After Shikamaru appeared, Kiba and Hinata's team also showed up, followed by Neji's team entering the classroom, and finally, Naruto's team arrived.
Because they had been delayed by Rock Lee, Naruto's team was basically the last group of genin to arrive for the exam.
What followed was the everyday plot that Ethan always seemed to miss.
The genin from the same year greeted each other, completely ignoring the other genin, and then Kabuto displayed the true professionalism of an actor, putting on quite the show.
This time, he also greeted Ethan. After all, the noteworthy individuals from this year's batch were all Ethan's classmates.
Ethan didn't express any opinion. His thoughts were simple: just sit back and enjoy the show.
The only thing that surprised him was that while he was watching the show, someone was secretly observing him.
"Is it them?"
Following his instincts, he turned his head and met the gazes of Neji's team directly.
"Such sharp perception..."
Ethan hadn't formed any concrete thoughts yet, but Rock Lee and Neji were already discussing quietly.
"Is that him? He's pretty cute!"
Tenten smiled brightly, constantly glancing over at Ethan without any attempt to hide it.
"Tenten, you made him notice us."
"No, he already sensed us watching him before this. As expected of the genius Guy-sensei specifically mentioned... Hmph, there are really a lot of so-called geniuses among this year's rookies. Has that title become so cheap?"
Neji was also considered a top genius among his own year's graduates. Originally, when he heard that this year's rookies had signed up for the Chunin Exams in their very first year after graduating, he was only mildly interested in Sasuke Uchiha, who graduated with top scores and was also hailed as a genius.
Aside from the rivalry between geniuses, there was also the fact that the other boy's surname was Uchiha.
But before the exam began, Guy-sensei had specifically mentioned another genius: Ethan.
A newly promoted genin from a civilian background, with no connections, who had been very low-key in the Academy and hadn't stood out at all.
At the time, both Tenten and Lee had found it odd that Guy-sensei would bring up such a person, while Neji had shown zero interest.
Compared to the Uchiha clan's genius, this Ethan was probably just a civilian ninja with a bit of talent, right? Ninjas from civilian backgrounds rarely stood out, so maybe that's why he drew some curiosity?
However, after Guy-sensei's detailed introduction, Neji changed his opinion, especially after learning that Ethan's talent aside, his strength mainly came from hard work and training. That earned Neji's respect.
Someone who refused to accept the limits of his background and constantly worked to change his fate.
Not only Neji, but Rock Lee, the taijutsu-focused genin obsessed with hard work, also became interested in Ethan. Ethan hadn't had many opportunities to study ninjutsu, and his current (publicly known) strongest ability was also taijutsu.
So, besides wanting to challenge Sasuke, the person Rock Lee most wanted to fight was actually Ethan. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to intercept him at the entrance—the other had arrived earlier than expected.
"As expected, he's diligent! Definitely not someone who sleeps in, must have gotten up early to train!"
Thinking this, Rock Lee was even more eager for a passionate showdown with Ethan. Only a fierce fight like that could do justice to the fire of youth.
Feeling that unnerving wave of enthusiastic intent, Ethan quickly turned his head and stepped half a step sideways, using the big guy Akado Yoroi as a human shield.
"Ah~ I can't see him anymore!"
"..."
"A normal person would hide, right..."
"Seriously, we finally have such a cute junior, and I just wanted to look a bit longer."
Amid Tenten's complaints, Rock Lee returned to normal. Meanwhile, the "performance" in the classroom had also come to an end.
Kabuto displayed his outstanding acting skills, even sacrificing a pair of glasses to stage being intimidated by a few cocky Sound Village genin.
The Sound ninja were quite smug, but didn't realize they had exposed their techniques to the entire room of competitors before the actual combat round even began.
"As expected of small village shinobi. Brainless."
Ethan's voice wasn't loud, so those further away couldn't hear it, but the people nearby clearly did.
Among them were genin from the larger villages, who showed varying degrees of agreement. Some even revealed faintly disdainful expressions.
As for the nearby Akado Yoroi, who was officially a Leaf ninja but actually a Sound spy, he maintained a cold and aloof demeanor.
With his sunglasses and face mask, any subtle expressions were well hidden. But deep down, he was likely just as frustrated—after all, those idiots had embarrassed the Sound shinobi.
