Chapter 109

Chapter 109

Haneda's Three-Tomoe Sharingan scanned Obito's deskmate and noticed that he was under a genjutsu. Haneda smirked coldly.

"Genjutsu—Reflection of Heaven and Earth!"

Reflection of Heaven and Earth is a genjutsu reversal technique that allows the user to reflect an opponent's genjutsu back at them by seeing through it. With the powerful perception of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Haneda effortlessly saw through Kumodōshi's hidden genjutsu.

As Haneda used the Reflection of Heaven and Earth, Kumodōshi, who was sitting behind him, clutched his eyes in pain, gasping for breath. Haneda hadn't just reflected the genjutsu; he had amplified it as well, sending a stronger version back at Kumodōshi.

This was just a small warning from Haneda.

He then glanced at the foreign village ninjas outside the classroom, who had been causing a commotion. As soon as their eyes met his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads as if they had witnessed something terrifying.

Haneda casually stood up and glanced at Kitahara Sōsuke, the proctor standing at the podium. Kitahara's eyes transformed into the same Three-Tomoe Sharingan pattern.

"I, just like the proctor, do not tolerate any complaints," Haneda said coldly.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire classroom, Haneda calmly walked over to Obito, exchanged his blank test paper with his own completed one, and said, "Even without you asking, I would've done this."

After saying this, Haneda returned to his seat. As he sat back down, the genjutsu on Kitahara Sōsuke was lifted. The proctor looked around the classroom, now confused. Just moments ago, the students had been enthusiastically cheating, but now everything had gone quiet.

Obito, who had been forcefully given Haneda's answers, was dumbfounded for a few seconds before muttering to himself, "Damn it! Haneda totally showed me up!"

But despite his complaints, Obito couldn't help but feel warmth in his heart as he looked at the answer-filled test paper. No need to cheat on his own after all... It felt surprisingly good!

In the back of the room, Asuma was awestruck by Haneda's performance. Using genjutsu to control the proctor, passing the answers in broad daylight, and the proctor hadn't even noticed!

Asuma thought to himself, 'No wonder Haneda is so amazing—his genjutsu skills are just that impressive!'

As for the group of foreign village ninjas who had been making such a fuss earlier, they were now dead silent. Some were even drenched in sweat. For a ninja, respect for power seemed to be ingrained in their DNA. Haneda's strength was undeniable. Just one glance from him could make them feel as though their lives were slipping away unnoticed. None of them dared to speak up again.

...

The written test ended quickly, and according to the schedule, those who passed would move on to the survival challenge in the afternoon. Thanks to Haneda's cheating and his ability to pass the answers, Obito, Kakashi, and the others all scored full marks on the test.

The next stage was to be held at Training Ground 44. Team Seven and Team Nine were walking there together.

Kakashi, with his deadpan expression, teased Obito, "Didn't you say that Uchiha Obito would rather remain a genin for life and give up on becoming Hokage than cheat?"

"Shut up, you idiot, Kakashi! Haneda forced those answers on me—I didn't cheat!" Obito retorted loudly.

"Oh, really? Then why didn't you stop him?"

"I... I was under Haneda's genjutsu, that's it!" Obito said, his face turning slightly red as he scrambled to explain.

"Sure... loser." Kakashi was speechless at Obito's excuse and simply smirked before falling silent, letting Obito keep defending himself.

On the other side, Asuma was sticking close to Haneda, chattering non-stop.

"Haneda, that move back there was incredible! You even got the proctor under your control!"

"And those Sharingan eyes of yours—they're so cool! One look and those weak cheaters were sweating bullets!"

"Seriously, you're amazing, Haneda! Far beyond anyone else our age!"

Just as Asuma finished praising Haneda, Obito joined the conversation, shouting:

"Haneda, you jerk! Who told you to swap the test papers without asking? Now Kakashi thinks I cheated!"

"Obito, just tell me—was my answer sheet worth it or not?" Haneda asked with a grin.

Obito thought of Haneda's neatly written answers, packed with the right solutions. He wanted to shake his head, but his conscience wouldn't let him. Instead, he mumbled a single word:

"Yeah... it was worth it."

"Wow, loser. That's hilarious," Kakashi chuckled upon hearing Obito's reluctant admission.

"Shut up, idiot, Kakashi! I'm just being honest!"

...

While Haneda's group was enjoying themselves, the Sand ninja trio—Maki, Kumodōshi, and Yura—were discussing whether or not to abandon their mission.

"Maki, maybe we should just give up. I feel like Uchiha Haneda has his eye on us," Kumodōshi said, still shaken.

Haneda's genjutsu was terrifying. Not only had he reversed Kumodōshi's genjutsu, but he had also amplified it several times over. Such a high level of genjutsu was something even their Jonin leader, Yekura, would struggle to counter.

After a moment of thought, Maki spoke up, "Uchiha Haneda's strength is too much for us to handle. There's no way we can win against him."

"But for the sake of our sensei, we need to report back to Lady Chiyo."

"Here's the plan: if Uchiha Haneda is with Kakashi, we'll abort the mission. Otherwise, we continue as planned."

Maki then turned to Yura and asked, "What do you think?"

Yura didn't hesitate to reply, "We have no choice. Haneda's strength is way beyond our ability to handle."

...

As the time for the next exam approached, the candidates slowly gathered at Training Ground 44. By the time it was almost 2 PM, everyone who had passed the written test had arrived. The first round had already eliminated almost half of the teams—an alarming 50% dropout rate.

The proctor for the second exam was Hiroshi Nagano, an unknown Jonin. He glanced at the clock on the tower behind him and, seeing that the time was right, began explaining the rules for the second test.

"This part of the exam will also be team-based, and it will last for five days."

"The finish line is located at the central tower in Training Ground 44. But in order to pass, you'll need to meet an additional requirement."

"Each team will be given one Heaven or Earth scroll. To pass, your team must gather both a Heaven and Earth scroll."

"Each team will receive one scroll, and there are an equal number of Heaven and Earth scrolls—26 in total."

"There are forty entrances to the testing ground. You may choose your own."

"Oh, and one more thing—if any member of your team is unable to continue or you fail to reach the tower in the allotted time, your entire team will be disqualified."

With that, Hiroshi Nagano paused briefly before announcing, "The exam begins now!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the candidates dashed toward the testing grounds.

Haneda, however, didn't rush. He smiled at Obito and Kakashi, saying, "I'll be waiting for you at the finish line."

Kakashi understood Haneda's message and smiled back, "Same here."

Obito, not the quickest on the uptake, took a few seconds to realize what they meant. He then yelled at Haneda, "You jerk, Haneda! Don't underestimate Uchiha Obito!"

"With you dragging Kakashi down, there's no doubt that Haneda will win for sure," Asuma chimed in.

"What?! Even you, Asuma, are looking down on me?"

Asuma shook his head, "Don't misunderstand. I don't look down on just you—I look down on everyone equally, except for Haneda and those recognized by him."

"Just wait, Asuma! In the individual matches, I'm going to beat you to a pulp!" Obito shot back, pointing his thumb down in a gesture of disdain.

...