Half an hour later, as candidates arrived one after another, the Chūnin Exam began immediately.
The first part of the Chūnin Exam was a written test. The exam papers handed out were densely packed with nine questions, covering history, mathematics, geography, and more—none of which were too difficult for Naruto.
This exam didn't forbid cheating. The only rule was: don't get caught doing it badly.
After all, gathering intelligence was an essential part of a ninja's job.
However, the most important question was the tenth one—it tested a ninja's determination to become a chūnin.
A chūnin might seem insignificant, but they are the leaders of ninja squads. A leader can make mistakes, but they must never waver. They must maintain the team's cohesion at all times.
Naruto, who had already seen the reference answers beforehand, wasn't in a hurry to write anything. Instead, he turned his attention to the person sitting next to him.
As if by "fate," he had once again been seated beside Hinata.
The girl was quietly copying answers.
Hinata, who was using her Byakugan to cheat while being stared at by Naruto, felt extremely uncomfortable.
Even though she already knew the test content from her clan, she still felt a little guilty about cheating—and Naruto's gaze made her feel strangely flustered.
After gathering her courage, Hinata whispered cautiously,
"Do you… want to copy my answers? If you really can't do it, I can let you see a little…"
Naruto shook his head lightly.
"I finished a long time ago. I'm just here to chat with a pretty girl."
Hinata's heart began pounding wildly.
She had already guessed yesterday that the Uzushio ninja was Naruto-kun. Chakra was hard to disguise—and so was scent.
Naruto smelled exactly like the fox pouch.
Thinking of this, Hinata lowered her voice and said,
"Then… don't disturb me while I answer the questions. I still have to finish the exam. We can… talk later."
"Alright. I'll wait for you."
Naruto rested his chin on one hand as he spoke, completely ignoring the feelings of everyone around him.
The chūnin instructors responsible for proctoring looked absolutely miserable—but there was nothing they could do.
Their job was to catch those who cheated poorly, not to stop… flirting.
In all their years, they had seen countless creative cheating methods.
But this was the first time they'd seen candidates openly feeding each other "dog food" during the exam.
One of the proctors fell into deep thought.
Wasn't Hinata the heir of the Hyūga clan?
Why was she chatting so casually with a ninja from another village?
Was this really how a noble clan's heir behaved?
After a while, Hinata finished her answers. The two simply glanced at each other, saying nothing more.
This scene didn't go unnoticed by Hinata's teammates.
Hinata had changed a lot over the past two years—but she would never normally talk to a strange ninja, especially a male one.
Naturally, this made them extremely curious.
A cold glint flashed in Sasuke's eyes as he memorized Naruto's appearance.
Although he didn't interact much with Hinata, he knew she was close to Naruto.
Anyone who approached her carelessly… wouldn't be ignored.
Still, his top priority right now was cheating with the Sharingan.
As soon as he entered the exam room, he had already understood the nature of this test.
If not for worrying about causing trouble for Kakashi, he might have directly controlled a proctor with genjutsu.
That way, he wouldn't even need to cheat—he could just get full marks.
Chōji glanced at Shikamaru, noticing something, only to see Shikamaru rolling his eyes while copying answers lazily.
Shikamaru had already expressed his opinion on this kind of test, so Chōji didn't bother paying attention to Hinata.
After all, the Ino–Shika–Chō trio always advanced and retreated together.
Shikamaru would definitely handle his exam paper for him.
At this moment, Karin had already completed her answers using her own ability.
Leaning on the table, she noticed Hinata talking to Naruto, and her expression suddenly twisted.
"Why are you talking to her… why are you talking to her… why are you talking to her…"
Haku, who was getting slightly annoyed by the muttering, reminded her softly,
"Karin, if you keep this up, we might get kicked out."
The chief examiner, Ibiki Morino, felt a headache coming on as he looked at this group of candidates.
Although he had the authority to expel people, this year's exam was special—he had received strict orders from above.
As time passed, the first test reached its final stage—the test of resolve.
Naruto easily passed Ibiki's psychological pressure test.
He even casually handed in a paper with only the word "answer" written on it.
He could have cheated for the answers—but there was no need.
Of course, it also had something to do with Kurama being unwilling to help him cheat.
After successfully passing the first stage, Naruto was about to leave with Haku and Karin when Hinata approached with her teammates and made an invitation:
"We agreed earlier… do you want to team up for the second exam?"
Hinata's straightforward question left Kiba and Shino stunned.
They couldn't understand why she cared so much about a ninja from Uzushio Village.
This behavior was completely unlike her usual self.
Karin was even more confused.
She whispered complaints to Haku, insisting that the "Byakugan girl" was trying to seduce Menma-sama.
Haku replied calmly,
"Karin, I think Menma-sama and that girl have known each other for a long time."
Hearing this, Karin felt like she'd been struck by lightning.
Was she… the third party?
Did she come too late?
Seeing her like this, Haku shook his head gently.
Karin was usually normal—but the moment she saw Menma, she became completely unhinged.
It was probably because his charm had nowhere to escape.
Hinata, dressed in her ninja outfit, looked very beautiful.
Though she hadn't fully matured yet, she already had a soft, delicate charm that made people want to bully her—just a little.
Naruto looked her up and down, then smiled and nodded.
It seemed Hinata had already seen through his disguise.
He hadn't expected that combining Bone Release with the Byakugan would enhance its perception so much.
Laughing and chatting along the way, the two teams soon arrived near the Forest of Death.
Compared to the number of participants in the first test, only about half remained.
In other words, nearly half had already been eliminated by the written exam alone.
Not to mention the second and third stages.
Thinking about how Shikamaru was the only one promoted to chūnin in the original timeline, Naruto couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Becoming a chūnin really was ridiculously difficult.
At that moment, a heroic female ninja landed in the clearing.
It was Anko Mitarashi, the proctor for the second stage.
At this time, Anko was still in great shape—not the sweet potato she would become decades later.
She looked at the genin candidates coldly and said,
"I'm Anko Mitarashi, the chief examiner for the second test."
"Unlike the first test, the second allows you to attack—and even kill—other candidates."
"As long as you're strong enough, it doesn't matter if you wipe out everyone else."
"The only condition… is that you're capable of doing it—and capable of surviving the revenge that follows."
At this point, a cold glint flashed in her eyes as she continued,
"If anyone's scared, you can withdraw now and give up on becoming a chūnin!"
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