Naruto raised his head slightly, observing the examiner's gaze.
Then, he squinted his eyes as far as they could go, straining them until they nearly rolled back into his head, before finally feeling safe.
"Hehe, this way even the examiner can't say I was peeking."
He was facing forward, but his eyes could see Hinata's test paper!
Na, nani?! (Wait, what?!)
Naruto almost couldn't stop his eyes from rolling back and quickly rubbed his sore eye muscles.
He had just seen that Hinata's test paper was completely blank—not a single question answered.
I must have seen wrong!
Naruto stole another glance, then a second, then a third...
Blank paper?!
"Is it possible... Hinata can't do it either?"
Naruto suddenly felt despair and banged his head on the desk.
The noise startled those who were cheating, and they glared fiercely at Naruto.
Hinata had looked at the test paper when she got it. Although the questions were difficult, she had encountered similar types at home and had some idea how to solve them.
But she only had a 99% chance of getting them right, not 100%—it was too unstable.
She remembered what Feng An had told everyone the day before.
"If you're not sure, don't do it. If it's wrong, you'll lose points."
She nodded and chose not to answer. What if I make a mistake?
Leaving it blank is safest.
When the exam entered its second half, Morino Ibiki stood up.
"Now, for the tenth question. You must choose whether or not to answer it. If you choose not to answer, you will receive zero points, and both members of your team will be eliminated."
"If you choose to answer but answer incorrectly, you will be permanently disqualified from the Chunin Exams!"
Hearing this, everyone looked troubled.
Under immense pressure, some gradually gave up and left with regret.
Hinata's heartbeat also quickened.
If Feng An hadn't explained the rules to her in advance, she would likely have chosen to give up at this point.
Before knowing the answer, no one is sure they can get it right. The psychological pressure of the unknown is the greatest.
Naruto saw more and more people leaving, and his legs began to shake.
Feng An looked at Naruto, who seemed about to burst, and slowly covered his ears.
He knew Naruto was going to use his ultimate technique: the Talk No Jutsu.
After Naruto's verbal encouragement, those who hadn't left yet felt deeply motivated. They stood up, then sat back down.
Ibiki Morino looked deeply at the yellow-haired Naruto.
He checked the time again and nodded to the proctors around him.
"Congratulations to everyone remaining! You have passed the first written exam!"
Morino Ibiki gave a hearty laugh.
Just as everyone felt like they were dreaming, Feng An widened his eyes and stared fixedly at the window beside him.
It's coming! He didn't want to miss any of the beautiful details the anime hadn't shown!
The window shattered with a crash! The kunai that flew in drew everyone's attention—except Feng An's.
He knew the bigger spectacle was yet to come.
At that moment, he held his breath, staring wide-eyed without blinking.
He saw a woman leap through the window, but the "balls" arrived before the person.
Mitarashi Anko wore only a brown cape with black fishnet underneath.
The two soft, snow-white mounds on her chest were neither better nor worse than Kurenai's.
Feng An couldn't help but sigh.
Anko's are the clearest view of the northern hemisphere I've ever seen.
Everyone's attention was drawn to her.
But only Feng An had witnessed the ultra-clear, 4K, real-life view just now. Others could only imagine the northern hemisphere beneath her cloak.
As the curtain behind the kunai fell, a large sign reading "Mitarashi Anko" was clearly visible.
Anko announced loudly, "Everyone, I'm Mitarashi Anko, the proctor for the second exam! Follow me!"
Following her loud shout, many who were stunned looked at Anko with resentment.
Why does it feel different when she says it?
Anko saw she seemed to have ruined the mood and coughed lightly.
"Everyone, go back and rest! Meet at the designated location for the second exam tomorrow!"
As the examinees dispersed, Feng An and Hinata regrouped with Yukime and the others.
Everyone asked about each other's exam results and realized they had all handed in blank papers.
Feng An said a bit timidly, "You all handed in blank papers?"
"Ah?"
"Didn't you tell us to hand in a blank paper?"
"Never mind... it should be fine..."
Feng An felt a bit scared, thinking about six or seven people handing in blank papers. If their scores were invalid, it would be a disaster.
Fubuki asked angrily, "Tell us, is it really okay?"
"The proctor announced we passed, so it should be fine."
Even with Feng An's reassurance, no one would sleep well that night.
On the other side, Morino Ibiki was collecting the test papers and saw a blank one with only a name written on it.
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
"That yellow-haired kid from before? He passed by handing in a blank paper... Did he already see through the exam's purpose of testing a ninja's character?"
Then he saw another blank paper next to it.
"Seems there are many excellent, observant ninjas this time."
However, as he continued collecting, his face grew darker.
He saw a third blank paper, a fourth, a fifth...
This shattered his composure, and his hands moved faster as he gathered the scrolls.
Finally, he slumped in his chair, holding seven blank papers, and began to doubt himself.
He murmured, "S-So many talented ninjas this time? Or were the questions I set just too easy..."
…
The next day, far fewer ninjas gathered at the site of the Forest of Death than on the first day.
Anko stood before everyone and said, "This is the Forest of Death. You will soon understand why it's called that."
"A little bit…" Naruto mimicked Anko's tone mockingly.
Whoosh!
The kunai thrown by Anko flew past Naruto's cheek, simultaneously cutting the hair of a Grass Ninja.
It took a second before blood began to trickle from Naruto's face.
He stood there in a cold sweat.
Anko instantly appeared behind him and wiped the blood from his cheek.
At that moment, the Grass Ninja also appeared behind Anko, wrapped his long tongue around the kunai, and spat it back to her.
Feng An knew at a glance it was Orochimaru.
But Anko didn't recognize him, which puzzled Feng An greatly.
Even a tongue that long doesn't ring a bell?
Then Anko began explaining the content and rules of the second exam.
Each team would be given either a Heaven or Earth scroll. They then had to seize the scroll they didn't have, forming a pair of Heaven and Earth scrolls to meet the passing condition.
After that, they could proceed to the tower to complete the mission. Losing teammates or having the team incapacitated meant elimination.
Compared to the first written test, the second exam was far more dangerous, requiring a waiver of liability.
Soon, each team received their scroll.
Before entering the Forest of Death, Feng An instructed everyone, "If you see that Grass Ninja from earlier or Gaara from the Sand Village with the character 'love' on his forehead, run away."
Because they had passed the first round so effortlessly, everyone trusted Feng An's advice this time.
They all nodded, taking it to heart.
"Feng An must have his reasons for saying that."
*****
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