Naruto and Sasuke's Path to Ninja Promotion

Early morning in Konoha Ninja Village, all sorts of ninjas had already gathered at the entrance of the Ninja Promotion Examination Center. Most of them were Genin had recently graduated, their faces still showing immaturity and nervousness, while a few Chunin had come to take the Jonin exams appeared much more composed.

Among this group of people, two figures stood out.

Uzumaki Naruto shuffled towards the testing center, his blond hair appearing somewhat dull in the morning light, and the dark circles under his eyes looking as if he'd been punched twice. He yawned widely, rubbing his eyes, looking like he might fall asleep at any moment.

Just then, another figure walked from the street corner. Sasuke Uchiha's steps were steady and composed, his dark stand-up collar coat was impeccably tailored, and the Kusanagi Sword was at his waist. He looked like he had rested well, and there was not a trace of fatigue in his eyes.

The two met at the entrance of the examination center.

"Good morning, Sasuke..." Naruto waved weakly, his voice full of exhaustion.

Sasuke stopped and looked Naruto up and down, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips—a smile that was a mixture of mockery and a familiar sense of helplessness.

"Last place," Sasuke said coldly, "This is the twelfth time, isn't it? You still haven't passed the Chunin theory exam?"

These words pierced Naruto's nerves like needles. He sat bolt upright, his dark circles unable to conceal the sudden blaze in his eyes. "Sasuke! I'll definitely pass this time! Just you wait and see!"

"Tch." Sasuke let out a short chuckle and turned to walk towards the entrance of the testing center. Naruto quickly followed, and the two walked into the building side by side, but maintained a subtle distance between them—neither as distant as enemies nor as close as friends.

Behind the counter of Tenten's Ninja Tool Shop, Neji was organizing the newly arrived Kunai. His movements suddenly paused, and a glint of light flashed in his Tenseigan.

Through layers of walls and several streets, he "saw" this scene at the entrance of the examination center. Naruto's dark circles, Sasuke's taunts, their conversation... he saw it all.

"The twelfth time..." Neji muttered to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

He was indeed aware of Naruto's predicament with the theoretical exam. During this time, Naruto and Sasuke, under Yamato's guidance, had been frantically taking on missions, from D-rank to A-rank, doing almost every mission they could. Their mission completion records were so thick they could be used as pillows—after all, with their Six Paths Tier strength, any mission was a piece of cake.

The number of missions has long exceeded the limit. Their achievements need no further explanation: Naruto was the hero who saved Konoha during Pain's invasion; Sasuke killed Orochimaru (although he was later resurrected by Neji), Deidara, and Itachi Uchiha, and the two of them joined forces to fight Madara Uchiha and seal Kaguya Ōtsutsuki... Any one of these achievements would be enough to promote an ordinary ninja to Jonin.

But rules are rules. After the Fourth Shinobi World War, Konoha did simplify the promotion process and cancel the tedious practical assessment—after all, Naruto and Sasuke's practical abilities didn't need any assessment. But the theoretical exam remained unchanged.

Sasuke passed the Chunin theory exams smoothly and is taking the Jonin theory exams today. Naruto, on the other hand... is still stuck at the Chunin level.

Neji shook his head and continued arranging the Kunai, but his mind was no longer on his work. He thought of Naruto from his time at the Ninja Academy, the kid who always slept in class and never passed his exams. So many years have passed, but some things haven't changed.

"Never mind," Neji sighed softly, "Let's help him."

Third examination room, third floor of the examination center.

There were only two tables in the huge exam hall, but only one of them was occupied today. Naruto was biting his pen, his brows furrowed, staring at the questions on the exam paper with an expression as if he had seen some kind of incomprehensible book.

[Question 3: When encountering an enemy Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall blocking your route, as the squad leader, please list three of the most effective breakthrough strategies, and analyze their respective advantages, disadvantages, and applicable conditions.]

Naruto stared at the question, his mind blank. Earth-Style Wall? A solution? He recalled how, when he and Kakashi-sensei were on missions, they would either punch an Earth Release Rasengan...

He secretly glanced up at the proctor. Ebisu stood beside the podium, adjusting his sunglasses with a serious expression. This Special Jonin was proctoring Naruto's Chunin theory exam for the twelfth time; there was probably no other proctor in the entire Hidden Konoha who knew Naruto's exam history so well.

Ebisu was actually torn. As a teacher with professional ethics, he had to strictly supervise the exams. But as an elder who had watched Naruto grow up, he couldn't bear to see the boy fail time and time again. Especially since he knew how much Naruto Konoha, and knew that the golden-haired boy possessed power capable of shaking the heavens and earth... yet he was stuck on these theoretical questions.

"Sigh." Ebisu sighed inwardly, forcing himself to look away and gaze out the window.

Just then, Naruto suddenly blinked.

The voice of the answer to the question before him echoed in his mind...

"This is..." Naruto paused for a moment, then realized what was happening.

He abruptly turned his head to look out the window—though he couldn't see anything, he knew it must be Neji.

The pen he was biting fell onto the table. Naruto picked it up again, took a deep breath, and then began to write.

Ebisu noticed the commotion, turned around, and was surprised to find Naruto answering questions at lightning speed. The pen tip scratched across the paper, making a soft rustling sound, a stark contrast to his earlier frantic attempts.

