Kage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

This matter had blown up, and everyone from the main streets to the back alleys knew about it. This was intentional on the part of the Ninja Intelligence Alliance; this way, anyone wanting information on Gaara would have no choice but to pay a premium to purchase it from them.

However, it wasn't long before the intelligence gatherers realized they had been played again. They suddenly discovered that the drop rate for SSR cards had been increased by dozens of times, and rare cards were now being pulled with ease.

The Gaara cards they had spent a fortune to acquire had an especially high drop rate, suddenly becoming as common as dirt. They could be bought for a few hundred ryo with ease, and with supply far exceeding demand, the price plummeted.

The mastermind behind this was truly heartless—if you're going to eat the meat, at least leave us some broth!

To resort to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs like this—weren't they afraid the Ninja Star Scrolls would stop selling?

Thinking of this, they suddenly realized: once the Chunin Exams began tomorrow, the value of this information would depreciate rapidly, so today was actually the final opportunity to harvest this crop of leeks.

What happened to the promise that the gentry's money would be returned in full, and the commoners' money split seventy-thirty?

Are we, the gentry, being harvested as leeks too?

Don't be so greedy!

It's not that we want to be leeks; it's just that the version updates are too fast!

Who has ever seen this kind of gameplay before?

Kabuto Yakushi was utterly bewildered at this moment. As a member of the intelligence gatherers himself, he had spent years biding his time collecting data and creatively inventing the Ninja Knowledge Card. He had thought he would be able to sweep the board and remain invincible, but he never expected someone else to have the same idea.

His Ninja Knowledge Cards were sold in one-time bundles at a fixed price, but the opponent's method was clearly more advanced. They had tapped into the gambler's mentality, making it impossible for people to stop opening packs; they understood human nature through and through.

What made him feel even more inferior was that the opponent's intelligence gathering was far superior, leaving his own work in the dust in terms of detail.

Take the information on Gaara, for instance; he couldn't fathom how the opponent had obtained it, no matter how hard he racked his brain.

Even their own stronghold, the Sound Village, had been infiltrated, with the opponent knowing more than he did—it was the greatest humiliation of his ninja career.

With the Ninja Star Scrolls out, who could compete?

Being beaten to a pulp in a business war was one thing, but he had also been inexplicably listed as an SSR-level character by the opponent, suddenly thrust from the shadows into the spotlight.

I've been so low-key, how on earth did you figure that out?

No, this is impossible. It's ten to one that the opponent is retaliating against me, deliberately pushing me into the line of fire.

How ruthless—this is truly a psychological execution!

Keiichi didn't care at all what Kabuto was thinking. The moment he heard the system chime, he couldn't help but clench his fist in excitement.

"Rolling in Wealth: Accumulated one million ryo in revenue. Gained 10 Magic Modification Points."
"Information Oligarch: Become the largest intelligence dealer in Leaf Village. Gained 15 Magic Modification Points."
"Know Yourself and Know Your Enemy: Dispel the fog of information surrounding the Chunin Exams. Gained 40 Magic Modification Points."
"[Chunin Exam Limited Gift Pack] is now online. Please enter the Exchange Shop to view."

The gift pack cost 25 points, so Keiichi clicked to exchange without a moment's hesitation.

"Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the following rewards:"
"Chunin Exam Admission Ticket, correct answers for the Chunin Exam written test, Peak-level Danzo Shadow Clone (lasts up to 6 hours), Spirit: Silence (5 uses)."

Just as Keiichi redeemed the gift pack rewards, Gekko Hayate had finished reporting to Hiruzen and was waiting for the final instructions.

"So, this kid actually carries the bloodline of your Hayate Clan. Have you never thought about having him acknowledge his ancestors?" After reading the report, Hiruzen said with a look of surprise.

"He seems unwilling, and this subordinate does not know why."

"Sigh, the youth of today—I truly don't understand what they are thinking..."

"Indeed..." Gekko Hayate felt a sense of shared frustration.

"Forget it. Regardless, having an extra bloodline ninja is a good thing, and it explains why his ability to learn ninjutsu is so strong."

"Lord, I believe that with his ability, he is fully capable of participating in this Chunin Exam."

Gekko Hayate was being very tactful; he even wanted to tell Hiruzen that he could no longer teach this student, as the boy was nearly stronger than he was.

If this continued, the apprentice would starve the master!

"But his teammates haven't recovered yet. I'm afraid if he goes alone..." Hiruzen was still hesitant.

