A Different Rule

First part of the content, written exam.

Karot looked at the test paper in his hand. He recognized every character, but he didn't know the answers to the questions formed by them.

For Karot, who had only attended a week of classes and slept through them all, this was undoubtedly difficult. He considered just submitting a blank paper like Naruto Uzumaki, but he didn't dare to, not being the Child of Destiny. A zero score would be embarrassing, and Kakashi would laugh at him for the rest of his life.

"Host, do you need help?"

See, this was a timely savior, a light at the end of the tunnel.

"Yes."

Easy to understand and modify.

With the System's theoretical cheat, Karot's pen flew. He just needed to get a passing score. Any higher and he'd get too proud, and it would be embarrassing to hold.

As expected, everyone would pass this written exam, because not every ninja had taken leave.

While everyone was celebrating passing the first exam, the classroom door was pulled open from the outside.

Then, a man with long hair, a pale complexion, and an unapproachable demeanor walked in.

Upon seeing him, the entire classroom fell silent. Everyone recognized him: he was Orochimaru, one of the Hokage's three great disciples, the "Cold Lord." To be targeted by him was like being eyed by a venomous snake.

"Lord Orochimaru, please take care of the second exam."

The Jonin in charge of the first exam bowed to Orochimaru with a respectful expression.

At this time, Orochimaru was a hero of the Leaf Village, having saved the lives of many fellow ninjas on the battlefield. He was highly respected.

I didn't expect it would be him in charge of the second exam, Karot thought. It seems the Third Hokage greatly values Orochimaru and is paving the way for him.

Orochimaru seemed to sense Karot's gaze and glanced in his direction.

Such keen perception, Orochimaru.

"There are no eliminated participants. It seems the exam content was too simple. But it doesn't matter. After my assessment, there won't be more than ten left."

Orochimaru's words put immense pressure on the candidates. After all, no ninja who came to participate in the assessment wanted to be eliminated.

Besides his fame, Orochimaru was also known for his ruthless methods and cold-blooded reputation. His words filled the Genin with worry about the upcoming exam.

"Everyone, head to the second exam location. Arriving more than ten minutes late means automatic disqualification."

With that, Orochimaru disappeared in a puff of white smoke with a "poof."

The Genin then rushed to the Forest of Death, the location of the second exam. Karot didn't rush. On the way, he even bought a few skewers of dango and tasted them. They were too sweet. He couldn't understand why the characters in Naruto liked eating them so much.

When Karot arrived at the Forest of Death, he wasn't the last one. About a third of the participants were late.

"Poof."

The Cold Lord appeared. He didn't waste any words.

"Now, I will announce the rules for the second assessment. The top ten. The first ten to reach the central tower will pass the assessment."

The simple rules were baffling. After all, the previous assessment involved finding the "Book of Heaven and Earth." This time, the rules were simple and brutal: whoever reached the central tower first would pass.

With these seemingly simple rules, only the top ten could pass, while the other fifty-odd ninjas would be eliminated. Who would be willing to accept that?

It was imaginable that the battles would be extremely fierce. Anyone could be your opponent, and teammates would no longer be reliable support.

"Summoning Technique."

Orochimaru bit his thumb, then formed hand seals and slammed his palm onto the ground.

"Poof."

Three giant snakes appeared on the ground. They were enormous, as tall as a three-story building. The ninjas on the ground were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

"To add a little fun to this assessment, you see how much effort I've put in. You might get injured, so don't let my efforts go to waste."

Orochimaru said with a playful expression.

Some Genin trembled, their expressions tense, fear showing on their faces.

"Lord Orochimaru, people could die here."

A slightly braver Genin spoke up.

"On the path of a ninja, no one knows when death will come. Now I'll give you a chance. If you don't want to participate, you can forfeit."

Orochimaru said.

Some ninjas, fearing the threat of death, raised their hands to forfeit.

Karot looked at the three summoned snakes and imagined one steamed, one braised, and one grilled. Drool dripped from his mouth. Kakashi, standing beside Karot, saw him drooling and staring intently at the giant snakes. He immediately understood his older brother's thoughts and subtly shifted his feet, slowly moving away from Karot, who he found embarrassing.

"Hey, Kakashi, come here."

When Karot snapped back to reality, he saw his younger brother Kakashi moving further and further away and urgently called out to him.

Orochimaru had summoned the giant snakes, and Karot couldn't let Kakashi act alone.

He didn't know how Kakashi passed the Chunin Exams in the original story, but now that he was here, he wouldn't allow any accidents to happen.

"Tch."

Kakashi ignored Karot's words and continued to disregard him.

If the mountain won't come to me, then I will go to the mountain.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage Building, the strongest Hokage in the world of peeping, Hiruzen, was watching the second stage of the exam through a crystal ball.

Standing beside him were Jiraiya, one of the Sannin; Jiraiya's disciple and future Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze; the protagonist's father, Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo; and Danzo, the Shadow of the Ninja World. The five of them gathered around the crystal ball, creating a lively scene.

"Orochimaru, isn't this going a bit too far?"

Jiraiya, Hiruzen's disciple and usually carefree, spoke up.

"I think this is a very good method. In the ninja world, the strong survive and the weak are eliminated. They can still live if they withdraw now."

Danzo expressed a different opinion from Jiraiya. He had come here today to observe if there were any promising talents to recruit into Root. Hiruzen had the Sannin; he needed his own group.

"I also agree with what Danzo-sama said."

Hatake Sakumo, for once, shared Danzo's viewpoint, which caught Hiruzen's attention. Seeing Hiruzen's gaze, Hatake Sakumo explained his thoughts.

"The current ninja world situation is unstable, and war could break out at any time. If we send these unprepared ninja to the battlefield, it's tantamount to sending them to their deaths."

Even though his two sons were participating in this assessment, he still believed the assessment was right.

"Minato, what do you think?"

Minato was surprised that Hiruzen would ask him. He was only able to attend this meeting because of Jiraiya.

The four present waited for Minato's answer. This was a test. Minato's potential was immense, and he had even learned the Second Hokage's developed ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God. His future achievements were limitless, so the other three were willing to hear the young man's opinion.