Ebisu walked over, stood behind Naruto, and looked down at the test paper.

[Option 1: Use Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique for a counter-attack. Advantages: Elemental advantage, high efficiency; Disadvantages: Requires high Chakra control from the user, and its effectiveness is limited in water-scarce environments. Applicable conditions: The team has a ninja proficient in Water Release, and the environment permits.]

[Option Two: Use combined Ninjutsu to attack a single point for a breakthrough. For example, combine Wind Release with Fire Release to concentrate firepower on a specific point of the Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall. Advantages: Fast breakthrough speed; Disadvantages: High chakra consumption, may reveal position. Applicable conditions: Team members have good teamwork and do not mind the Chakra consumption.]

[Option 3: Use Summoning Technique to bypass obstacles from above or below. Advantages: Surprise attack; Disadvantages: Requires a summoned beast and may lead to other traps. Applicable conditions: The team must have a contracted summoned beast.]

Not only did they answer the question, but their reasoning was clear and their analysis was insightful.

Ebisu's eyes widened, and his sunglasses slipped down a little. He stared incredulously at Naruto —the kid who had drawn a fox on his test paper last time, but who had answered the questions perfectly this time.

For the next question, Naruto seemed to have divine assistance. Tactical analysis, application of ninja rules, and mission risk assessment, which previously required much thought, all became simple and clear at this moment. It was as if those knowledge points had been completely awakened.

Forty minutes later, Naruto put down his pen and raised his hand. "Teacher, I'm handing in my paper."

Ebisu mechanically took the test paper and subconsciously began grading it. All the multiple-choice questions were correct, two fill-in-the-blank questions were wrong, and the short answer and essay questions... were almost perfect.

Total score: 86 points.

"This..." Ebisu looked up at Naruto, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Teacher, did I pass?" Naruto asked cautiously, his eyes filled with both expectation and guilt—he himself realized that something had gone wrong with him just now.

Ebisu was silent for a few seconds. He should suspect Naruto of cheating, he should search him carefully, he should... But looking at the expectation in Naruto's eyes, he remembered the boy's figure on the battlefield, and everything he had done to protect Konoha.

Ultimately, professional ethics prevailed. Ebisu stood up and conducted a thorough search of Naruto —no cheat sheets, no communication devices, and no suspicious items.

"Your score is valid." Ebisu finally announced, his voice slightly hoarse. "Congratulations, Uzumaki Naruto. From tomorrow onwards, you are Chunin of Konoha."

Naruto's eyes lit up instantly, as if they contained the entire sun. He jumped up, clenching his fists. "Yay! That's great!"

Meanwhile, on the Jonin theory exam room.

Sasuke put down his pen, checked the exam paper, and after confirming there were no errors, stood up to hand it in. The proctor was Genma Shiranui, who took the paper, glanced at it, and nodded. "The results will be announced this afternoon, but... there shouldn't be any problems."

Sasuke slightly, turned and left the examination hall. His expression remained calm, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes— the Jonin theoretical exam was indeed much more Chunin exam, but it was still a piece of cake for him.

When he walked out of the examination center, Naruto was already waiting there. The blond boy couldn't contain his excitement, and his animated gestures attracted a lot of attention.

"Sasuke!" Naruto rushed over as soon as he saw Sasuke. "I passed! I'll be Chunin tomorrow!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, looking at Naruto's excited expression, and said lazily, "Then tomorrow I'll Jonin. Congratulations on your promotion to Chunin."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing half of Naruto's excitement. He pouted, but quickly rallied, asking sincerely, "Sasuke, how exactly do you learn all this theoretical knowledge? I tried using Shadow Clone to learn it all at once, but I still couldn't remember it. If it weren't for Neji..."

He suddenly realized he had let something slip, quickly covered his mouth, and stared wide-eyed.

Upon hearing this, Sasuke immediately understood. He narrowed his eyes, looking at Naruto's guilty expression, and realized— Neji had indeed interfered. Otherwise, given Naruto's theoretical level, he might not have passed even after twelve more attempts.

But he didn't say anything. Everyone has their own path. Naruto has Naruto way, and so does he. Besides... he didn't actually dislike Naruto like this, the underdog who always needed a push but always managed to create miracles.

"Neji wanted to see you about something?" Sasuke changed the subject.

"Ah, right!" Naruto slapped his forehead. "Neji told me to go to Tenten's ninja tool shop after my exams. Sasuke, do you want to come along?"

Sasuke thought for a moment. He really had nothing to do, and he had heard about the recent changes in the village—the election system, the reorganization of the Elder Council, term limits... all of these were closely related to his future plans to run for Hokage. If he could listen to Neji's advice, it might be helpful.

"Let's go," Sasuke said simply.

The two walked side by side toward Tenten's ninja tool shop, the sunlight casting long shadows onto the streets of Konoha. One had just become Chunin, the other was about to become Jonin; two Six Paths Tier ninjas were walking on the most ordinary path of advancement.

The scene was somewhat absurd, yet strangely harmonious.

Behind the counter of the ninja tool shop, Neji put down the Kunai in his hand, looked up in the direction of the door, and saw two figures walking on the street reflected in his Tenseigan.

The corners of his mouth curved upwards in an almost imperceptible arc.