Cheating Is the Only Way to Avoid Becoming a Junior Next Year

"The first round of the Chunin Exam begins now!"

Wait, I object! Duke was baffled. This wasn't what they had agreed on! Where was the easy tenth question? Where was the bonus question that let you pass even with a blank paper?

As the proctors handed out the exam papers, Duke gave up hope. There were ten questions, not one missing. There was no so-called tenth question, and his plan to hand in a blank paper vanished.

During Naruto's Chunin Exam, Ibiki must have changed the rules. As expected of an S-level sadist—he even found ways to toy with people's hearts during an exam. Still, thanks to him. Otherwise, under the current rules, Naruto would have been eliminated in the written test! Duke thought maliciously, turning to look at the still boyish-faced Ibiki nearby. The young boy kept his eyes straight ahead, his pen moving as though divinely inspired.

Writing that fast? Maybe it isn't that hard! Could the questions be too easy, so you changed the rules later? Forget it. The future has nothing to do with me. I should focus on passing this exam first. Duke stopped letting his thoughts run wild and concentrated on the questions.

Question One: Codebreaking.

Is there really some pattern to these densely packed tadpole characters? They're all square, kind of like QR codes... Hmm... I'll look at the second question first!

Question Two: Ninja A stood atop an eight-meter-high tree and threw a kunai at Ninja B, who stood on the ground twenty meters away. Given the current wind speed... calculate Ninja A's throwing angle and the amount of force required.

This involves mechanics, parabolic trajectories, and air resistance... Questions like this wouldn't even appear on college entrance exams. How could Genin possibly answer it? Let's look at question three. There's no way I can't answer a single one!

Question Six:

Question Ten:

I really can't answer a single one! Duke stared blankly at the exam paper before him. Even university professors from his previous life might not have been able to solve these questions. Passing the written test with pure brainpower was something only true academic geniuses like Ibiki and Sakura could manage. Everyone else should save themselves the trouble—at least they would kill fewer brain cells.

Sure enough, these questions are forcing people to cheat... to test the Genin's ability to gather intelligence! Duke looked up. Almost every examinee was scratching their heads, completely at a loss. A small number of clever people had already caught on to the rules and were using every trick they had to carefully search for the right answers.

As the saying went, cheat on an exam or become a junior next year. Better to lose your character than fail! The Chunin Exam's rules were meant to encourage cheating. It was time to show off some skills. Duke removed the forehead protector from his head and tied it back on, drawing Asuma and Kurenai's attention. Seeing the signal, the two discreetly looked his way. Faced with questions like these, even an outstanding student like Kurenai was helpless... Well, not entirely. She had solved four questions and earned four points.

On the unnoticed ceiling, faint frost formed into a tiny mirror, thin as a cicada's wing. Because of the refraction of light, only Duke could see it. From any other angle, the mirror was completely invisible.

There must be Chunin here who know the answers, but finding them would be too troublesome. Ibiki, I choose you! The future director of the Anbu Interrogation Division could not possibly be anything less than a true academic genius. Duke had complete confidence in him. In no time, he used the mirror to copy all of Ibiki's answers. Then he followed the same method to pass the answers to Asuma, Kurenai, and Obito's Ice Clone. As for Kakashi and Rin, they were outside his consideration. He had done all he could; those two could only pray for their own luck.

As expected of Duke. Being with him is so easy! Asuma and Kurenai quickly finished answering every question. The three exchanged glances and sat back to wait for the exam to end. Meanwhile, all kinds of cheating methods emerged throughout the exam hall. Konoha's Byakugan and Sharingan, Kusagakure using wild grass on the windowsills to pass information, Amegakure's moisture in the air, Hidden Craftsman Village's reflective forehead protectors, Sunagakure's puppet strings... everyone displayed their own special talents. There were also reckless Genin whose pathetic cheating techniques seemed to be mocking the proctors. They quickly accumulated five violations, graduated early, and went home to fish with their teammates.

As time ticked by, more and more anxious examinees were caught cheating. Some idiots even tried to use violence after being caught. The proctors answered such behavior with strength. Here, they made the rules.

"Time's up!" At the lead proctor's command, all the proctors rose and collected the exam papers. Amid the examinees' nervous apprehension, the proctors tallied the scores. Those with zero points were eliminated, cutting down another large group.

"Everyone present, I hereby declare that the first round of the Chunin Exam has ended! All of you have passed!"

"Wasn't there supposed to be an elimination percentage?" one of the Genin asked. Having held it in for so long, they could finally ask questions now that the exam was over.

"There was never an elimination quota from the beginning. The difficult questions and harsh rules were all meant to make you cheat. Some of you must have realized that this written test was actually testing your intelligence-gathering ability. From the beginning of the exam to its end, there were only two kinds of people eliminated. The first were those who failed to gather correct intelligence. The second were those without the ability to gather intelligence."

"So that's how it was!"

"So that was it? Damn it, that was too cunning!"

"What luck. Gathering intelligence is my specialty."

"..."

