Inside the monitoring room, dozens of screens displayed the candidates already entering the exam hall.
Watching one of the screens, Yūhi Shinku nodded slightly when he saw his niece Ryūun pass the illusion trial. A faint smile appeared on his face.
But the moment he saw Bai Xing standing beside her—with that annoyingly handsome face—he couldn't help but complain internally.
That kid is a walking disaster.
Fortunately, his own daughter had only just turned one year old.
With such a huge age gap, she definitely wouldn't fall under that guy's charm in the future.
"Bai Xing is still acting so cool," Sarutobi Shinnosuke muttered from the side, arms folded as he watched the screen for the first time from backstage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at him but said nothing, continuing to observe the other examinees.
Click.
The monitoring room door opened.
A chūnin staff member responsible for exam operations entered, holding the roster.
"Report! All genin have entered the exam area!"
"Good," Hiruzen replied.
"Thank you for your hard work. Prepare the proctoring procedures."
"Yes!"
The chūnin saluted and left.
Meanwhile, all candidates on the screens had already completed the illusion trial and arrived at the exam room: Fourth Floor, Room 404.
The Written Exam Hall
The exam hall was huge—large enough to hold 150 candidates.
With only 50+ participants, the room felt rather empty.
At the back aisle of the classroom, Might Dai leaned forward with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.
"Just… just made it…"
"Dai~ with your strength, I'm really worried about you," Uchiha Mikoto said dramatically, pressing one hand to her forehead like a noble lady.
"At this rate, I'll become a chūnin before you~"
Beside her, Yakushi Nono twitched slightly.
Mikoto really loves showing off…
She's even worse than Teacher Bai Xing…
Nono sighed softly and glanced around the classroom.
Then she spotted Bai Xing sitting in the third row with his teammates and instinctively wanted to greet him.
Before she could—
A voice interrupted.
"Well, well. Mikoto."
"What a coincidence—you're taking the exam this year too."
"These must be your genin teammates. What a lovely group."
"En, that's enough," another voice said.
"We're all examinees here. No need for that."
"Come on, Fūya," a girl laughed.
"En's not wrong. I've heard Mikoto joined a team led by a genin teacher."
"I've always been curious."
"Right, little Mikoto?"
The three wore black high-collared clothing marked with the same Uchiha crest as Mikoto's.
Mikoto looked at the speaker—
A girl with spiky black hair, slightly older than her.
Her name was Uchiha Kaedei.
Mikoto glanced briefly at the other two before replying:
"Kaedei, En, Fūya. Long time no see."
—The Uchiha trio.
"Long time indeed," Kaedei said sweetly.
Because she was three years older, she stepped closer like an older sister and wrapped an arm around Mikoto's shoulder.
Her lips moved near Mikoto's ear.
Only the two of them could hear.
"Two years ago, you defeated me in a sparring match."
"Because of that…"
"I've remained a genin until now."
Her voice dropped coldly.
"That debt…"
"I can repay it today."
Even after saying that, Kaedei's face still wore a gentle, sisterly smile.
Then she spoke loudly so everyone could hear.
"If there's anything you don't understand during the exam, big sister can help you~"
"Of course—cheating isn't allowed~"
Mikoto glanced at her calmly.
Then replied without mercy:
"Sorry."
"You'll probably remain a genin this year too."
"Stop pretending to be nice. It makes me sick."
"You—!"
"Enough, Kaedei."
Uchiha Fūya frowned, arms crossed.
"Promotion to chūnin is decided by strength."
"If you fail this year, try again next year."
"There's no reason to blame Mikoto."
"She was simply completing her grandfather's training."
Kaedei sneered.
"So I was just training material, huh?"
"N-no, that's not what Fūya meant," Uchiha En hurried to mediate.
"That record might affect our evaluations, but in the end it's still about strength."
"Right, Kaedei?"
"Hmph!"
Kaedei ignored him completely and walked off to take a seat.
Fūya sighed helplessly.
After all—
Being defeated by a nine-year-old Mikoto right after graduating from the clan academy would leave anyone traumatized.
He apologized to Mikoto, then dragged En along to sit beside Kaedei while waiting for the seating assignments.
After they left, Nono leaned closer to Mikoto.
"Mikoto… your friends?"
Dai almost performed a classic anime faceplant.
"Nono… how did you get 'friends' from that?"
"But aren't they from the same clan?" Nono asked, pointing at their clothes.
"The crests are the same."
"Being from the same clan doesn't mean everyone gets along," Mikoto replied quietly.
As the granddaughter of one of the clan's two elders, she often became the target of jealousy.
Her grandfather had always told her:
Never use your status to suppress others.
If you want to surpass them—use your strength.
"Let's find seats," she said.
The three of them sat down without greeting Bai Xing.
Bai Xing appeared to be chatting casually with Shiranui Genma, but he had noticed everything.
Being a young lady isn't easy…
Mikoto's Memory
As she sat down, Mikoto remembered something she saw a year ago.
After class one day, she had passed the clan training ground.
There—
She saw Uchiha Kaedei training relentlessly.
In fact, during sparring she had defeated a ninja already evaluated as chūnin-level.
Yet the clan still refused to promote her.
Even this year's Provisional Chūnin positions hadn't included her.
And genin…
were stuck doing menial village tasks.
Especially within the Konoha Police Force—
Most C-rank and above missions required chūnin status.
Without that rank, the police force would never allow a mere genin to take those missions.
If the mission failed, a genin couldn't bear the consequences.
The Exam Begins
Soon, the proctors entered the room.
A seating chart was posted on the blackboard.
Candidates were ordered to sit according to the arrangement.
Genin began switching seats.
Unfortunately—
"What rotten luck," Kaedei muttered.
She looked sideways at Mikoto.
"Of all people, I'm sitting next to you."
"This time…"
"I won't let you off."
Mikoto frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't this just a written test?"
Kaedei laughed coldly.
Looking at her naïve clan sister, she replied:
"A written test?"
"That's just what they call it."
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