chapter 25; The Chūnin Exam Begins: Unveiling Secrets and Unforeseen Strategies

Shortly after Class 8 settled down, an increasing number of Genin wearing Konoha Forehead Protectors or other Ninja Forehead Protectors started entering the classroom.

Among these candidates, Sato spotted Team Dosu, the Gaara group from Sunagakure, the Team 3 from the previous session which included Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee as well as Ino-Shika-Chō and Team Seven...

Team 10 had just entered the classroom when Ino quickly spotted Sato among the many candidates. Ignoring the malicious gazes from those who had previously been taught a lesson by Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique but failed to learn, Ino approached Sato with a beaming smile.

The candidates who had received a beating from Sato and feared humiliation once again sweatily lowered their heads, hoping to avoid any further embarrassment.

As for the protagonist group, Team Seven quickly became the center of attention in the classroom, just as in the original story.

By the way...

Since Sato had been unbeatable for many years, Uchiha Sasuke was curious about what experiences Sato had undergone in the past few months. After inquiring about Rock Lee and Gaara, Uchiha Sasuke turned his attention to Sato.

Upon learning that Sato had completed hundreds of D-rank missions and dozens of C-rank missions after graduation, far surpassing their Team 7, Uchiha Sasuke's eyes filled with determination.

Yes, determination, not resignation!

Uchiha Sasuke exuded confidence in every fiber of his being, despite his mission experience being far inferior to Sato's. In his eyes, Sato, a mere ordinary civilian, would no longer be his match. The opponent's illusions and fighting skills were all futile in the eyes of the Uchiha clan.

This Chūnin exam would be his opportunity to restore the glory of the Uchiha clan.

By the way...

Due to Sato breaking the illusion barrier in advance, Uchiha Sasuke hadn't been severely beaten by Rock Lee, allowing his arrogance to remain intact.

However, it wouldn't be long before his arrogance would be shattered by a certain Kage-level expert who entered the fish pond to catch fish.

As Yakushi Kabuto deliberately ridiculed the weak strength of Otogakure and was "injured" by Team Dosu, Ibiki Morino finally took the invigilators onto the stage to put an end to the farce orchestrated by Kabuto himself, officially commencing the first exam.

After Ibiki Morino explained the exam rules, the exam papers were distributed.

Sato, upon receiving the test paper, began reviewing the questions and discovered that half of them were esoteric cultural questions, while the other half consisted of equally esoteric ninja knowledge that Genin rarely encountered.

However, these questions posed no difficulty for Sato, who excelled in cultural studies. Given Hinata's ranking among the top ten in the class, he believed she would also fare well. As for Shino, Sato trusted his analytical mind to grasp the true meaning of the exam.

As a member of the Aburame clan and a Konoha Shinobi, Shino's ability to copy answers would not be penalized.

With that in mind, Sato picked up the pen and swiftly began answering the questions.

During the process, many candidates who were unable to answer resorted to showcasing their magical powers, utilizing various ninjutsu techniques, and employing strange props to copy answers from those who had already written them.

During this time, Sato noticed someone peeping at his answers but chose not to confront them. The real challenge of this exam lay in the tenth question at the end. Even if candidates answered the first nine questions correctly, their inability to handle the psychological pressure of the tenth question would still eliminate them.

Therefore, Sato generously allowed them to copy his answers.

As time passed, the invigilators swiftly deducted five points from candidates who blatantly plagiarized, resulting in their elimination and implicating their peers.

Some candidates, lacking strong mental fortitude, subconsciously restrained themselves.

With only fifteen minutes remaining in the one-hour exam, Ibiki Morino, whose face was scarred, wore a relatively ferocious smile as he declared, "That's it, put down your pens now. I will announce the content of the tenth question."

"But before I reveal the content of the tenth question, you need to make a choice..."

Hibiki Morino unleashed his intimidating aura, reminding those candidates who were not psychologically strong enough that answering incorrectly would bar them from becoming Chūnin for life, while abstaining would automatically disqualify them from the multiple-choice section.

Upon realizing the consequences, some candidates who had managed to answer the first nine questions through various means succumbed to the psychological pressure and chose to give up on this Chūnin exam, opting to try again in the future.

Fifteen minutes of consideration time had passed, but only five minutes were needed for one-fifth of the candidates to make their choices.

Considering the candidates who had been eliminated earlier, two-fifths of the classroom's seats were now vacant.

Observing an increasing number of candidates choosing to abstain, Naruto, sitting next to Hinata just as in the original story, suddenly slammed the table, inspiring those Genin who had wavered to regain their determination.

Witnessing this, Ibiki regarded Naruto with admiration, realizing that none of the remaining candidates would choose to abstain no matter how much pressure he exerted.

Just minutes before the end of the exam, Morino Ibiki announced that all the remaining candidates had passed.

This result left the candidates who had steeled themselves to face the hellish tenth question stunned and bewildered. Many of them couldn't accept it and sought clarification.

Even though Ibiki explained the true purpose of the first exam, many still couldn't comprehend it.

Only Naruto, whose test paper had remained blank except for his name, was pleasantly surprised. After escaping, he proudly crossed his arms, much to Hinata's astonishment.

This person... is amazing!

It must be said that Naruto's strategy was truly formidable.

Apart from him, who handed in a blank paper, even Sato, who understood the purpose of the exam, didn't choose to do the same.

Sato never relied solely on the so-called plot or Naruto's plot armor. He would only utilize his knowledge of the plot to maximize his own interests.

Thus, he answered the questions seriously, aware that a butterfly effect could come into play.

This caution was precisely the disadvantage of knowing too much.