First Exam

The moment Naruto said that, more than a hundred murderous gazes converged on him from across the classroom.

Sakura grabbed Naruto around the neck from behind and scolded him. "What are you saying? Don't get us into trouble."

Naruto felt her softness against his back and leaned into her. He turned his head. "But I'm telling the truth!"

Sakura noticed what he was doing. Her face flushed, and she quickly let go.

Sasuke wanted to complain too, but then he remembered the six times Naruto had beaten him. He kept his mouth shut and gave a cold snort.

Just then, three figures burst from the crowd and charged toward the front of the classroom.

The nine rookies were startled. They all thought the three had come to beat Naruto up for what he had just said.

Only a moment later did they realize the three Ninja were heading straight for Yakushi Kabuto.

It turned out Kabuto had casually remarked that Otogakure was a newly founded, insignificant little village.

That plain truth was enough to make the three Otogakure extras want him dead.

Kabuto must have been cursing inwardly, unsure whether to say it aloud.

He was probably thinking:

Lord Orochimaru sent you three after Sasuke, and you idiots come after me first?

Unfortunately, the three Otogakure extras had no idea Kabuto was their boss's personal assistant. Otherwise, they never would have dared lay a hand on him. Did they have a death wish?

Of course, they had no idea their boss, Orochimaru, was already among the examinees, watching the scene with interest!

Naruto couldn't help bursting into laughter.

Kabuto swallowed his anger, fought his body's natural reactions, and did everything he could to hold back against the three Sound Ninja extras.

Then he took a Sound Ninjutsu attack head-on. His glasses shattered, and he vomited despite himself.

Damn it. He had helped Orochimaru develop Otogakure's Sound Ninjutsu!

Naruto shook his head at the three arrogant Sound Ninja extras. No wonder they had ended up as sacrifices for Impure World Reincarnation in the original story. They must have offended Kabuto!

What a bunch of fools with a death wish.

Just then, a huge cloud of smoke appeared at the front of the classroom.

"You useless fools, quiet down!"

The entire classroom fell silent.

The chief examiner for the First Exam, Ibiki Morino, had arrived with the other examiners.

So you waited outside until you'd seen enough of the show? Naruto scoffed inwardly.

Then the written portion of the First Exam began.

Naruto took his number card and sat down in the front row with a grin. He turned to Hinata, his future wife, in the seat beside him. "Hey, future wife, do me a favor?"

Knowing she wouldn't refuse, Naruto reached under the desk without waiting for an answer and brought out an adorable little kitten.

He set the kitten on Hinata's slender shoulder and raised his eyebrows at her. "Thanks, future wife."

"L-let's do our best together, Naruto!" Hinata said softly, her face red as she looked down.

"Sure, Hinata. Don't worry about the First Exam. I'll protect you during the Second Exam!"

Once all the examinees were seated and had their papers, chief examiner Ibiki Morino announced the rules.

"1. Each examinee starts with ten points. There are ten written questions, and each wrong answer costs one point."

At that, Sakura glanced toward Naruto in the front row and thought with malicious delight:

That idiot Naruto is definitely getting zero. I'll get full marks and pass without a problem.

Naruto had beaten Sasuke several times since graduation, but that only showed how strong he was in a fight.

Sakura and the others knew exactly what his written-test scores had been like during his six years at the Ninja Academy.

"2. Whether you pass depends on the combined score of all three members of your team!"

Sakura, who had been gloating a moment ago, slumped onto her desk in despair.

"3. If an examiner catches you cheating, you lose two points each time. In other words, you could hit zero before finishing the questions and be forced to withdraw."

"You're Ninja. Take this exam like capable Ninja!" Ibiki Morino said pointedly.

Sakura kept doing the math in her head. With her and Sasuke's scores, the three of them should pass even if Naruto got zero. Right?

"4. If anyone on a team scores zero, the entire team fails!"

Sakura's and Sasuke's expressions changed at once. Both turned murderous looks on Naruto.

"5. The tenth question will be given forty-five minutes after the exam begins."

"All right. You have one hour. Begin!"

Every examinee immediately looked down at the paper on their desk.

Naruto knew the exam's real purpose, but he was still curious about the written questions meant to test Ninja.

So he bent over his paper, feeling as though he were taking an exam in his previous life.

Following his old habit, he started with question one. He would answer what he could and come back to the rest at the end.

Question one: coded message.

A code? Does Morse code count? No idea. Next.

Question two: In figure one, B stood atop a seven-meter tree on a parabolic trajectory. Figure two showed the maximum range of Ninja A's Shuriken. What were the opposing Ninja's characteristics?

What the hell! They're giving us the kind of brainteasers elementary school kids faced in my previous life! No idea. Next!

Question three: analysis of mechanical energy?

What's mechanics? If I kick you, we both hurt? No idea. Next!

Question eight: aromatic compounds... No idea!

Question nine: No idea!

Meanwhile, Sasuke discovered he couldn't answer a single question either.

Top student Sakura, on the other hand, realized the questions were so difficult that she might be the only one in the room who could answer them all.

It didn't take long for the two of them to sense something was off and figure out the exam's true purpose.

The other Ninja began to catch on too.

And so a grand display of cheating unfolded in the exam room, free for all to watch.

First came the beginners: some relied on pet dogs, some listened for the sounds of writing, some sent flies to spy, and some used reflections.

Then came the intermediate cheaters: one saw through things with the Byakugan, another copied with the Sharingan, another used the Mind Body Switch Technique to enter Sakura's body, and another used an eye made of sand.

Finally, the expert took the stage.

He raised his hand and shouted that he needed the bathroom. An examiner escorted him to the restroom.

Inside, the examiner was so mortified his face nearly fell off...

It turned out the examiner was a transformed Puppet that had slipped in among the proctors beforehand.

What Naruto really wanted to know was how Orochimaru, hidden among the examinees, was cheating...

Examinees were eliminated one after another. Some were dragged out screaming and crying; others challenged the examiners in protest, only to be pinned against the wall.

After finishing her paper, Hinata offered to let Naruto copy her answers. He declined with a grin and pointed to the kitten on her shoulder.

With a pop, the kitten vanished in a puff of smoke. At the same time, the answers from Hinata's paper appeared in Naruto's mind.

The Clone Technique and Transformation Technique were the Ninjutsu Naruto knew best.

Before long, Ibiki Morino began to announce the final question.

But first, he asked the examinees to decide whether they wanted to answer the Tenth Question.

If they chose not to answer, their three-person team would be eliminated immediately and leave the room. But if they chose to answer and got it wrong, all three would remain Genin for life.

Ibiki Morino was using one of his interrogation methods. It was bound to put enormous pressure on many of the examinees.

Sure enough, shortly after he finished speaking, examinees began raising their hands to decline the Tenth Question and withdraw.

Naruto was immediately displeased.

To him, those examinees were valuable points. If they left now, how was he supposed to kill them and earn points during the Second Exam?