The Third Hokage once again ordered Yuhi Shinku to wake up Leo. Yuhi Shinku gritted his teeth and pretended to cough, but to his surprise, this stinky boy was sleeping so soundly. After coughing repeatedly for a long time, there were still no signs of Leo waking up.
Frustrated, Yuhi Shinku couldn't stop coughing. He had to force it, coughing a few times with all his strength, but the price was his voice, which felt like it was on fire. "This brat, what kind of wine did he drink? Sleeping so soundly?" He clutched his hot throat and twitched his cheeks.
Thankfully, this brat finally woke up.
"The candidates need to focus and answer the questions seriously! No looking around!" Yuhi Shinku's voice echoed. But when Leo seemed ready to fall asleep again, Yuhi Shinku grew increasingly anxious. If this boy falls asleep again, is he really going to lose his voice?
In a hurry, he shouted, "Leo, it's an exam! Don't sleep too much!"
"An exam?" Leo blinked, glanced at the test paper in front of him, and then came back to his senses.
"Yes, after the Chūnin exam, there's a whole house of fine wine waiting for me. I really love exams!" Leo recalled the reason he was here and quickly glanced at the test paper again, only to realize... there was nothing!
---
In the Hokage office, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched as Leo finally began to answer the questions and let out a long, relieved sigh. He had already provided Leo with all the answers himself; this should be foolproof, right? But as he observed, Sarutobi's expression stiffened. Leo, this brat… he was just staring at the test paper, completely lost in thought?!
"I… didn't I give you all the answers?" Sarutobi stared at Leo, a wave of frustration rising within him. He wanted to cry but couldn't. As Hokage, he had carefully prepared the answers for Leo in advance. So why wasn't he getting it? This kid must have forgotten to memorize them!
As Sarutobi's mind spun, his gaze fell on the person sitting in front of Leo. It seemed that Konoha had arranged for a Chūnin to oversee this!
"We have no choice!" Sarutobi gritted his teeth in frustration. It was shameful, but at this point, Leo's exam performance would have to make up for it!
---
In the examination room, the candidate sitting in front of Leo was Matsushita Tomiya, a Chūnin from Konoha. His role was to finish the test paper and assist the other candidates by any means, including allowing them to copy his answers. Now, Matsushita had a new task: to ensure the candidate behind him passed the exam, no matter what!
"So, let's begin..." Matsushita placed his paper to the right. Ten minutes later, Matsushita was nearly in tears. The candidate behind him hadn't even looked at the paper he'd deliberately laid out for him. Instead, Leo took out a bottle of wine and started drinking. He was about to put the paper in front of his face but didn't even glance at it.
"What should I do?" Matsushita thought, growing more anxious as the time for the exam ticked away. Looking up at the chief examiner, Yuhi Shinku, Matsushita caught his glance. Okay! That's the only way! he thought, gritting his teeth.
In a swift move, Matsushita pretended to accidentally drop his paper. As he bent down to pick it up, he quickly swapped his examination paper with Leo's, hoping no one would notice.
---
"Fuck!" The candidates copying Matsushita Tomiya's papers were stunned. What just happened? They were even more surprised when they saw the examiners hadn't noticed.
"Whaattt!"
Once Matsushita Tomiya got Leo's paper, he quickly filled it in with answers. In less than ten minutes, the paper was done. Then, he did something that left everyone dumbfounded.
"Huh—"
Matsushita Tomiya turned and blatantly placed his test paper in front of Leo's desk.
"That candidate! What are you doing?!" an examiner shouted, pointing at Matsushita Tomiya's paper. "You're disqualified! Get out! Return the paper to the candidate behind you!"
Matsushita Tomiya sighed in relief, handed Leo the completed paper, and walked out of the examination room without a second glance.
---
Is this even possible?! The entire audience was left in shock. Does Konoha think we're fools?!
At the first test site of the Chūnin exam, everyone was speechless.
"Does Konoha think we're all idiots?"
"Who is this guy? Is he the Hokage's son?"
"Advancing to the next round just like that? I want to file a protest!"
The other candidates from various Shinobi villages watched in disbelief, feeling as though their intelligence had been insulted. However, under the stern gaze of examiner Yuhi Shinku, the tension quickly faded.
Protest? They knew better than to try; skipping the exam wasn't an option. Clearly, the candidates had no say in whether they would continue or not.
"If you refuse to take the exam without permission, your village won't let you off easily," some whispered in frustration.
"This guy's all talk," one muttered under their breath.
"Just wait until the next round of exams. He'll regret it," another candidate said, clearly seething.
"Arrogant bastard," someone else hissed.
