"Genjutsu…?"
Memories surfaced little by little. Every experience within the genjutsu, every single image, was now incredibly clear.
Morino Ibiki's stern expression remained unchanged, but his heart was immensely shaken. Someone had actually managed to put him, the head of the Leaf Village's Interrogation Unit, a person with extremely strong anti-genjutsu abilities, into a genjutsu without him realizing it. He had been completely under another's control, a mere puppet, exposing all his intelligence without reservation.
Such powerful genjutsu ability, such powerful control.
This kid, he's practically an interrogation genius!
He gazed deeply at Naruto once more. Looking at the blond kid who stood there, full of innocence, Ibiki was momentarily at a loss for words. This genjutsu didn't just target the proctor; it targeted everyone present.
At the same time, everyone's mind was filled with a huge surge of memories.
"Hey, did I just fail the exam?"
"That was… a genjutsu? The exam hasn't even started yet!"
"Damn it, I finally passed the exam in my dream, and now I'm awake again!"
"Hmph!"
Gaara forced down a gulp, a mix of fear and murderous intent suddenly rising within him. He had actually fallen for a genjutsu. He, a Jinchuriki, had fallen for a genjutsu!
"Gaara…"
Kankuro was startled by his expression, but he still spoke to persuade him. It was best not to cause trouble at a time like this.
On the other side.
"Neji… Lee!" Tenten roused the two.
"Damn it, I can't believe I fell for a genjutsu so easily!" Lee wailed. Why do they keep attacking his weak points so fiercely?!
Neji remained silent, instead gravely looking towards the suspicious culprit, the blond kid who was currently chatting with the bewildered rookie genin.
'He did it, didn't he!'
At this moment, Naruto fully utilized his advantage of being only 12 years old, putting on an innocent and naive appearance while chatting with his friends. He clearly told the suspicious ones: I didn't do what just happened, nope. He certainly didn't want to bear the proctor's wrath. As for who the culprit was? Those who understood, understood naturally. He didn't need to say more.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto. He probably knew what had happened.
'Naruto, that guy, his genjutsu has gotten this strong!'
Shikamaru stared intently at Naruto, asking with particular certainty: "Naruto, was that you?"
"What? I don't know, nope."
Shikamaru: Confirmed. The culprit is Naruto.
'How did this guy do it? He seems completely different from the Naruto I knew before.'
Staring at Naruto, Shikamaru's thoughts raced for a moment. Ignoring Shikamaru's gaze, Naruto scanned his other friends, finding several of them as if waking from a dream. This genjutsu had been subtly implanted from the moment everyone's gaze focused on him, triggered when the proctor arrived. Additionally, Naruto could choose whether or not to retain everyone's memories. It was just like a dungeon instance.
The situation was as he wished: memories retained. If not as he wished: memories not retained. Thankfully, all nine of them passed, otherwise, he would have to start all over again. He didn't want to sit idly for nearly an hour; it was simply too boring. He couldn't possibly expect a test-taker like himself to help the proctors catch cheaters, right?
"Look."
Choji, eating potato chips, discovered the secret of the clock. "Ten minutes have actually passed."
"10 minutes?" × N
Everyone exclaimed in surprise. How did 10 minutes pass in the blink of an eye?
"Everyone! Silence!"
Morino Ibiki's furious roar from the podium quieted the room. He also realized the current situation wasn't just about him; everyone had fallen into a genjutsu. As someone who understood genjutsu, controlling a single person with genjutsu was exponentially less difficult than controlling nearly 100 people.
'This kid is dozens of times stronger than I expected.'
Too bad. The strategy he had designed for this exam could only be used once. Once used in the genjutsu, it couldn't be used again. Fortunately, the previous exam had already ended. Therefore, he could only adopt the results from the genjutsu.
Thinking of this, he subtly glanced at Naruto. "The 39 people—specifically, teams 3, 7, 12, and 18—who were eliminated in the genjutsu exam, which totals 13 teams, have all failed the assessment. Get out of the classroom immediately!"
"The rest are qualified!"
"What?!"
Many people were incredulous, especially those who had been eliminated. It was just a genjutsu. Just because they were eliminated in the genjutsu, did that mean they were eliminated in reality? Why?! I refuse to accept this!
Unfortunately, what followed was:
The One-Punch Man transport force, deployed!
The Leaf Village's Chunin exam proctors naturally also had the memories of what just happened. Many of the eliminated candidates were those they had personally rooted out. Elite genin? They were still genin. What's more, they were eliminated genin. The fists of the Leaf Chunin proctors were not to be trifled with. Six punches in one second, shattering the candidates' Chunin dreams.
After the eliminated individuals were cleared out, Morino Ibiki looked at the remaining candidates in the classroom. He had wanted to say something, but Naruto's earlier genjutsu had thrown off his rhythm. However, he still gave a speech, explaining the parts he hadn't finished in the genjutsu, and emphasizing the importance of information.
To summarize: Information, sometimes, can be more valuable than life.
Naruto agreed with this point. His manufactured clones were currently gathering information worldwide, and he had already lost six of them. They were indeed obtaining information with their lives. As for where they were lost…
The Land of Lightning, Cloud Village?
They cost me three Jonin clones. Next time, I'll send Six-Barrels to pay them a visit.
And the Land of Rain.
Lost one Kage-level clone and two Jonin clones.
A small Land of Rain, yet it was surprisingly full of hidden power.
Next time…
Remembering that Uchiha Six-Barrels was currently impersonating a journalist in Leaf Village, Naruto hesitated for a moment.
Then I'll just send a Uchiha Red-Dragon tonight.
Just as Morino Ibiki announced the end of the exam,
Whoosh~
Crack! Bang! Glass shattered as someone flew in from outside.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Two kunai impaled a sheet with writing on it, hanging it before everyone.
A figure wearing fishnet stockings—
No, a black mesh-clad beauty, made a grand entrance!
Seeing the newcomer, Naruto's eyes lit up. He had always detested ninja's preference for black mesh outfits when it came to men. He found that many male ninja liked to wear such things, which were simply an eyesore.
However, when female ninja wore such things, Naruto couldn't approve more! This beauty before him was a prime example. Black mesh covered her main body parts, accentuating her figure, and her form-fitting clothes made her unspeakably ample chest seem ready to burst out. The newcomer wore brown shorts, covered by a long khaki trench coat. She was a purple-haired girl with a cute face.
Err.
Although he called her a girl, she was much older than Naruto.
Seems like she just turned eighteen?
He glanced at the beauty, then at Hinata beside him.
Indeed.
The difference in figure between girls and women was truly immense.
"I am the proctor for the second exam, Anko Mitarashi!"
After introducing herself, this proctor actually complained that there were too many remaining candidates. She declared that more than half would be eliminated in the next phase.
Naruto immediately perked up.
Quick, quick!
Fast forward directly to the next phase! I want to see rivers of blood!
"Details will be discussed tomorrow. For everything else, ask your Jonin instructors."
"Now, dismissed!"
Huh?
Tomorrow?
Why not start today?!
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