Naruto's Wisdom

Naruto spent the entire night practicing his swordplay and reminiscing.

For eight years in heaven, his adoptive father had never forced him to do anything, but rather let him see, let him hear, and truly feel the world.

"Naruto, you are a child who is true to his feelings, dares to love and hate, and dares to act. It is a pity that you will accompany me to hell, but I am very happy to have a son like you."

This was the strength within Naruto's heart, allowing him to move forward without fear.

After removing Haruno Sakura from his wife's registry and severing impure desires, his state of mind became as calm as still water.

At this very moment, facing Hyuga Neji's provocation, Naruto let out a hearty laugh, "Stopping me? Very well, just try it."

He strode forward, heading towards the end of the corridor, towards the real Classroom 301.

Neji's face was expressionless, and with the Byakugan activated, he looked like a blind man, silently walking alongside Naruto.

He held no ill will towards Naruto, even feeling a sense of shared misfortune and sympathy.

It was like how he was born into the Hyuga branch family, branded with the "Caged Bird" curse seal from childhood, his fate controlled by the main family.

And Hinata was inferior to him in both strength and intelligence. He, the strongest genius of the Hyuga clan, could only act as Hinata's sparring partner.

He had even been reduced to a bodyguard, driving away the penniless Naruto who approached Hinata.

This was destiny, an unchangeable destiny.

The two pushed open the classroom door, one on the left and the other on the right, and hundreds of fierce gazes turned to them. Each person looked incredibly strange.

Some carried a large gourd on their back, wore smoky makeup, and had the character "love" tattooed on their forehead, yet looked as if their entire family had died.

Others were wrapped in bandages from head to toe, like mummies, yet wore a hedgehog fur coat taller than a person.

Weapons were deliberately scraped, and strange noises came from their throats.

Malice surged like a tide.

Naruto smiled relaxedly. He had always enjoyed quelling riots, and in such an environment, he felt a sense of comfort, as if he were home.

Soon, a battered Sasuke and a chest-out Rock Lee entered the classroom.

Without asking, one knew who had won.

But Sasuke was not discouraged; instead, a look of rekindled interest in the world appeared in his eyes.

BOOM!

The classroom's lecture platform exploded in a cloud of white smoke. As the smoke cleared, two rows of Konoha ninja in white uniforms appeared.

The one at the front was tall, wearing a black trench coat that reached his ankles. His bone structure was rough, his face crisscrossed with scars, and his voice was deep and harsh.

"My name is Morino Ibiki, and I am the proctor for the first stage of the Chunin Exams. Submit your application forms by team and receive your exam number tags to take your assigned seats."

After receiving his exam number, Naruto sat back in his seat. "They're making it seem like a real exam."

The next second, a girl with an incredibly warm and caring gaze walked up to him, holding up exam number 52.

"Naruto," Hinata said, "my seat is inside."

It was as if fate had deliberately arranged it.

The two shared the same exam desk.

Naruto stood up to let Hinata sit inside. "I caused you trouble before, I'm sorry."

Hinata shook her head. Although her face was still flushed, her eyes were fixed on Naruto. "It's because of my family."

At this moment, the proctor began distributing the exam papers.

Morino Ibiki explained the exam rules: "Each person has ten minutes, a total of ten questions. One point deducted for each incorrect answer, two points deducted for each instance of cheating. Finally, the total score will be calculated by team.

"If anyone in a team scores zero, the entire team is eliminated. Did you all hear clearly!"

Naruto was a warrior; his knowledge from the Ninja Academy was almost nonexistent. But the moment he picked up the exam paper, he grinned.

The first question was a cipher to decipher a pattern, and the second was to calculate the trajectory of a shuriken based on a parabola.

Except for the last question, which the proctor would give 45 minutes after the start, they were all middle school math problems.

For him, a prodigy who had studied three months of high school and one month of university in a technologically advanced society, it was a piece of cake.

Naruto's pen flew across the paper, finishing the first nine questions in less than ten minutes.

