Chapter 57: Chunin Exams, Phase One.

Author Note: Nothing of importance, just enjoy the chapter, and if you have any questions, make sure to comment!

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 71 so far, though by the end of today it will be chapter 73-75

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Enjoy you sexy bastards.

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[Arata Takeshi - POV]

In the blink of an eye, three hours had passed, and the room was filled with murmurs and the occasional nervous glance from those present. There were hardly any empty seats, with just one or two scattered here and there, but beyond that, the room was full.

Suddenly, as if in answer to my prayers to end the long wait, the door creaked open. But this time, instead of another participant, a stern and rough-looking man entered the room. His presence commanded respect and silence. His eyes were piercing, and his demeanor cold as he scrutinized the room with an intensity that made almost everyone straighten up in their seats as soon as he entered.

It didn't take a genius to realize that he was the proctor.

"Hello, maggots. My name is Shinsato Yori," he announced, his voice firm and military-like. "And unfortunately for you—and believe me, you are unfortunate—I will be the proctor for the first phase of your examination. Before we begin, the first rule of the exam is simple: you will remain silent, or you will be disqualified. No muttering, no whispering, no sounds, no loud breathing, and yes, I don't care if you have a medical condition. Have I made myself clear?"

There was a chorus of nods and mumbled agreement, which made me smile, knowing very well what he was doing. He was already getting into their heads. He was playing with them, trying to get them to focus where they shouldn't.

Though I couldn't help but wonder why he was alone. As far as I knew, these types of exams were usually supervised by a large group of Shinobi, yet… the man was alone. I wonder what his angle is.

"Okay," Shinsato continued, his gaze sweeping around the room, trying to intimidate each and every participant. Seemingly satisfied with his performance thus far, he then began handing out a stack of papers to each person in the room, a cold smile on his face as he went through the aisles. "These are your tests. Treat them as if your life depended on it because they do. You have two hours to complete them, not a minute more, not a minute less. Each test has one hundred questions; each question is worth one point, making the highest possible grade 100. You need at least sixty-nine points to get a passing grade. However, individual success will not guarantee that any of you will move forward. Why? Well, because you will only pass this stage if all the members of your team pass as well. If just one of you fails, even if it's just by one point, your entire team will be disqualified."

So far, the rules are pretty much the same as in the anime. Though unlike Ibiki, this guy was alone… unless.

I smiled as the realization dawned on me: the guy wasn't alone, not at all. He was just pretending to be alone, which was an entirely different matter. Why? Well, the answer to that was simple—he wanted to make everyone think that cheating would be easy, discreetly guiding them on what they should do to pass while also misleading them just enough to ensure some followed the wrong path.

By pretending to be alone, he was ensuring that some people would be careless with their cheating approach, and those idiots would be disqualified. I had to say, that's quite a creative way to prune the numbers down. Hell, I was honestly amazed; I mean, the more I thought about it, the more I found their strategy impressive.

I knew his people had to be inside the room, but honestly… I couldn't tell the difference between the real participants and those who were pretending to be.

This was starting to get more and more interesting.

As the proctor moved methodically around the room, handing out test after test, I looked at my team. Shisui, who was three rows down to the right, was stifling a yawn, and Itachi, who was five rows up to the left, was simply sitting straight, quietly awaiting his exam.

When the proctor finally reached my row, he handed everyone their tests—a light stack of ten stapled pages.

Test in hand, I briefly glanced at the questions. From what I could see, they were surprisingly difficult, touching on subjects like history, mathematics, strategy, physics, and such… some more in-depth than others. Honestly, this should have been the exam given to academy students to graduate. I might have Itachi make that change once he becomes the Hokage.

"Now, maggots, rule number two and, until I deem otherwise, the last rule," the proctor said, taking a seat at his desk. "No cheating. If you are caught cheating or appear to be cheating, even in the slightest… you will be disqualified. And before you feel like testing how much I would enjoy failing you all, don't... I have eyes everywhere. I see it all, I hear it all, and I know it all within these four walls, so keep that in mind before your underdeveloped brains tell you to do something stupid. That said… if you don't believe me, by all means, feel free to try; there's nothing like failing a moron to start the day."

Okay, it's official. I like this guy. He was making this fun for me, more so than I imagined.

"Your two hours start now. Begin," Shinsato grinned, leaning back as the sound of pencils on paper began filling the room.

From the corner of my eye, I could see that Shisui was smiling slightly, confidently weaving his way through the questions as if filling out a form. As for Itachi, well, seeing how calm his chakra felt, he seemed to be doing well.

I smiled, grabbing my pencil. I couldn't be the last of my team to finish the test. And if I was, I couldn't let Shisui find out; he would annoy me to the heat-death of the universe with that knowledge.

And so, with nothing else to do, I started reading the test. The first question was fairly straightforward, asking about the strategic advantages of using terrain in combat.

I quickly wrote my answer, explaining how different types of terrain could be exploited in various combat scenarios, and how sometimes, the terrain could prove to be more of a handicap than an advantage.

The following questions followed a similar pattern, testing basic knowledge and understanding of tactics, weapons, history, and shinobi skills—nothing too complicated.

However, as I progressed through the exam, around question forty-five or so, the questions became more and more challenging; they were still easy for me to answer, but now they required a deeper sense of analysis and critical thinking. Some questions were even trick questions, showing that you needed to look beyond what was presented to you to answer them.

Needless to say, I was having a blast. I loved taking tests. And even though this one was still easy for me, it was difficult enough to be entertaining. By now, it had become apparent that this test was impossible for the average Genin to pass without cheating.

I wonder if anyone beyond my team has already figured out the real objective of this test—or at the very least, realized they need to cheat to pass.

Curious, I scanned the room subtly, my gaze sweeping across it. Most were already beginning to employ various methods of cheating, some more creative than others. One team was using their body language to communicate. Another team was using small mirrors hidden in different parts of their bodies to glimpse the responses of others.

I couldn't help but smile at the amount of ingenuity going around. Though I had to say… I was also a little sad that I couldn't be part of that—not because I couldn't cheat, but because for me, cheating was utterly pointless. In fact, I was pretty damn sure I would get a lower grade if I cheated.

Going back to my test, I continued to move through the exam, answering question after question.

By the time I reached the last question, only thirty minutes of the two hours the proctor had given us had passed. Not a bad time if you ask me. Smiling, I took a few extra minutes to double-check my answers one by one, making sure they were all correct. Once that was done, and there was no doubt in my mind that I would get a perfect grade, I put my pencil down.

With the test complete, it was time to start gathering information about the competition. I had approximately one hour and twenty minutes to learn as much as I could from everyone present—the more, the better.

You can't be overprepared, right?

I would take my time hypothesizing about their abilities based on their cheating approach. After all, each method was bound to reveal something about the individual's strengths and weaknesses, as well as their particular role on their team.

I will enjoy this.