The Boring Second Exam

The other examinees watched them. They were the youngest and least experienced candidates in this year's Chunin Ninja Exams.

Rumor had it they had taken the Chunin Ninja Exams not long after graduating.

They really were young, and they came from a prestigious clan...

Uchiha Chonhua could feel the intense envy and resentment behind him. They really did stand out.

As they left the floor, he heard Might Duy's gruff voice shouting.

"Aaaah! I failed the first exam again..."

Well, that meant there was no one he knew in this year's Chunin Ninja Exams.

"Chonhua, thank goodness you were there. Otherwise..."

Mikoto Uchiha patted her flat chest, looking shaken.

After Chonhua released the genjutsu, Mikoto Uchiha checked the exam answers and realized that the examiner she had found last had all the correct answers.

But in the end, she had hesitated, thinking about giving up.

Thank goodness. She didn't have to get stuck agonizing over the choice. Chonhua had made it for her.

Uchiha Chonhua smiled and tapped Mikoto on the head. "You should read more. Otherwise, even when the right answer is right in front of you, you won't recognize it—and you'll miss your chance."

Mikoto Uchiha let out a little cry, covered her head, and muttered, "Even if I read, that doesn't mean I'll be able to seize the opportunity."

"Besides..." Mikoto Uchiha blinked, leaned closer, grabbed Chonhua's arm, and grinned. "Hehe, with Chonhua helping me, I won't miss any chances!"

"You..."

Uchiha Chonhua shook his head helplessly, looking at her fondly.

Hizashi Hyuga followed behind them, his face expressionless. He was used to it by now; in this team, he often felt a little superfluous.

The second exam was held at Training Ground 23.

From above, Training Ground 23 was bisected by a river. To the left lay barren, rocky wasteland; to the right stood a dense forest so tall that no sunlight reached the ground.

One side was desolate, the other lush and green—the dividing line between them was stark.

The three of them waited there for a while until all the candidates who had passed the first exam arrived.

Uchiha Chonhua scanned the crowd. Twelve teams had passed, for a total of thirty-six people.

At the Chunin Ninja Exams taken by the Konoha 12, twenty-six teams had passed the first exam, for a total of seventy-eight candidates.

More than twice as many as this time.

Still, that Chunin Ninja Exam had been a joint exam with other ninja villages taking part, so there had naturally been more people.

By that estimate, the pass rate this year wasn't bad.

At the moment, relations between the nations were tense. The ninja villages were all wary of one another. A joint Chunin exam? No damn way!

They didn't even have the idea of holding one together yet, and the Feudal Lords and other nobles hadn't developed a taste for watching ninja pvp, either.

For now, this was simply a formal Konoha exam for Genin to advance to Chunin.

"Welcome to Exam Room 23. I'm your chief examiner. I'll now explain the rules for this exam, so listen carefully!"

"The flags come in two colors, red and blue. Each of you will receive one of them."

The chief examiner handed out the flags and continued, "The exam lasts three days. You must stay in the forest for the first two days and may not cross the river. Only on the final day may you head to the wasteland across the river."

"There are four arenas over there in the wasteland. They're easy to spot; you can find them just by walking around."

"All you have to do is get one flag of each color and plant them in the center of an arena."

"Oh, right." The chief examiner seemed to remember something and smiled wryly. "The exam ends at midnight on the fourth day. Your results will be judged at that time, so I hope the flags and arenas are still in your hands by then."

"That's all the advice you're getting. You brats, come over here and sign."

Uchiha Chonhua and the others went to sign. The words "Waiver of Life and Death" loomed before them.

The chief examiner's voice turned ominous at just the right moment. "Once you sign, there'll be no accounting for injuries or deaths. Stay safe during your three days here."

"Heh heh. I hope you all make it through in one piece."

"Eek." Mikoto Uchiha shivered. "The way he said that actually scared me."

"He did a pretty good job setting a creepy mood."

Uchiha Chonhua praised the chief examiner's ability to intimidate them. He was probably from the Interrogation Department.

Uchiha Chonhua signed the waiver without hesitation. Holding his red flag, he looked at the others with eyes as dark as black jade.

The other candidates all avoided his gaze, making Uchiha Chonhua frown.

He thought of a possibility...

"No way..."

If his guess was right, Uchiha Chonhua found it a little boring.

"Now that's just no fun."

Chapter 47: The Boring Second Exam

As they moved through the dense forest, Hizashi Hyuga activated his Byakugan, veins bulging around his eyes.

He could see everything within several miles, and soon found the nearest team carrying a blue flag.

"Over here."

Hizashi Hyuga took the lead and leaped to the right.

Uchiha Chonhua and Mikoto Uchiha followed behind him.

Training Ground 23 wasn't very large. The trees flashed past them, and before long, the three of them landed in front of the team carrying the blue flag.

"Hand over the blue flag..."

Before Uchiha Chonhua could finish speaking, the other team grimaced, tossed the blue flag down, and left.

Uchiha Chonhua fell silent. This was what made it boring.

