Forest of Death

By the time of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Anko seemed to have gotten so fat she looked like a middle-aged auntie.

Most likely, this woman had simply eaten too much and started putting on weight in middle age.

"Sweet potatoes? I actually like sweet potatoes too. Hehe." Anko didn't mind at all and kept smiling cheerfully.

Eat, eat, eat. Eat yourself to death, Obito grumbled inwardly, complaining about this heartless woman.

"Here, have some. You're the first person I've shared my dango with." Just then, Anko suddenly held out her takeout box of dango again...

Soon, the examiner for the first test entered the room, and everyone began the first round.

The format was just like the exam Naruto and the others had taken.

The questions on the paper were incredibly difficult, well beyond anything taught at the Ninja Academy.

But among the candidates were plants sent in by the instructors, and those plants knew all the answers.

These plants would start writing immediately, filling in all the correct answers.

After that, it was up to the ninja taking the test to copy those answers using their own reconnaissance methods.

"Sharingan!"

Without another word, Obito activated his Sharingan and immediately located a plant who had the correct answers.

Using the Sharingan's mimicry ability, he copied every stroke of the other person's pen.

By the time the plant finished writing the correct answers, Obito had finished his own paper too.

Among the ninja taking the Chunin Ninja Exams, someone else would surely discover the rules for cheating soon enough.

But none of them would grasp the purpose of this test quite so quickly.

Thus, Obito was the first candidate to finish his paper.

Still, Obito didn't hand it in right away.

Beside him, Anko was biting the end of her pen, with no idea how to answer the questions.

Clearly, this little girl who had caught Orochimaru's eye was a bit slow on the uptake.

Obito copied his correct answers onto a scrap of paper, crumpled it up, and slipped it into Anko's hand.

Then, with an easy swagger, Obito took his paper and became the first to walk up to the front and hand it in.

Murmur...

A faint stir swept through the classroom, and the students still in their seats looked at Obito with envy and surprise.

Might Guy clutched his head helplessly, his face twisted in anguish. "These questions are so hard! How did Obito answer them so quickly? That guy's a total freak."

Kakashi thought to himself, No, I need to pick up the pace. I can't let Obito outdo me.

A smile appeared on Kurenai Yuhi's little face. "Obito, I'll do my best too..."

Feeling guilty, Mitaraishi Anko turned her head and glanced around.

Only after confirming that none of the proctors were watching her did she unfold the paper Obito had given her.

The first line read, "Thanks for the dango. They were delicious. Next time, it's my treat."

Everything after that was the correct answer to each question.

Deeply touched, Anko watched Obito's retreating back and thought, Obito, you're a lifesaver. Without you, I'd definitely drag everyone down.

The proctors seated in the corners of the classroom also watched Obito leave, astonishment written all over their faces.

"What's going on with that kid? Did he turn in a blank paper? The test started less than twenty minutes ago, and he's already finished?"

"Were you just transferred back here? That's Obito Uchiha, the famous freak among the latest batch of graduates."

"That's right. According to what my cousin heard in the Anbu, this Obito Uchiha kid once took on three elite jōnin all by himself."

"My god, is that really true? That's one hell of a story."

The investigation into Obito's killing of three elite Root ninja had been handled entirely by Anbu personnel.

The Third Hokage had issued orders long ago that the matter was not to be disclosed.

But no secret stayed hidden forever, especially with so much time having passed.

Those in the Anbu who knew about it gradually let it slip from their minds, and occasionally mentioned Obito while shooting the breeze.

As a result, quite a few people in Konoha ninja circles knew that Obito was a little freak who had only just graduated.

Some, however, were reluctant to believe it, feeling that someone so young couldn't possibly be that powerful.

The first test lasted roughly two full hours.

But, as expected, besides Obito, Kakashi, Rin, Kurenai, Asuma, Might Guy, and the others all passed as well.

Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death.

Just after one in the afternoon, at a spot beside the wire fence on the outskirts of the Forest of Death.

Ninja gathered in small groups, chatting together.

They were all ninja who had passed the first written test and were waiting here for the next round, the battle for scrolls.

Around thirty or forty people had been eliminated in the first round, leaving fewer than fifty ninja.

After all, this was only an internal Konoha chunin examination, so the number of participants wasn't that large.

Obito, Rin, Kakashi, Kurenai, Might Guy, and the others were standing beneath a tree, sheltering from the blazing sun.

Rin looked at Obito and asked, "Obito, how did you manage to pass the test so quickly?"

Might Guy chimed in, "Yeah, exactly! I saw Obito's score. He got full marks."

Obito gave a mysterious smile. "Do you even need to ask? Obviously, your Brother Tu is smart enough to figure out the rules right from the start."

Kakashi curled his lip and scoffed. "Obito, you really are shameless. You start bragging the moment you get a chance."

Before Obito could reply, anger appeared on Kurenai Yuhi's little face. She grabbed Obito's arm and pulled him behind her.

Kurenai glared at Kakashi. "Don't talk about Obito like that. I think he's amazing."

Obito slipped an arm around Kurenai's shoulders and grinned mischievously at Kakashi. "Hehe, see that, Kakashi? Next time you put me down, someone will stand up for me."

Ibiki, Genma Shiranui, and the others had originally wanted to join the fun and chat with their old classmates.

They hadn't expected to walk straight into such a sickeningly sweet display.

Asuma, meanwhile, hid off to the side, silently wiping away his tears. He pulled out two Chunghwa cigarettes and lit them, just wanting to calm himself down.

Looks like Kurenai Yuhi, who's on the same team as me, hasn't noticed my feelings at all. She still wants to be with that little bastard Obito.

"Tch!" Kakashi snorted and turned away, ignoring Obito and Kurenai. He knew he couldn't win an argument against both of them.

Might Guy watched from the side, feeling dejected too.

Why had Obito once been just as unpopular with girls as he was, yet now even a girl as pretty as Kurenai was falling for him?

Still, through his sparring matches with Obito over the past year or so, Might Guy had long since gotten to know Kakashi too.