Scratch, scratch, scratch!
The instant Asuma Sarutobi's voice fell, everyone picked up their pens. They focused on whatever questions they thought they could handle, scribbling answers as fast as they could—whether they were right or wrong didn't even matter anymore.
The constant contact between paper and pen tips formed a rapid, tense rhythm, like the opening notes of a battle anthem.
Uzumaki Renka first gave the test paper a quick scan. The number of questions wasn't large—an hour was more than enough.
Alright. First question.
He narrowed his eyes, concentrating as his gaze locked onto the text.
[Decrypt the following coded message.]
Below it was a string of scrambled symbols.
Good thing I didn't zone out in class.
That's one point secured—next question!
Renka felt a quiet sense of relief. With future ninjutsu study in mind, he'd always taken language and code-related lessons seriously. Otherwise, he would've crashed and burned right from the start.
His eyes moved down to Question Two.
A physics problem.
"A ninja throws a kunai from the top of a tree. Under what conditions will the kunai travel the farthest distance?"
…Damn it!
Why am I still being tortured by physics even after reincarnating into the Naruto world?!
In his previous life, he'd never gotten along with science subjects. He'd thought that once he was done with school, physics would be gone from his life forever. And yet—here it was again, ambushing him in the ninja world.
What kind of messed-up tech tree is this anyway?
A world built on chakra and bullshit mysticism, yet it still insists on science?
That's just ridiculous!
Grumbling aside, Renka still forced himself to answer carefully, relying on what little he remembered.
Time passed quickly. Pens scratched across paper, the crisp sounds piling invisible pressure onto everyone in the room.
Another three minutes passed.
Renka flipped through his test paper again—front to back—then came to a bitter conclusion.
Damn it… I can't do this one.
Only now did the reality of the exam truly hit him.
…Should I cheat?
He glanced toward the proctors. Anko Mitarashi was looking at him with a half-smile, as if silently urging him on.
'Go on. Cheat. Cheat and get caught. Lose your qualification.'
'You want to join my team? Become a chūnin first.'
Her words from before echoed in his mind.
Renka turned back, grit forming in his heart.
I won't give you that chance.
Even if I cheat, I'll do it without letting you see a thing.
With that resolve, he started observing the other examinees.
Come to think of it… those guys haven't stopped writing at all.
Did they prepare in advance? Or am I really the only one who didn't pay attention in class? Is this test actually easy?
He'd always been serious in ninjutsu classes—but theory lessons? Those just weren't his strength.
Right—someone earlier said he'd prepared for years. He must be confident in written exams. Where is he?
Whoosh!
Just as Renka was about to turn his head, a kunai sliced past his hair, embedding itself into the desk of the examinee beside him with a sharp thunk, punching clean through the test paper.
"You—out!"
A proctor pointed at the examinee, his expression icy.
"W-Why? I—"
That voice…
Renka recognized it instantly. A glance confirmed it—the very man who'd claimed to have prepared for years.
"You think we proctors are blind?" the examiner snapped.
"In just one minute, you peeked at the neighboring paper at least three times. I won't repeat myself—you're disqualified. Get out. Now."
Damn it!
Didn't you say you prepared for years?! Then why were you copying answers?! Were those three years fake?!
Renka felt like a lump was stuck in his throat.
His expression darkened.
Sensing the proctor's overwhelming presence, the rest of the examinees stiffened. The disqualified ninja was swiftly escorted out.
---
Elsewhere in the exam hall, the three-man team from Kirigakure was dripping sweat. Droplets fell onto their papers—yet the pages remained dry.
The next instant, as if divinely inspired, they began writing at incredible speed.
Water Style: Water Drop Jutsu.
The Mist ninja leading the team smiled faintly as he manipulated water droplets carrying written text. His test paper rapidly filled with answers.
'So this is how different villages gather intelligence techniques…'
'No wonder Konoha's written exam isn't simple.'
'Still—we came prepared too.'
'Don't disappoint me.'
'For this trip to Konoha, I even delayed taking the Chūnin Exams by three full years.'
...
At another corner of the room.
Sharingan!
As long as I copy the fastest writer's movements, it doesn't matter how hard the questions are.
Uchiha Iwa—who had clashed with the Sound ninja earlier—wrote with absolute confidence.
—
Byakugan.
In any other exam I might worry—but a written test? Easy asf.
Across from him, Hyūga Yoru showed no sign of strain at all.
—
"Alright… tell me the answers already."
A small insect flew across half the exam hall and landed on a young boy's hand. In the next moment, his eyes lit up, and he began writing furiously.
"That guy's already finished the entire test!"
"And he looks completely relaxed, too."
The proctors had noticed the Kirigakure trio as well.
"Who's that?" Anko asked with interest.
Gekkō Hayate flipped through the candidate list.
"Matsubara Yuya. Eighteen years old. No other information."
"Impressive," Asuma said, one hand in his pocket, smoke curling around him.
"He finished his own test and helped his teammates. He's got chūnin-level ability—just a bit old."
Hayate nodded, coughing lightly.
"The others aren't bad either. Especially those two—from the Uchiha and Hyūga clans."
"Uchiha Iwa," Hayate continued.
"Awakened the Sharingan last year. One of the more promising talents in the Uchiha clan—though still far from that Itachi."
"And Hyūga Yoru. A branch family member. Three D-rank missions, two C-rank missions. Average evaluations—nothing outstanding."
"For this exam, he has it the easiest," Asuma chuckled.
"The Byakugan has an absolute advantage here."
"The Sound ninja's pretty capable too," Hayate added.
"Looks like the first round won't eliminate many."
Asuma leaned against the window and suddenly asked Anko,
"I heard Renka wants to join your team. What do you think?"
"Heh." Anko narrowed her eyes.
"I gave him a chance—but only if he passes this exam. My team doesn't take genin."
Asuma shrugged helplessly.
"Then he'll have to put in some extra effort this time."
---
Back in the hall, examinees revealed one cheating method after another.
Damn it—time's almost up. I can't stall any longer!
Renka glanced at the clock, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He raised his hand.
"Report. Bathroom."
"Don't try anything funny," one of the proctors said, standing up. "I'm coming with you."
Asuma laughed quietly.
"That kid isn't planning to copy answers in the bathroom, is he?"
Anko smirked.
"I'm just waiting for him to cheat. Hope he's not too timid."
---
Bathroom.
Renka finished his business, then swiftly formed hand seals.
Poof!
The proctor vanished into white smoke.
At the same time, answers to the test—and information on several examinees—flooded Renka's mind.
"Good thing I had a Shadow Clone infiltrate the proctors in advance."
"Now the written exam's no problem."
He crossed his fingers.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
White smoke rose again. The clone immediately transformed into the proctor from before and followed Renka back to the exam hall.
The moment they returned, Anko asked suspiciously,
"Anything unusual about him?"
"No," the clone replied calmly.
"He just used the bathroom like normal."
"…I see," Anko said, disappointment creeping into her tone.
'How badly do you want to catch me cheating?!'
The clone couldn't help but complain inwardly.
...
Renka returned to his seat, picked up his pen, and began writing in earnest.
The confusion on his face was gone.
"Time's up. Pens down!"
An hour passed in the blink of an eye as Asuma announced the end of the test. The first round was officially over.
Renka wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath.
"Barely made it—half a minute left. Good thing I write fast. That was close."
He exhaled again, relief washing over him.
"Alright… as long as I pass, I can move on to the second stage."