"Ah! Teacher Guy is the chief examiner!"
Naruto exclaimed as he saw Might Guy's self-introduction on the large screen ahead.
Naruto couldn't help but exclaim, "Teacher Guy is the chief examiner for the first written test! Doesn't Konoha have any other talented people?"
Everyone had some understanding of the Chunin Exam's traditional format. The first stage was usually a written test, assessing theoretical knowledge.
For this, Naruto had stayed up late studying the night before, though he was eating instant noodles and didn't absorb much.
But he had tried!
Not only Naruto, but even Sakura and Sasuke were quite surprised, as Might Guy didn't seem like someone who understood theory.
However, in reality, Might Guy's theoretical knowledge was quite substantial, otherwise, he wouldn't have been promoted to Jonin.
All of this was thanks to his eternal rival, Kakashi!
But Kakashi being the chief examiner for the third stage was also a form of competition.
Might Guy put aside his thoughts and explained the rules of the first exam.
"The first stage is a written test with a total of 60 questions. As long as one person in a team answers any question correctly, they will advance to the next stage. There is no penalty for incorrect answers, but each person only gets one attempt per question, and each question has a time limit of 60 seconds."
"Does anyone have any questions?" Might Guy asked.
Naruto rubbed his chin and nodded, seemingly looking for a microphone.
"Just speak up. The exam hall is equipped with loudspeakers, so when you cheat later, try to be quiet so we don't hear you! If you're caught whispering, you'll be expelled from the exam!" a proctor sitting nearby reminded them.
Naruto stood up and raised his hand, "Um, what happens if no one answers correctly within 60 seconds?"
"That's a good question."
Might Guy said sternly, "If no one answers correctly, the number of promotion slots will decrease from 60 teams to 59, and so on."
"That's severe!"
"Will at least half the teams be eliminated in the first stage?"
The examinees in the hall erupted in a clamor, and many Genin became nervous, praying they wouldn't encounter obscure questions.
"As expected of the Allied Shinobi Forces Chunin Exams, it's so thrilling and exciting!" Rock Lee clenched his fist, unable to contain his excitement. Especially seeing Guy-sensei as the chief examiner, Rock Lee's eyes turned into stars.
As expected of Guy-sensei, he would become a chief examiner in the future too!
"Alright, quiet down, listen to the first question!"
All the examinees in the hall instantly fell silent. However, some of the top students revealed confident expressions. Answering one out of sixty questions correctly to advance to the next round was incredibly easy!
"Question one, listen carefully: What kind of sword is a transparent sword? Please buzz in!"
Naruto's eyes rolled, and his hand shot up, but he seemed a step too late.
"Exam booth number 37, Kankuro from Sunagakure has buzzed in first. Please answer."
In exam booth 37, Kankuro, who was called upon to stand, blushed as everyone in the hall stared at him. "A transparent sword should be... an invisible sword, right?"
Kankuro's answer was transmitted through the loudspeaker to various exam booths. Most examinees nodded. A transparent sword being an invisible sword made perfect sense!
However, the question itself was rather strange. Why wasn't it about ninja common sense or theory?
Sasuke, sitting in exam booth 43, regretfully lowered his hand. As a top student, he had also thought of an invisible sword immediately but was still a step too late.
Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes lit up. The first round was likely testing intelligence and reaction speed!
Even if you knew the answer, if your reaction was too slow, you'd lose the chance to buzz in. With only 60 seconds per question, at most six or seven people could answer.
Many people present had guessed the content of the first stage and were ready to buzz in for the next question.
In their opinion, the first question was already over, and it was a lucky break for this fortunate contestant from Sunagakure!
"Incorrect answer. 50 seconds remaining!"
"What! It was wrong!"
Most of the top students in the hall looked incredulous. What was going on? Were there other swords that were transparent?
"A formless sword!" another examinee buzzed in.
"Incorrect answer. 40 seconds remaining."
"Transparent shuriken!"
"Wrong!"
"Crystal sword!"
"Wrong! Only 10 seconds left!"
This made everyone tense. The first question was this difficult; what about the subsequent ones?
Sasuke looked troubled, gritting his teeth and pondering what kind of sword was transparent. A transparent sword... damn it! Who was this infuriating question setter?!
Sakura also chewed on her hair. She couldn't think of the answer and simply laid her head on the desk, waiting for the next question.
"Me, me, me! I know it!" Naruto raised his hand high, but his speed was always a second slower than others. Only after no one else buzzed in did he shout loudly.
Sasuke glanced at the excited Naruto and smirked. If this idiot Naruto could answer correctly, let alone him using his butt to bump him last time, even a kiss...
"Exam booth 43, Naruto Uzumaki, please answer!"
Naruto jumped onto the desk and shouted, "The answer is 'cannot be seen'!"
Sasuke looked at Naruto with disdain. If this answer were correct, he wouldn't mind kissing Naruto himself.
"Correct answer! Congratulations, Naruto, you and your team can leave the exam hall and await the next stage!"
"Ooh yeah!" Naruto jumped with joy. Their team was the first to advance to the next round. He, Naruto Uzumaki, was truly amazing!
What kind of nonsense is this? A transparent sword is 'cannot be seen'?!
Is the question setter's intelligence on the same level as Naruto's?
Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief, then his face turned red. Fortunately, those were just his thoughts. If he had said them out loud, he would have been thoroughly embarrassed!
Sakura was still dazed as they left the exam hall. They had advanced to the next round so easily!
In the adjacent exam booth 42, Shikamaru Nara listened to Naruto's excited voice from the loudspeaker, a look of speechlessness on his face. Naruto, of all people, was the first to advance; that was too ridiculous.
Choji, sitting beside him, mumbled through a mouthful of snacks, "Naruto's really amazing. Shikamaru, you have to do your best too!"
"Honestly, can't you guys think a little harder?"
Shikamaru felt helpless in his heart. What a bother!
Not only the examinees but also the proctors and the leading ninjas watching from the side were dumbfounded.
This question setter had quite a mind. Was it written by a minor?
In a luxurious private box, the Five Kage were gathered, observing the exam's progress. Just after Naruto answered correctly, the other four Kage turned to Minato Namikaze.
Onoki's face showed surprise. "Your Konoha's question-setting style is truly unique."
Minato Namikaze chuckled awkwardly. "Well, ahem, this was just a warm-up question for the opening. The subsequent ones should be more serious."
Ay grunted, "Let's hope so."
Mei Terumi covered her mouth and chuckled. She found the question quite interesting. However, the guy actually didn't arrive late; it seemed they had been too soft on them last night. He was still able to get out of bed.
In the broadcast room, Might Guy said to the two Uchiha members behind him, "Alright, I'm going to read the next question. Please be ready."
"Yes."
The two Uchiha members felt a bit tired. Their Sharingan wasn't meant for identifying who buzzed in first!