Chapter 58: Phase One, p2.

Author Note: Ok, I finally finished the ending of this arc. Meaning I can go back to daily updates without eating away my stack because chapters are taking me longer.

Anyways. Daily updates starting now. one chapter a day. I won't do double until the next arc, where our protagonist is a teen starts

Another thing I wanted to address was the 4-5 chapters I owe you all. I will pay this debt on the next arc. These last few chapters were so loaded with stuff it took me… a long time to write them.

Anyways, that's all, and like always, remember if you want to read up to 18-22 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer

I'm currently updating the novel 2-8 chapters a day in patreeeeon. On chapter 78 so far, though by the end of today it will be chapter 80-82

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz

Enjoy you sexy bastards.

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[Arata Takeshi - POV.]

After the exams were collected from everyone in the room, we were told to wait silently. They also informed us that they would be calling out the groups who had cheated, one by one. I surmised that the waiting was nothing but a scare tactic—just another psychological approach to make everyone question whether they should just give up. Especially considering they had told us to wait three hours ago.

Knowing that they already knew who had cheated and who hadn't, I realized the wait didn't have anything to do with that. Now, as far as the grading of the exams was concerned, I wasn't entirely sure how they would approach it, but I knew they wouldn't need this much time to do so.

"Arata Takeshi," the voice echoed through the room, cutting through my train of thought. "Follow us."

Slowly rising from my seat, I walked to the proctor, calmly following him outside the room. I'll be entirely honest—I wasn't sure where this situation was going, but I was intrigued. They were calling those who had cheated, or at least that's what they wanted us to think. So… I had no idea what the angle was here, though I suppose there was no point in drawing conclusions, since I would find out soon enough.

"A perfect score," Shinsato, the main proctor of the first phase, said as I entered the room where the other proctor had taken me. His voice was calm, almost too calm, and his eyes held a sharp, calculating glint. He held my test paper in his hand, flipping through the pages with a casualness that belied the intensity of his scrutiny. "Quite an impressive feat, wouldn't you say, Takeshi?"

I kept my expression neutral, meeting his gaze evenly. "I suppose so."

He smiled, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "A perfect score on a test designed to be nearly impossible for a Genin to complete." He paused, letting the implication hang in the air. "It raises some interesting questions."

So that's the angle they're taking. Hahaha, oh my… this might be interesting after all. I imagine the reason they called me and not Shisui or Itachi is because they deem me to be the weakest link—at least mentally.

"I imagine it does," I replied, a faint smile on my face. "But I've always been good at tests. I consider them… relaxing."

"Is that so?" Shinsato said, leaning back slightly as he studied me. "You see, we've had cases like yours before. Exceptional students, prodigies, who find ways to achieve the impossible." He placed the test down on the table, folding his hands neatly over it. "And often, there's a certain... methodology to how they achieve such feats."

I tilted my head slightly, feigning curiosity. "Methodology?"

"Yes," Shinsato continued, his voice taking on a more pointed edge. "For instance, cheating. A perfectly executed strategy of deceit, so well done that it might seem as if they answered every question correctly on their own. It's almost an art form, really, though unfortunately, such things never escape my eyes."

"Cheating?" I replied, humming in thought. "That's an interesting accusation."

"Accusation?" Shinsato raised an eyebrow, his smile widening just a fraction. "Not at all, Takeshi. I'm merely discussing possibilities."

I was right… this was fun. He wanted to see if I'd crack under pressure, if I'd admit to something that wasn't true just to get out of this room. It was an interesting strategy—not sure how efficient it was, but it was interesting nonetheless.

"Hmm, I suppose some would find the need to cheat," I replied, smiling at him. "Not that I would know."

I was basically telling him: Cheating was a skill issue.

Shinsato's smile faltered, just for a moment, before he leaned forward, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I see… So you're saying that you, a Genin who has only been out of the academy for a few months, managed to score perfectly on a test that even seasoned Chunin would struggle with?"

"Yes," I replied, a faint smile on my face. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Which speaks volumes about how… underwhelming those Chunin are, don't you think?"

For a moment, there was silence as Shinsato continued to stare at me, searching for any sign of weakness or hesitation. I could see the gears turning in his mind, trying to find a crack in my armor, a way to unsettle me, to push me off my game.

He wouldn't succeed, of course, but I welcomed the challenge. It kept my mind fresh, and it was fun.

Finally, the proctor leaned back, a thin yet amused smile on his lips. "You are one cocky little brat, you know?"

"I've been told," I replied nonchalantly, giving him a soft shrug. "Though being cocky and being right are not mutually exclusive."

Shinsato chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "I suppose they are not. Congratulations are in order—you passed the first phase of the Chunin exams. Wait for your team in the waiting room outside the testing center."

"Thank you," I said, inclining my head slightly before turning to leave the room.

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This time, I didn't have to wait long. Minutes after my little test with the proctor, Itachi and Shisui walked into the waiting room. Based on how quickly they arrived, it meant they didn't have to go through the same thing I just had.

Itachi was the first to speak. "What did the proctor want?"

"You know very well what," I replied, shooting him an amused glance.

"They really thought they could crack you, ha!" Shisui chuckled, shaking his head. "You are basically a sentient piece of ice. You make us Uchiha look like the life of the party."

I shrugged, a sly smile playing on my lips. "I'm pretty sure you are more… lively than I am."

"Publicly, we don't acknowledge Shisui as part of the clan. He's more of a pet to us—a Golden Retriever that happens to have our Dojutsu," Itachi replied, keeping an emotionless tone throughout. "We do have a stoic reputation to keep, and well… Shisui is Shisui, so that was our only escape."

Shisui gasped dramatically, clutching his chest as if struck by an arrow. "Itachi, how could you? And here I thought we were best friends/brothers forever."

I snorted, finding it hard to keep it together. The Golden Retriever comment had caught me off guard. "A dog, well… that seems fitting. But do keep an eye out for the Inuzuka—they might want to make a Ninken out of him."

"Oi, don't you get in on this too," Shisui protested, shooting me a playful glare. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned his nose up as though offended. "I should have known better than to expect sympathy from you, the ice king. The only emotion you ever show is mild amusement with that faint smile of yours. Just so you know, there are other facial expressions! We might as well start calling you, Faint Smile Takeshi."

"Apologies, my canine friend," I replied, a faint smile on my face. "But I don't speak BARKinish. Do bring your handler for translation."

"How dare you!" Shisui gasped once more.

Itachi chuckled lightly. "The Inuzuka would certainly be more welcoming."

Shisui feigned a tear, wiping the corner of his eye. "Well… at least someone wants me."