The quiet examination room held only the scratching of pen tips against paper.
Ibiki Morino stood at the lectern.
His cold eyes swept continuously over the examinees like radar.
As captain of the Konoha Anbu's Interrogation Department, his greatest skill was seeing through people's fears and weaknesses.
Ibiki sneered.
"The real purpose of this exam is to test your ability to gather intelligence."
"As long as you aren't caught cheating, you pass."
"But if I catch you five times..."
"You'll lose your eligibility for the Chunin Ninja Exams forever!"
Along both sides of the examination room.
Dozens of Chunin examiners held small notebooks, watching every examinee's movements intently.
Soon, the examinees began showing off their own unique tricks.
Sasuke activated his Sharingan, directly copying the pencil movements of the examinee ahead of him.
Gaara formed sand into an invisible eye to peek at other people's papers.
Shino Aburame released his insects.
Kiba Inuzuka had Akamaru perch on his head to observe.
Everyone was racking their brains to cheat.
Except Naruto.
He was still biting his pen, so anxious he was on the verge of tears.
Meanwhile, Shengu Xuan sat in the back row, leisurely twirling his pen.
At his feet.
A tiny black shadow, only the size of a fingernail, hugged the floor.
It glided silently toward the lectern.
This was the result of Shengu Xuan combining the Pig Talisman's precise control with the Shadowkhan's abilities.
A "miniature shadow" he had separated out.
They had no offensive power, but possessed the utmost concealment.
Even the Byakugan could not detect them.
The miniature shadow climbed up a leg of the lectern.
It slipped straight into the standard answer file Ibiki Morino had placed on the desk!
The next second, the standard answers were transmitted directly into Shengu Xuan's mind through the connection between shadows.
Shengu Xuan picked up his pen and rapidly began writing on his paper.
So that's it. This is easy.
In less than a minute, he had answered all nine questions.
Shengu Xuan willed it.
Next, let's give that idiot a hand.
Another miniature shadow separated from beneath his feet.
It swiftly crawled along the gaps between the floor tiles and reached the underside of Naruto's desk.
Naruto was staring at his paper in despair.
Suddenly, he noticed the shadows on his paper twisting in a bizarre way!
Those shadows rapidly formed clear words on the blank answer sheet!
Naruto jumped, almost crying out.
Wh-what is this?!
But he quickly realized that one of his companions must be helping him!
Naruto was like someone clutching a lifeline.
Whatever, I'll copy it first!
He picked up his pen and began frantically copying the answers formed by the shadows.
There were no chakra fluctuations throughout the entire process.
There were no unnecessary movements.
The Chunin examiners on either side of the room searched wide-eyed for cheaters.
They caught one batch of clumsy examinees after another.
"Number 23, caught cheating five times. Eliminated!"
"Number 45, eliminated!"
Yet when their eyes swept over Shengu Xuan and Naruto, they found nothing.
Shengu Xuan leaned back in his chair, resting with his eyes closed.
Naruto, meanwhile, was writing furiously.
They looked like two well-behaved kids diligently answering the questions.
Ibiki Morino frowned slightly.
As an interrogation expert, his intuition was extremely sharp.
He could sense a hidden energy flowing through the examination room.
But no matter how he observed, he could not find its source!
Ibiki's gaze swept back and forth across the room.
Who is it?
This way of gathering intelligence without leaving a trace...
Finally, his gaze settled on the utterly relaxed Shengu Xuan.
Ibiki narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Shengu Xuan.
The report submitted earlier said this kid was extremely dangerous.
Could he be behind this?
Shengu Xuan seemed to notice Ibiki's gaze.
He slowly opened his eyes and met Ibiki's oppressive stare.
He neither looked away nor showed fear.
Shengu Xuan even gave Ibiki an arrogant, provocative smile.
His eyes seemed to say.
I'm cheating. Come catch me.
A vein on Ibiki's forehead suddenly throbbed.
In all his years as an examiner, he had never seen such an arrogant Genin!
Ibiki gestured to the examiner beside him.
"Keep a close eye on that fellow named Shengu Xuan!"
"Don't overlook even a single strand of his hair!"
Several examiners immediately fixed their eyes on Shengu Xuan.
Yet ten minutes passed, then twenty.
Shengu Xuan still sat there without moving at all.
He had finished his paper long ago.
He was even bored enough to carve a turtle into the desk with chakra.
An examiner wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and reported quietly to Ibiki.
"Captain, he... he hasn't made any cheating movements at all."
Ibiki gritted his teeth, his face livid.
He felt as though an invisible hand was making a complete fool of him!
Ibiki cursed inwardly.
Damn it!
Just what trick did this kid use?!
But as an examiner, he could not eliminate Shengu Xuan without evidence.
Time ticked away.
Only fifteen minutes remained before the end of the exam.
Ibiki Morino took a deep breath, suppressing his irritation.
"All right, it's about time."
"Now, I will announce the tenth question!"
The atmosphere in the examination room instantly grew unbearably tense.
A cruel smile appeared on Ibiki's face.
"Before I announce it, I must explain a rule."
"You may choose to take it or not."
"If you don't, you can get out right now."
"But your entire team will also be eliminated!"
"If you choose to take it but answer incorrectly..."
"Then you'll lose your eligibility to take the Chunin Ninja Exams forever!"
"You'll remain Genin for the rest of your lives!"
His words sent the entire room into an uproar.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"What kind of twisted rule is that?!"
"Exactly!"
"This isn't fair!"
Faced with the examinees' protests, Ibiki slammed the desk.
The tremendous noise left everyone's eardrums buzzing.
Ibiki roared.
"In here, I am the rules!"
"If you don't want to take it, get out now!"
Under the immense psychological pressure, some examinees began to buckle and raised their hands to give up.
One team after another left the examination room with their heads hanging.
Sasuke clenched his fists nervously.
He looked toward Naruto, afraid that the idiot would raise his hand out of fear.
Yet just then.
Bang!
Naruto slammed the desk and sprang to his feet.
He pointed at Ibiki and shouted.
"Don't underestimate me!"
"I'll never give up!"
"Even if I have to stay a Genin for the rest of my life, I'll become Hokage and show you all!"
That shout instantly broke the oppressive atmosphere in the examination room.
It also renewed the resolve of the examinees who had begun to waver.
A flicker of appreciation crossed Ibiki's eyes as he looked at Naruto.
He knew he had lost this psychological battle.
Ibiki dropped his cold expression and announced loudly.
"Hmph. Interesting kid."
"Then, I hereby announce..."
"Everyone who stayed has passed the first exam!"
Cheers immediately erupted throughout the examination room.
"Yeah!"
"Awesome!"
Shengu Xuan sat in the back row, watching this stirring scene.
He shook his head helplessly.
What a boring trick.
If I'd known, I wouldn't have helped that idiot cheat.
He could have passed with a blank paper anyway.
Just as everyone was cheering with delight.
Crash!
A tremendous force suddenly shattered the classroom window!
A wild-looking woman burst straight inside amid a shower of broken glass!
"You brats!"
"It's too early to celebrate!"
"I'm the chief examiner for the second exam, Mitaraishi Anko!"
"Come with me!"
"The next round could get you killed!"
Before you continue