"Attention, all examinees. You have half an hour to prepare. You may not bring any ninja tools with you. Please wait in the waiting room!"
"Furthermore, cheating is prohibited in this exam. Remember: cheating is prohibited!"
Ibiki's deep voice rang across the square, drowning out the noisy chatter.
In an instant, most of the people present changed their expressions. They hadn't expected the ninja exam to confiscate their ninja tools!
Some ninjas had devoted their entire lives to mastering their tools. How were they supposed to fight without them?
What was Konoha up to? Were they deliberately making trouble?
Everyone found it hard to accept.
"No way! Is this exam really that strict? How are we supposed to fight without ninja tools?"
"Yeah! I don't remember this being a rule in past years!"
"Exactly! You're the only ones in Konoha who do this. There's definitely something wrong here. I protest!"
Ibiki gave a cold snort, his eyes sweeping over everyone with icy indifference.
Everyone he looked at felt as if his gaze were cutting into them, and they didn't dare meet his eyes.
"Sure! If you don't want to follow the rules, you're welcome not to take the exam. Miss this one, and you'll have to wait another six years!"
"If anyone else complains or causes trouble in the exam hall, they'll be blacklisted and banned from taking the exam for life!"
With that, Ibiki strode away, leaving a crowd of furious examinees behind.
"Damn it! What kind of rule is this? How am I supposed to fight without my ninja tools?"
In the crowd, Kankuro looked grim as he stared at the puppet in his hands, his brows knitted tightly together.
Temari rubbed her chin, just as confused. After a moment, she spoke.
"Konoha must have its reasons for doing this. They'll probably explain later."
"After all, it's not just us—plenty of people in Konoha use weapons, too. There shouldn't be any foul play, right, little brother?"
As they spoke, both of them glanced uneasily at Gaara, as if afraid he might lose control over this.
"It's fine. I can fight just as well without weapons!"
"They're the ones who should be worried!"
Gaara spoke calmly, but his tone seemed laced with murderous intent.
Kankuro and Temari both wiped away a bead of sweat.
"Man, I hope the Konoha ninjas don't end up facing us. Our little brother here is a monster!"
Meanwhile, in a corner, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, equally perplexed.
"Confiscating ninja tools? It seems the first exam won't require any equipment—or perhaps it isn't testing combat ability at all."
"In any case, they shouldn't be able to see through my identity..."
Elsewhere, Naruto stared at Sasuke with curiosity, never letting up for a moment.
"Hey, your older brother's really strange. Why did he tell us to stay away from the Rain ninjas? Is there something wrong with them?"
"And your cousin hasn't even awakened his Sharingan. How come he's taking the Chunin Ninja Exams?"
Sasuke snorted.
"Dead last, mind your own business. Just trust me. My cousin must have a good reason for doing this!"
Naruto blinked.
"You really seem to look up to your older brother. Is there something special about him?"
Before Sasuke could answer, Sakura grabbed Naruto by the ear and dragged him aside.
"Ow! Why are you asking about his family matters? Hurry up and get ready. Hand over all your weapons!"
And so, everyone handed in their weapons and sat in the waiting hall.
Uchiha Sora and his group were there as well.
At that moment, Uchiha Sora's eyes flickered. The system's voice echoed in his mind!
"Ding! The system has detected that the host is taking an exam. New mission: Help your companions cheat successfully!"
"The host may complete the mission using scientific methods. The reward will vary randomly based on the degree of completion!"
"However, the minimum reward will raise the host's technology level by one and unlock the shop function!"
"Technology level determines the synthesis table's limits. Even if the host has a formula and the materials, certain advanced technologies cannot be synthesized without a sufficient level!"
"Later, the host can check which equipment corresponds to each technology level!"
At this, Uchiha Sora couldn't help breathing faster.
He didn't even know what a technology level was, but just unlocking the shop function would practically make him invincible.
It was the system shop, after all!
Anyone who'd read novels knew that shops like that were full of cheat items. Just buying a few things would let him outclass ninja tools, right?
"The shop appearing makes sense."
Uchiha Sora pondered to himself.
He'd actually expected this. Without a shop or something similar where he could buy finished electronic components, many technologies would be difficult to complete later.
After all, even making a simple chip would require him to build a factory with his bare hands. It'd be a huge hassle.
So the shop was important. He had to complete this mission!
But Hinata would be easy to help. How was he supposed to get Rock Lee, that blockhead, to cheat?
He was as thick as a plank, and on top of that, he had no chakra. Ordinary methods wouldn't work.
After thinking it over, the safest option was to give them the answers himself.
As someone who'd read the original story, Uchiha Sora knew that the first exam was all about cheating.
At the same time, they couldn't make it too obvious, or they'd be caught by the proctor and eliminated.
Put simply, the test was about how cleverly you could cheat!
So the safest option was to cheat physically, using a scientific method.
No chakra required. They'd only need their brains!
"But... what method should I use?"
Uchiha Sora frowned in thought. Then, an idea suddenly came to him.
Morse code!
A code that used long and short sounds to represent characters!
It wasn't hard to learn. If they only memorized A, B, C, and D—the four answer choices—they could pick it up in no time.
And as far as Uchiha Sora knew, they only needed to pass the exam. That meant they could answer only the multiple-choice questions!
Uchiha Sora's eyes lit up. He immediately shared the idea with the others.
"What? What's Morse code? Uchiha Sora, are you saying we should cheat?"
Hinata was confused and instinctively didn't want to cheat.
But since Uchiha Sora had suggested it, Hinata wouldn't refuse.
At the same time, Hinata was curious. What was a code?
Beside her, Rock Lee's eyes widened.
"Even though this is a little shameful, I've spent all my time burning with the fires of youth. I really don't know how to answer questions!"
"I'll have to trouble you, Uchiha Sora!"
Uchiha Sora nodded, then briefly explained how A, B, C, and D corresponded to Morse code.
"When the time comes, just tap on the desk and remember the short and long signals. Do you understand now?"
Uchiha Sora looked at the two of them. Once they nodded, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, the half-hour wait ended, and Ibiki's voice rang out slowly!
"The exam is beginning! Examinees, enter the hall in an orderly fashion!"
Before you continue