Hokage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

"The first stage of the exam is a written test. I will now begin distributing the papers. You have one hour, and your final scores will determine whether you are eliminated." Ibiki's voice was not loud, and everyone had to strain their ears to hear what he was saying.

Even those who hadn't heard him clearly didn't dare ask him to repeat himself.

"Your final score will be calculated based on the sum of your team's results, so... heh heh, pray that your teammates don't drag you down." Ibiki smiled, revealing sharp teeth that looked incredibly menacing.

"Excuse me, how is a team like mine with only one person calculated?" At this moment, Keiichi raised his hand to ask, seemingly completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere.

The crowd couldn't help but feel sympathy for him; this guy was a true Champion!

"Then your score will be tripled." Ibiki thought for a moment before providing the answer.

As long as they weren't intentionally causing trouble, he had no reason to make things difficult for the examinees.

"Alright, no other questions? The countdown begins. Please complete this exam in the way of a ninja."

The test papers were distributed quickly, but when everyone picked up their pens to start, they were instantly stunned.

What kind of crazy questions are these? We haven't even learned this stuff!

Take this first code-breaking question, for example; the difficulty is such that one would probably need to work in the decryption department for years to solve it. Is this really something we Genin are capable of doing?

Seeing the baffled expressions on everyone's faces, Ibiki couldn't help but reveal a terrifying smile. This was exactly the effect he wanted!

What was the point of those moderately difficult written tests from the past? Since he, Ibiki, was the chief proctor, he was going to play to his own strengths.

This time, what is being tested is far more than just basic skills. You are lucky to have a teacher as good as me!

Too difficult to solve?

That doesn't matter. I've already thought of a way for you to crack it.

I already gave you a hint: complete this exam in the way of a ninja. What is being tested is your ability to gather intelligence.

I have arranged for fake examinees in the classroom who can provide the correct answers; it all depends on whether your cheating methods can deceive our proctors!

The clever ones should have guessed the true purpose of this exam by now, right?

"Remember, your every move is under the surveillance of the proctors. If you are caught cheating five times, you will be immediately expelled and disqualified from participating in future Chunin Exams!" Ibiki increased the difficulty on the fly.

But no sooner had his words faded than the examinee who had the guts to ask him a question earlier suddenly stood up.

Ibiki frowned. Is he trying to defy me? It's been a long time since I dealt with a troublemaker. If you dare say a single word of dissent, I'll make an example of you!

"Why are you standing up? Sit down!" Ibiki pointed at him and barked.

"Oh, I'm just handing in my paper." Saying this, Keiichi walked to the podium, handed in his exam as if nothing were wrong, and prepared to leave the room with his hands in his pockets.

Ibiki glanced at the clock. Only five minutes had passed; they hadn't even had time to read the questions, right? He's handing it in already?

Hmph, it must be a blank sheet. This is the first time I've seen someone give up so quickly!

However, when his gaze fell upon the paper, his pupils dilated, and he wore an expression of disbelief.

The surrounding proctors were curious. What exactly had Ibiki seen to make him look like that? He had always had a deadpan face; they had never seen anything move him before.

How could Ibiki not be moved? Anyone would be shocked!

The paper in front of him was filled from top to bottom; it didn't look like someone giving up at all.

The key was that after a careful review, he discovered that every single answer was correct. There wasn't a single flaw to be found, except for the final major question...

"Wait!" Ibiki hurriedly called out to Keiichi, who was about to leave.

"What is it? Is there a problem?"

"Did you do all of this yourself?"

"Yes."

Hearing the exchange between the two, the examinees below were in an uproar. It sounded like this guy hadn't given up at all, but had actually finished every question. Otherwise, why would Ibiki ask that?

My god, is he even human?

Are these questions really something a person can solve?

Is Ken-8 really that powerful?

"But you haven't done the last question!" Ibiki's face darkened.

According to the plan, he would only announce the requirements for that question when there were fifteen minutes remaining; that was to be the second test.