The overall standard in this year's Chunin Ninja Exams was average. They were all civilian ninja.

Although they were young, the three of them came from clans, and the names Uchiha and Hyuga were enough to make their opponents think twice about resisting.

Besides, anyone who had passed the written first exam was good at gathering information.

The candidates already knew what the three of them were capable of.

Mikoto Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga were one thing, but Uchiha Chonhua's strength was enough to make people wary.

They hadn't exactly been hiding their abilities. Tsunade often bragged about her prized student, and the bell test was a story she frequently brought up.

The candidates' instructors had heard enough to take notice. Once they learned Team Tsunade would be taking part in this year's Chunin Ninja Exams, they had repeatedly warned their students to avoid Uchiha Chonhua and the others whenever possible.

Mikoto Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga stared at the lone blue flag and exchanged looks.

Uchiha Chonhua picked up the flag, raised an eyebrow, and said to them, "Now we've got both colors. Let's head to the river."

"Looks like our reputation precedes us. I doubt anyone will dare bother us from here on."

Uchiha Chonhua smiled. "Let's treat this like a trip. The scenery here isn't bad. We can hunt some game and enjoy ourselves for the next two days."

Hizashi Hyuga and Mikoto Uchiha both let their shoulders droop. Their tension eased, replaced by speechless disbelief.

Did this even count as an exam? Was it really okay for them to take it this easy?

But no matter what, the other candidates didn't want to face the three of them.

On the way to the river, they encountered another team carrying a blue flag. Just like the previous team, its members saw the three of them, tossed down their flag, and ran as if fleeing a flood or a wild beast.

"Hey, we already have a blue flag..."

By the time he'd finished speaking, they had vanished.

Uchiha Chonhua laughed. "Forget them. We can leave this blue flag here. Who knows which lucky team will find it?"

"Hehe, I hope they have a red flag."

Uchiha Chonhua sat cross-legged on a rock, bit into a slightly charred fish, and gazed across the river at the barren wasteland.

Just across the river, an arena stood by itself.

With Hizashi Hyuga's Byakugan, they had found the arena closest to the riverbank. All they had to do was eat and drink for the next two days, cross the river on the third day, plant the flags, and wait for midnight on the fourth day to pass the second exam.

Behind them came the clash of metal, with the occasional explosion.

That was the candidates fighting over flags. They were probably locked in a tense, thrilling battle where life and death were on the line.

Of course, it had nothing to do with the three of them.

"Chonhua, here. I roasted a bear paw for you."

Mikoto Uchiha cheerfully handed him a bear paw. Uchiha Chonhua took it and bit into it, savoring its rich flavor.

Thanks to the cooking utensils and seasonings Mikoto had brought, the bear paw was delicious.

Ninja often went on missions outside the village. In their team, Hizashi Hyuga handled scouting, Uchiha Chonhua handled offense, and he could even heal.

Mikoto Uchiha wasn't especially good at any one thing, but she was great at handling the logistics.

"Why hasn't Hizashi come back yet? He said he was looking for a rabbit, but he's been gone an awfully long time."

Mikoto Uchiha looked puzzled, though privately she hoped Hizashi wouldn't return too soon, so she could be alone here with Chonhua.

They could share their food and watch the little river flow by together.

A breeze rustled the leaves as warm sunlight shone down. Mikoto Uchiha shifted closer and rested her head on Uchiha Chonhua's shoulder.

Uchiha Chonhua moved slightly but did nothing, which gave Mikoto Uchiha the confidence to relax further. Before long, she had shifted from leaning against him to lying down.

Uchiha Chonhua was perplexed. Shouldn't it have been the other way around?

How had he ended up giving Mikoto Uchiha a lap pillow?

Crack.

A crisp sound came from behind them. Mikoto Uchiha immediately sat up and frowned as she looked back.

"There's an arena! It's just across the river. It's so close!"

"Yeah, this is great."

"If we plant the flags and hold the arena, we'll pass the second exam."

The three exchanged remarks, then all turned to look at the other two.

When they spotted the Uchiha clan's distinctive ball-and-fan crest on the pair's clothes, they frowned. As Uchiha Chonhua watched in surprise, they drew their Kunai and faced them warily.

"Oh?"

Uchiha Chonhua grew interested. They hadn't run away.

These three were more interesting than the others. At least they had the courage to draw their weapons and face the trio.

"Attack..."

The leader had barely shouted when all three staggered. It was as if they'd taken a heavy blow to the head; their vision blurred.

Mikoto Uchiha blinked at the three of them. She knew that look all too well.

They had fallen under Chonhua's genjutsu.

Mikoto Uchiha still had no idea how Chonhua cast his genjutsu. He didn't seem to move at all, and he didn't even use Hand Seals, yet his opponents were helplessly trapped in it.

Chonhua's skill with genjutsu had grown more and more profound—so profound that it was beyond her understanding.

"Go on. Dance for us."

At once, the three obeyed and began dancing in front of them.

Uchiha Chonhua pulled Mikoto over to watch with him.

He'd been wondering how to pass the next two days. Well, this was one way to do it.