Survival Trial, Could You Lend Me Your Scroll?

Morino Ibiki's temple twitched as he swept his gaze over the overturned tables and chairs, the drawn ninja tools, before finally fixing his eyes on Naruto, who was still sitting on a desk with a lollipop in his mouth. He shouted in a low voice, "Quiet, all of you! Anyone who wants to be eliminated early can make a move right now!"

The murderous classroom instantly froze.

No matter how dissatisfied the Genin from the various villages were, they did not dare act out in front of Konoha's proctoring ninja. They could only grit their teeth and put away their weapons, though pair after pair of eyes remained fixed on Naruto.

Naruto shrugged, jumped down from the desk, casually tossed the lollipop stick into the trash, and sauntered back to Sasuke and Sakura.

At that moment, Ino, sitting diagonally across from them, propped her elbow on the desk and twirled her blonde hair around her fingertips. Her eyes darted back and forth between Naruto's tall, straight back and the cold Sasuke at his side. Her heart pounded wildly as thoughts flooded her mind.

"What do I do? Naruto is getting more and more handsome! Sasuke too—what if they both start chasing me? This is so exciting!"

Her cheeks grew faintly warm, and even her breathing became uneven. She completely failed to notice Choji secretly stuffing chips into his mouth beside her while Shikamaru rolled his eyes with an expression that said, "What a pain."

Naruto did not look in that direction at all, so naturally he failed to notice her girlish thoughts. His mind was filled with the Darkness Value that had skyrocketed just now, and the smile on his lips never faded.

Awesome. Absolutely awesome.

Starting off by drawing this much hatred was like turning on a Darkness Value printing press. The Darkness Value was increasing ridiculously fast!

Soon, the test papers were handed out. Ibiki's icy voice echoed through the classroom. "The first exam will be scored by three-person teams. The first nine questions are worth a total of one hundred points. Your team's combined score must reach two hundred and ten to pass. If you are caught cheating by a proctor, your entire team will be eliminated immediately. Now, the exam begins."

The scratching of pen tips across paper instantly filled the classroom.

The questions on the test were far beyond the knowledge level of Genin. Even Sakura's scalp tingled as she read them, while many top students from the ninja academies frowned tightly.

Undercurrents surged through the room. Countless eyes swept around in secret as everyone displayed their own methods of cheating. Kankuro's eyes hidden within his Puppetry accurately copied down the answers.

The three Sound Ninja used finger signals to pass information around. Even Sasuke activated his Sharingan, instantly replicating the answer patterns of the top student seated in front of him.

But when he glanced sideways, he nearly laughed in anger.

Naruto beside him had simply flipped his test paper face-down on the desk, rested his head on his arms, and actually started sleeping soundly.

Sakura was so anxious that her palms were drenched in sweat. She secretly nudged Naruto with her elbow and whispered so quietly it was like a mosquito's buzz, "Naruto! Hurry up and answer the questions! If you don't write anything, you'll get zero points! You'll drag the whole team down!"

Naruto did not even lift his eyelids. He mumbled vaguely, "You're so noisy. Relax, we'll win lying down."

He knew exactly what was going on.

Not to mention that he had Kagura Mind's Eye and the Sharingan, which let him cheat without anyone noticing—even if he relied on his real abilities, as a transmigrator who had crammed the entire history of the Ninja World, answering this test would be effortless.

But he simply did not want to answer.

This exam had never been about the answers on the paper. It tested intelligence-gathering ability, teamwork, and the psychological fortitude to face overwhelming pressure.

By sleeping, he could steady his teammates better than if he had filled the paper with answers. After all, if even he was this calm, Sakura and Sasuke would only become more certain that there was a catch to this exam.

Time passed second by second. More and more examinees caught cheating were dragged out of the classroom by the proctors. Crying, wailing, and furious curses rose one after another, and the tension in the room kept mounting.

Sakura was so anxious she was nearly in tears, but Sasuke remained as steady as a mountain.

He knew Naruto too well. This guy might look crazy and unreliable, but he never did anything without confidence.

An hour later, Ibiki tapped on the desk, and the entire room fell silent.

"The first nine questions are over. Now, I will announce the rules for the tenth question."

