Every seat in the examination hall was occupied. Aside from the chief examiner, Shikaku, no other proctors had been assigned.
In the first round of the old Chunin Ninja Exams, proctors had filled the aisles on both sides.
Why the difference?
The written test in the first round of the old Chunin Ninja Exams had mainly assessed the Genin's ability to gather intelligence, so cheating with ninjutsu had been permitted.
But the written round of the Grand Martial Arts Tournament was different. Everyone here was among the best in their village, each talented in their own right. Gathering intelligence was well within their capabilities.
There was simply no need to test that. No beating around the bush-this test assessed their knowledge of the Ōtsutsuki and their ability to adapt on the spot!
Identical answers were out of the question, too. The questions explicitly stated that answers had to reflect "your individual circumstances," meaning information on every participant was on record. Copying someone else's answers would only backfire.
They were all intelligent people. None would waste such a valuable opportunity.
Hitomi twirled his pen, thought for a moment, and prepared to answer. Suddenly, a striking splash of red caught the corner of his eye. He looked up at the girl seated one row ahead of him, slightly to his left.
Almost everyone participating in the Grand Martial Arts Tournament was an adult, and many were accomplished Ninja. Like Hitomi, this girl was one of the few children present, and she "also" had red hair, so he couldn't help looking a little longer.
Whether from nerves or some other reason, the girl's eyes seemed a little dry.
She took off her glasses, pulled a bottle of eye drops from her pocket, and tilted her head back. Turning the bottle upside down, she