The Chunin Exams, Better Late Than Never

"What? I still need to take the Chunin Exams?"

Called to the Hokage's office early in the morning, Genichi was in disbelief.

"Heh, given your strength and contributions to the village, becoming a Jonin is only natural," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, thinking of his grand-student's outstanding performance on the battlefield. He took a deep drag from his pipe before slowly explaining: "However, the village has no precedent for promoting a Genin directly to Jonin. Besides, you're only 13 this year—you're so young. Pass the Chunin Exams first, and I will promote you to 'Konoha Jonin' based on your battlefield contributions."

"Doesn't that sound better? Plus, your classmates and teammates will mostly be participating as well. Once Mikoto Uchiha and Hana Hyuga pass the exam, I will promote them to 'Special Jonin' as well."

"If that's the case, then I have no choice but to take the exam." Genichi still felt somewhat helpless; he could kill ordinary Jonin with ease, yet he was still a Genin.

"Heh, don't feel troubled. The person in charge of this exam is none other than your teacher—Orochimaru," the Third Hokage added with a chuckle.

During this period, Orochimaru was still the most brilliant disciple in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart. Knowing how dark the Root was, Sarutobi Hiruzen appointed Orochimaru to oversee these Chunin Exams to win over hearts and minds as a form of compensation.

"I shall return like a bolt of lightning," Genichi said, offering a strange guarantee while thinking to himself: It's in the bag. It's a total stomp, and even the examiner is on my side. I honestly don't know how I could possibly lose.

To demonstrate that the village remained powerful and full of talent despite having endured the war, this Chunin Exam was held with exceptional grandeur, attracting the attention of both villagers and Konoha ninja.

"Genichi, please use your full strength. I want to know how big the gap between us is now," Minato requested solemnly in front of the exam venue entrance.

Genichi simply placed his hands behind his back, tilted his head up to look at the sky at a 45-degree angle, eyes half-closed, and spoke in a detached tone:

"Oh? Minato, do you also wish to witness my prime?"

The first exam was a written test—a pure theoretical exam, not an intelligence-gathering mission.

"Why is it like this? How did things end up like this?"

Looking at the bizarre questions on the paper, Genichi felt like he was going crazy.

If it were back when he first entered the Ninja Academy, relying on memories from his past life and actually listening in class, Genichi could have easily scored full marks and taken first place as the academy's top student.

However, later on, Genichi focused all his energy on improving his strength, no longer paying attention to the increasingly complex yet practically useless curriculum at school.

Now, the retribution had arrived; the knowledge he didn't learn in school would eventually come back to haunt him in the exam hall.

What is the angle and force required for shuriken throwing? And how does wind speed affect the accuracy of hitting a moving target?

What kind of serious ninja uses shuriken? Does Hashirama Senju use them? Does Madara Uchiha? Do they?

Assuming an Earth Style ninja has 100 chakra and recovers 2 per minute, and is required to build a 100-meter bridge, given that Jutsu No. 1 creates a 15-meter bridge for 30 chakra and Jutsu No. 2 creates a 10-meter bridge for 22 chakra; how long will it take to complete the mission, and what is the specific method?

Recalling various test-taking techniques from the past, guessing and bluffing his way through, Genichi finally managed to pass the first round of the theoretical exam by the skin of his teeth. Thank you, standardized testing; thank you, Teacher Orochimaru!

The second exam continued to test wilderness survival and teamwork. Teams of three were randomly assigned either a "Heaven" or "Earth" scroll, and the teams that collected both and reached the central tower in the Forest of Death would pass.

After the first exam, Genichi, who was in a foul mood, had Hana use her Byakugan to randomly pick a lucky team. Their luck was good; they happened to form a set of "Heaven and Earth" scrolls, and they headed straight for the tower, becoming the first team to pass.

He didn't stay at the entrance to ambush others. Genichi, who was already preparing to run for Hokage, maintained his image at all times and had no intention of doing something that would not only lower his standing but also easily offend others.

The final round remained the classic one-on-one elimination tournament. Random draws determined the matchups until a champion was decided. The examiners would evaluate the participants based on their performance to determine who would be promoted to Chunin.

Minato's strength was far greater than in the original plot, not only because he had a rival, but because he had trained harder than usual and had even mastered the Rasengan—a jutsu that was supposed to take three years of research with Jiraiya after becoming a Jonin.

The invincible Minato eventually fell. Being still young, he failed to overcome the genjutsu of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, was defeated by Mikoto Uchiha, and failed to meet Genichi at the summit.

The final match was Mikoto Uchiha versus Genichi Chiba. Naturally, Genichi emerged victorious.

Watching his disciple easily defeat his opponent, looking young and full of vitality, Orochimaru felt deeply gratified. He walked slowly onto the stage, took out the Chunin certification, the Special Jonin certification, and the Jonin certification, and handed them all to Genichi at once.

He declared: "Compared to Genichi Chiba, everyone else appears inadequate."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, in the spectator stands, took the lead in applauding. The scene was instantly filled with thunderous applause, laughter, and joy.