"As Chunin, gathering and analyzing intelligence are essential abilities. If you do not even possess such basic skills, what right do you have to be Chunin?" The proctor looked disdainfully at the eliminated Genin. "To a ninja, intelligence can sometimes be more important than life itself. When carrying out missions or fighting on the battlefield, it is common for ninja to risk their lives to obtain intelligence. But the intelligence you obtain may not always be correct. Once intelligence is wrong, your comrades and your village will both be placed in danger. That is why this exam tested your ability to gather intelligence and eliminated the unqualified. Failures cannot bear the responsibility of Chunin!"

"..." The examinees fell silent at those words. Hearing them, Kakashi clenched his fists, his entire body trembling with excitement. White Fang's death had been connected to abandoning intelligence.

"All right, you have passed the exam, which proves that you are qualified to become Chunin. But do not celebrate too early. This was only the first round. The real test still lies ahead. Good luck!" As the proctor's voice fell, the first written exam officially came to an end. Of the more than three hundred Genin, over half had been eliminated, leaving only one hundred and twenty people—forty teams.

After the crowd dispersed, Duke and the other two met up with the long-waiting Zixiao. The four discussed going out for barbecue, but the stingy Zixiao claimed he was afraid they would upset their stomachs and firmly decided they would have ramen instead.

Kakashi walked beside Rin with a blank expression. Rin looked around but did not see Obito and was wondering where he was when she saw him rushing in through the main entrance in a panic.

"I made it! The first round hasn't started yet, right?" Obito asked Rin with a miserable expression. Kakashi's mood seemed rather low, and the guilty Obito was too scared to speak to him. He knew that after being more than an hour late, the written exam had long since ended. Without him there, Kakashi and Rin might very well have been disqualified outright.

"The exam is already over," Rin said with a smile.

"I knew it. We're finished!" Obito wailed. "I'm sorry, Rin! Go ahead and scold me. It'll make me feel better. You're so gentle that it only makes me feel more guilty."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Rin touched Obito's forehead. He did not have a fever. Had getting a good score left him dizzy? "Obito was amazing today. You got full marks on the written exam. Your intelligence-gathering ability really opened my eyes!"

"Huh?" Obito was dumbfounded. Full marks? Who?

"What an idiot! If you're late again tomorrow, I'll definitely kill you." Kakashi replied flatly, then lowered his head and walked away after just a few steps.

"Sigh... What exactly happened?" Obito remained utterly confused.

In the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had watched everything from start to finish, set down his pipe and said with interest, "An Ice Clone. A very interesting Clone Technique. Even the village's Jonin failed to notice it."

"Haha!" Minato wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His subordinate had arrived an hour late and missed the exam. As the team leader, he bore undeniable responsibility. Improper instruction was a serious dereliction of duty.

"No need to worry, Minato! Since no one in the exam hall noticed, we will let the matter pass. Having an Ice Clone take the exam in his place... that is also a way for a ninja to solve a problem. It is no big deal." Hiruzen Sarutobi did not revoke Minato Squad's exam eligibility. He looked at Duke's figure on the screen with great pleasure, a smile curling at his lips.

Zixiao, you have not disappointed me after all!

"I have failed Lord Hokage's teachings." Minato repeatedly bowed in apology.

"However, as Jonin, even carelessness cannot excuse the fact that you were deceived by a clone for so long." Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled, somewhat dissatisfied.

"They had never seen an Ice Clone before. It is understandable that they failed to notice it for a moment."

"Are you trying to help them evade responsibility?"

"Lord Hokage, you overstate it. I merely..."

"Enough. I have no intention of pursuing the matter." Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a good mood and did not dwell on it. Mentioning Duke, he asked, "Kushina confirmed that he has Uzumaki blood. She was not mistaken, was she?"

"Yes, Kushina is certain. Although he does not have the distinctive red hair, Kushina's judgment should not be wrong. After the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, the descendants of its few surviving ninja scattered across various lands. Those with Uzumaki blood are exceedingly rare. There can be no mistake."

"If that is truly the case, then it is good news." Hiruzen Sarutobi differed from Danzo. As Hokage, he considered matters from more angles. If Duke possessed only the Hōzuki Clan's Kekkei Genkai, then Konoha would be unable to claim the moral high ground when facing Hidden Mist's questions in the future. Their stance would inevitably be less forceful, leaving them at a disadvantage diplomatically. But if Duke possessed Uzumaki blood, the outcome would be different.

As everyone knew, the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha's Senju Clan were distant relatives. Before the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, the two sides had maintained friendly ties for many years and shared a deep bond. Even Konoha ninja bore the Uzumaki Clan's symbol on their clothing, and the First Hokage's wife had also been an Uzumaki. As an Uzumaki descendant, there was nothing wrong with Konoha taking Duke in. As for him possessing the Hōzuki Clan's Kekkei Genkai, that was merely a coincidence. Konoha's official spokesperson stated that Konoha had not known when they adopted him. All they could say was that the ways of the world were unpredictable, so Hidden Mist would just have to suffer a small loss!

"It is indeed good news. Kushina has been very happy lately and wants to teach Duke the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques." Minato cautiously asked.

"Then let Kushina do as she wishes, or my beard will not survive!"

Regarding the Chunin Exam, many characters' graduation ages and the timeline do not match up in Obito's flashback. To save some brain cells, certain people have been ignored... That is all.