Konoha: Starting with a sign-in for Hashirama cells

"But, but..." Sakura stammered.

"But what but? It's better to be early than late. It's still early before we need to rest. Let's go." Naruto urged.

Having successfully gotten rid of Sakura, Naruto wiped away non-existent beads of sweat.

Fortunately, he had Sasuke, which was the perfect excuse he could use on Sakura. Otherwise, if Sakura had stayed there to keep an eye on him, he wouldn't have been able to concentrate on his training.

After leaving the back mountain, Sakura was both amused and exasperated: "But it did remind me that I can use the Flying Thunder God Technique to call Sasuke."

I don't need it, but Ino does.

I've been troubling Ino all this time. As her best friend, it's time to lend Ino a hand and help her get together with Sasuke.

Having made up her mind, Sakura glanced back at the back mountain and ran off.

Ino family.

Ino was surprised that Sakura had returned so quickly, and after hearing Sakura explain her purpose, Ino's face froze.

"Well, actually, I don't really want to be in a relationship. Um, well, I was scared by Naruto, I want to be alone for a while."

Chapter 54 Chunin Exams, First Round

The first part of the Chunin Exams, the written test, was held at the Ninja Academy.

With the admission ticket he had obtained from Kakashi beforehand, Naruto pushed open the door and walked into the classroom.

"Huh? This is the exam room? Why is there so much clutter here! Where are the seats?" Naruto was stunned, stepped back and glanced at the classroom door number.

That's right.

Just as stated on the admission ticket.

The Nine-Tails, which was feigning sleep in the sealed space, snorted and reminded in a calm tone, "It's an illusion."

With Kurama's help, Naruto broke the genjutsu, and suddenly the classroom door number changed.

"In the story, there are two Chunin here, using genjutsu to block some Genin. Those who can't see through the genjutsu don't even have the right to enter the correct classroom."

"So it turns out it wasn't those two people maintaining it, but rather an illusion barrier set up here."

Having figured this out, Naruto covered his face and turned to find the actual examination room.

I don't want to be a third wheel.

I don't want to see Sasuke and Rock Lee fight.

The main problem is that the sign-in cooldown hasn't ended yet, so I can't sign in for the Eight Gates Formation. I can see it, but I can't get it, so I'm envious.

So, before dawn, he left a note for Sakura, who was still asleep, and went out.

It took about five minutes to find the exam room. Naruto took out two rice balls made from leftover rice from last night and filled his stomach.

Sitting in the corner, he slowly moved his left and right hands, simulating the scene and timing of using the Rasenshuriken.

Gradually, the number of genin in the examination hall increased, and they sized each other up.

Some were indifferent and composed, while others were dismissive and disdainful.

Because everyone was in groups of three, Naruto, who was alone in the corner, stood out. Some genin even mistook him for an examiner in disguise.

"Look, isn't this the person whose name Gaara asked before?" Kankuro whispered.

Temari glanced at Naruto and nodded.

Then look at Gaara, whose forehead veins are bulging. He's in a crowded place, wanting to see blood, but he has to endure it.

I regret coming so early.

If Gaara loses his temper and goes berserk, then…

Ino also regretted arriving too early.

If she had known Naruto was here alone, she would never have come so early.

Even without Sakura around, his gaze would always involuntarily drift towards Naruto, lost in fantasies.

What's worse is that Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto have a good relationship. If they go to greet Naruto, how could she not go with them?

As the distance closed, my heart rate gradually increased. The classroom was already crowded and stuffy, and now I felt like I was suffocating.

Fortunately, she maintained a perfect facade; no matter how intense her inner turmoil, she always wore a calm and composed expression.

"Oh my, you guys are here pretty early." With his head adorned with red hairpins and hands in his pockets, Ya walked straight over to join them after entering the classroom.

"It's rare that you didn't try to be number one." Naruto, who was too distracted to concentrate on the simulation, gave up and said casually.

"First..." Ya's face twitched, unable to express his suffering.

"You won't believe it, but my eighth class has had a lot of ups and downs."

"Do you remember Hinata Hyuga? She's the Byakugan girl who doesn't talk much, has a low profile, and doesn't have many friends."

"I don't know what happened, I suddenly got a message saying I have to quit... Seriously! I haven't even done a single mission, and I'm quitting? What's going on?"

"It took almost two weeks before a genin was assigned to the team, and the team was reorganized into Team 8 to begin missions."

"This genin is also very problematic..."

