"You trash—stop making a scene!"
Just as Dosu, Zaku, and Kin were facing off against Kabuto and the Genin of Konoha's Team 7 and Team 8, a small explosion suddenly erupted from the podium at the back of the classroom. A thick cloud of smoke filled the space, engulfing the stage.
From within the smoke came a deep, gravelly voice that echoed throughout the room and into the ears of the many examinees.
"What's going on!?"
The sudden bang and billowing smoke startled the Genin sitting near the front. As the haze began to clear, everyone saw that the podium was now occupied by a group of Konoha ninja—each one wearing a forehead protector and crisp standard-issue uniforms.
At the front stood a grim middle-aged man in a black coat, his face covered in scars. The rest stood silently behind him, hands clasped behind their backs, coldly surveying the examinees.
This dramatic entrance was clearly meant to establish dominance. After all, many of these Genin were the elite of their own villages and likely wouldn't show respect to outsiders—especially not right away. A powerful first impression was necessary to keep things under control during the exam.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
The man in the black coat—his face bearing several gruesome scars—attempted a smile, but the result was more chilling than friendly.
"I'm Morino Ibiki," he said. "Chief Examiner for the first stage of the Chūnin Selection Exams."
He raised his right hand and pointed directly toward the entrance. Many examinees flinched instinctively. A few even broke into cold sweats.
"The three Genin from Otogakure who stirred up trouble before the exam began—do you want to be disqualified?"
His cold gaze bore into Dosu, Zaku, and Kin.
Zaku scowled defiantly, but Kin quickly tugged on his sleeve to stop him. Dosu stepped forward and said smoothly, "Apologies. It's our first time taking the exam—we got a little excited."
Ibiki sneered, but he accepted the excuse.
"Let me take this chance to make things very clear," he said.
"You are not permitted to fight without explicit permission from the examiners. And even if you are given permission, you're absolutely forbidden from using lethal force."
Ibiki scanned the room slowly. Any Genin who met his eyes immediately looked away.
"Anyone who disobeys these rules will be immediately disqualified. Understood?"
As he said this, Zaku muttered under his breath with a smirk, "This test is gonna be too easy if we're not even allowed to kill."
"Now then," Ibiki continued, his tone neutral again. "Let's begin the first phase of the Chūnin Exams."
"You will now submit your application forms in order. In exchange, you'll receive a number tag, which corresponds to your seat. Go to your assigned seat. Once everyone is seated, we will distribute the written test."
"There really is a written test?"
Chōji groaned upon hearing this. He'd never been strong in academics—especially theoretical knowledge. Even though Shikamaru had predicted a written component earlier, the reality hit hard now.
"Don't get discouraged, Chōji!"
Ino glanced around, then held up a finger to her lips, signaling him to keep quiet. She leaned over and whispered, "If it's a written test, we can cheat!"
"Yeah! Genius girl to the rescue! We'll be counting on you!"
Ino gave Shikamaru a playful wink and grinned cheerfully.
Shikamaru chuckled and gave a slight nod in agreement.
After receiving their number tags, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji separated and found their designated seats.
The Konoha proctors went around the classroom, placing each exam sheet face-down on the desks.
Shikamaru wasn't seated near any familiar Genin. He didn't recognize the other Konoha ninja near him either, but he didn't particularly care.
Once all the papers had been handed out, Ibiki rapped the blackboard loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
"No answering yet. And don't flip the papers over!"
"This exam comes with several important rules," Ibiki continued, beginning to write on the blackboard. "I will now go over each one. You are not allowed to ask questions. Got it?"
This exam wasn't just about theoretical knowledge—it was also a test of information-gathering. Ninja often obtained intel under passive or covert conditions, sometimes from a single word or glance. There wouldn't always be time or room for clarification. The ability to infer hidden meaning through logic and deduction was critical.
Any examinee who couldn't even decipher the rules of this test didn't deserve to move forward.
"Rule one," Ibiki said, writing as he spoke. "The test is graded using a deduction system. Each person starts with ten points. There are ten questions, each worth one point. For every incorrect answer, one point is subtracted."
"Rule two: your score will be based on the combined total of your three-man cell. You are not graded individually, but as a team."
"Wait—what!?"
As soon as Ibiki finished explaining the second rule, Sakura could no longer stay calm.
Knowing how disastrous Naruto's academic performance was, she panicked and raised her hand. "Why is the test graded by team average!?"
"I don't like repeating myself," Ibiki said curtly without even turning around. "Would you prefer to be disqualified instead?"
Ignoring Sakura's dismay, he continued, "Now, the most important rule—rule three."
"If you are caught doing anything suspicious—like cheating—or if a proctor deems that you are cheating…"
Ibiki's lips curled into a smile, though no one could see it with his back turned.
"…you'll lose two points per incident. If your score reaches zero, you're out. Immediately."
"Remember that."
He finished writing all three rules, then turned to face the room, a cruel smile on his scarred face.
"Anyone stupid enough to cheat is digging their own grave. If you want to become a Chūnin, then act in a way that befits a true shinobi."
"Oh, and one more thing."
As if just remembering, he added, "If someone loses all their points from cheating or finishes the exam with a score of zero, their entire team is disqualified along with them."
With the rules explained, Ibiki announced the start of the exam. Immediately, the sound of rustling paper filled the room.
Shikamaru flipped open his test and skimmed it quickly. He let out a long sigh.
The first question was cryptography—not just decoding a cipher, but analyzing its pattern and then writing a short message using the same method.
Subsequent questions covered trap construction, terrain analysis, interrogation, counter-tracking, creating decoys...
Though there were only nine questions, they touched on almost every major theoretical concept from the Academy.
One trap-construction question alone required knowledge of physics, logic, psychology, and complex math formulas.
And no scratch paper was allowed. All work had to be done mentally.
They're basically forcing people to cheat…
Shikamaru sighed quietly, glancing toward one of the proctors—Kamizuki Izumo, a familiar face.
But he knew there'd be no favors. Not that he needed any.
The questions were difficult, but not beyond reach for those who had paid attention in class.
In the original series, Sakura had been able to answer them all easily. Shikamaru, a former top student in his past life and a diligent one in this life, had no problem with them either.
After all, being a shinobi meant more than just combat skills.
Ninja were elite operatives—intelligence-gathering, espionage, analysis, tracking, deception, psychological warfare...
This broad skill set was what made shinobi surpass traditional warriors and mercenaries, and why their numbers were always kept low—they weren't just strong, they were versatile.
While mentally solving the exam, Shikamaru realized something about his team's seating arrangement.
His seat was at the very back. Ino was in front of him, and Chōji sat diagonally between them.
That meant Ino couldn't use her Mind Body Switch Technique to read Shikamaru's answers and transmit them to Chōji.
Ino would have to pick someone ahead of her who was writing fluently and transfer that intel instead.
But Chōji? He would need help—from Shikamaru himself.
Quietly, Shikamaru formed a seal and activated his Shadow Imitation Technique. His shadow extended like a thin line, weaving between other examinees' feet until it linked with Chōji's.
Wait—is this Shikamaru's jutsu?
Chōji, previously panicking over the exam and their seating, suddenly froze.
His body began moving on its own.
It straightened the test paper, picked up the pencil, paused briefly—then began writing fluently, question after question.
As the impossibly difficult problems began to get solved one by one, Chōji's nervous expression eased.
So it really is Shikamaru controlling me with his shadow jutsu.
A small smile crept across his face.
Looks like I'm getting a perfect score today!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin