Sakumo Hatake. It was my first time seeing him as such, I mean, in the flesh. I had to say, he looked imposing. Even standing still, he carried a certain aura, and while in the show, I remember Kakashi looking unassuming and nonchalant to the kids at first meeting; his father was anything but that. It was clear as day when looking at him that he might be someone who could contend for the Hokage's seat if he wanted to… Or if he lived long enough, that is. I couldn't help but think back to his fate, that certain mission… Tsk. There was so little info about it, which was now bothering me. I will have to make sure that whenever that happens, I am either there or there after. The people must not chase him into suicide. Thinking about it… Is Kakashi born yet? I will have to ask subtly when I have the chance.
"All candidates for the Chūnin Exams," he began again, and his voice cut cleanly through the air, making us feel that his power here was absolute, sounding as a proper command, "Follow me."
Naturally, we all moved at once and walked after him, past the now rows of Chūnins, flanking us from both sides. It was indeed a show of strength from Konoha's side, impressing the neighboring, smaller countries and subtly telling them which neighbor they should stand with. Despite the mass of genins present, counting nearly a hundred, we easily funneled through the entrance and into the building. The shift was immediate after we passed through the door: on the outside, there had been sunlight, space, and blue skies; inside, it suddenly felt darker, greyer, and more oppressive. I guess it was intentional, a kind of psychic warfare already happening, trying to cause us to get nervous and make mistakes. Nice.
Taking a deeper breath made it feel like a trap was closing around us... Mhm. I wonder, was this a type of genjutsu? I subtly called upon my Sharingan, and sure enough, there was a faint trace of chakra, no, multiple chakras baked into the air inside. Heh. As for Sakumo, he led us into the examination hall, which was large, rectangular, and stripped bare of whatever was housed there before. What remained there were rows upon rows of simple desks arranged in perfect symmetry, like a formation, each separated just enough to control the students' cooperation or cheating efforts, but not far enough to actually prevent it. I felt like being back in school, taking finals… ew. I always hated that. As I was reminiscing, the Chūnin proctors walked in after us and lined the walls like officers, their arms crossed as they scanned us warily, with no smiles or kind nods; it was all to raise our level of nervousness.
"Sit," Sakumo said simply, and because there was no real order or named tables, we did so quickly, barely even speaking to the others.
Of course, Minato took the seat beside me, while around us, the rest of the genins also settled into place. I watched as, naturally, the villages sat close to each other, with the Hyūga group on the far side from us, the Ino–Shika–Chō settling into the rows between them and me, and the foreign teams deliberately taking seats in their own little clusters at the different rows and edges of the room. After we all sat down, Sakumo stood before the class, looking at us without a smile, only tapping on his forearm, counting something. Or was it part of the genjutsu I noticed? Both? Hm... Comparing his and Ibiki's future demeanor… I had to say, Ibiki had it better, thanks to all those damn scars he will acquire. Poor guy.
"This is the first stage of the Chūnin Exams." Sakumo began explaining, "You will be given a written test so we can ascertain you indeed have what it takes to advance a tier."
I heard a few almost inaudible exhales around the room, because, I guess, not everyone was aware that there would be written tests in this phase. Too bad… I even know that it's just a farce.
"Do not misunderstand." He continued, looking over us all, pausing every whisper that broke out, "This is a test of knowledge." I was about to smile when suddenly he said something I hadn't expected: "But more than just a written exam, this is a test of information gathering. Of your capabilities to achieve it."
Huh?
"You are shinobi." He went on without pause, "On the battlefield, you will not be handed any easy questions nor clear answers, nor will you be told to fill out forms! You will not be told what is correct and what isn't; you will only get an order, a task, and your brain to complete it. Every protocol is only a guideline because war is unpredictable, and you will have to adapt. And most importantly… You won't know everything. You won't know what the enemy's plans are, or what their movements are. You will be expected to acquire information… by any means necessary."
No way you are telling us so openly… I did not expect that.
"You are allowed to cheat."
Damn. He really did say it out loud! More than that, he doubled down with his next sentence.
