"Young as he is, he's come up with a code that's logically sound and can be transmitted using nothing but sound, without using chakra?"
"What a talent! Now that's a real talent! It would be unthinkable not to recruit this kid into the Anbu!"
Ibiki had made up his mind. Once the exams were over, he would personally recruit Uchiha Sora!
No matter what, he had to get him to work for the Anbu!
Meanwhile, Uchiha Sora was completely ignoring the proctor.
It wasn't as if he was "cheating," anyway.
At that moment, his fingers were tapping away with gusto.
"Question 30. The answer to this one should be A!"
Uchiha Sora tapped his fingers, sending the code along.
Hinata and Rock Lee hurriedly copied it down.
"As expected of Uchiha Sora! He even came up with a method like this. He's a genius! Who said our Uchiha Sora was useless?"
Hinata's cheeks flushed slightly, and she couldn't help admiring him even more.
At the same time, without even realizing it, she'd started referring to Uchiha Sora as "our Uchiha Sora"!
As for Rock Lee, his eyes were darting around with excitement.
"As expected of the Konoha Beast, whose youth burns as brightly as mine! His brains are something else!"
In a short time, without Uchiha Sora knowing it, he had already stunned a small number of people!
As time passed, the written portion of the Chunin Ninja Exams drew to a close.
Ibiki knocked on the blackboard.
"The exam is over! Everyone, take your hands off your desks and stop writing!"
Soon, everyone went still, their expressions ranging from dismay to delight.
Clearly, the exam had gone differently for everyone.
A large number of them hadn't been able to answer the questions.
They wore worried expressions, at a loss for what to do.
Uchiha Sora, meanwhile, was bored.
He knew that, according to the story, Ibiki would give them a choice.
In other words, it was a test of their nerve.
Sure enough, Ibiki glanced at those who hadn't passed, Naruto among them.
"Now, you have two choices. You can either withdraw from this exam and take the second test next year..."
"Or you can choose to keep answering questions. You only need to answer one. Get it right, and you pass!"
"Get it wrong, and you'll never be allowed to take the exam again. You'll be forbidden from becoming a Chunin for the rest of your life!"
His words immediately set off an uproar below.
"What the hell? Seriously? That's so unfair!"
"Banned for life? There must be something shady going on in Konoha! I protest!"
"What should we do...? Maybe we should play it safe and try again next year?"
Everyone began discussing their options.
Meanwhile, Naruto and the others chose to answer the question, just as they had in the original story.
The whole process went smoothly. Ibiki asked them why they wanted to become ninja.
Their answers were all different, but they came down to much the same thing. In the end, everyone who chose to answer passed the test.
Just as the exam was ending and Uchiha Sora was about to leave, Ibiki suddenly walked over.
In front of everyone, he praised him.
"You're from the Uchiha Clan, aren't you? I've heard the rumors that you're useless, but I think the exact opposite. You're a genius!"
"Now that this exam is over, how about joining the Anbu?"
Uchiha Sora froze.
Everyone present froze, too.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"As expected, Uchiha are something else! For Sasuke's older brother to be praised by a proctor—this has to be a first!"
Nearby, Sakura Haruno blinked.
"Uchiha Sora is really handsome, too. And he seems more mature than Sasuke!"
In the distance, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio all looked shocked.
Choji's eyes widened.
"What the hell! That proctor is the legendary One-Eyed Ibiki! He actually praised someone? Who is this kid?"
He wasn't the only one. Ino was stunned, too.
"A genius? Did Uchiha Sora show how amazing he was during the exam?"
Even Orochimaru gave Uchiha Sora a few more looks.
"This is a tough choice. Both brothers are strong. Uchiha Sora seems to be the brains of the pair. Taking over his body might not be a bad idea!"
Orochimaru gave a chuckle.
Uchiha Sora, for his part, was the most bewildered of all.
What was going on?
Why had he suddenly been praised?
Could it be that he was so handsome that he gave off a genius aura from the very depths of his being?
Still, Uchiha Sora put on an innocent expression.
"You're joking, sir. I'm just an ordinary ninja. I'll think about joining the Anbu some other time!"
Ibiki wasn't offended. If anything, he admired him even more.
"Good! You have talent but aren't arrogant. Someone like you will have a limitless future!"
"The Chunin Exams should be a mere formality for you! I hope that even after you pass, you'll hold on to that humility!"
Then Ibiki glanced around at everyone present.
"All right! The first exam is over. You can rest for a day. Early the next morning, go to the assembly point to take the second exam!"
With that, Ibiki turned around and strode away.
The gazes of all the ninja present settled on Uchiha Sora.
There was no doubt about it: after this exam, Uchiha Sora had made a name for himself.
"Let's go! We should head back and rest. The real battle starts tomorrow!"
Uchiha Sora shook his head and led the others out of the classroom.
First, they escorted Rock Lee back.
After that, Uchiha Sora and Hinata strolled toward the Hyuga Clan.
"Uchiha Sora! You're amazing! You even got praised by Ibiki. I heard he hardly ever praises anyone!"
A rosy hue colored Hinata's cheeks. In the light of the setting sun, she looked especially lovely.
"Is that so? Maybe the world has finally recognized my genius!"
Uchiha Sora smiled.
He thought that Hinata really was one of the top three beauties in Naruto.
With her looks and figure, she was practically perfect.
But considering how powerful everyone would become later on, Hinata would soon struggle to keep up.
So he had to grow stronger quickly, so he could protect her!
"By the way, about tomorrow—when you get home tonight, make sure you don't train any more. Save your strength instead!"
Hinata was taken aback, but seeing how serious Uchiha Sora looked, she understood that tomorrow's battle would be difficult.
"Mm! I understand!"
Hinata nodded obediently.
By then, Uchiha Sora had arrived at the Hyuga Clan's gate.
He was just about to say something when the head of the Hyuga Clan came out. It was the clan leader, Hyuga Hiashi.
"So you're the Uchiha boy. It's late. You should head home. Thank you for bringing my daughter back!"
It was clear that Hyuga Hiashi didn't think much of Uchiha Sora.
Perhaps it was because Uchiha Sora had a bad reputation.
After all, he was young, yet he'd opened a massage parlor offering Electromagnetic Therapy—and only served women.
It was only natural that people looked down on him.
Uchiha Sora didn't mind. After all, Hiashi might be his future father-in-law.
Before you continue