---
Many from the other villages watched Leo's back with wary eyes. While they didn't know his exact background or how he had earned such special treatment, the situation left a bitter taste. Sure, the written exam might be manipulated, but the actual combat exams? There was no way they could be fixed—unless Konoha was willing to throw away its reputation as the leading Ninja Village.
"This guy... something's off." The dried persimmon Kisame observed Leo's back, a grin spreading across his face, revealing his sharp fangs. He pondered the situation. Konoha hosting the Chūnin exam wasn't about helping a "strong rookie" get promoted—it must have been for something else.
"But if this drunk guy isn't some 'powerful rookie,' why is Konoha putting so much effort into protecting him and pushing him into the next round?" Kisame thought, his grin widening. "This is getting more and more interesting. The Chūnin exam, huh?" He showed his teeth, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.
---
Leo stared at the completed test paper in front of him, a grin spreading across his face. Is there such a good thing? One drink, and the test paper is done? He couldn't care less about why the person in front of him helped him out. With skills like that, he thought, why not have a couple more drinks?
---
"The exam is over! Stop writing!" Yuhi Shinku's voice rang out, startling many candidates both physically and mentally.
"The candidates should remain in their positions. The test results will be announced soon."
After collecting the test papers, Yuhi Shinku added, her tone final. This wasn't the time period of the original work, and things were unfolding very differently. At this point, the idea of threatening Chūnin candidates with the notion that they could never be promoted was simply shameful. Who knew when the villages would clash again? Could Konoha still determine the ninja levels of powerful villages like Yunyin and Wuyin?
Soon, the results of the exam were released. A total of 64 candidates passed the written test, leaving twenty-two teams to continue to the next phase!
Among them, Leo himself was a team.
---
"Boom!" Suddenly, a cloud of smoke filled the room, and a man with a fair complexion wearing a Konoha vest appeared.
"Lord Orochimaru, the second exam will be handed over to you," Yuhi Shinku said respectfully.
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
At this time, Orochimaru was not as gloomy and cold as he would be in the future; he smiled and spoke.
---
"Oh, Orochimaru?"
"One of Konoha's legendary 'Three Sannin'..."
"Just standing there, his presence alone sends chills down my spine."
---
"Everyone, I am the chief examiner of the second exam, Orochimaru. Now, follow me."
As Orochimaru spoke, his snake-like pupils fixed on Leo, a spark of interest gleaming in his eyes. To make the old man break Konoha's rules and push him to the next round—it was certainly intriguing.
Thinking about the things the old man had given him earlier and what he had told Konoha's candidates, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel intrigued. "I'm really looking forward to the second exam," Orochimaru smiled. This would be an unprecedented Chūnin exam.
---
With a big bag on his back and Shusui in hand, Leo followed the group to the location of the second exam: Konoha Training Field No. 44, also known as the Forest of Death! It was still a team-based challenge where teams had to gather two scrolls—one of heaven and one of earth—to proceed to the next round.
They were first required to sign a life and death waiver.
"Life and death, huh? Sounds like a good deal," Leo muttered as he stared at the waiver, his eyes gleaming. "Doesn't this mean I can take someone down without a second thought?"
"This guy's just zoning out, staring at the waiver."
"Haha, looks like someone's scared, huh? Konoha's 'great son'."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of him myself!"
---
Many people shot Leo cold glares, especially those from influential backgrounds. After all, this guy had the audacity to mock them earlier. Once they entered the Forest of Death, they'd make sure he realized just how powerful they were.
"Something's not right," Haneda Kaito muttered, his gaze fixed on Leo with a hint of suspicion.
Kisame, Haneda's teammate, glanced at Leo with a serious expression. "What? A drunk like him doesn't seem worth our attention."
Oiwa Ryo, another teammate, spoke in a deep voice, "He's a team himself."
Haneda Kaito nodded, his tone grave. "Exactly. And that makes him dangerous."
---
Soon, some of the more observant candidates noticed that Leo had formed a team by himself. They immediately became more cautious. Despite his seemingly drunk and absent demeanor, they couldn't shake the feeling that Konoha wouldn't send someone to the second round just to let them perish. There had to be something more to Leo than met the eye.
Despite the growing suspicions surrounding Leo, many of the overconfident candidates, like the muscle-bound ones from the Cloud Village, still had their eyes set on him.
---
"The Konoha candidates, gather here!" Orochimaru's voice rang out, silencing the murmurs.
---
"What is Konoha thinking?"
"Even Konoha can't be this blatant, can they?"
"This is infuriating!"
Everyone's attention snapped to Orochimaru, their eyes wide with confusion. They had expected Konoha to continue its favoritism, but the next scene left them utterly stunned.
"Master Orochimaru, what's going on?"