With the arrival of Morino Ibiki, the proctor for the first stage, the farce finally came to an end. What followed was the much-anticipated first round of the Chunin Exams: the written test.
On the surface, it was an academic test, but in truth, it was an examination of each genin's ability to gather information.
Several higher-level ninja were already seated in the room, posing as test-takers. They would write the correct answers on their papers, meaning it didn't matter whether the genin themselves were top students. The questions had long surpassed the normal curriculum for a genin. As long as a participant could "obtain" the correct answers through various methods—without being caught (or rather, without being noticed too blatantly) by the proctors—they could pass.
Ethan didn't need to go to such trouble. Even though he had always performed neither outstandingly nor poorly at the Academy, seeming like an average student, in reality, he had already mastered this level of material. He even knew more than what was covered. He didn't need to seek the answers—he could write them himself.
Considering that the written test would end in a farce, he could even pass without writing a single answer.
"Still, I might as well pretend and fill in a few."
Time passed quickly, and Naruto Uzumaki, as expected of the protagonist, finally said those words.
"Alright. I now announce that you've passed the first round of the exam!"
When Morino Ibiki said this, Ethan felt a little sorry for those who had been scared into quitting.
But on second thought, the next stage was even more intense and truly dangerous. For those with weak willpower, quitting early was probably the better outcome.
Just as Morino Ibiki was explaining the real purpose of the exam, Anko Mitarashi suddenly crashed through the window, making a flashy entrance as she loudly declared, "The rest of you, follow me to the next round!"
"..."
Her entrance had been so sudden and over-the-top that the examinees in the room were all stunned. For Ethan, it was the first time seeing such an exaggerated entrance in person, and he found it very amusing.
"Seventy-eight left? Twenty-six teams? Wasn't this stage a little too easy?"
"There are a lot of excellent examinees this year."
"Never mind!"
Anko followed up with, "More than half of you will be eliminated in the next stage," applying a new wave of psychological pressure on the examinees.
"Mind games?"
Compared to that, Anko's figure probably had a stronger impact on Ethan.
Besides the trench coat she wore, this special jonin wore a fully form-fitting soft armor underneath (chainmail or light mesh armor—thin and flexible enough for ninja to maintain mobility), completely outlining her figure.
Just like how Tenten wanted to look at Ethan a bit longer earlier, Ethan also wanted to enjoy the view a little.
Not in a weird way. Just pure admiration!
That's all!
The seventy-eight genin who passed the first stage were brought to Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death.
The second round was a survival challenge, completed in teams. Each team would be randomly assigned a scroll—either a Heaven scroll or an Earth scroll.
The team's mission was to collect both types of scrolls and reach the central tower in the training ground.
Only by doing so would they be considered to have passed this round.
"This really will eliminate more than half."
With twenty-six teams, in the best-case scenario, thirteen could pair Heaven and Earth scrolls.
But reality was never ideal. The team you defeated after an exhausting fight might just be holding the same type of scroll as you.
Therefore, once the exam began, the number of teams that reached the goal would definitely be less than half.
"Let's go."
From here on, the examinees no longer moved together. After receiving their scrolls, each team was taken to a separate entrance and would enter the Forest of Death simultaneously once the timer began.
During this phase, even familiar classmates didn't greet one another. Everyone was focused on their strategy.
They had five full days to move, fight, collect the necessary scrolls, and maintain the integrity of their team. No one could die or be incapacitated. If even one member was lost, the whole team would be disqualified.
"This really is an interesting exam."
"Hmph, the real test starts now. Don't drag us down, kid."
"Ethan, I'll take point from here. You follow behind me. With Senior Akado Yoroi watching the rear, we'll cover all sides."
"Okay."
Though treated as the weakest link, Ethan didn't mind. From his perspective, the real Chunin Exams hadn't even begun.
Only after reaching the tower and starting the one-on-one battles would things get even slightly interesting.
The Forest of Death? It was no different from taking a stroll through the park.
(To be continued.)
Check out my new books under Junkdog_787; you can also access them under my reading list in my profile.
■ Naruto: Multiverse Character Templates
■ I Make Games Inside a Mobile Game?! (Trust me, this is a gem, just try out the first few chapters to see)