Sunlight roused Arthur awake. The first day of the Chūnin Exams had arrived.
He rose and performed a quick set of stretches. A short breakfast later, he found himself in the gathering hall where the first part of the exams would be held.
Outside the entrance were two unfamiliar figures. Both were middle-aged, judging by their attire. One sported a trimmed beard, the other a scar running down his cheek. They also looked annoyed as they surveyed him.
"You Arthur?" the bearded one grunted.
"Yes, I'm him."
The scarred one rolled his eyes. "You're late…"
"Sorry, I—"
"We've been assigned to the same team for the first part of the exams," the scarred one interrupted.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
The thing he'd forgotten was that solo participation in the Chūnin Exams wasn't allowed. Each Genin needed a team of three, so Hiruzen must have been the one to orchestrate this team to allow him entry.
"I understand," he said.
The bearded Genin snorted. He then gazed at Arthur's frame and youthful features. "Just make sure you don't drag us down."
Arthur held back a grin. It was clear that these two could see how dense his muscles were underneath his shirt.
"I won't disappoint..."
The scarred Genin scoffed. "See that you don't." He then turned and gestured toward the entrance. "Let's get down to business."
The wooden doors of the exam hall groaned open as Arthur, flanked by his two unenthusiastic teammates, stepped inside.
While everyone was here, who interested him most were Gaara and Kabuto.
Kabuto's presence here meant the others from earth hadn't acted upon their plan yet. As for Gaara, he still had the melancholic look about his face.
Had the rehabilitation plan failed?
Suddenly, Jada's bright smile split her face as she emerged from the crowd. "Arthur!"
"Good to see you here, Jada."
Her gaze fell upon the two Genin flanking him as she asked, "Who're these guys?"
"Esteemed teammates from the Hokage," he answered.
Jada held back a giggle. She, like the others from earth watching, knew that he wouldn't be given entry without a team of three.
Apparently this was an inside joke they kept from him so he could guess who his teammates would be.
"Can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they find out how strong you are," she said in a sympathetic tone. "Well, hope you do great. Oh! I forgot to tell you something." She leaned in closer to whisper, "Just got word that Alex, Marge, and Will went straight to the Hokage's office before coming here."
"They already told him?" he asked, feigning surprise.
"Yeah," she confirmed, "and guess what? The Hokage set a trap; he's expecting Orochimaru to make a move in the Forest of Death. That's where they'll ambush him." She lowered her voice further. "They also mentioned something about increased surveillance because he's a Sannin and whatnot."
"Sounds like a well-laid plan, but what happened with Gaara?"
Jada explained that Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro hadn't actually shown up in the Leaf until now. Because of that, no one was able to talk to either of them in time. That explained why Gaara still looked so moody.
The only explanation for the Sand Siblings arriving late was the butterfly effect. Since seven new people were added into this world, even the minor things were bound to change.
"Seems like this could get more fun," Arthur mused.
Jada snorted. "Fat chance." She then touched his shoulder to reassure him. "We'll all pass the first round, no problem."
Arthur couldn't help but agree.
The next scene that soon played out was similar to the original story: Naruto made a grand announcement, and the Sound ninjas harassed Kabuto until a stern-faced proctor appeared in the room.
It was Ibiki Morino, a man with long scars running down his face.
He strode toward the front. Then, with a sharp rap of his knuckles against the chalkboard, he commanded attention.
"Listen up! My name is Ibiki Morino, and I'll be overseeing the first part of your Chūnin Exams. Pay close attention, because these rules are not to be broken."
He then scribbled across the blackboard. Following his rules was a diagram depicting a point system; right answers awarded points, and wrong answers resulted in a deduction. Each negative point chipped away at a potential passing grade to advance. To make things 'fair,' he would freely give out the answer to the last question.
A low murmur rippled through the room as the Genin absorbed the information. Arthur, however, found it mildly boring to see all over again.
This entire charade was a way to weed out the truly unprepared. And he already knew the passing requirement: survive until the test concluded. Meaning that even if he didn't answer a single question, he'd still pass.
As Ibiki barked out instructions, the Genin sat in their assigned seats, and test papers were distributed.
When Arthur received his own, he noticed something interesting about the questions. These weren't your typical "What chakra nature does fire release belong to?" type of questions. Instead, they were scenarios riddled with variables.
'If a ninja with a base speed of 12 meters per second throws a kunai with a wind affinity at a 45-degree angle...'
Arthur scoffed internally. These questions bordered on the ridiculous. Even an insane fan couldn't answer them with ease.
Pencils scratched against paper as Genin tackled the written test. After a few minutes, Arthur made his move.
'Crimson gaze…'
A faint glow covered his vision as he closed his eyes and saw the answers of everyone in the room.
William hadn't written a single thing since he, too, already knew how to pass.
What intrigued Arthur was Naruto. Not only had the boy not written anything, he was also very calm while sitting next to Hinata.
There was only one reason for it: someone told him how the first part of the exam would be.
