"The first exam's total score consisted of the written score and the performance score."
"The test was worth 100 points. After you finish, 70% of your score will count as your final written score."
"Everyone starts with 30 performance points. If you're caught cheating, you'll lose 10 points each time. After three offenses, you and your teammates will all be disqualified."
"Every member of a Ninja Squad must score at least 60 points to pass and advance to the Second Exam."
As the chief examiner spoke, the other examiners took their seats around the exam hall, surrounding all the candidates.
The candidates reacted in all sorts of ways.
Soon, the test papers were handed out to everyone. After a quick glance, Qingshui realized that every question was beyond the syllabus.
Only someone with exceptionally strong theoretical knowledge like him could answer them.
In other words, although the rules were different, this exam was just like the one Naruto took in the Original Work: it tested the Genin's ability to gather intelligence.
Cheating wasn't forbidden during the exam; cheating clumsily was.
But this exam was a little more difficult than Naruto's.
Not only were candidates limited to three attempts at cheating, they also couldn't simply hand in a blank paper like Naruto had.
With a written score of zero, there was no way to meet the requirement of at least 60 points overall.
If one person failed, the whole team would be eliminated.
So after making sure he could answer the questions himself, he also had to find a way to help his less capable teammates.
Once he understood all this, Qingshui immediately looked toward Kushina, seated ahead and to his left.
The girl, who had been brimming with confidence moments ago, was now slumped over her desk like a wilted tomato, looking utterly washed out.
Clearly, the questions were beyond her abilities.
That wasn't surprising. Kushina was a genius, too, but her talent lay mainly in actual combat. Her theoretical knowledge was merely passable.
Qingshui shook his head slightly and quietly used the Summoning Jutsu, summoning the Katsuyu Sage in a bug-sized form.
The Katsuyu Sage could heal from a distance, and her divided bodies could share their vision, allowing them to transmit information in real time.
Now, Qingshui was using her as a tool to cheat on the exam.
The Katsuyu Sage was the great ancestor of Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Great Sage Lands in the Summoning Realm. Qingshui wondered what Tsunade would think if she found out about this.
As for the Katsuyu Sage herself, she showed no sign of refusing. On the contrary, she thought it was a novel experience.
"You have one hour. Begin!"
At the chief examiner's announcement, some candidates immediately scratched their heads in frustration, while those who had figured out the purpose of the exam began using every trick at their disposal.
The Uchiha Clan's candidates, for example, immediately located the Chunin who had been planted among them and used the Sharingan to copy his movements as he answered the questions.
Once they'd finished copying, they used Genjutsu on their teammates to pass along the answers inside an illusion.
Some candidates from the Hyuga Clan used the Byakugan's ability to see through objects to copy the answers. Then, under the pretense of going to the bathroom, they passed them to their teammates.
As for Minato, like Qingshui, he was capable of answering the questions himself. He might not get a perfect score, but he could manage at least eighty or ninety points.
To help Mukai Yuki and Sasaki Ayami, Minato manipulated the mirrors on the ceiling so that they could see his test paper.
It was the same trick Tenten had used in the Original Work, and it was no trouble at all for Minato.
Whoosh!
The sharp whistle of a kunai broke the silence in the exam hall.
"Candidate number 54 has been caught cheating three times and is disqualified. Candidates number 12 and 146 are also disqualified."
The examiner's cold, merciless voice rang out.
"Damn it! What gives you the right to disqualify me?"
Candidate number 54, who had been caught, bellowed in defiance. In the next instant, the examiner knocked him to the ground.
"Because I'm stronger than you!"
Strength was the most powerful argument in the Ninja World.
The weak, lacking strength, could only accept the rules laid down by the strong.
The sight intimidated the other candidates as well.
Kushina was among them. Staring at the questions she couldn't answer at all, she looked utterly despairing.
By now, she had figured out the purpose of the exam.
But none of her skills could help her cheat.
If she were the only one who failed, that would be one thing. But she'd end up dragging Qingshui down with her.
If that happened, she'd feel terribly guilty.
The examiners' voices kept ringing out as they disqualified candidates, making her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles.
Just as Kushina was at a loss, the Katsuyu Sage that Qingshui had summoned finally crawled onto her desk.
As a slug, the Katsuyu Sage could actually move quite quickly.
But she was very small right now. She had been summoned at the size of a bug and then split into two, so it had taken her a little time to get there.
"Katsuyu Sage!" Kushina whispered, delighted.
Ever since coming to Konoha, she had lived with Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade, so she was familiar with the Katsuyu Sage.
She also knew that Qingshui had signed a Summoning Contract with Shikkotsu Forest.
The moment she saw the Katsuyu Sage, Kushina understood that Qingshui was helping her.
So I really am winning without lifting a finger.
Qingshui, I'll make sure you breeze through the Second Exam.
With that thought in mind, Kushina began writing, with the Katsuyu Sage's help.
"Time's up. All candidates, put down your pens and leave the exam hall immediately. The results will be announced after noon."
The chief examiner's voice rang out, bringing joy to some and despair to others.
But what was done was done. They could only go eat first.
"Qingshui, we really owe you one. If you hadn't helped us, we'd have failed the very first exam. That would've been so embarrassing."
After leaving the exam hall, Kushina came over to Qingshui and patted his arm.
Qingshui nodded, then looked at the three people approaching with Minato and asked with concern, "How did you three do?"
"Minato's definitely fine. And if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been able to answer a single question."
"We've already become Ninjas, so why do we still have to take such a difficult test? Once I become Hokage, I'll abolish this rule."
Mukai Yuki complained, still shaken.
He'd nearly been eliminated—before even becoming the future Hokage.
Sasaki Ayami immediately laughed. "But once you become Hokage, you won't have to take tests anymore, Yuki."
At that, Mukai Yuki froze.
Right. I won't have to take tests then. If I abolish the rule, wouldn't that just make things easier for future Ninjas?
"Then I'll make the tests harder. I can't be the only one who has to suffer through this!"
Everyone burst into laughter at Mukai Yuki, who had immediately changed his tune.
"All right, let's get something to eat, then come back and check the results."
Led by Qingshui, the group left the Ninja Academy.
Meanwhile, Killer B and the others were talking as well.
"That red-haired girl is our mission target."
Before you continue