"I did it."

"You did?"

"Yeah, look, I clearly wrote 'Solution'."

"..."

Writing 'Solution' earns one point. No matter what question you put out, I'm taking that point.

Veins bulged on Ibiki's forehead. He felt his authority being held in contempt!

He had never seen an examinee who refused to play by the rules like this!

"Seize him!" Ibiki waved his hand, and ninjas instantly appeared behind Keiichi, pinning his arms tightly.

"Sir, may I ask what I did wrong?" Keiichi felt slightly surprised, but he quickly calmed down.

"In such a short time, how did you finish the exam paper? I doubt you even had enough time to read the questions. I have reason to suspect you stole the exam materials in advance; you must be taken in for interrogation!"

Before Keiichi could argue, his mouth was covered, and he was dragged straight out of the exam hall.

Seeing Keiichi arrested for handing in his paper early, the examinees witnessed Ibiki's ruthlessness firsthand. Their fear intensified, and they quickly lowered their heads, answering their questions honestly, not daring to provoke him.

This guy was completely unreasonable!

The most terrified among them was Naruto.

When he received his exam paper, only one thought crossed his mind—

It's over!

He didn't know how to answer a single one of these questions!

Just then, Keiichi, who had handed in his paper early, acted as an angel sent to save him. As he passed by, he stealthily tossed a crumpled ball of paper to him; it was obvious what was inside.

My good brother, you are truly an angel!

I'll never speak ill of you again!

Naruto was moved to the point of tears.

Just as he was about to gratefully open the paper, he saw Keiichi being dragged away on Ibiki's orders. Cold sweat broke out all over him, and he felt like his world was collapsing.

If I copy his answers, will the proctor arrest me too?

Getting caught is one thing, but what if I drag Sasuke and Sakura down with me?

"I forgot to mention earlier: if any examinee scores a zero, the entire team will be disqualified, regardless of their total score." Ibiki continued to turn up the heat on the exam. This was the interrogation officer's favorite tactic: constantly increasing the pressure until the subject could no longer hold out.

For Naruto, this was a fatal blow; he could practically feel the murderous glares from behind him.

But I really can't do these! Naruto felt like crying.

As the exam progressed, more and more examinees were penalized and removed for cheating. This sight made Naruto even more afraid to open the paper ball.

Finally, the time reached the last fifteen minutes.

Chapter 35: Male Succubus

The final question wasn't necessarily hard, but it wasn't simple either.

It just asked you to make a choice: whether or not to continue the exam.

If you quit, you can try again next year; if you don't quit, you'll be stuck as a Genin for the rest of your life.

Alright, go ahead and answer, dear.

Ibiki was truly wicked. Torturing the body was the lowest form of cruelty to him; torturing the spirit was his true passion.

Sure enough, some people couldn't handle the pressure and chose to give up on the exam.

The more people who withdrew, the more obvious the smirk on Ibiki's face became. He hated mediocrity most of all.

Want to be a Chunin?

In your next life!

Naruto finally understood what it meant to suffer in agony; both choices led to death.

But it didn't matter if he died; dragging his teammates down was something he could never accept.

After a long while, when the time reached the final five minutes, Naruto could no longer withstand the pressure in his heart. He decided to take a gamble, lowered his head, and secretly opened the paper ball Keiichi had given him.

Instantly, his eyes widened in shock.

"Naruto, cheating!" Ibiki's voice appeared in Naruto's ear like a demon.

How could Keiichi's act of tossing the paper escape his eyes? He had been watching Naruto the whole time, just waiting for him to expose himself so he could make an arrest in a logical manner.

This way, regardless of whether Keiichi had stolen the exam, he was cheating, and the arrest would be perfectly justified.

Naruto was just a poor sap who got dragged into it.

"That idiot!" Sasuke and Sakura had never shared such a unified thought; their hearts were filled with despair.

"I... I didn't! I really didn't!"

