Uchiha Kayo's words hinted at something, though Mikoto didn't immediately understand.
But very soon, she realized exactly what Kayo meant.
Up front, the proctor for the first stage of the chūnin exam stepped forward.
"My name is Morino Ibiki."
"I am the examiner for this stage of the chūnin exams."
"We will now begin the test."
"Without harming your teammates—answer as you see fit!"
Kaito rested his chin on his hand.
…Why is it this uncle again? Does your family inherit the right to proctor the first exam every year?
He glanced at the boy next to him—a nervous Hyūga branch member—hands clasped like he was praying.
"Father… mother… please let me pass this exam…"
Kaito's eyes went dead-fish flat.
So eager to go die on a battlefield? Kids these days… If you'd seen war documentaries like I have, you'd understand the cruelty…
Soon, the exam papers were passed out.
And, unsurprisingly—
It was the kind of ridiculously difficult test where even elite Academy grades couldn't score above ninety.
There was only one viable method:
Cheat off the disguised answer-holders planted in the room—usually two teams.
Kaito recognized several faces from previous years.
Oh. Them again. The professional test-takers. Lovely…
Beside him, the Hyūga boy slumped dramatically.
"I'm doomed…" he whispered, spirit escaping his body.
Kaito: …I want to roast this kid so badly.
On the ceiling camera, the lens shifted subtly, observing all candidates as they confronted the impossible questions.
In the surveillance room, a Hyūga jōnin rubbed his temples.
"That kid… what is he doing? At this rate he's definitely failing."
A team leader next to him sighed.
"He's probably just nervous. He literally graduated this year."
Ibiki's exam wasn't purely about answering questions—
It evaluated whether one was fit to be a chūnin in every aspect.
With today's numbers, at most six candidates—two teams—would pass.
"Looks like they've realized the test is more than just answering," laughed Yūhi Jinchūriki, watching Ryūun effortlessly copy answers.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke crossed his arms proudly.
"Well, my Team Two will definitely pass."
Behind him, a voice cold enough to freeze blood replied:
"…Hmph. We'll see."
Shinnosuke, oblivious that this wasn't a teacher but Orochimaru, kept bragging while his Ino–Shika–Chō trio executed a perfect cheating chain:
Yamanaka Tai dove into a student's mind via Mind Transfer, copied the answer sheet, switched bodies, and fed answers to Nara and Akimichi teammates.
As the monitors updated, Hiruzen's voice shifted.
"…Orochimaru. Why are you here?"
A pale man leaned against the wall, arms crossed, snake-like eyes glimmering with interest.
"I heard a young Uchiha prodigy is taking the exam," Orochimaru said.
"And I'm told she's a student… of that genin, Kaito."
He chuckled softly.
"How fascinating."
Uchiha Keijin, the jōnin of Kayo's team, turned sharply.
His three-tomoe Sharingan snapped open.
"Orochimaru-jōnin, the Uchiha don't need your concern. We raise our geniuses ourselves."
"Don't misunderstand," Orochimaru replied with an unsettling smile.
"I'm simply curious. And I already have a favored disciple—I have no time for another."
Keijin snorted and turned away.
The air in the room grew colder.
The Sarutobi faction and the Uchiha clan really never stop glaring at each other…
The other instructors exchanged uncomfortable looks.
Back in the Exam Hall
"Finished writing. Time to eliminate people," Tai muttered, cracking his knuckles.
"Teamwork test… annoying."
Shinnosuke had instructed his team not only to ace the written section, but to demonstrate combat utility—non-lethal disruption.
From the fifth row, Nara Ha projected his shadow across the ground—
And snared a genin in the fourth row.
"H-Huh?! I can't move! My body—!"
"Candidate 31! First warning!" barked a proctor.
"No—I really can't move!!"
Another proctor scribbled on a clipboard.
"Candidate 31, second warning. One more and you are disqualified."
The boy fell silent instantly.
His arms—dragged by Ha's shadow jutsu—reached forward…
And seized his teammate's test paper.
Ha clenched an imaginary grip.
The snared boy's fingers tightened—
RIP.
The paper tore in half.
The victimized genin stared in horror as he regained control.
"Candidate 10, 31, and 45—ALL DISQUALIFIED!"
"What?! Why us?! HE tore the paper!"
"I FINISHED my test!!"
Morino Ibiki's voice boomed through the room.
"You are a team.
Would you abandon your comrades to advance alone?"
"Such candidates—are not worthy of becoming chūnin!"
The three fell silent under the room's collective gaze, heads bowed.
They left the exam hall in defeat—
Eliminated in the very first stage.
More eliminations followed.
Round Two — Yamanaka's Next Move
"Sorry," Tai whispered.
"Mind Transfer!"
He invaded the body of another genin—this time a Hyūga branch boy named Nikkō.
And the moment he sat upright in that borrowed body—
A lazy voice came from beside him.
"If you switched bodies… doesn't that mean your team is the only Yamanaka team here?"
Kaito didn't bother turning his head.
Tai—inside Nikkō—froze, then glared sideways.
"…Mind your business."
"I spared you only because Shinnosuke-sensei ordered us to crush you in the second and third rounds."
"Otherwise—"
Kaito yawned.
Not my problem. Not my student.
He was simply waiting for Yūhi Ryūun to hypnotize him later so he could "barely pass" with a sixty-something score.
His acting required a believable struggle.
Suddenly—
"I forfeit!"
Hyūga Nikkō—now back in control—shot to his feet, stunned.
The proctor announced:
"Candidates 7, 21, and 30—disqualified!"
Another Corner — Uchiha vs. Uchiha
In the third row, Uchiha Kayo finished writing and turned toward Mikoto.
"Time to send you home, Mikoto."
Mikoto's eyes narrowed—
Her single-tomoe Sharingan spun to life.
Kayo froze in disbelief.
"You—when did you awaken the Sharingan…?!"
She had awakened hers only recently.
And Mikoto—two years younger—was already ahead of her.
In the surveillance room, many jōnin murmured.
Eleven years old—awakening the Sharingan?
A genuine prodigy.
Mikoto scratched her cheek shyly.
"Uh… my teacher annoyed me."
"?????????"
Every instructor in the room blinked in confusion.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito