I sat down next to Hinata. I felt the invisible chakra glue activate, sticking her firmly to the wooden bench. She wiggled slightly, looked confused, and then relieved.
"I feel... stable," she whispered.
"Good," I whispered back. "Now, let's just hope the exam isn't about dancing."
Ibiki slammed a stack of papers on the desk.
"The first exam is a written test," Ibiki announced with a sadistic grin. "And there are some very special rules."
I smirked. A written test. In the anime, Naruto handed in a blank paper.
But this time? This time I had 3,650 points and a System that sold skills.
("System, how much for 'Master Calligraphy' and 'Academic Cheating Level 100'?")
"Master Calligraphy: 100 Points. Stealth Eye (Cheating): 500 Points."
("Easy money.")
The exam was about to begin, and for the first time in history, Naruto Uzumaki was going to ace it.
The atmosphere in Room 301 was heavy enough to crush a diamond. Ibiki Morino, the scar-faced proctor, stood at the front of the room like a statue carved from nightmares. Behind him, a chalkboard outlined the rules of the first exam.
"Rule number one," Ibiki barked. "You start with ten points. The test has ten questions. Each question is worth one point. But this test is based on a deduction system."
I sat at my desk, listening intently. Beside me, Hinata Hyuga sat perfectly still. This wasn't because of her ninja discipline; it was because I had spent two hundred Shy Points on the "Chakra Adhesion: Seat Anchor" skill. Her bottom was effectively super-glued to the wooden bench.
"Rule number two," Ibiki continued, his eyes scanning the room. "If the sentinels catch you cheating, they will subtract two points for each offense. If you lose all ten points, you fail. And if you fail, your two teammates fail with you."
A collective gasp went through the room. I glanced at Sasuke, who was sitting two rows ahead, and Sakura, who was to my right. Sasuke looked annoyed. Sakura looked terrified.
"Now," Ibiki smirked. "Begin."
The sound of pencils scratching against paper filled the silence. I flipped my test paper over.
Question 1: Decrypt the following code using the rotational cipher based on the moon's trajectory...
Question 2: Calculate the parabolic arc of a shuriken thrown at 45 degrees in a 15mph crosswind with variable drag coefficients...
("Are you kidding me?") I screamed internally. ("I’m a ninja, not a physicist! Who knows this stuff?")
"System," I thought urgently. ("I have money. Help me pass.")
"Recommendation," the System replied coolly. "The objective of this exam is not to answer the questions, but to cheat successfully without being caught. You can purchase 'Stealth Eye (Level 1)' for five hundred points. This will allow you to zoom in on other students' papers and see through obstacles like backs and arms."
("Buy it. And give me 'Master Calligraphy' for one hundred points so my handwriting looks smart.")
"Processing. Total Cost: Six Hundred Points. Remaining Balance: Three Thousand and Fifty."
A tingling sensation washed over my eyes. I blinked. Suddenly, the world sharpened. I focused on the guy sitting in the front row—a guy I recognized as a plant disguised as a student to provide the answers.
I zoomed in. His answers were crystal clear.
("Nice. Copying now.")
I began to write, my hand moving with the grace of a master poet thanks to the Calligraphy skill.
"Psst. Naruto-kun."
A frantic whisper came from my left. I froze. I turned my head slightly. Hinata was looking at me with panic in her Byakugan eyes.
"What is it?" I whispered back without moving my lips.
"My... my pencil," she squeaked. "I dropped it."
I looked down. Sure enough, her pencil had rolled off the desk and was lying on the floor, just out of reach.
"Just pick it up," I hissed.
"I can't!" she whispered, her face turning red. "I am stuck! The chair... it won't let me move my hips!"
("Right. The Seat Anchor.")
"Just... stretch," I said. "Use your flexibility."
Hinata bit her lip. She leaned over the side of the desk, straining to reach the floor. Because her lower body was glued flat to the seat, her upper body had to twist at an awkward angle. She extended her arm, her fingers brushing the floor.
"Warning," the System chimed. "Target Posture: The 'Desperate Reach'. High Vulnerability. Sentinel Proctor approaching from the rear. Initiating Rito Effect: The Interrogation Accident."
A sentinel—one of the Chunin proctors whose job was to catch cheaters—was walking down the aisle behind us. He saw Hinata leaning over unnaturally far.
"Hey, you," the Sentinel barked, stepping closer. "Number 72. What are you doing? Are you trying to look at your neighbor's paper?"
"N-No!" Hinata stammered, trying to sit up.
But physics, as usual, betrayed her.
As she tried to snap back to an upright position, her hand slipped on the floor. Her arm flailed upward.
The Sentinel was leaning over her desk to inspect her paper.
Hinata’s rising hand caught the edge of the Sentinel’s clip-on clipboard.
The clipboard flew into the air.
"What the-?" The Sentinel reacted, trying to catch it.
He lunged forward.
At the exact same moment, the student sitting in front of Hinata—a nervous Genin from the Rain Village—leaned back in his chair to stretch. His chair leg bumped the Sentinel’s knee.
The Sentinel lost his balance. He fell forward.
Because Hinata was glued to her chair, she couldn't dodge. She couldn't slide away. She was a sitting duck.
The Sentinel crashed down. His hands slammed onto the desk on either side of Hinata’s head. His face stopped inches from hers.
It was the ultimate "Kabedon" (Wall Slam), except it was a "Desk Slam."
From the perspective of everyone else in the room—including Ibiki—it looked like the proctor had aggressively pinned a female student to her chair and was leaning in for a kiss or a very intense whisper.
.....
...