From their earliest memories to the present day, Naruto and Chiharu had never known anonymity. Wherever they went, their lineage preceded them—the instant their heritage became known, they inevitably became the focus of attention. Being the children of Namikaze Minato, the legendary Yellow Flash, was both a blessing and a burden they had carried since birth.
The terror that Minato had instilled in the Hidden Sand Village during the previous war had not faded with time. When the Sand genin discovered that the Fourth Hokage's children were participating in the same examination, their reactions ranged from wary curiosity to outright hostility.
Malicious glares from several Sand ninja pierced the air, but Naruto and Chiharu had long since learned to disregard such attention. They focused instead on the only Sand shinobi who truly concerned them—Gaara and his companions, who had deliberately confronted them during registration.
"Please take your seats according to your assigned numbers," instructed the chief proctor, a stern-looking Konoha jōnin whose scarred face and penetrating gaze spoke of hard-won battlefield experience. His name was Ibiki Morino, head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force, though few genin recognized him.
As he surveyed the room, his eyes lingered briefly on Naruto and his companions before moving on.
"Right," the Konoha genin acknowledged, dispersing to find their designated places in the expansive examination hall.
The seating arrangement scattered the six of them across different sections of the room, placing considerable distance between teammates. Naruto and Chiharu, for instance, were positioned at opposite ends of the hall, with one seated on the far left and the other on the far right.
The strategic placement was clearly deliberate—designed to prevent collaboration between candidates who were familiar with one another. It was the first layer of difficulty in an examination that would test more than just their knowledge.
Fortunately, Naruto's team had anticipated this possibility and developed contingency plans during their preparation. They remained composed, confident in their ability to adapt.
"Naruto-kun," a soft, hesitant voice came from the adjacent seat.
Turning, Naruto found himself face-to-face with Hinata Hyuga, her pale eyes reflecting a mixture of shyness and determination. For the first time that day, he truly looked at her—not just a passing glance, but with genuine attention.
The earlier confrontation with Neji had provided Naruto with new insight. This quiet, seemingly timid girl beside him carried burdens similar to his own. Like him, she navigated a life shaped by circumstances beyond her control, bearing responsibilities thrust upon her by virtue of her birth.
Neither of them had chosen their lineage. The inherent advantages of being born into prominent clans might inspire envy from others, but such privilege came tethered to expectations that weighed heavily on young shoulders. From childhood, they had been required to shoulder burdens far beyond what their peers could comprehend.
"Hinata," Naruto responded with an encouraging grin that lit up his features, "let's both do our best to pass this exam!"
"Yes," Hinata nodded earnestly, a delicate blush coloring her cheeks as she returned his smile with a tentative one of her own.
As the last candidates took their places, the examination hall settled into an expectant hush. The chief proctor stepped forward, commanding the attention of every genin present.
"Now, I will explain the rules for this first examination," he announced, his voice carrying effortlessly across the room.
The test operated on a deduction system, he explained. Each candidate began with ten points. The written portion consisted of ten questions, each worth one point. Correct answers maintained the current score, while incorrect or blank responses resulted in a one-point deduction.
Furthermore, the final evaluation would be based on the combined scores of all three team members. Ibiki emphasized this point with particular gravity—ensuring that everyone understood the collective nature of their success or failure.
The rules continued: any candidate caught cheating would lose two points immediately. If any team member's score reached zero, the entire team would be disqualified without exception.
As the proctor concluded his explanation, Naruto scanned the room carefully. At least twenty additional examiners lined the walls, each with clipboard in hand, observing the candidates with unwavering attention. Their positioning ensured that virtually every angle of the room was under constant surveillance.
The stringent anti-cheating measures prompted murmurs of concern throughout the hall. Naruto's brow furrowed as he considered the implications.
"The examination period is one hour," the scarred proctor declared after the test papers had been distributed. "The first written test of the Chunin Exams begins... now!"
An immediate hush fell over the room as pencils met paper and the examination commenced in earnest.
Chiharu's expression shifted subtly as she reviewed the questions before her. What kind of problems are these? she wondered, momentarily taken aback.
The questions bore no resemblance to the basic ninja knowledge taught at the Academy. They involved complex cryptanalysis, advanced chakra theory, and intricate scenario-based tactical problems—material far beyond standard genin curriculum. Though Chiharu could answer some based on her extensive reading habits and additional studies with her father, she recognized that most genin would find them nearly impossible.