His gaze swept across the room, and his tone carried an icy, oppressive weight. "The tenth question is optional. The rules are simple. If you choose to answer and get it wrong, you will lose the right to ever take the Chunin Ninja Exams again. If you choose to give up, your entire team will be eliminated immediately."

The words exploded through the classroom like a thunderclap!

"What?! If we get it wrong, we can never become Chunin for the rest of our lives?!"

"Are you kidding me?! This is practically gambling with our lives!"

Countless examinees turned pale. Their hands rose, then fell, then rose again. In the end, unable to bear the pressure, they gritted their teeth and chose to give up, leaving the exam room with their heads hanging.

Even Sakura panicked. Her clenched fingertips had turned white, and her eyes were full of helplessness as she looked at Naruto and Sasuke.

Just then, Naruto, who had been sleeping the whole time, suddenly stretched lazily, yawned, and sat up. Still bleary-eyed, he swept his gaze across the room.

Ibiki immediately locked onto him and asked in a deep voice, "Naruto Uzumaki, are you giving up as well?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and grinned, flashing a mouthful of white teeth. The arrogance in his tone had not diminished in the slightest. "Give up? I came all this way, so why should I give up? So what if I can't become a Chunin for the rest of my life if I get it wrong? If I want to become a Chunin, who can stop me?"

"I choose to answer."

The moment he said that, Sakura, who had still been hesitating, instantly steadied herself. She gritted her teeth and said, "I-I choose to answer too!"

A faint smile flashed through Sasuke's eyes. His voice was cold, but resolute. "I choose to answer."

More and more examinees were awakened by Naruto's words. One after another, they lowered their raised hands and chose to answer.

Ibiki stared at the scene before him, stunned for a moment, before suddenly bursting into laughter.

"Excellent! Everyone who chose to stay and answer has passed the first exam!"

The whole room erupted in an uproar!

Looking at everyone's shocked faces, Ibiki slowly explained, "The tenth question tested your resolve to stake everything when faced with a desperate situation. If you do not even have the courage to face unknown risks, then you are not worthy of being ninja at all!"

Naruto yawned, utterly unmoved.

After all, he had known the answer long ago.

A system notification sounded in his mind at just the right moment: [Darkness Value +500! From Morino Ibiki's shock]

The smile on Naruto's lips grew even brighter.

A guaranteed profit.

Three days later, at the entrance to the Forest of Death.

The rules of the second exam were simple and brutal: within the allotted time, they had to obtain a complete set of a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll in the perilous Forest of Death, then reach the tower at the center of the forest to pass.

As the iron gates slowly rose, teams from every village shot into the dense, sun-blocking forest like arrows released from a bow.

Damp air rushed at them. Towering trees blocked out the sunlight, and the forest was filled with venomous insects, savage beasts, traps, and ambushes lurking everywhere.

Less than ten seconds after they landed, three figures burst from the bushes beside them. The kunai in the hands of the Hidden Sound Genin aimed straight for the backs of the trio's hearts!

At the same time, two figures shot out of a puddle on the other side. Their Water Release hand seals had already reached the final step!

Sasuke was just about to activate his Sharingan, and Sakura was just about to raise her hand to defend, when Naruto beside them moved.

No one saw how he drew his blade.

All they heard was a sharp clang as the Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade left its sheath. A cold flash tore through the air, so fast that only an afterimage remained!

Before the sound arrived, the blade had already struck.

"Pssh—"

Three dull impacts rang out in rapid succession.

The instant Naruto sheathed his sword, the three charging Sound Ninja had already been pinned neatly to the tree behind them by the same blade.

The blade pierced through the first man's chest, then the second's, then the third's. The three of them were skewered together like meat on a kebab, nailed firmly to the trunk and unable to move. Blood streamed down the bark, staining the ground red.

The leading Sound Ninja spat out a mouthful of blood. Pain made his entire body convulse, and his eyes were filled with utter terror.

They had not even seen how Naruto attacked!

Naruto walked over at an unhurried pace, crouched down, and tapped the humming blade with his fingertips. A gentle smile rested on his face. "Excuse me, could I ask whether you brought any scrolls with you? Please answer nicely. I don't have a very good temper."