The tenth question

Kushina took the paper and silently recalled, What did Lan tell me was the first thing to do after getting the paper?

Oh no, I forgot.

Then I'll do the second step first and look through all the types of questions on the paper.

Kushina looked at the first question and froze.

When someone's knowledge was limited enough, even reading a question could feel like learning something new.

Unwilling to give up, Kushina read through the remaining eight questions and went completely still.

She had even overlooked the fact that the tenth question was missing from the paper.

After taking his paper, Qianye Lan glanced over it and nodded in satisfaction. He couldn't answer any of them.

He turned to look at Kushina's miserable expression and laughed inwardly.

Kushina also sensed Qianye Lan's gaze beside her and immediately turned to meet his eyes pleadingly.

Looking at Kushina's eyes, Qianye Lan gave a helpless smile and mouthed to her, "Don't worry."

Only then did Kushina breathe a sigh of relief.

Still unwilling to give up, she decided to try on her own first.

But within five seconds, she gave up of her own accord.

Kushina could only furrow her brows and pin all her hopes on Qianye Lan.

Qianye Lan deliberately left his name off the paper, and fifteen minutes later, he had "answered" every question on it.

He casually glanced at the proctor's movements.

While the proctor's gaze was elsewhere, he swiftly swapped his paper with Kushina's.

The whole process was so fast that Kushina blinked and found her paper filled with answers.

Qianye Lan began answering the paper as though nothing had happened.

He let himself go wild the whole time, because he knew it didn't matter whether these answers were right or wrong.

What mattered most was the final question.

Looking at the paper filled with answers, Kushina was deeply touched.

She turned toward Qianye Lan, who was confidently answering questions, and gave him a grateful look.

But Qianye Lan, hopelessly absorbed in his own art, didn't notice her.

One question in particular asked for the method that would allow a ninja throwing a kunai from a treetop to throw it the farthest.

Qianye Lan flourished his pen and wrote, "Train your arm strength more. The stronger you are, the farther you can throw."

There was also a question about deciphering a code.

Qianye Lan simply copied out the question again.

With the experience of making things up on the previous paper under his belt,

Qianye Lan was clearly much more practiced this time.

As time passed, some people also noticed that the paper was missing its final question.

One of them raised a hand and said, "My paper is missing the final question."

The others raised their hands as well.

Seeing this, the examiner held out a hand and made a slight downward gesture as he explained, "The final question will be announced in the last ten minutes. Those who have finished answering, please wait patiently."

Although the others had complaints, they remained silent and chose to wait.

With ten minutes left, the examiner gave a light cough and said, "Before announcing the final question, I need to explain the rules."

"Candidates must first choose whether to answer. If you choose to answer but get it wrong, you will be permanently barred from the Chunin Ninja Exams. If you choose not to answer, your entire team will fail immediately."

A smile appeared at the corners of the examiner's mouth, but to the other candidates, that smile looked demonic.

His devilish voice continued, "I advise you to think this through carefully. If you fail this time, you'll never have another chance."

"Wouldn't it be better to give up this time and prepare properly for the next Chunin Ninja Exams?"

Hearing his words, Kushina felt deeply torn.

As she struggled, she clenched her little fists tightly. She couldn't help looking toward Qianye Lan.

Sensing her gaze, Qianye Lan merely responded with a smile.

That very smile instantly put Kushina at ease, leaving her composed.

Soon, some candidates began raising their hands to withdraw. As more and more people gave up, the original hundred-plus candidates dwindled to just over forty.

Seeing these people still there, the examiner said in some surprise, "Still this many? That really is a little surprising."

Then he gave another devilish smile and said, "I declare that all of you have passed."

Like the other candidates, Kushina looked shocked, then delighted.

Only Qianye Lan's expression remained perfectly calm, as though everything had been just as he expected.

Seeing everyone's excitement, the examiner left them with the announcement that the second round would take place next week and that they were to assemble at the Forest of Death, then dismissed them!

At the words "Forest of Death," the atmosphere in the classroom grew noticeably tense.

Only a handful of people, including Qianye Lan and his companions, were unaffected, and they were the first to push open the door and leave.

Only when the others saw this did they snap out of it.

They all left.

On their way back, Kushina said to Qianye Lan with a grateful expression, "Lan, thank you so much for this exam."

Hearing her words, Qianye Lan replied, "No, you should thank yourself for not giving up at the last moment."

Kushina insisted, "But Lan, you were the one who swapped your paper full of answers with my blank one. Without you, I wouldn't have had that confidence."

Hearing Kushina's words, Uchiha Mikoto asked in confusion, "Kushina, are you saying Qianye Lan solved all the questions on those papers?"

Kushina nodded at Uchiha Mikoto's question and didn't forget to praise Qianye Lan. "Of course. Lan is the best."

Hearing Kushina's heartfelt praise, Qianye Lan rubbed his nose guiltily and gave a dry laugh. "Of course. The questions on the paper were all very easy."

At his words, Uchiha Mikoto's eyes immediately lit up, and she fixed her gaze on Qianye Lan.

Seeing her look, Qianye Lan immediately felt that something was wrong. He was just about to slip away when Uchiha Mikoto's voice reached him.

"Lan, how did you solve that code question?"

Hearing her question, Qianye Lan deliberately changed the subject. "We all passed, so let's not worry about those details."

Kushina spoke up then. "Lan, just tell Mikoto. I'm pretty curious too."

Qianye Lan inwardly lamented, I don't know a damn thing! Those questions were way beyond what a Genin should know. It would be a miracle if I could answer them.

But things had come this far, so Qianye Lan braced himself and decided to make up an interpretation of the code.

Otherwise, if Kushina found out that all the answers he had given her were nonsense, she would certainly make a fuss for a while.

"That question? I think it went like this..."

Kushina didn't hear anything amiss, but Uchiha Mikoto suddenly gave Qianye Lan a meaningful look and smiled.

That look and that smile made Qianye Lan feel as though she had seen right through him.

He hurriedly changed the subject again. "Since we all passed the first round, why don't we go out for a meal to celebrate?"

At the mention of a meal together, Kushina immediately raised her hand to show she was fine with it.

Uchiha Mikoto also nodded, agreeing with Qianye Lan's suggestion.