My Answer

Ibiki Morino stood on the podium like an iron tower. The scar running across his rugged face made him look even more fearsome. Like a man inspecting prisoners, he swept his oppressive gaze over the uneasy candidates below.

His subordinates gathered up the exam papers and stacked them neatly on the podium in front of him. He casually picked up a pile and began grading at speed. Most of the papers were riddled with errors or largely blank, just as he'd expected—the questions were far beyond Genin level.

He graded at a tremendous pace, his red pen marking one error and deduction after another.

Until... he turned to the next paper.

The name on it was Hatake Shuoyue.

Ibiki's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. The name sounded vaguely familiar. Wasn't he one of Kakashi's connections, the kid Kakashi had pulled in? With a hint of barely concealed disdain, Ibiki glanced over the answers.

But the next second, the muscles in his face tensed!

The first answer was correct. The second, correct. The third... correct! And not just correct—almost every answer was so precise it might have been copied straight from a textbook! Even on several extremely tricky bonus questions about ancient Sealing Jutsu theory and complex intelligence analysis, he'd given perfect, concise answers!

How was that possible?! There was no way a Genin this age should know this much! Unless...

Ibiki's head snapped up. His eyes, which had seen countless interrogations and could see through lies, shot toward the black-haired, purple-eyed boy below like a hawk's.

The boy still lounged against the back of his chair, seemingly oblivious to the tension around him. But Ibiki's gaze was razor-sharp. He immediately caught something unusual: traces of chakra lingering in the air around the boy, faint but exquisitely precise. They were the subtle marks left by a high-intensity, high-precision ocular jutsu! And when Ibiki considered the surname "Hatake" and Kakashi's background...

An astonishing suspicion surged into his mind!

He hadn't cheated by ordinary means... Had the kid used the Sharingan?! And not merely to copy! The way he'd processed and understood all that information...

Ibiki's gaze returned to the nearly perfect paper. His fingers paused around the red pen. The scar on his face seemed to grow hot with the shock he felt.

He fell silent for a few seconds. At last, he drew a firm red circle on the flawless paper to mark it as a pass.

But his gaze had grown even more intent and penetrating, fixed on the boy named Hatake Shuoyue.

This kid wasn't an ordinary connection. It looked like a formidable "crocodile" had slipped into this Chunin Ninja Exam...

He looked at the final question, question ten. On ordinary papers, this tacked-on question was passed automatically as long as the second option wasn't selected. But Ibiki wanted to see what a child like this would write... His pupils suddenly contracted.

Question Ten: Make Your Choice

◯ Answer the question (This option had been clearly circled without the slightest hesitation)

Answer:

"I choose to answer."

"These rules are meaningless. Giving up because you fear dragging others down only proves your own weakness and incompetence. The truly strong never pin their hopes on the choices of others, nor do they become a burden to them."

"If my teammates are eliminated because of my answer, then they never had what it takes to become Chunin and aren't fit to stand alongside me. As for me, I will pass."

"Writing down any answer would be a pointless performance. My will itself is the answer."

He murmured unconsciously, "Who is this kid, really..."

Ibiki Morino forced down his shock at Hatake Shuoyue's astonishing paper, took a deep breath, and continued grading. His fingers turned to the next paper.

Nadeshiko Haku

The name was graceful yet firm, with a hint of icy severity. Ibiki glanced at the answers.

Once again, his pupils contracted slightly.

Correct, correct, correct... Her accuracy was almost as terrifying as Hatake Shuoyue's! But a closer look revealed subtle differences. Her answers, particularly on the questions about tactical analysis and using the terrain, had a sharp perspective unlike anything in Konoha's system. Her thinking was clear, her logic meticulous, and in some places she even offered solutions more efficient and effective than the standard answers. This wasn't something mere copying could achieve. She had truly understood the core of the questions and brought the wisdom of her own school to bear!

"Nadeshiko Village..." Ibiki muttered, his rugged face turning grave. This exchange student from another country had far more skill and intelligence than he'd expected. She hadn't relied on a Kekkei Genkai, but had achieved this through sheer intelligence, observational skills, and knowledge.

Growing more cautious, he opened the next paper. Hatake Lian.

The accuracy of the answers was just as frightening! He fell slightly short of the first two on some bonus questions requiring exceptional lateral thinking and subjective judgment, but his answers to every basic question and most of the analysis questions were flawless. What drew Ibiki's attention even more was the boy's impossibly neat paper. His handwriting was tidy and clear, as if he weren't taking an exam but practicing a precise art of penmanship. Such almost compulsive rigor and self-control hinted at extraordinary qualities of its own.

A faint sheen of sweat seemed to appear at Ibiki's temple. One Hatake Shuoyue was an unexpected surprise, but three in a row? There was no way to explain this as coincidence!

He abruptly sped up, flipping through the papers from the other students in the "Genin Preparatory Class" with an almost investigative urgency.

Shikano Nara—he showed astonishing talent in strategic reasoning. His answers cut straight to the heart of the matter, sometimes even working backward to deduce part of the examiner's intentions. He left some memorization questions blank, but nearly aced the strategy questions! Chiba Akimichi—unexpectedly, his accuracy was extremely high on questions about medicinal ingredients, identifying poisons, and calculating stamina allocation. Clearly, his love of food had led him into related fields. Kazamatsuri Yamanaka—he excelled at decoding intelligence ciphers and psychological analysis, and his answers were meticulous. Himawari Uzumaki—her paper might not have been the very best, but it was exceptionally well-rounded, with a high accuracy rate in every subject. Her answers to questions about teamwork and medical emergencies were especially empathetic and practical, and her writing revealed a warm wisdom.

Paper after paper, Ibiki grew more and more astonished!

This "preparatory class," overseen by Kakei Sumire and quietly watched over by Kakashi, with even the Seventh's child among them, was far better overall than he'd imagined! They might not have the terrifying, near-perfect scores of the Hatake brothers and Nadeshiko Haku, but every one of them had a strong foundation, special talents, and immense potential—far beyond the average Genin!

They weren't rookies here to test their luck. They were a group of promising students, carefully trained and each with their own strengths!

Ibiki slowly set down the last paper from the preparatory class and lifted his head, looking toward that section of the room again. His gaze passed over Shuoyue, Haku, Lian, Luye, Chiba, Kazamatsuri, and Himawari... all those young faces.

The ferocity on his face gradually gave way to a complex expression: surprise, appraisal, and even a trace of... anticipation.

So that was it... No wonder Kakashi was so confident this time.

This year's Genin, especially this preparatory class...

"Heh." The corners of Ibiki Morino's mouth twitched upward, forming a rare, strained expression that was almost a smile.

"Looks like this is going to be interesting." He muttered under his breath, his voice hoarse but tinged with excitement.