"Then there's an additional requirement for participating in the Chunin Exams: having completed at least one C-rank mission..."

Once he started talking, he poured out his grievances.

The culprit behind this situation is someone named Whirlpool, who keeps his eyes down and his mind at rest.

“It’s bad to talk behind someone’s back. If you ask why…” Shino’s voice rang out quietly.

Naruto glanced to the side and discovered that Shino had appeared to his left rear at some point.

"Just telling the truth," Ya muttered.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you." The person who spoke was very pale, looking like he was terminally ill and very weak.

"Nice to meet you. I am Yakumo Kurama. I used to be Kurenai-sensei's student, but due to some personal reasons, I only recently became a genin and joined Team 8."

"I hope you will continue to guide me in the future."

So that's how it is. It was Yakumo who replaced Hinata.

Naruto understood.

He hadn't paid much attention to things outside of cultivation, and only now did he realize it.

The Kurama clan's bloodline limit is a type that specializes in illusion magic, possessing the power to control the five senses and even alter reality.

Once I get my hands on the Tenseigan and some higher-priority abilities, I can try signing in.

To ensure a stable chance of obtaining Yakumo's bloodline limit, it's best to learn all of Yakumo's genjutsu and ninjutsu, excluding bloodline limits, before attempting to obtain them.

Otherwise, you'd be crying if you randomly signed in with a basic illusion spell.

With less than two minutes left before the exam started, Sakura and Sasuke finally arrived.

Also present were Team 3, led by Guy, including Lee, Neji, and Tenten.

Sasuke and Lee's faces were red, swollen, and bruised.

"Oh ho, so you were able to hurt Lee by using Lightning Release chakra to stimulate his cells and make up for the speed difference with Lee?" Naruto pondered.

Of course, this refers to Rock Lee in his normal state. Once Rock Lee uses the Eight Gates, among all the genin present, only he and Gaara can withstand it.

Oh, and Sakura too.

Use the Flying Thunder God technique to escape the scene.

The Eight Gates Formation is a forbidden technique that can only be used temporarily and cannot be sustained. Once Lee can no longer maintain the Eight Gates Formation, he will fly back.

Facing the side effects of using the Eight Gates, which make it difficult for Lee to move, he can easily win.

Kabuto, who still wanted to put on a show, saw that there wasn't much time left, smiled, and habitually pushed up his glasses.

"Return to your seats and take your places. The first test is about to begin." Ibiki Morino walked into the examination room and said, "If you don't want to be eliminated, do it immediately."

After all the genin found their seats according to the seat numbers on their admission tickets, Ibiki Morino spoke up.

"The first part is a regular written test, with a total of ten questions. I will announce the tenth question at the end. You need to complete the first nine questions first."

"Cheating in a clumsy way is not allowed. If caught five times, both the individual and their partner will be eliminated."

When the test papers were handed out, Naruto looked through them one by one and found that the questions were far beyond the knowledge of a genin.

Based on his ability to rank in the top three at the Ninja Academy, he couldn't answer a single question.

Only by relying on the knowledge he hasn't forgotten from his previous life can he answer three questions correctly; for the rest, he can only guess.

Why bother thinking about it? You can pass even if you don't answer the questions.

After thinking it over, Naruto rested his chin on one hand, twirled a pen in the other, and cleared his mind.

Thinking about what to eat for lunch—this eternal question.

Chapter 55 Naruto: Shut up!

Instead of thinking about answering the questions, Naruto went over the plans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next few days. With nothing else to do, he rolled his eyes and began observing the other genin in the examination hall.

To avoid being mistaken for clumsy cheating by the proctor and thus being eliminated.

Be careful.

"Yakumo is sitting next to me now. In the story, it was Hinata. So, does this mean that Yakumo will replace Hinata in the preliminary rounds and fight Neji?"

Yakumo's genjutsu skills were so high that even Kurenai, a Jonin who was proficient in genjutsu, was helpless against them.

If Neji wants to defeat Yakumo, he should strike before Yakumo can use his genjutsu.

It seems that the Byakugan has a certain ability to resist genjutsu. I wonder if it can break Yakumo's genjutsu.

"That person, I think his name was Akado Kai, he has the ability to absorb chakra. Can he use the chakra he absorbs? If so…"

It's still a gimmick.

Chakra can only be absorbed through physical contact, and for most ninjas, physical contact often means the end of the battle.

Moreover, it can only absorb chakra, and it has no way to deal with fully formed ninjutsu.