Looking at Jada, Alex, and Jasper, their papers were being filled. All of their answers were different, but it was clear they had used their respective dōjutsus to copy from nearby proctors disguised as participants.
Alice and Margaret were also busy writing. It would be improbable for those two to get a perfect score, considering a calculator would be needed.
Arthur could only speculate that they were just engrossed in the exam.
He, too, had to try and write because scoring high would show that he had the intelligence to rank up. And if he was going to play the Leaf Village like he planned, there was only one ninja to cheat off of: Shikamaru Nara.
Shikamaru, infamous for his laziness and unparalleled genius, was stated to have been the only Genin to become a Chūnin. Of course, others, like Sasuke, would have also officially ranked up had it not been for Orochimaru's intervention.
But preventing the invasion was far from Arthur's plans.
In just under thirty minutes, with an unreadable expression, he finished copying all of Shikamaru's answers. Not a single proctor who walked by could tell that he had cheated.
A collective sigh of relief filled the room as Ibiki eventually declared the written test over.
"This test," he announced, "was designed to gauge your information-gathering skills while under pressure." He paused, letting his words sink in. "That being said, there was no answer to the last question. Anyone who didn't get caught cheating has passed this stage."
Sighs of relief spread through the room.
Arthur was not the least bit surprised. The only reason why he bothered to answer was to increase his chances at becoming a Chūnin. That would then allow him more freedom outside of the village one day.
Naruto practically leaped out of his seat, crowing, "Yeah! Alright! We did it! We passed!"
Crack!
The celebratory mood was short-lived as a sudden crash shattered the window. A woman with purple hair stood amidst the debris. It was Anko Mitarashi, a Special Jōnin known for her boisterousness. She was also the one in charge of the second stage of the exams.
"Well, well, well," she drawled. "Ibiki, you let way too many of them pass!"
"What can I say?" he smiled. "This year's Genin are formidable."
"When I'm done with them, their numbers will be cut by more than half."
Arthur anticipated a short break between the written test and the second stage, perhaps even a week, to allow the Genin to recover and strategize like in the story. But they were only given an hour before immediately commencing the next stage.
✟
An hour later, after they all regrouped, Anko, led the Genin toward the gates of the 44th Training Ground, also known as the notorious Forest of Death.
The group gazed upon the dense foliage that swallowed the sunlight whole, casting an unsettling shadow over the entrance.
As Anko laid down the rules—two scrolls, a three-man team, survival for five days—a wave of nervous excitement washed over the assembled Genin.
Things were simple to remember. The second stage of the exams threw three-man Genin teams into a brutal survival competition within the ten-kilometer (twelve-mile) forest.
It was really meant to test teamwork, resourcefulness, and fighting skills.
Each team received either a white scroll or a black scroll, and their objective was to reach a central tower within five days while possessing both scrolls. Teams were free to acquire the opposite scroll through force, trade, or even wait near the tower to snatch it from others.
The forest itself was a dangerous place with natural hazards and no outside help. Teams even had to sign waivers acknowledging the risks, as death was a big possibility.
While losing a scroll didn't mean immediate disqualification, it did add pressure to find another one before time ran out.
Arthur looked around to see William and Alex conversing with Team 7.
Their whispers carried a sense of urgency. And though Arthur couldn't hear the exact words, he understood the gist of their conversation: a warning about Orochimaru's presence and a plan to expose the villain.
Suddenly, a figure caught Arthur's eye at the edge of the crowd: a young man with long, smooth black hair and dark eyes, clad in a traditional straw hat and a simple grey jumpsuit.
They made eye contact as the scene became still. Then, it was as if an orchestra started playing that only they could hear.
Arthur stood straight with his gaze locked on the unassuming figure. The man's eyes held Arthur captive.
It was as if a monstrous wyvern was staring at him as reptilian irises glinted under the hat. He could almost feel the heat radiating off the predator as it sized up its prey.
And who was this predator? None other than Orochimaru.
Arthur raised his eyes once to break the scene.
No sweat, no fear—only the reminder that opposing characters like this one stood tall in this world, while he himself remained at the bottom.
As Anko finished detailing the final rule, Arthur kept a subtle eye on Orochimaru's team. While yes, it was Orochimaru, the Sannin was in disguise as a ninja from the Hidden Grass Village, someone he had murdered during that hour intermission.
Calling him out now in the middle of the exam would be equivalent to starting a massacre. Hiruzen, it seemed, had opted for a more discreet approach by isolating the enemy first before the Leaf should make their move.
Arthur surmised that the Hokage had likely stationed a contingent of skilled ninjas within the forest. They'd surely be tasked with capturing or eliminating the rogue Sannin there. And if anything, these skilled ninjas were likely watching the Sannin right at this moment.
To confirm his suspicions, Arthur activated his Kekkei Genkai.
'Crimson gaze…'
As his eyes swept past the forest's foliage, he saw them scattered amongst the trees: several figures with strong chakra signature. And they were all staring at Team 7 and the disguised Orochimaru.
If Arthur's plan was to help the Sannin, he would have a troubled time doing so.