Kabuto's composure completely crumbled: "Huh? You're okay with other people knowing your info?"
Hanabi's request was so far outside Kabuto's expectations that he hadn't even considered the possibility of this kind of development.
What the hell?
Why would anyone want their own profile revealed to everyone?
But Hanabi simply said, "I already mentioned it earlier, didn't I? Strength itself is a form of deterrence. Besides, I can also use this to verify Kabuto-senpai's intel-gathering capabilities—to see whether senpai is here to sound us out or genuinely helping out of the goodness of his heart, and… whether senpai is simply a fool who can't pass the Chūnin Exams, or a fool who's hiding his true strength."
"My, my—so this is you testing me." Kabuto fell into a delicate silence.
He was stuck.
On one hand, if he produced detailed intelligence, it would prove he'd been holding back.
On the other hand, if he couldn't produce anything, it would look even more like he was hiding something.
Damned if he did, damned if he didn't.
Kabuto was experienced, though.
He didn't know why, but this young lady of the Hyuga clan clearly believed he was concealing his abilities.
In other words, this had been a "guilty until proven innocent" setup from the very start.
"Well then…"
Kabuto drew another card.
"It's Hanabi's profile!"
"Hanabi's profile…"
Naruto and Sasuke crowded in.
No—it wasn't just Naruto and Sasuke. The other rookies had all turned to look as well.
And off to the side, other examinees were watching too.
"Mission experience… hm? An A-rank mission?"
"No way—Hanabi's completed an A-rank mission?!"
Ino clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.
"Her teammates were Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke." When he reached "Uchiha Sasuke," Kabuto pushed up his glasses.
After a beat, Kabuto continued: "Their squad leader is the Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake—known as 'Konoha's number-one technician.' I see. If a Jōnin of that caliber was with them, then even an A-rank mission probably wouldn't have been a problem."
After rattling that off, he went on: "Based on Academy records, Miss Hanabi's greatest aptitude appears to be genjutsu. Despite a visual impairment, it apparently doesn't affect her daily life, and she has no trouble with reading or writing. She also demonstrates considerable talent in chakra perception."
Setting everything else aside, the A-rank mission record really was jaw-dropping.
"Hey, hey, hey—isn't that even crazier than the Sand ninja Sasuke just asked about?" Shikamaru glanced around.
Hanabi had always had a reputation for being unusual, but generally speaking, she'd been perfectly approachable back in class.
Shikamaru thought for a moment… right, the generous little rich girl who was always treating people.
"Still, the effect is immediate." Shikamaru scanned the room.
Now that everyone knew Hanabi had completed an A-rank mission, the openly hostile glares from the surrounding examinees had noticeably softened.
[My girl's word is law—flexing is a must]
[Barbarians from the small nations only respect power, not goodwill. That's just how it is]
[Lady Hanabi is way too strong!]
Hanabi hadn't expected the Stage to broadcast Shikamaru's inner thoughts. Her popularity points ticked up a notch.
But Nara Shikamaru was clearly a supporting character, so compared to Naruto or Sasuke, the popularity-point gain from his "shock" moment was significantly smaller.
Meanwhile, Hanabi's attention was actually on a different group.
Specifically, the Sound ninja trio—Dosu, Zaku, and Kin.
In the original story, those three had attacked Kabuto.
But right now, the three of them were just sitting there with sour expressions, staying silent, not making any dramatic moves.
And that made sense.
The weight of an A-rank mission was no joke. And in the "original," the ones they'd attacked had been the disguised Kabuto.
You pick the softest persimmon to squeeze.
Clearly, the persimmon in front of them wasn't very soft.
In short—they'd chickened out.
"Heh heh!"
Maybe because the mood had reached a tipping point, Naruto suddenly jumped out in front: "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm not gonna lose to any of you! Ha ha ha~"
"You idiot—!"
Sasuke buried his face in his hands.
"That moron—even if you've completed an A-rank mission, you can't just go and provoke everyone like that!" Ino covered her face.
"All of you, quiet!" In a burst of smoke, the proctors materialized at the front of the classroom.
Team 7 had arrived at the exam hall right on time, so the conversation hadn't lasted long before it was cut short.
"I am Ibiki Morino, proctor for the first stage of the Chūnin Exams."
"From this point forward, the Chūnin Exams begin. Come forward to submit your applications, receive your seat numbers, and prepare for the written test." Ibiki announced.
"A written test?!" Naruto, who'd been brimming with confidence a moment ago, instantly wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant.
After that, everyone collected their seat numbers and took their assigned places, scrambled throughout the room.
"Listen up."
Ibiki began writing the exam rules on the blackboard with chalk.
"There are rules in this first exam that must be followed. I will not take any questions afterward."
"First, Rule One. You each begin with ten points. Each question is worth one point. The exam is scored by deduction—get three wrong and you're down to seven."
"Second, the exam is scored by your team's combined score."
"Finally, if any proctor catches anything that looks like cheating, each offense deducts two points. In other words, some of you will be eliminated before the exam even ends."
"Any shameful attempt at cheating will be your own undoing. Remember that."
A crisp jingling sound rang out.
"Hm?"
Ibiki noticed a hand raised in the air—a hand wrapped in red cord, with a small bell dangling from it.
But Ibiki had no intention of taking questions, so he ignored it.
"Lastly—if even one member of your team is reduced to zero points, the entire team fails!"
The entire exam hall went silent.
Only that one hand remained raised, swaying back and forth, the bell tinkling softly.
"The final question will be given forty-five minutes after the exam begins. Total exam time is one hour. Begin now!" Ibiki ignored the hand again, distributed the test papers, and declared the exam started.
A ninja's battle is a battle of intelligence.
Even if that girl was the young lady of the Hyuga clan, if she wasn't paying attention and analyzing properly—if she thought she could coast on status—that was unacceptable.
Ibiki was prepared to teach her exactly what it meant to be a ninja.
After the exam began, the hand went down.
But it wasn't long before it shot right back up.
And this time, its owner spoke: "Teacher, I'm reporting someone for cheating!"
Ibiki: ???