So This Is How Hard the Chunin Exam Is!

Early the next morning.

Obito and Ruohuo got up early to help Grandmother with the chores.

By the time the sun clocked in, Grandmother had already prepared three portions of rice balls.

They were huge. An average adult would be full after two at most.

"Big Brother, does the Chunin exam take a lot of days? Why are you bringing so many rice balls...?"

Obito asked in confusion as he helped Ruohuo pack them.

"Normally, it takes a week. Including the later tests, it could take ten days."

Ruohuo thought for a moment before answering.

Because of the current circumstances, Konoha's Chunin exam would be much smaller this time.

There would definitely be no joint exam. Everyone taking part was a Konoha Genin.

There would also be only one day of rest between the second and third tests. Orochimaru had told him all this before leaving.

"That long...? Wait!" Obito's eyes widened. "Big Brother, then what you've packed definitely won't be enough. Take mine too!"

"I won't need it, Obito."

Ruohuo ruffled Obito's spiky hair.

To be safe, Ruohuo did indeed plan to blaze through the exam.

And to guard against any surprises—like beating an opponent but still being judged as lacking Chunin-level ability—Ruohuo was actually planning to eliminate every opponent in the second test.

Without any opponents left, surely he'd advance automatically, right?

The first test's location was a little out of the way.

Starting from the Uchiha Clan Grounds, they had to cross nearly all of Konoha to reach the other side of the village.

The exam site was a low, flat building that looked like an abandoned factory. It stood with a forest behind it, and a temporary sign had been set up out front.

[Chunin Exam Site]

Come to think of it, it really did feel like taking the college entrance exam in his previous life.

But Ruohuo, who considered himself already guaranteed admission, felt no pressure at all.

Kakashi had passed the exam at six.

Itachi had even passed it alone.

With his current strength, even if those two teamed up, he still wouldn't be worried.

"Hyuga are guarding the entrance... Tsk, and they've got their Byakugan activated."

"Looks like Plan A won't work."

Maybe because the war was raging at the front, Ruohuo saw quite a few Hyuga members at the entrance and inside the exam site.

Their Byakugan were active as they scanned every direction, possibly to keep spies from slipping in.

The Chunin exam was, in a sense, the Ninja World's version of the college entrance exam. And with things as they were, it made sense to be extra strict.

"Good thing I didn't pick the Hyuga at the start. Otherwise, I'd probably be stuck working as a security guard."

Muttering to himself, Ruohuo walked into the exam site.

He'd originally planned to use the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as Orochimaru.

Once inside, he could make up an excuse and send everyone away, claim the exam location had changed, or simply announce that they'd all been eliminated.

With Orochimaru's current standing, hardly anyone in Konoha would dare disobey him.

Even if he got caught, it wouldn't matter. It wasn't against the rules...

But with so many Byakugan watching him, Ruohuo decided against it.

He still had Plan B, anyway.

The exam room looked like a classroom. There was no examiner in sight, and after looking around, Ruohuo realized there were quite a lot of people.

Most were eleven- or twelve-year-old teenagers in the prime of youth, likely taking the exam in their graduating year.

There were also men who looked to be in their thirties. Bowl cuts, thick eyebrows, huge eyes...

"Holy crap?" Ruohuo's eye twitched. Wasn't that Might Duy?!

What was he doing here too?

Well, that made sense. As a perennial Genin with the buff of never giving up, it was only fitting that he kept getting back up after each defeat.

"Hmm..."

"Someone like him could become a loyal ally of my Uchiha Clan."

"Maybe I should change Plan B a little."

Ruohuo found an empty seat and sat down, mulling it over.

Plan B: seize the exit during the second test and eliminate all the examinees.

Might Duy would definitely fight back, but he definitely wouldn't be a match for Ruohuo's genjutsu.

After all, Might Duy didn't have a "lifelong rival" with the Sharingan.

Still, the Eight Inner Gates and all the Steel Fist Taijutsu he knew were extremely valuable.

Once Ruohuo became clan head, he could introduce this training method throughout the Uchiha Clan.

That way, even Uchiha members who lacked talent would have some combat ability.

"The Uchiha are so lucky to have a clan head like me in their future."

Ruohuo thought.

The examiner was taking his time showing up.

The examinees gradually began to relax.

They were all Konoha shinobi, and plenty of them knew each other. They whispered among themselves, and the exam room grew noisier by the minute.

"Hey, Uchiha."

A young shinobi came over to Ruohuo. "Why are you sitting here alone? Where's your team?"

"I don't need a team," Ruohuo replied coolly.

The young shinobi's expression immediately turned strange.

"Hey, hey... I thought you were one of those kids who didn't grow much, but from your voice... How old are you?"

Ruohuo glanced at him, fully embracing the Uchiha Clan's aloofness.

"None of your business."

"You little brat..." The young shinobi was about to lose his temper when a burly examiner suddenly walked in.

"Everyone, quiet!"

The examiner's voice was just as gruff, the kind that could scare a little kid to tears.

The entire room fell silent.

The burly examiner swept his fierce gaze over the room. He lingered on Ruohuo for two extra seconds, apparently surprised to see such a young examinee.

"Your papers are being handed out now. You'll have ten minutes. The timer starts now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted in startled cries.

"Ten minutes?!"

"Is this a speed test?"

"Damn it, how come it's different from last year?"

Some even tried to get advice from Might Duy. "Duy, you've taken this exam so many times. Do you have any experience with something like this?"

"I..." Might Duy scratched his head. "Sorry. I've basically always been eliminated in the first test, so..."

"Tch."

Ruohuo was seated near the front, so he got his paper first.

The contents of the test surprised him.

Aside from the spaces for personal information, the entire sheet was completely blank!

The other examinees soon noticed it too.

"There are no questions?! How are we supposed to answer this?"

"Damn it, so this is how hard the Chunin exam is!"

"Could the questions be somewhere I haven't noticed?"

"I've got it. This must be a genjutsu. Release! Huh? I'll release it again!"

Watching the examinees descend into chaos, the examiner finally broke into a cruel grin.

"The moment you stepped into this exam room, the exam began."

"This test is designed to assess your ability to gather intelligence!"

"Your search is limited to this exam room. Gather every bit of information you can, including names, blood types, and the techniques people specialize in. Write it all on your papers—including information about me!"

"Your records are in the examiners' hands. You'll earn one point for each correct answer and lose one point for each incorrect answer! Only teams with a combined score above twenty points can take the next test!"

After explaining the rules, the examiner deliberately paused and glanced at his watch, grinning.

"Now, you have only eight minutes left..."