"I don't think it's a problem. With his ability, he can handle things on his own. At the very worst, as long as he utilizes his invisibility technique well, the second stage will be no issue at all, and his safety will be guaranteed."

As one of the proctors for this Chunin Exam, he naturally knew the entire process, which was why he was so confident in Keiichi.

"Hmm, I agree with your recommendation. Let him go and prepare." Hiruzen waved his brush, took out a blank admission ticket, wrote Keiichi's name on it, and stamped it.

This kid actually ranked himself in the N-tier; does he not want to stand out, or does he not want to take the exam?

What Leaf Village needs most right now is to make a splash—why hide his light?

I've decided on you; go get them!

Chapter 33: The Prophet, Slain!

On July 1st, the Chunin Qualification Exam officially began. However, when Keiichi arrived at the Ninja Academy, a considerable number of examinees had already gathered, and he was clearly the one who had arrived late.

What he found strange, however, was that everyone wasn't waiting in the school building for the exam to start, but was gathered around the gymnasium in a circle, as if watching a good show, with cheers and jeers constantly erupting.

As a newly minted lover of chaos, he loved watching the action. He ran over excitedly to watch, only to find that Naruto was actually fighting Rock Lee.

It was a pity to arrive a bit late, catching only the sight of Naruto being kicked away by Rock Lee, followed by a burst of cheers.

"Brainless, you lost!"

"You jerk, who are you calling brainless! I haven't lost yet!" Despite his words, Naruto clutched his stomach, unable to stand for a long time.

"Sakura is mine now, so just accept your fate!" Rock Lee slowly retracted his leg, his face full of pride.

"Bushy Brows, I am not yours, stop spouting nonsense, you jerk!" Sakura immediately went frantic; as a member of the looks-obsessed club, Rock Lee was the type she disliked the most.

"Sakura, you called me wrong. My title is the Blue Beast, not Bushy Brows!" Rock Lee raised an eyebrow, nearly crushing the mosquito that had landed on his forehead.

"I don't care who you are, the only one I like is Sasuke, so stay away from me!" Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm, asserting her sovereignty.

"It doesn't matter. Whether you are brainless or unhappy, I accept all your challenges. I want to take on ten at once!"

Hearing this declaration from Rock Lee, the surrounding crowd immediately began to jeer, with whistles and applause ringing out incessantly. They hadn't expected to see a clash between SSR examinees so quickly, and now they could finally verify the true value of the Ninja Star Scroll cards.

"Naruto, you are truly an idiot. Knowing full well that his specialty is taijutsu, why did you fight him at close range? Are you stupid!" Sakura scolded Naruto relentlessly.

Of course, these words were actually meant for Sasuke; she wanted to persuade him not to go head-to-head with Rock Lee.

However, Sasuke wouldn't listen to Sakura. Seeing Rock Lee's taijutsu prowess, he truly lived up to his SSR-level status, and Sasuke couldn't wait to cross blades with him.

Just then, Keiichi managed to squeeze to the front of the crowd and was spotted by Naruto, who immediately shouted upon seeing him.

"Keiichi! I finally found you! I treated you like a brother, so why did you give me such an ugly nickname! What the hell is 'Brainless'!"

As soon as these words were out, those who understood the context immediately cast their gazes toward Keiichi, filled with hostility.

"Could this Keiichi be the one behind the production of the Ninja Star Scroll?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"That's right, who else could it be? Damn it, he swindled all my money!" Naruto complained indignantly.

With that, Keiichi instantly became the focus of everyone's attention, and the pressure of their gazes made it hard for him to keep smiling.

Damn you, Naruto. Giving you the title of 'Brainless' was absolutely spot on!

How did you even become the Seventh Hokage? It was all thanks to Shikamaru acting as your external brain, wasn't it?!

"Why am I an N-rank? Explain yourself!"

"You profiteer, I'm returning the cards to you, give me my money back!"

"Your intel is completely inaccurate! How could that guy named Naruto possibly be SSR-rank!"

"I am a ninja scout from the Hyuga Clan, let's have a little chat!"

"So you're the one called Keiichi. Do you know how much you've polluted the card pool? Did you do it on purpose?!"

"..."

For a moment, the crowd was agitated, and everyone looked unfriendly, appearing ready to swarm him.

"You can call me a profiteer, but you cannot say my intel is inaccurate!" Keiichi suddenly said with a serious expression.

Once he spoke, everyone quieted down, wanting to hear what he had to say.

