I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

Chapter 95 Planting Mines!

The day before the deadline for Chunin Exam registration, Sakugo summoned Haku to the Anbu base.

Three registration forms were spread out on the table, already filled out.

The name, age, and background are all fake.

The photo of Bai is pasted in the upper right corner; her hair is dyed and she has makeup on her eyes.

It's not that I'm worried about being recognized; my Ice Release Kekkei Genkai is too obvious, and it will be exposed sooner or later.

This disguise is meant to keep the opponent guessing until they encounter the enemy.

Before Mei Terumi came to Konoha, she must have investigated the village's genin. Since the name Tsukishiro wasn't in any files, his abilities were impossible to detect.

"You'll participate in the Chunin Exams." Sakugo pushed the registration form over.

Bai took it and glanced at it. "Moon White."

"I was born in a small village on the border of the Land of Fire. The Ninja Academy was a hoax, and I graduated three years ago."

Bai nodded.

"Your mission is to eliminate the Hidden Mist Village's genin. The main target is that one who wields the ninja sword Hiramekarei—Chojuro."

Sakugo took a photograph out of the drawer. In the photograph, Chojuro was wearing a dark robe from Kirigakure, glasses, and holding a sword taller than himself.

Bai took the photo and looked at it. "Yes."

"He's the strongest genin of this generation from Kirigakure. Hiramekarei has strong attack power, but he's young and inexperienced. Your Ice Release has a significant advantage." Sakugo paused for a moment.

"Don't kill anyone. Just eliminate them."

Kirigakure only has one promising talent. If he dies in the Chunin Exams, Mei Terumi will probably turn on him on the spot.

Bai put the photo into his pocket. "Understood."

"The key is the second stage, the Forest of Death. Whether you go solo or with a team is up to you."

"clear."

The Death Forest is a place that exists solely for the purpose of elimination.

The first round of the Chunin Exams: the written exam.

The classroom was packed with people. Grass Ninja, Rain Ninja, Sand Ninja, Sound Ninja, and familiar faces from Konoha—Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji—were all crammed together.

The air was stuffy, thick with the smell of sweat and the ink of paper. Bai sat in the corner by the window, with a grass ninja with a topknot on his left and a rain ninja with a face full of pimples on his right, both of them secretly sizing him up.

Bai didn't look back; his gaze remained fixed on the blank answer sheet on the table.

Ibiki Morino stood on the platform, wearing a long black robe, with two vertical scars on his face and eyes like knives. He glanced at the examinees below and spoke, his voice low and deep, like sandpaper rubbing against sheet metal.

"The first test was a written exam. The rules were very simple."

A line of text had appeared on the whiteboard behind him sometime during the exam: Exam duration: one hour; total score: one hundred points; each question: ten points.

The students lowered their heads, and the classroom fell silent, with only the scratching sound of pens moving across paper.

Bai picked up his pen and answered the questions one by one, at a moderate pace, with neat handwriting and rigorous logic.

Occasionally, a student would look up and steal a glance at another's paper, but Ibixi didn't stop them. Time ticked by. The clock struck fifty; the time for the first nine questions was up, and Ibixi hadn't moved an inch.

Some students in the classroom began to feel uneasy; some whispered among themselves, and some put down their pens only to pick them up again. Ibixi stood motionless on the podium, like a statue.

"Time's up," Ibiki finally said. "The first nine questions are now complete."

The classroom fell silent for a moment. Some people let out a long sigh of relief, while others wiped the sweat from their brows. Bai placed his pen on the corner of the desk, flexed his fingers, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Ibixi.

"The final, tenth question, is about to be announced." Ibiki's voice was even deeper. "There are two choices for this question: answer it, or don't answer it."

Naruto raised his hand. "Teacher, what's the tenth question?"

"There are no questions." Ibiki looked at him. "Those who choose not to answer, along with their teammates, will be disqualified from the exam on the spot. Those who choose to answer, if they answer correctly, will pass the written test. If they answer incorrectly, they will not only be disqualified from the exam themselves, but will also be permanently disqualified from participating in the Chunin Exams and will never be allowed to take them again."

The classroom erupted in chaos.

Some people slammed their fists on the table and stood up, some bit their lips and trembled, and some buried their heads in their hands on the table.

Naruto looked around and saw Sasuke with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Sakura's face was pale, and her hands were clenched into fists under the table. Shikamaru rested his chin on his hand, muttering "What a nuisance," his mind already racing.

"I've finished explaining the rules." Ibiki placed his hands on the podium. "Time is limited. Make your choice."

Someone raised their hand and gave up.

One, two, three, and more and more.

A third of the students left the classroom, while a third remained hesitant.

Bai didn't move. He looked down at the answer sheet, which was already filled with the answers to the first nine questions.

The handwriting is neat and the logic is rigorous.

He didn't need to worry about the tenth question, because he already knew that Ibiki's tenth question wasn't testing knowledge, but courage and willpower. Naruto would help him solve that question.

"It's so noisy!"

Naruto kicked the table, stood up, and slammed his fist on the table.

"I don't care about any rules! What do you mean I can never be a Chunin! I'm going to be Hokage! I'm going to pass the Chunin Exams! Nobody can stop me!"

Ibihi looked at him, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

Originally, due to the pressure from Ibixi, many people were having second thoughts.

But with Naruto's "mischief," the tense atmosphere instantly dissipated.

Ibihi's gaze swept around.

He muttered to himself, "There are quite a few people left."

He didn't say anything more, because he knew that no one would quit now.

After the first written exam, those who passed walked out of the teaching building in twos and threes.

Naruto stretched lazily, raising his hands above his head and grinning from ear to ear. "I passed! I knew I could pass!" Sakura Haruno patted her chest, while Sasuke walked at the very back with his hands in his pockets.

Shiro emerged from the side door and stood under the eaves, sunlight streaming through his hair. Shin and Rin were already waiting outside. Shin leaned against the railing, twirling a kunai between his fingers; Rin clutched a huge scroll, her dark circles even more pronounced than yesterday.

"Pretty simple, huh?" Zhen said with a hint of pride.

The next morning, at the entrance to the Forest of Death.

Dozens of small teams huddled together, their headbands gleaming in the morning light.

Mitarashi Anko stood in front of the gate, her long black hair flowing, wearing a mesh bodysuit, and a malicious smile on her face. She held a wooden box in her arms, with two openings on it, labeled "Heaven" and "Earth".

"Half of the celestial scroll and half of the terrestrial scroll. Collect a pair within three days and reach the central tower."

The candidates stepped forward one by one.

Hongdou raised her chin, her voice not loud but each word carrying a chill: "The Death Forest is full of ferocious beasts, poisonous insects, poisonous fog, traps, you name it. In previous years, more than one examinee has died there."

She paused. "There's a waiver here; you need to sign it to get in. If you want to back out now, it's not too late."

No one moved.

At this point, no one chose to quit.

Perhaps it's because they haven't experienced the terror of the Death Forest.

The examiner was just trying to scare people.

"Since you all want to die—let's begin."

The candidates took turns pulling out the scroll.