This exam isn't going to be as straightforward as we thought, Sasuke realized simultaneously, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed questions that even he, with his extensive clan training, couldn't fully answer.
After a moment of contemplation, understanding dawned. So this is the true purpose of the Chunin Exams, he thought, a small smirk forming on his lips.
The written test was merely a façade. The real objective wasn't to assess their theoretical knowledge, but to evaluate their ability to gather information covertly—an essential skill for any chunin-level ninja who might be tasked with intelligence missions.
With a subtle movement, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, the single tomoe spinning as he carefully surveyed the examination hall. He was far from the only one to decipher the exam's true purpose; throughout the room, candidates were discreetly employing various techniques to locate those who knew the answers.
Since the test was essentially about intelligence gathering, there must be sources of information planted within the room—candidates who possessed all the correct answers, positioned specifically for others to "extract" information from.
Sasuke's enhanced vision quickly identified one such source—a genin several rows ahead who was writing with confident precision. The Uchiha focused on the movement of the candidate's pencil, copying each stroke with his Sharingan's perfect visual recall.
He glanced briefly toward his teammates. Sakura's slight frown indicated concentration rather than confusion—she appeared to understand at least some of the questions directly. Meanwhile, Sai had begun employing his own techniques to acquire answers.
Turning his attention elsewhere, Sasuke spotted Naruto, who appeared to be slumped over his desk, completely motionless.
What a slow-witted fool, Sasuke thought dismissively, yet he harbored no real concern about Team 7's chances. Chiharu's analytical abilities were exceptional, potentially rivaling his own, and Shin's experience and intelligence were considerable assets. Between the three of them, they would manage.
Across the room, Chiharu had also discerned the examination's true nature. She exchanged a meaningful glance with Shin, who immediately understood her silent communication.
"Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll," Shin whispered under his breath, activating a jutsu he had prepared well in advance. From his sleeve emerged several minuscule ink insects, barely visible to the naked eye. One of these tiny creations began making its way toward Chiharu's position.
The Super Beast Scroll technique was an advanced jutsu typically employed by ANBU and formerly by Root operatives for covert intelligence gathering and transmission—precisely the skill being tested in this examination.
Working swiftly, Chiharu completed as many questions as she could. Once Shin received her answers through his ink creature, he prepared to relay the information to both himself and Naruto using separate insect messengers.
Meanwhile, Naruto vigilantly scanned his surroundings, awaiting the intelligence Shin and Chiharu would transmit. Eventually, he spotted the tiny ink insect approaching from beneath the table to his left.
A smile of relief began to form on his face—only to vanish instantly when the person seated at that desk shifted position, deliberately bringing their foot down on the insect with precision that could not possibly be accidental.
The fragile ink construct, designed solely for information transmission rather than durability, disintegrated beneath the calculated pressure.
"Damn it!" Naruto's expression darkened with frustration and anger. The timing and precision of the movement made it abundantly clear—this was no coincidence but a deliberate act of sabotage.
Raising his gaze, Naruto found himself looking directly at Kankuro, the Sand ninja puppeteer, whose painted face was contorted in a taunting smile of malicious satisfaction.
Shin, immediately sensing the destruction of his ink creation, seized a momentary blind spot in the proctor's surveillance pattern to assess what had happened. When he observed Naruto glaring at the Sand puppeteer with undisguised anger, the situation became clear.
That Kankuro is deliberately targeting Naruto! Shin realized, his usual calm demeanor giving way to concern.
The first examination had barely begun, and already the Sand ninja were implementing their strategy—isolating and undermining the Fourth Hokage's son through whatever means available. What had started as simple intimidation in the hallway was evolving into active sabotage.
For Naruto, the challenge had just increased significantly. Without access to Chiharu's answers, he would need to find another way to complete the test—and quickly. The clock was ticking, and with each passing minute, the pressure intensified.
Around the room, various Konoha rookies employed their clan techniques and personal skills. Hyuga Hinata activated her Byakugan with subtle hand signs beneath the desk, the veins around her eyes barely visible as she peered through solid objects to view the answers of others. Inuzuka Kiba communicated in near-silent whispers with Akamaru, while Aburame Shino's insects gathered intelligence with microscopic precision.
The examination hall had transformed into a battlefield of subterfuge—where the weapons were not kunai or shuriken, but observation, deception, and ingenuity. And in this particular skirmish, Naruto found himself directly in the crosshairs of the Sand's silent offensive.