Naruto turned around to look, and Shikamaru and the others couldn't help looking over too.
"I'm Kabuto Yakushi, your senior by a few years, you could say." Noticing that everyone had turned to look at him, Kabuto couldn't help pushing up his glasses as he introduced himself.
"Oh, so you're Kabuto Yakushi. You've taken the Chunin Exams before?" Sakura, who had come over, couldn't help asking.
"Mm. I've taken them several times."
The group couldn't help frowning.
"Are the Chunin Exams really that hard?" Kiba couldn't help asking.
He'd voiced what everyone was wondering.
"It depends on the circumstances. The exams aren't actually that hard; I have my own reasons." Kabuto knew they were all taking the exams for the first time, and didn't want to undermine their confidence.
"Oh? What reasons?" Naruto asked curiously. Kabuto Yakushi—the strongest spy early on and the most successful villain later. His was the ultimate underdog comeback story: born an orphan, he was made a spy by many powerful figures, until eventually he didn't even know who he was. Influenced by Orochimaru, he came to believe he was Orochimaru, experimented on himself relentlessly, learned Senjutsu, and improved the Impure World Reincarnation. Without Itachi Uchiha, who knew how far Kabuto would have gone? Even so, his achievements had surpassed those of the Three Legendary Sannin.
"I'm afraid of dying. I don't want to become a Chunin." At Naruto's curious gaze, Kabuto calmly gave his reason.
"If you're afraid of dying, why become a ninja at all?" Kiba said bluntly, even looking down on the Genin.
Having been born in peacetime, they didn't understand how cruel the life of a ninja was. They had little grasp of what death meant.
Naruto said nothing. The others immediately thought less of Kabuto after hearing his reason.
Kabuto didn't get angry. He returned to his seat. He had only approached Naruto and the others to see what kind of person the vessel Lord Orochimaru cared about was.
But to be honest, he was a little disappointed. Having seen Itachi Uchiha, he could immediately tell how far this young Uchiha fell short: he was impulsive, weak, and had no redeeming qualities.
Most importantly, Sasuke Uchiha still only had a Two-Tomoe Sharingan. Even Naruto looked down on him for that; Naruto himself had a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Bang.
Just as everyone had settled into their seats, a puff of smoke appeared, and a fierce-looking man in a trench coat, his face covered in scars, materialized in the middle of the stage.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Ibiki Morino, the examiner for your first test." After introducing himself, he swept his fierce gaze over the room.
Those he fixed his eyes on felt as if they were being watched by a beast. Everyone silently lowered their heads, afraid to meet his gaze.
"Good. I'll explain the rules for the next test. The first test is a written exam with ten questions. First, you'll answer the first nine. Then, for the last question, I'll announce..."
Naruto had already expected all this, but still found it a little boring. He wondered where Orochimaru was.
The tests were handed out. Naruto glanced at his paper and confirmed he couldn't answer the questions.
The others looked just like Naruto. Fortunately, there were spies sent by Konoha among the examinees, there to provide them with answers.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before the cheating began.
The ninjas used every trick at their disposal. This test was all about their ability to gather information.
As long as they weren't too obvious, they would pass. As for the crude method of simply passing answers along, they would be caught immediately.
Soon, several people from the smaller ninja villages were caught. Without sensory abilities, cheating was difficult.
Sasuke quickly caught on. He activated his Sharingan and watched the movements of the other examinees, copying their answers. He was remarkably practiced at this copy-and-paste routine. Hinata activated her Byakugan and could see in every direction without even raising her head.
Kiba used his dog to peek at the answers. Sakura had no way to cheat, but fortunately, she was a top student. She didn't know every answer, but she knew most of them.
Naruto was still debating whether to hand in a blank paper.
He couldn't be bothered to write, but he also didn't want to draw too much attention.
There were nine questions, and the two of them finished quickly. Hinata glanced at Naruto beside her and saw that he still hadn't written anything. She couldn't help growing anxious.
She wanted to remind Naruto, but didn't dare speak.
Sasuke, sitting to Naruto's right, frowned.
What's that idiot doing now? Sasuke frowned. He didn't know what Naruto's sensory abilities were, but he couldn't believe Naruto had no way to cheat.
Seeing Naruto still spacing out, Sasuke wanted to use his Sharingan to control him and make him write the answers. Unfortunately, he couldn't.
Naruto thought it over. Never mind, he'd answer a couple of questions at random. Handing in a blank paper would draw too much attention.
His sensory abilities were strong. He didn't need to activate anything on purpose to know what everyone was doing. He answered two questions at random, then put his pen down.
When they saw Naruto finally start writing, the two of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
When everyone had put down their pens, the examiner, Ibiki Morino, standing at the front of the room, began to announce the tenth question.
Naruto couldn't be bothered to listen. He lay down and started sleeping.
Ibiki naturally noticed and frowned. He recognized Naruto. If Naruto hadn't been from Konoha, he would have thrown him out on the spot.
He ignored Naruto and continued his performance.
Without Naruto setting an example, many ninjas who couldn't take the pressure raised their hands and left, giving up on the exam.
Sasuke and Hinata couldn't help clenching their fists.
But when they saw Naruto still sleeping peacefully, they somehow relaxed.
When enough time had passed, Ibiki looked at the examinees who remained in the room. His fierce face broke into a smile, making everyone shudder.
Thinking he was about to announce the tenth question, everyone listened intently.
Hinata and Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who was still asleep, and couldn't help worrying.
"Congratulations. You've passed the exam." Then he began explaining the significance of the tenth question. The examinees couldn't help sighing with relief as they finally understood.
Bang!
Just then, the window shattered, and a black-clad figure flew in from outside. Someone else appeared on the stage.
The loud noise woke Naruto. He scratched his head.
Anko made her over-the-top entrance and announced the start of the second round of the Chunin Exams. Naruto and the others followed her to the Forest of Death.
Anko began explaining the rules for the second test.
Naruto paid no attention to Anko. Instead, he looked around for Orochimaru. Then he spotted a Grass ninja not far ahead.
That's him.
Naruto's instincts told him that this person was Orochimaru.
Orochimaru sensed something and turned to look. His eyes met Naruto's at once, but he wasn't interested in Naruto. He looked at Sasuke, then turned away after only a glance.
After receiving their scrolls, Naruto and the others signed the death waivers. Naruto thought that being a ninja really was a high-risk profession. If he didn't know he wouldn't die this time, would he still hesitate?