In Konoha Village, inside the ninja school, there was a classroom specially prepared for this Chūnin Exam.
About forty active Konoha Genin were sitting upright, seriously answering questions.
Of course, the participants in this Chūnin Exam were not limited to just those in this classroom. This was just one of many exam rooms.
And our main character, Uchiha Tōshirō, along with his three teammates, was also in this classroom.
The arrangement was quite intentional!
You could see some people discreetly looking around or pacing back and forth. Various insects, ninjutsu, and secret techniques were being used by the ninjas, indicating there was much going on behind the scenes.
Of course, occasionally some unlucky person would be caught by the proctors.
If their methods were advanced, these proctoring ninjas might turn a blind eye, pretending not to see anything. Cheating was one thing, but getting caught was another, especially since they were all ninjas from their own village. Moreover, there seemed to be a deliberate intent from above to increase the number of promotions to Chūnin this time around.
So, many were nonchalant about it!
However, there were always some people who wouldn't play by the unspoken rules and disrupt the atmosphere.
For instance, there was a guy sitting in front of Uchiha Zhe.
"Number 57, disqualified from the exam!"
A voice like the judgment of a criminal resounded through the classroom. A guy around fourteen or fifteen was dragged out by two suddenly appearing proctors!
Although he showed no signs of giving up and kept struggling, the massive difference in strength meant his efforts were in vain. The proctors even became more impatient.
Looking at the document in his hand, one proctor then loudly announced: "The team members of Number 57, Numbers 58 and 59, are also disqualified due to your teammate's cheating."
After announcing the decision, the proctor stared intently at the panicked Numbers 58 and 59, waiting for their next move! If these two didn't know their place, the proctors wouldn't show any mercy. Maintaining the order of the exam room was their duty!
Facing not only the proctor on the podium but also several proctors around the room who seemed ready to act, the two Genin affected by their teammate's actions looked dejected. They stood up with gray faces and left the exam room, ending their failed Chūnin Exam attempt!
In contrast, Uchiha Tōshirō found himself in a difficult situation. Sitting behind Number 57 and witnessing his actions, he had been eager to try but was now hesitant.
On one hand, most of the content on the paper was beyond his knowledge. On the other hand, having witnessed what had just happened, he was frightened.
Not that he feared being caught cheating, but he didn't want to implicate his teammates. If he caused both Tōshirō and Yan to lose their qualifications, he would feel extremely guilty!
Just as he was hesitating, an opportunity quietly presented itself~
Sitting behind him, with a three or four rows distance, Tōshirō seemed quite relaxed. Always valuing theoretical knowledge, he faced the questions on the paper without any pressure. He quickly and effortlessly completed the answers.
Back in the ninja school, he could only borrow relatively superficial books. After becoming a ninja, his access to knowledge greatly expanded. In this entire classroom, including the proctors, nobody could rival him in theoretical knowledge.
This world's ordinary ninja still valued practical combat knowledge more.
The struggling Uchiha Tōshirō suddenly saw Uchiha Yan in front of him making a gesture toward him. Slightly stunned, he then rejoiced!
He mentally complained that the proctors were troublesome; had they seated him, Yan, and Tōshirō together, it would have saved a lot of trouble!
Little did he know, the proctors intentionally scattered his and his teammates' seats to increase the difficulty for weaker students like him to cheat!
This way, they could expose those with obvious cheating methods and disqualify some participants!
If he was not only weak but also had poor methods and unskilled teammates, he didn't deserve to be a Chūnin. Better to try again in a year or two, lest he went to the battlefield and died without knowing how!
While he prayed for everything to go smoothly, Uchiha Tōshirō slowly took off his forehead protector and placed it diagonally on his desk, pretending to be deep in thought while subtly adjusting its angle. As he adjusted it, his forehead protector began to reflect the scene behind him. A flash of blood-red light appeared on the forehead protector.
Uchiha Tōshirō experienced a brief moment of stiffness but recovered in ten seconds. Then he acted as if nothing had happened, starting to write on his exam paper.
The proctors mostly didn't react, except for one who seemed aware, looking in Tōshirō's and Tōshirō's direction briefly, but showing no obvious concern. The proctors continued to supervise the students.
Uchiha Tōshirō showed no signs, focused on writing. Tōshirō silently sighed, realizing that one should never underestimate any ninja. He was sure that when he used the Sharingan to cast a genjutsu via the reflection on the forehead protector, the proctoring Chūnin would have noticed something. Even if they didn't see it directly, they could deduce it from Tōshirō's removal of the forehead protector.
(End of the chapter)