65. Chunin Exams - 2

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Naruto knows the purpose of the exam is to test their intelligence-gathering skills, but he realizes he doesn't have any Jutsu that could help him cheat.

Could he use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to teleport to Sakura's side, swap their test papers, and then teleport back?

The proctor isn't blind, and that would get him kicked out right away.

Maybe he could contact Kurama, the fox spirit inside him. It'd be like phoning a friend on a quiz show. But asking the Nine-Tails for help? Forget it.

It's better to wait for the 10th question and just turn in a blank sheet. Who knows, maybe he can pass with a blank.

For some reason, not writing anything feels like the most "Naruto" thing to do.

Naruto isn't worried, but someone else is.

After Sakura finishes answering the questions, she notices Naruto resting his chin on his hand, staring off into space. His pen has rolled to the edge of the table and is about to fall off.

Sakura is baffled. Why has Naruto, the strongest student since graduation, suddenly become the weakest link?

Inner Sakura: 'Are you kidding me!? Sasuke is almost done, and you're just sitting there! Move it, idiot!'

As time passes, some people get caught cheating by the proctor and are thrown out along with their teammates.

The boldest move is by Kankuro's puppet, which has disguised itself as a proctor and even catches a few cheaters without being exposed.

Ino, who is sitting behind Sakura, sees that she has stopped writing and assumes she's done.

Even though she usually teases Sakura, Ino has to admit she admires her skills.

So Ino focuses on Sakura and tries to copy her answers using the Mind Transfer Jutsu.

But as soon as she enters Sakura's mind, Inner Sakura punches her right out: "You were just trying to steal Sasuke from me, and now you want to copy my answers? Get lost!"

'What!?' Ino's head spins. How could her jutsu fail like that?

Failed once & failed again.

Left with no other option, she has to switch targets, still confused.

…

Forty-five minutes have passed. The students have copied almost everything they need. Now it's time for the final question.

"First, you need to decide if you want to answer the 10th question. If you choose not to answer, you'll get zero points, and your teammates will also be disqualified.

If you choose to answer but get it wrong, you'll never be eligible to take the Chunin Exams again."

Ibiki Morino's words create intense pressure on the candidates.

Some give up, afraid of losing their chance to become Chunin forever.

Naruto, though, thinks it would be fun if he could stay a Genin forever.

Then he'd drag Sasuke around, fighting battles in other countries using a giant robot like a Gundam.

If anyone came to investigate, Minato could just step in and say, '"Don't worry. It's just these two Genin from our village having a little sparring match."'

…

When Ibiki announces that the remaining candidates have passed, only 20 teams are left out of the original 51.

It's even fewer than in the original timeline because Naruto hasn't jumped up to cause a scene.

As Ibiki is about to congratulate them with a smile, a black cloth suddenly covers the scene.

On the cloth, the words "Second Examiner, Anko Mitarashi" are written.

When Anko mentions that at least half of them will be eliminated, Naruto sizes her up and down. 'So, it's you, Aunt Anko. I wonder if my mom ever tried to set you up on a blind date with Kakashi.'

The candidates follow Anko to the site for the second exam.

As Ibiki gathers the exam papers, he notices Naruto's blank sheet.

'The Fourth Hokage's son turned in a blank paper. Isn't he supposed to be talented? Should I go after him and disqualify him?' Ibiki can't help but laugh at his thoughts.

…

Anko begins explaining the rules for the second exam.

Each team will receive a scroll, either marked with "Heaven" or "Earth." They need to collect both scrolls and reach the central tower within five days to qualify.

Before receiving the scroll, they have to sign a waiver of liability.

After that, whether they live or die is out of Konoha's hands, and the final decision rests with the village.

Most candidates hide their scrolls carefully, afraid someone might see which one they have.

Naruto, on the other hand, openly holds his Heaven scroll. If everyone sees it, maybe half of them won't bother him.

As for the other half who decide to target him, Naruto is ready to flip them off and shout, "Come at me!"

If he can win, he'll fight. If he can't, he'll run. With the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, could he even die in a fight?

Naruto even thinks about taking his teammates home for a meal midway through the exam and returning when they're full.

He wonders if Minato ever went home for dinner in the middle of a battle, leaving the enemy to wait while he came back and finished them off in one blow.

Naruto waves to Hinata and enters the designated entrance with Sasuke and Sakura.

Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death, is a dense, jungle-like area filled with poisonous insects and wild beasts.

Naruto seriously doubts whether this forest is where the First Hokage fought and left his mark.

There's no place in all of Konoha with trees as thick and lush as the ones here.

"What should we do next?" Sakura asks.

Naruto excitedly pulls out three tents from his scroll and says, "Let's set up camp, hunt for food, and light a bonfire. I've never been camping before!"

Sasuke and Sakura both sweat-drop. What about the exam? Couldn't he be more serious?

"All right, fine," Naruto says, noticing their annoyed expressions. "We'll look for the scroll first."

With that, Naruto activates his Kagura's Mind Eye. His current range is about 5 kilometres, but it can extend up to 10 kilometres.

"Yes! About 500 meters away, there's one large and two smaller chakra signatures. The smaller ones are about the same as Sakura's, and the larger one has several times Kakashi-sensei's chakra."

Sasuke:?

Sakura:?

What kind of unit is a *"Kakashi?"*

"Oh, one 'Kakashi' is the amount of chakra that Kakashi-sensei has," Naruto explains casually.

Sasuke doesn't pay much attention to Naruto's made-up unit and says in surprise, "Is there such a strong presence among the Genin?"

"Having a lot of chakra doesn't necessarily mean they're strong…" Naruto thinks of three people who might have that much chakra.

One is Gaara. If it was him, he would've already started yelling about wanting to beat everyone up.

Another is Orochimaru, although Konoha hasn't found any trace of him yet. Naruto isn't sure if Orochimaru is involved in the exams.

The last one is Karin. Naruto is thinking about how to convince her to stay in Konoha.

After all, she's technically part of the Uzumaki clan. Maybe she's even a distant cousin. He can't just let her go back to Kusagakure to suffer.

"Let's go take a look, and make sure you have the kunai I gave you," Naruto says as they move forward.

****

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