Many of the questions had already gone far beyond the scope of what a Genin should know.
Five minutes passed.
Suddenly, several brown serpents shot out from Orochimaru's sleeve, violently slamming a candidate who was in the middle of the exam into the wall.
Bang!
The commotion startled everyone in the room.
"Cheating five times. Disqualified. The other two in his group—leave with him."
Orochimaru spoke indifferently.
The snakes that had extended out slowly retracted back into his sleeve, leaving no trace of where they had gone.
The assistant proctors quickly escorted the three out.
After that incident, the entire examination hall fell into an even deeper silence—so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.
Only Kiyoshi continued writing nonstop from the very beginning.
Because of his speed, the sound of his pen stood out clearly from the back-left corner where he sat.
A tomoe appeared in his left eye—his Sharingan.
He was copying the answers of the two examinees seated in the very center.
Their movements were perfectly clear in his eyes.
In truth, those two were Chūnin who had already known the answers beforehand.
Since the order in which they wrote differed, Kiyoshi's speed far exceeded theirs.
He could copy both at the same time.
"That's the Sharingan!"
The pattern in Kiyoshi's left eye shocked the examinees who dared to glance over.
The unique bloodline limit of the Uchiha clan!
But… wasn't that cheating?
Almost everyone had the same thought.
Someone had just been dragged out by Orochimaru, and yet Kiyoshi was cheating so openly.
Wasn't that just asking to be caught?
Sarutobi Asuma's heart rose to his throat.
He had no idea what Kiyoshi was thinking. Had he gone mad?
A hint of realization flashed in Kurenai Yuhi's eyes.
With questions this far beyond their level, there was no way they were meant to solve them.
The only answer… was that the test was about cheating.
Because bloodline limits were personal abilities, they fell within the realm of "high-level cheating."
The one who got caught earlier had been frequently turning his head—his method was simply too crude.
Kurenai quickly followed Kiyoshi's lead, copying the answers from the two central examinees.
Among the packed exam hall, only a handful of sharp minds figured it out.
"How bold… that Uchiha."
Mei Terumī also caught on.
Before any assumptions were confirmed, there was always risk.
Yet he dared to keep using his bloodline ability right under Orochimaru's nose.
"Heh… even more brazen than the first one."
A faint curve appeared on Orochimaru's lips.
The earlier disqualified candidates had all been sneaking glances, terrified of being noticed.
But Kiyoshi? Even when his Sharingan occasionally met Orochimaru's gaze, his expression didn't change in the slightest.
Finally, after forty-five minutes—
The assistant proctor announced the final question.
Kiyoshi chose to continue the exam. Seeing his confidence, Kurenai followed.
Asuma, who had struggled to complete even one question with no certainty it was correct, chose to go along with Kurenai's decision.
Just like in the original development, some chose to withdraw, while others pressed on.
In the end, those who continued all advanced to the next stage.
Because the final question tested a ninja's courage to accept dangerous missions—and the will to carry them through.
As long as one chose to continue, even submitting a blank paper was enough to pass.
"Information gathering, willpower… both top-tier."
Watching the departing examinees, Orochimaru's focus lingered on Kiyoshi's back.
This trip had not been in vain.
He was already considering inviting Kiyoshi.
From the intelligence he had gathered at the Konoha Hospital, Kiyoshi's medical ninjutsu was also quite impressive.
There was no better candidate to become his assistant.
...
"This is the location of the second exam—also known as the 'Forest of Death.'"
Not long after leaving, the examinees encountered Minato Namikaze, who had been waiting.
He then led the successful candidates here.
"Not bad."
Kiyoshi thought to himself.
He had made plenty of preparations beforehand, worried he might draw terrain that countered his abilities.
The Forest of Death was versatile—compatible with nearly all elemental techniques.
The only real threats were the giant creatures within and the dense, ancient trees that could block out even the sky.
Kiyoshi glanced at Minato ahead of him. This was essentially their first proper meeting.
He wasn't particularly interested, casually brushing off Asuma and Kurenai's questions about how he deduced the answers and why he had known beforehand.
He simply claimed that a ninja from the Land of Lightning had leaked the information—and paid a heavy price for it.
"Hinata Natsu and the others made it too."
At last, Kiyoshi spotted a familiar face.
He had originally thought they would be eliminated in the first round, but they had made it this far.
"This terrain favors our clan!"
Hyuga Tetsu said excitedly.
Through the wire fence, he could see the dense vegetation inside.
The more complex the terrain, the harder it was for others to see clearly—but for those with the Byakugan, it was an advantage.
No matter the environment, their eyes could "see through" obstacles and even "look far" to locate other teams.
"We should be able to advance to the third round."
Hyuga Hiashi nodded in agreement.
It was a rare setup—their entire team consisted of Hyuga clan members.
Their reconnaissance ability was maxed out.
"That's reassuring."
Hyuga Natsu nodded slightly.
They had all chosen early graduation.
Because of that Uchiha—Kiyoshi—the clan head had urged them to graduate as soon as possible.
It seemed he wanted the Hyuga clan to demonstrate greater value in Konoha's higher circles.
But the deeper logic and power struggles behind that were beyond Natsu.
As members of the branch family, all they could do was follow orders.
From a distance, Kiyoshi read their lips and understood their conversation.
Advance smoothly to the third round?
He smiled faintly.
That would depend on whether he allowed it.
He still clearly remembered a Hyuga main family member calling the Uchiha a "naturally evil clan."
If that was the case… he might as well live up to that label.
Then—
Kiyoshi shifted his gaze toward Pakura.
This was one of his main objectives.
To see if he could obtain a new "trait."
In the ninja world, bloodline limits had hereditary properties—essentially genetic alterations.
If he could acquire a corresponding trait, he might even enhance his own Fire Release techniques.
The two new techniques he had obtained from Samui last time were also ready to be displayed.
And more importantly—
This would be where his ocular power evolved further.
Kiyoshi gently touched his eye.
The power in his left eye began to stir.
After closely observing Samui last time, he had seen far more… than just the surface.
Not only externally—but internally as well.
Everything was laid bare before his eyes.
His understanding of Samui had deepened—for instance, how many chakra pathways converged in the heavier parts of the human body.
His ocular power had reached the limit of what it could contain—like water filling a cup to the brim.
One more step—
And it would become a two-tomoe Sharingan.
That would further enhance his ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and learning ability.
He would then be qualified to challenge stronger opponents—and obtain more traits.
"First… Pakura."
Kiyoshi locked onto his target.
A ninja like her would be the perfect choice to push his ocular power even further.