"Look, this examinee named Rock Lee—did anyone know who he was before? But now, with the strength he has displayed, does anyone still think he doesn't deserve the SSR rank?" Keiichi pointed at Rock Lee and said proudly.

Everyone realized his words held some truth; it seemed his intel actually had some substance to it.

"Hmph, he just defeated a dud, what does that prove?" someone expressed disagreement.

"Who are you calling a dud? Come out and fight me!" Naruto was so angry he nearly lost control, and Sakura barely managed to hold him back.

"Hmph, I want to see exactly how much this guy is worth. I'll just use him to test my new ability!" Sasuke didn't care what was happening around him; he only wanted to fight Rock Lee to prove his own strength.

Ever since awakening the Sharingan, he had been hoping for a good fight to measure his own capacity.

With that, he moved, activating his Sharingan and charging toward Rock Lee.

Rock Lee remained fearless, lifting his leg and exerting force suddenly.

The speed of this kick was so fast that ordinary people couldn't capture it with their eyes, but Sasuke was no ordinary person; his Sharingan saw it clearly.

Then, he was kicked squarely and sent flying backward.

Sakura was shocked; she had never seen Sasuke beaten so miserably by someone his own age!

"The dynamic visual ability of the Sharingan is very strong and can indeed capture moments that are difficult for ordinary people to perceive. However, if one's own reaction speed doesn't meet the requirements, even with the help of the Sharingan, it's all for nothing," Keiichi said loudly upon seeing this scene.

Hearing this, the crowd fell into deep thought.

Sasuke was considered a celebrity in the Leaf Village, if for no other reason than his birth into the Uchiha clan.

Therefore, everyone had heard, to some extent, about the powerful abilities of the Sharingan.

Now, after hearing Keiichi's explanation, everyone suddenly realized that it wasn't that the Sharingan wasn't powerful, but that Sasuke wasn't strong enough!

But was that really the case?

Clearly not. If anyone else here were to face Sasuke, he wouldn't have had the problem of his body failing to keep up with his eyes; the issue lay primarily with Rock Lee.

His movements were simply too fast—fast enough to exceed the limits of what a human should be capable of!

Sasuke also heard Keiichi's words. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, feeling deeply unwilling. Is it that I am unworthy of the Sharingan?

No, I absolutely refuse to accept that!

Sasuke rushed forward once again, quickly clashing with Rock Lee. This time, he dared not let his guard down for even a second, treating him as the greatest enemy he had ever faced.

As for Keiichi, he was still chattering away, explaining something, but Sasuke turned a deaf ear, his focus entirely locked onto the battle.

"Rock Lee is something of an anomaly among ninjas. He only excels at taijutsu and knows nothing else, but as you can all see, with taijutsu alone, he is able to beat Sasuke to a pulp. This is the result of choosing to master a single path."

"What use is knowing only taijutsu? If he encounters an opponent who excels at long-range attacks, wouldn't he be dead for sure?" someone questioned.

"Heh, do you know what benefit comes from mastering taijutsu? It is speed! If your speed reaches its absolute limit, you can dodge any attack and rapidly close the distance to your enemy, forcibly dragging them into a taijutsu duel."

"According to you, wouldn't taijutsu be invincible? We should all just go train in taijutsu then."

"But do you have Rock Lee's perseverance? I can tell you all quite bluntly: if we compare daily training hours, in Rock Lee's eyes, everyone present here is nothing but trash!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the two suddenly separated. However, while Rock Lee remained standing in place, Sasuke spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying out of the arena.

This scene seemed to serve as a footnote to Keiichi's words, and for a moment, everyone was swayed by what he had said.

At this moment, without throwing a single punch or kick, he had become the most eye-catching person on the scene with nothing but his tongue!

The examinees entered the exam hall one after another, beginning the first round of assessments.

As everyone took their seats, Ibiki Morino led over a dozen proctors into the room, his sharp gaze sweeping across the crowd.

The mere chill radiating from his eyes was enough to silence everyone, and the classroom fell quiet in an instant.

Everyone felt the boundless authority of this chief examiner, and no one dared to provoke him.

Some Leaf Village ninjas had already recognized his identity, causing their legs to tremble and their faces to turn pale with intense nervousness.

This was the most terrifying interrogator in the Leaf Village; it was said that those who fell into his hands, even if they survived, would be unable to care for themselves for the rest of their lives.

With him presiding over the exam, who would dare to pull any tricks!