Naruto hurriedly hid the paper ball behind his back, putting on a look of being falsely accused.

But to anyone watching, this clumsy performance made it obvious he was cheating. The proctor truly had eyes like torches.

In a flash, Naruto was firmly restrained, and the paper ball was confiscated and handed to Ibiki.

Ibiki opened the paper with satisfaction, but his pupils shrank slightly, his expression immediately falling. Then, he said reluctantly, "That... I made a mistake... Naruto did not cheat."

Although he hated Keiichi for playing these little tricks, he was a man of professional ethics; if there was no cheating, there was no cheating.

To avoid being accused of helping Leaf Village ninjas cheat, he unfolded the paper and displayed it to everyone repeatedly. It turned out there wasn't a single word on it—it was just a blank sheet of paper.

Yes, what Naruto saw was a blank sheet of paper; there wasn't a single answer on it.

With Ibiki's keen eye, if there had been any hidden information on the paper, he would have spotted it instantly. Yet, he had checked it repeatedly, and it was truly just a blank sheet.

He suddenly felt as if he had been toyed with by Keiichi once again.

Why on earth would you stuff a blank piece of paper to Naruto? Playing a prank on him is one thing, but you even dragged me into it!

Ibiki felt a sense of shame and anger, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time, and one he thoroughly disliked.

The crux of the matter was that even with the suspects locked away, he had still been made a fool of in front of everyone; his intelligence had been completely crushed.

Having cleared himself of the suspicion of cheating, Naruto sat back in his seat, trembling; this time, he was completely well-behaved and didn't dare to do anything.

Until the exam ended, and the moment Ibiki announced that everyone remaining in the room had passed, Naruto suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if he had survived a disaster and regained the right to breathe.

Otherwise, he truly wouldn't have known how to face Sakura and Sasuke.

Damn you, Keiichi, just you wait; I'll definitely make you pay!

What he didn't know was that at this very moment, a heated debate was unfolding in the Hokage office.

"Lord Hiruzen, I don't think Keiichi did anything wrong. Even if he really did steal the exam questions, it only proves that his ability to gather intelligence is outstanding, which is exactly the point of the first exam, isn't it?" Kakashi stepped forward without hesitation to speak up for Keiichi.

It wasn't that he was particularly fond of the kid; he simply owed him two favors and saw this as a perfect opportunity to pay them back.

"Stealing classified village intelligence is a serious crime. What does that have to do with an exam?" Ibiki was actually present as well, though this was merely a Shadow Clone of his.

"Ahem... Lord Ibiki, the exam papers have always been kept under your personal supervision. If they were truly stolen by Keiichi, wouldn't that imply..." Gekko Hayate also stepped forward, his stance clear.

Hiruzen looked at the two of them, his gaze somewhat strange. He suddenly noticed an interesting phenomenon: it seemed that whoever became Keiichi's captain would quickly gain a fondness for him, even to the point of doing irrational things.

First, the Chunin Tatsuya had taught him the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet Technique. Now that he was dead, it was impossible to know what he had been thinking.

Then came Kakashi, who, after a single mission together, had inexplicably wanted to teach him the Water Clone Technique; if Hiruzen hadn't put a stop to it, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

And now Gekko Hayate—why on earth did he teach Keiichi the Transparent Style? Did he not know that outsiders were supposed to be unable to learn such a jutsu? Yet, he had taught it anyway, and Keiichi had actually managed to learn it. Where was the logic in that?

Now, both of the living ones were coming out to speak in his favor. Could this little guy be some kind of male succubus?

Strange, far too strange!

Although he thought this to himself, he couldn't possibly ask it aloud. From a rational perspective, regardless of the truth, Keiichi couldn't be considered at fault; on the contrary, the abilities he had displayed were exactly what an excellent ninja should possess.

Whether he was knowledgeable enough to solve the exam questions himself or had stolen the test materials in advance, didn't both scenarios prove that he was an excellent ninja?