Konoha: Naruto, Taught by Aizen

Inside the Hokage's Office.

Jiraiya sat sprawled on the sofa.

"Jiraiya, how is Naruto's training on Mount Myoboku progressing?" The Third Hokage looked up from his crystal ball, asking with concern.

"His training is going smoothly, and he's even made new developments with his Kekkei Genkai," Jiraiya replied, though a hint of worry clouded his face. "From the current situation, my ninjutsu isn't actually much help to him. His Kekkei Genkai is already quite versatile."

"Is that so? What about Senjutsu?" the Third Hokage inquired, his fingers tapping on the desk.

"Senjutsu…" As soon as Senjutsu was mentioned, Jiraiya's expression flickered.

A grave look appeared in his eyes.

He said in a low voice, "Old man, Naruto's Kekkei Genkai is not simple. It might have significant side effects. I think… we need to call Tsunade back."

"Tsunade, you say?" Hiruzen murmured. Thinking of this female disciple of his, his heart filled with helplessness.

Senju Tsunade.

Princess of the Senju clan. After the clan's decline, she too grew disillusioned with the village and chose to leave.

She became active in casinos across various countries, known as the "Legendary Sucker."

And Konoha lost another powerful Kage-level ninja.

"It would be best if she were willing to return and become Hokage," the Third Hokage said, puffing on his pipe.

Meanwhile, the written portion of the Chunin Exams was proceeding smoothly.

Due to the extreme difficulty of the exam, most examinees needed to cheat to fill out their papers.

In contrast, Naruto and Sakura wrote as if guided by divine inspiration.

Though the written exam was tough, it was still quite easy for them.

Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't doing so well.

His academic scores were never great to begin with, let alone for these questions that were far beyond the standard curriculum.

Sasuke caught all of this from the corner of his eye, and his heart immediately filled with unwillingness to accept it.

Damn it! My, Uchiha Sasuke's, academic performance in school might be average, but I shouldn't be the one dragging the team down!

I'm not as good as Naruto in actual combat, and now I'm inferior in theory too?

Right now, am I really going to have to rely on despicable means like cheating to pass this exam?

Damn it, someone like me is a disgrace to the Uchiha's honor!

I've shamed the Uchiha clan!!!!

Filled with resentment, he deactivated his Sharingan, abandoning the idea of copying others' movements.

His pride swelling, he impulsively started working on the questions.

Even though he was thoroughly unlettered, he tried his best to answer every single question.

Much like a reader during an exam who doesn't know a damn thing and just picks 'C' for all the multiple-choice questions.

Naruto, having quickly finished his paper, propped his chin on his hand and observed the surrounding examinees with a lack of interest.

Of course, all his actions were very discreet and went unnoticed by the proctors.

He saw Hinata using her Byakugan's penetrative vision to copy answers.

He also saw the studious Sakura diligently working on her questions.

And Ino utilizing her Mind Transfer Jutsu.

Naturally, there were also the cheating methods of the Sand shinobi.

Naruto watched, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

In the blink of an eye, the written exam finally reached its end.

Sasuke's hand, gripping the pen, had turned somewhat white. He was drenched in sweat, his expression extremely tense.

He was constantly berating himself internally.

Because of his pathetic, overblown pride, he had just scribbled nonsense all over the exam paper.

He'd spent a great deal of time, but it was unlikely he'd gotten more than a few questions right; most of it was just random scribbling.

The result might be elimination!

Is the first stage of the Chunin Exams going to end just like this?

He glanced guiltily at Naruto and Sakura.

Only to see both of them wearing confident smiles.

Sasuke's heart sank.

It's over.

I'm totally screwed.

He ruffled his black, spiky hair in frustration, cursing himself inwardly:

"Damn it, Sasuke, why are you so stupid? What kind of idiocy possessed you at a time like this? Now it's all over, I'm going to fail the written exam."

Ever since he'd gotten to know Naruto, Sasuke felt his personality had started to change. His original self was so cool and aloof.

But now, he found himself yearning for bonds, and sometimes even having very passionate, hot-blooded thoughts.

Under Sasuke's somewhat despairing gaze, the head proctor walked into the classroom and announced a piece of news that plunged many into hopelessness:

"If you do not pass this written exam, your squad will be banned from participating in any future Chunin Exams for life. You may choose to forfeit now."

The entire room burst into an uproar. No one could accept such a rule.

It was common knowledge that most examinees were ordinary Genin who usually needed several attempts at the Chunin Exams to possibly become Chunin.

No one was willing to gamble their entire future on this single Chunin Exam.

But no matter how dissatisfied they were, they didn't dare oppose Konoha.

As the most powerful shinobi village, Konoha had the standing to make such special rules.

Many ninja, under this pressure, raised their hands, chose to give up, and dejectedly left with their teammates.

Naruto, relaxed and confident, let his gaze fall on Sasuke.

He could see that Sasuke, who had always been so proud, was also in agony at this moment.

He knew clearly that his exam paper was a failure, yet he didn't want to drag his team down.

When he noticed Naruto's gaze, Sasuke tensed, put on an arrogant expression, and snorted coldly.

"Hmph." Sasuke instantly attracted everyone's attention.

This guy… he's so damn cool!

The thought inexplicably popped into their minds.

"Looks like you're very confident. Not worried at all about not passing the written exam, are you?" the proctor sneered.

He recognized Sasuke.

The last survivor of the Uchiha clan.

Arrogant personality, decent talent, and he'd heard his grades were also excellent.

Now it seemed he was even more arrogant than imagined!

Many of the remaining examinees were also galvanized by the proud Sasuke.

"That's right! I worked so hard to get here and participate in the Chunin Exams, how can I give up here!" one examinee exclaimed, slamming his hand on the desk as he shot to his feet.

"Exactly! I won't give up! I will pass this exam and become a Chunin!"

This scene made a playful curve involuntarily appear on Naruto's lips as he withdrew his gaze.

Many Genin who had initially been hesitant firmed their resolve and chose to continue the exam.

In the end, all these ninja who persisted passed the first round, the written test.

"Those without unwavering determination are not qualified to become ninja. Congratulations, you have passed the assessment," the proctor said with a smile.

At that moment, all the pressure dissipated, and the examinees all cheered.

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief, only then realizing his forehead was beaded with dense sweat.

After everyone had left, the proctor walked over to Sasuke's desk, picked up the densely filled exam paper, and began to read it.

After a long while, he put down the paper and chuckled softly, "This Uchiha Sasuke… all the answers he wrote are actually wrong. It seems we have a very interesting examinee this time."

The second round of the Chunin Exams began soon after.

Inside the Forest of Death.

Sasuke sat cross-legged on a rock, tiny arcs of lightning surrounding his body.

He had just finished a day's training and was now using Lightning Release to activate the cells in his body, promoting recovery and regeneration.

Say what you will, he had absolutely nailed that cool, show-off vibe.

Sakura, nearby, was continuously slaughtering fish and then reviving them with medical ninjutsu. The process was too gruesome to watch.

In Sakura's own words, her goal was that no matter how badly Sasuke and Naruto were injured in the future, she would be able to heal them.

Naruto was not among them.

To be precise, after entering the Forest of Death, Naruto had separated from Sakura and Sasuke.