Hokage:The female ninjas are going crazy

Jiraiya: "..."

Uzumaki Kushina: "What's wrong?"

Jiraiya: "Nothing… nothing at all…"

Jiraiya shook his head slightly, trying to brush off the unease creeping into his heart.

> I must be overthinking things.

Naruto is still young... It should be impossible… right?

---

Hinata blushed and gave a soft hum, nodding slightly.

> [Willingly offering to share her answers with Naruto.]

Naruto: "Thanks, Hinata… but let's do it another day."

After that, Naruto began earnestly working through the questions on the test.

This was no ordinary Naruto—this was the most outstanding Genin of the year.

The same Naruto who had graduated at the top of his class, ranking first in both theoretical knowledge and practical combat!

He scribbled down answers at a blazing speed, even faster than Hinata herself had!

---

Minato: "I never imagined Naruto could be such a top student in that world."

Kushina: "Maybe he got my smart genes after all!"

Naruto (embarrassed): "Sakura, you've seen my test paper, right? I didn't just scribble randomly, did I?"

Sakura (rolling her eyes): "Do you think everyone's like you? I've already read it—all the answers are correct. You even gave two solutions for the final question."

Naruto: "I…"

He was completely speechless.

> Why is it always me?

How can there be such a huge gap? It's like the difference between humans and dogs!

Back then, he hadn't been able to answer a single question.

---

In contrast, the Naruto from that alternate world had solved everything with ease.

Even Sasuke, the so-called "weak link" of Team 7, had no trouble copying answers thanks to his Sharingan.

He had duplicated the exact handwriting of the person in front of him—flawlessly.

Sasuke, of course, knew the rules:

> If you don't get caught, it's not cheating.

But still—why did it feel like he was the only weak link in Class 7?

---

[Team 7 passed the exam without any issues.]

There were no outbursts of confidence or dramatic declarations from Naruto, like in the other world.

But many Genin simply couldn't withstand the immense pressure from Morino Ibiki and chose to give up early.

Still, Team 7 moved forward—smoothly and flawlessly.

Just as Ibiki was droning on with his commentary, the second proctor of the Chunin Exams made her dramatic entrance.

---

[Enter Mitarashi Anko!]

Anko (grinning): "You better be prepared for the next round. At least half of you are going to be eliminated!"

---

Uchiha Madara: "Finally, something interesting. These trust-building question tests are meaningless. Konoha wasn't forged by pencil and paper—it was born in war!"

Hashirama (whispering): "Madara, is it because you couldn't answer any of the questions either?"

Madara: "…"

Hiruzen (clearing his throat): "Ahem… the Forest of Death is next, right? Orochimaru, you'll meet Naruto from that world soon."

Realizing the situation was getting awkward, Hiruzen quickly redirected the conversation.

Who would have thought that both the First Hokage and Madara were poor students?

Clearly, the Third Hokage's academic prowess had placed him a step above.

---

Orochimaru: "Even so, I am still one of the legendary Sannin. While Naruto-kun from that world is strong… he lacks experience."

Hiruzen: "You're just being stubborn, Orochimaru. You'll be in trouble soon."

Orochimaru: "On the contrary. I think I'd get along very well with this version of Naruto. He might even agree to join me in destroying Konoha!"

Yamanaka Ino: "W-What? No way…"

Ohnoki: "It's not impossible. Considering his current strength, Naruto can't fight Konoha alone. But if he teams up with Orochimaru… things could get messy. And he does seem to have a good relationship with the Nine Tails."

Terumi Mei: "The power of the tailed beasts is no joke—especially the Nine Tails. Its strength is absolute."

Third Raikage: "Exactly. The Eight Tails alone was as strong as ten thousand Iwagakure ninjas!"

Ohnoki: "???"

Ohnoki's face twitched.

Of course, he remembered how the Third Raikage died—fighting ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi to buy time for his village.

He had even fought the Eight Tails to a standstill, both collapsing in exhaustion.

> Did he really just use Iwagakure ninja as a unit of measurement?!

---

Hearing all this, Kushina grew increasingly anxious.

Orochimaru was indeed a master manipulator and brainwasher—equal to Sarutobi Hiruzen in some respects.

Otherwise, how could he have gathered so many loyal followers willing to die for him?

Could Naruto really… no. Surely not?

---

The Forest of Death Begins

The next test location was none other than Training Ground 44—infamously known as the Forest of Death.

Inside the towering metal gates stretched a jungle of monstrous trees, each at least two to three stories tall.

The exam's rules were simple but ruthless:

Each team receives a scroll—either "Heaven" or "Earth."

Within five days, teams must reach the designated tower.

But to enter, they must possess both types of scrolls.

Which means—at least half of the teams would be eliminated.

---

A Kusagakure ninja wearing a bamboo hat eyed Sasuke's back greedily, zeroing in on the mark left by Orochimaru.

Anko: "If you're ready, step forward and sign the waiver. You might die in this test, you know!"

Many Genin hesitated at her words.

But quitting would mean immediate disqualification for their entire team. So, they had no choice but to press forward.

Anko smiled coldly.

She reached into her shirt and pulled out a thick stack of papers—death waivers. Or as some called them: death certificates.

---

Anko: "Let's begin."

Without hesitation, Naruto strode forward and was the first to sign his name.

Sasuke and Sakura followed suit.

Anko gave a rare smile of approval and handed them their scroll—marked with the character "天" (Heaven).

Inspired by Naruto's boldness, the other teams quickly followed.

Each squad was assigned a separate entrance to the forest, ensuring they wouldn't run into each other right away.

---

Behind the Scenes…

As they entered the forest, Naruto spoke telepathically with the Nine Tails.

Naruto: "Hey, big fox. Are any Jōnin keeping an eye on me?"

Kurama (Nine Tails): "None that I can sense. Within a hundred miles, you're clear."

Naruto: "Interesting… seems like even Konoha's a little wary now that this is a multi-village exam."

Kurama's words made Naruto smirk.

He'd always held back before, aware that hidden Jōnin were constantly monitoring him from the shadows.

That was the only reason he hadn't acted against Konoha directly.

But now?

> The Forest of Death is off-limits to Jōnin…

That means it's time to give them a taste of what I'm really capable of.

---

Naruto excused himself, claiming he needed the restroom.

He used the Shadow Clone Technique, creating a perfect replica imbued with some of Kurama's chakra.

The clone would act as a decoy and wouldn't vanish easily even if damaged.

As for Naruto himself?

He reached into his ninja tool scroll and pulled out a white fox mask.

With a slow, deliberate motion, he placed the mask over his face.

In that moment, his entire aura shifted.

His chakra transformed.

His presence became unrecognizable.

---

Naruto (smirking behind the mask): "Big fox… the hunt begins now."