"You are expected to cheat. However…" his voice sharpened, just enough for everyone to stiffen and wipe off their sudden smiles and surprises, "if you are caught, you fail. You are in three-man groups. If one of yours fails, we will eject them, no questions asked, no details given. The other two can still finish the test, and take up the slack and points to 'save' their captured comrade, but… Repeated failure within a team… will result in full disqualification."
Damn… I couldn't help but bite my lips, because we were only two… I immediately exchanged a look with Minato, and we both shrugged. That's… unfair.
"A shinobi who cannot gather information…" Sakumo's eyes narrowed, noticing our exchange but mostly ignoring it, "…is already dead. They just don't know it yet. If I hear any of you to say it is unfair, try to say it on the battlefield, to your enemy, who is there to... kill you." And with that bombshell sentence, the proctors put papers before us, while Sakumo simply waved a hand and told us that the first test was already on its way: "Begin."
Looking down at the paper before me, there were simply ten questions on it, so I glanced over them once… Then again… Yeah. These were some absurd questions, alright. Okay, okay, not all of them. The absurd part was the last three questions: theoretical chakra-flow models for group formations, one for complex sealing logic, and lastly, battlefield probability scenarios. This wasn't genin-level at all, and I hate anything to do with math. As for the remaining questions, they weren't that bad. I could tell that the test assumed that whoever was taking it had enough missions under their belt to know these things. However, I was pretty sure that some of the questions were also above what Chūnins would know, but… oh well. I picked up my brush just as Minato did the same beside me, and we started writing. We were the first ones, that was the immediate thing that I noticed, because most people weren't answering them at all. They were waiting… For? Oh. Oh... Come on! Were you all thinking of copying from us now? I could tell that their attention had moved to us two, being the first to start filling out the papers.
Oh well… Knowing that Minato would probably ace it anyway, I returned to my own sheet, deciding to do my best to counter their prying eyes. Hmph, if the test is about information gathering, I will show that I can mask it. So, while writing, I was making sure to move my fingers in a way that anyone trying to read my hand movements would get gibberish. As for anyone deciding to use a jutsu on me, I would fire back with my Sharingan and a genjutsu of my own.
As for my actual answers, I found that some of the theoretical questions, such as how I would assault a described enemy location, were easy to answer. With all that I knew about this world, and with details from my old life and military advancements, not to mention historical knowledge and the number of videos I watch on the topic, I began filling it out with excessive detail. Maybe even give them some new ideas, like team compositions, supply runs, guerrilla warfare… tricks that went against the Geneva Convention, which wasn't a thing in here. The good stuff. As for the math-heavy questions, I will leave it up to Minato and copy it from him with my Sharingan. Easy.
After filling out the paper and reaching the math problems, I became curious about how the others were doing. As I glanced around, I noticed the Hyūga brothers stirring. I didn't even need to look directly at them; I could feel their simple answer to their issue: Byakugan. What else? They didn't even need to turn their heads, just look ahead, keep writing, and copy. Damn owls. I could catch the faint veins bulging at their temples from where I was sitting… They weren't even pretending, huh? I could almost feel how Hiashi's gaze swept across the room, probably focusing on Minato, who was still writing like a good little student. Then, Hizashi followed a moment later, covering a different angle, so I just gave them a smirk, using my Sharingan to warn them not to try to look directly at us. Try to copy us, and I will make sure you draw a big fat penis on your paper.
Feeling his gaze move from me, I let my eyes drift lower, dispersing my Sharingan as another movement caught my attention, and I noticed it, right on the floor. It had to be Shibi's work, as his insects were already crossing the floor. They were crawling along the legs of desks, across the room, up the backs of chairs. Huh, a system to its own. I was wondering if the proctors and Sakumo were evaluating all the methods we were using and deciding to catch those that were sub-par… probably. It made sense as I thought about it.
I watched the bugs crawl up the chairs, and it was then that I noticed that close to me, Shikaku hadn't written a single answer yet. Yet, his eyes, from what I could tell, were moving rapidly and not randomly. He was… Tracking? Or… Mapping? Maybe identifying targets.
"Inoichi," he muttered quietly, barely moving his lips.
