Hyuga Gakuya and his two companions arrived at the gathering point: Classroom 303. By the time they got there, the room was already packed with examinees.
There were well over a hundred candidates, hailing from the six great villages—Konoha, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure.
The trio found an empty spot and sat down.
Hyuga Gakuya said calmly, "This first round's almost definitely going to be a written test. Karin, use your Kagura's Mind Eye to copy the answers. Once you've got them, use the secret technique to link us telepathically and send them over."
"No problem!" Karin gave him an OK sign with her fingers.
Even though Gakuya already knew how this exam played out—how the real goal of the first round was to test mental fortitude, not correct answers—it was still best to prepare. The Fourth Great Ninja War had already been triggered ahead of schedule. At this point, anything was possible.
"Gakuya-sama, is the target of this plan that Uzumaki Naruto kid?" Uchiha Hikari had been with Gakuya long enough to read between the lines.
Gakuya nodded. "Not just him. Also Uchiha Sasuke… and my younger brother."
Karin scrunched her nose at the mention of Sasuke.
"Why him? He's always acting all smug. Totally not fun to be around."
Gakuya chuckled. Funny... you were absolutely obsessed with him in the original timeline. Now you can't stand the guy.
But it made sense. In the original story, Karin grew up in a brutal, unstable environment. She had no sense of safety, so the moment Sasuke saved her, she clung to him like a lifeline. That kind of attachment was understandable.
Now though, after being rescued by Gakuya and living under his protection, both she and her mother had found peace.
Hikari narrowed her eyes. "What's so special about them? Worth enough for you to go to all this trouble?"
Gakuya could sense the trace of jealousy behind her words. After all, she was someone he'd personally saved too—so why were three random kids suddenly a bigger deal?
He didn't explain. Instead, he reached out and gently ruffled her long hair.
Hikari closed her eyes like a contented cat, leaning into his touch. She didn't push further. If Gakuya didn't want to talk, she wouldn't pry.
...
A few minutes later, the last of the examinees arrived. The room buzzed with noise—until a sudden yell brought everything to a halt.
"Quiet down, rookies!"
Bang! A cloud of white smoke burst from the front of the classroom.
The chatter died instantly as everyone turned toward the podium.
There stood Morino Ibiki of Konoha's Interrogation Division, flanked by several intimidating chunin proctors.
Ibiki stepped forward. "Everyone, take your seats according to your exam numbers."
The room instantly descended into chaos as everyone scrambled to find their assigned places. After a few minutes, the seating arrangement settled—and Gakuya found himself next to a familiar face: Hyuga Hinata, sitting nervously in her seat.
Gakuya gave her a soft smile and extended a hand. "Hi there, I'm Chiba Mokushu."
"I-I'm Hyuga Hinata," she replied shyly, reaching out for a brief handshake before quickly withdrawing.
"You're adorable, Hinata-chan," he said with a squint and a teasing grin.
"Uuuuu…" Hinata's eyes went all swirly from embarrassment.
Gakuya didn't push it and backed off, knowing when to stop.
Ibiki's voice echoed across the room.
"You may begin. There are nine questions. Fifteen minutes before the exam ends, I'll announce the tenth."
Most of the candidates stared blankly at the exam sheets. The questions were insanely difficult.
It wasn't long before almost everyone started cheating in one way or another.
Byakugan. Sharingan. Mind Transfer techniques. You name it, someone was using it.
And of course, there were those who got caught and disqualified right away.
"Candidate #13, disqualified!"
The boy jumped up in protest. "I didn't do anything! What grounds do you have to kick me out?!"
A masked ninja with bandages covering half his face slammed him against the wall.
"Listen up, rookie. Every single proctor here is a seasoned chunin—way stronger than you. You'd better watch your mouth."
Moments later, the troublemaker was dragged out of the room by a few other proctors.
Gakuya smirked at the spectacle. Dude looked like Gojo Satoru's budget cousin trying to solo Konoha.
Just as he was enjoying the show, Hinata noticed he hadn't written a single word yet. Being the kind-hearted girl she was, she subtly pushed her answer sheet toward him.
"C-Chiba-kun…" she whispered, hoping to help.
Gakuya gently shook his head, signaling he didn't need it. Hinata obediently pulled her sheet back.
Not long after, Karin established the telepathic link.
"Gakuya, Hikari, can you hear me? If you can, give me a little nod."
Gakuya gave a slight nod, letting her know the connection was working.
From her seat in the back, Karin whispered mentally: "Okay, I'll start reading the answers now. First question—cipher translation. The answer is: 'If the enemy...'"
Gakuya's pen flew across the page as he jotted everything down quickly and cleanly.
Up at the podium, Ibiki noticed. That girl… she can use telepathy techniques? Interesting.
It didn't take long before Gakuya and Hikari had finished all nine questions.
Gakuya then laid his head on the desk and relaxed while time ticked by.
...
Eventually, things proceeded exactly as they had in the original timeline. Ibiki introduced the infamous tenth question—designed purely as a test of psychological endurance.
Ibiki wrote on the board: "Listen up, rookies. I'm about to announce the tenth and final question. Understand that your choice from this moment on could affect your life forever."
"If you choose to stay and answer the tenth question, and you get it wrong, you'll be permanently banned from ever taking the Chunin Exams again. You'll remain a genin for life."
...
"But—you can choose to forfeit now. Walk away, and your teammates will be disqualified too."
"This is a decision that may follow you for the rest of your lives. If you want to quit, now's the time."
Say what you will about Ibiki, but the man knew how to dig into the human psyche. No wonder he was the head of Konoha's Interrogation Corps.
On one hand: your future. On the other: dragging down your entire team because of a failed question.
Most people, calculating the risks, would naturally lean toward the safer option.
Inuzuka Kiba slammed the desk. "What kind of crap rule is this?! Tons of people here have taken the Chunin Exams before!"
Ibiki sneered. "Then you're just unlucky. This year's proctor is me—and I am the rules."
"If you don't have confidence, you're welcome to come back next year. Or the year after that."
A tense silence stretched for nearly three minutes… until finally, someone caved.
"I give up," a boy whispered, raising his hand. "Sorry… Yuto, Tōki…"
A nearby chunin proctor checked the sheet. "Candidate #91, disqualified. That also disqualifies #76 and #48."
One of the teammates stood up and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't be sorry. I was gonna quit anyway."
The three of them walked out together.
Once one person broke, others followed like dominoes. Several more raised their hands, unable to endure the pressure.
Gakuya lifted his head, yawning lazily as he turned toward Naruto.
Let's see if this iconic moment still happens…
Naruto's hand was trembling as he slowly raised it, eyes filled with conflict. He was clearly at war with himself.
Everyone stared. The whole room seemed to freeze, watching to see what he'd do next.
Then, just when it looked like he was about to forfeit—BAM! He slammed his palm onto the desk, the sound echoing through the room.
"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto shouted, standing tall. "I'm not backing down. Even if I have to stay a genin for life, I'll never quit! I'm gonna become Hokage—no matter what!"
His voice rang with conviction, slicing through the tension like a kunai through paper.
Those who had been teetering on the edge… suddenly found their resolve. One by one, their expressions hardened. Nobody else raised their hand.
"I made a promise… and I'm sticking to it. That's my ninja way!"
His words exploded like thunder in everyone's hearts.
Ibiki continued watching the crowd, applying pressure in silence—but no one else budged. Their eyes now burned with courage and determination.
Gakuya couldn't help but find it all a little entertaining.
So even now, Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu is already starting to bloom. Just a few lines and he rallied an entire room.
Guess we'll see if that mouth of his works on me too someday… but either way, it's worth testing.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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