He looked around. The ninja were mostly flailing around like headless flies, scratching their heads.

Few were writing, such as Haruno Sakura and Hinata.

Naruto suddenly realized that he was more than just a warrior.

He was a scholar! A genius!

In this backward world, his knowledge alone was enough to create miracles!

Naruto pushed his exam paper to the right. "Hinata."

Hinata was struggling with her calculations and said softly, "Naruto, wait a moment. I'll show you my answers when I'm done."

"I'm finished."

Hinata thought she had misheard. She turned her head and saw Naruto's neatly written exam paper, with clean and concise calculation steps.

Her eyes practically sparkled.

Was her Naruto this smart?

"I can..."

"Mhm."

Hinata sweetly copied down the answers, her mouth as if filled with honey, the paper in her hand like candy.

Naruto scanned the examination hall. Almost everyone was cheating, but some cheated so obviously they were seated in a row and recorded by the examiners.

Five received full marks, then were dragged out of the exam hall along with their teammates.

Others were extremely subtle, or rather, impossible to prove.

Like Hinata's two teammates from Team Eight: Kiba Inuzuka relied on the dog language of the dog on his head, and Shino Aburame used the insects on his head. Both were unconventional methods of controlling animals.

Sasuke, meanwhile, had activated his Sharingan, copying the movements of the person writing the questions.

Forty-five minutes had passed since the start of the exam.

"Alright! Everyone stop writing!" Morino Ibiki stomped his foot on the ground. "I will now announce the tenth question."

"But before that, I need to remind you: anyone who answers incorrectly will lose their right to take the Chunin Exams for life!"

Morino Ibiki bared a ferocious grin. "Answer, or forfeit?"

From Sunagakure, Temari slammed the table. "What happens if we forfeit?"

"The entire team is eliminated."

The examination hall erupted in an uproar. Some questioned, some accused, but all were shut down by Morino Ibiki's single sentence.

"I am the rule here!"

Hinata suddenly panicked.

It didn't matter if she didn't become a Chunin, but she wanted Naruto to become one. She hoped Naruto could thrive in Konoha, openly and honorably, to the point where he could marry her.

At that time, she would resolutely defy her father and marry Naruto.

If her future was cut short now...

Naruto said, "There's a choice."

"Huh?" Hinata said nervously. "If we answer wrong..."

"We won't be wrong. Trust me."

Based on the previous nine questions, Naruto analyzed that very few people could actually solve them. It was designed to encourage cheating, testing their ability to gather information.

Therefore, the last question wouldn't be one that the test-takers could solve.

The problem then lay in the "whether to answer" aspect.

Combined with the intimidating rhetoric, it was a 100% test of resolve.

Hinata looked at Naruto's decisive expression. "Mhm."

One by one, people in the hall began to raise their hands to forfeit. If one person forfeited, the entire team was eliminated. If even one member of a team was a coward, they'd have to wait until next year.

When the hundreds-strong examination hall was reduced to only 78 people, and after another ten minutes passed with no one wavering.

"The tenth question is..." Morino Ibiki grinned. "You! I deem you all worthy!"

The examinees were silent at first, then slammed their tables in cheers, a chaotic uproar.

Hinata, however, kept her eyes on Naruto. She had already prepared to be eliminated with Naruto, but the reality proved that Naruto would lead her down the correct path, the path to success.

She couldn't help but feel a little dizzy with happiness. Such an outstanding Naruto, had she really written him a love letter to confess?

Was she dreaming?

"Classmate Hinata." Naruto turned his head, looking directly into her crystal-clear pupils. "No matter who tries to stop us from being together now, as long as you're still willing, I won't give up."

"Mhm!" Hinata nodded, a much more forceful nod than ever before.

Bang!

The window shattered, glass scattering across the floor. Four kunai pierced a banner.

A woman wearing a brown trench coat and a sheer fishnet outfit, her ample curves prominent, slapped the curtain heartily.

"Children! The revelry ends now!"

"I am the examiner for the second stage! Anko Mitarashi!"