As for what he was saying, I couldn't hear the words, but I didn't need to, because Inoichi's posture shifted slightly. Ah… I see. He targeted those Shikaku identified, used his Yamanaka gift to look through their eyes before he 'returned' and began writing the answers. As for… Chōza... He was still eating, looking completely relaxed. If you didn't know better, you'd think he wasn't part of anything, but in fact, the rustle of his pockets, the food bag, every noise, crunch, and chew he made was perfectly timed, masking when either Inoichi or Shikaku made a noise or spoke up. Heh, their teamwork was great, and Inoichi simply had to switch minds with them and write the answers down for the two after he was done with his. I almost laughed, because they were running a pretty impressive operation here.
I was about to go back to my questions when a faint shimmer caught my eye to the left, from the direction of the group from Takigakure. It was a thin film across the desk surface, probably water, acting like a mirror, reflecting light just the right way, using it to bounce it around. Oh no, boy, you won't... I used my Sharingan, so when he angled it in a way to look towards me, what he was hit with was a simple genjutsu that made him jump in his chair.
It was also the first time I used something Fugaku had taught me, which was that we don't need direct eye contact. A lift of a finger, a sound, a twitch was enough to induce it, and, apparently, I can do it even through reflections. As for what I made him see, was Sakumo looking back at him, ehehe...
"You're not even trying to hide it," Minato whispered faintly beside me, not looking up from his paper, noticing that I wasn't paying attention to my own.
"I'm just running counter-ops," I replied quietly, masking a chuckle that wanted to escape my lips. "We have the solutions, I'm not going to let them take it so easily. Don't worry, I'm covering your part too."
"I know you haven't got to the math part yet. I am there now."
I smirked slightly and closed one of my eyes, utilizing another trick I picked up while training with Fugaku. I was only using one Sharingan to glance towards him and start copying his answers down, keeping my other eye sealed and in reverse, so if anyone tried to act against us now, I could switch and use it immediately to counter them. It was a neat trick, and I already knew, without Fugaku ever telling me, that this technique was a kind of training for an Uchiha. It was preparing them for the moment they awaken their Mangekyō, so they could easily utilize their different abilities.
While I was copying Minato's work, I became curious… With how we were told that we are being observed and evaluated on how we cheat, would the ending be different, too? I guess so. If I had left my papers empty, I wasn't as sure as before that I would pass like Naruto did… Oh well. It is not a possibility anyway; I was confident enough to get through this without a hitch, and maybe get full marks.
In the end, while I was copying, some people began failing, and most of them were from Konoha, given that we made up 80% of the group. I didn't even recognize them at all, not that I would pay much attention to them anyway. Naturally, those I knew of and those Shikaku introduced to me all managed to get through to the end, without being called on or escorted out. As for the tests, Minato and I finished first, setting down our brushes at the same time, leaning back, drawing a few glances from the proctors and even Sakumo himself. There was only a wordless question in his eyes, and when we nodded, he walked over, took our papers without saying anything, and put them on his desk, waiting for the others to finish.
"Time." He suddenly spoke up, and as I looked at the clock on the wall, we had already been there for two hours. "Put your brushes down. Now."
They did, of course. Almost all of them, but one of the genins tried to get into something else, only to get thrown out at the finish line… Stupid… Stupid decision, because his squad was already down a man, dooming them completely. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes explaining it… ouch. Turning my head forward, I watched as Sakumo stepped forward, sweeping us with a quick glance, and suddenly began to smile.
"Interesting batch you are, but..." he shrugged, "The best grade I would give out is a B+ or, maybe, if I'm in a good mood, an A- at best. I wasn't that impressed, but it will do."
Then he looked at me and then at the Hyūgas, and said nothing else, but I could tell he was more interested in using learnt abilities than in us having a natural gift and advantage over the other shinobis. He wasn't that keen on grading something others couldn't have. Which was fair, I had to agree, so I didn't take it to heart.
"For today, that will be all." He continued. "The results will be posted by the afternoon, and those who passed, gather back here tomorrow morning at six. Anyone late, even if just a second… will be disqualified."
And with that, he popped into a cloud of smoke… Wait… Was that, until now, only a shadow clone?! Damn… Where was the original then…? Back home? Sleeping? Heh. Maybe Kakashi has already been born, and his dad wouldn't want to leave his son alone.
Or at least, I want to believe that.