas of ordinary background in the Ninja Academy. However... as for later achievements, it depends more on the ninja's own efforts. You should know that the Fourth Hokage was also of ordinary background."

Yuhara glanced at Kakashi, a hint of surprise in his eyes. Firstly, he didn't expect this person to actually answer his question, and secondly...

In a word, Kakashi's meaning was, "Brilliant as a child, but not necessarily as an adult."

As for the meaning in Yuhara's eyes...

"When I think of you as a child, you must have been brilliant."