"What did you just say?!" Dosu Kinuta shouted. "You calling me trash?!"
"I'm not singling you out." Neji's lips curled into a cool smile.
"What I'm saying is everyone here… is trash."
"What?! You sayin' we're trash?!"
"You cocky brat!"
The room erupted in fury. One by one, people stood up, glaring at Neji with clenched fists, ready to swarm him.
"Tch." Tenten looked around at the crowd with a sneer.
To be honest, she was confident she could beat most of them herself let alone Neji.
Still, her cheeks flushed faintly as she stole a glance at him. To say something like that in front of this many people… that kind of courage
It had to come from sheer strength.
"Neji-niisan… is so confident," Hinata murmured, nervously tapping her index fingers together, eyes full of admiration.
"Neji..." Sakura watched him, biting her lip with a trace of worry.
In a quiet corner, Gaara and his team silently observed the scene.
"Wow, full of fire, huh?" Temari said with a smirk.
"He's not wrong. Most of these people are trash," Gaara replied with rare agreement.
"Um… Gaara, I think… he meant us too," Kankurō whispered.
Gaara blinked. "Kankurō, do you have a death wish?"
Despite the flood of threats and insults being hurled his way, Neji remained calm, even slightly amused.
He hadn't expected this to earn him rewards.
Hinata Hyuga admires the host. Reward unlocked: [Guardian Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms].
Guardian Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms: Chakra is concentrated into needle-like points within the palms. The user whirls their hands in rapid succession, creating a semi-spherical rotation resembling Rotation, pulverizing anything within range a defensive technique that turns defense into offense.
Tenten admires the host. Reward unlocked: [Fireburst Bomb].
Fireburst Bomb: A fireball conjured from a scroll, launched to incinerate enemies in a sudden, explosive attack.
Without drawing attention to himself, Neji glanced in Gaara's direction and smirked.
At this point, he had already left Gaara in the dust. The so-called ceiling of the Genin level it had shifted.
Bang!
Suddenly, the door was kicked open with a thunderous crash.
"Enough! Everyone, back to your seats."
A man strode in, clad in a black leather jacket, a deep scar slashing across his face.
"I'm your proctor for the first stage of the Chūnin Exams-Morino Ibiki."
"The first round… is a written test."
He slapped a thick stack of papers onto the front desk and announced:
"Hand in your application forms, get your number, and return to your seats."
"W-Written test?!"
Naruto's face drained of color. If he had any less energy, he might've passed out on the spot.
And just like that, the first stage of the exam began.
As over a hundred aspiring shinobi wracked their brains, Neji had already flipped his test sheet over face down.
There was no point in even trying. He knew exactly how this would play out. No stress. No need to waste the effort.
While Neji relaxed with his eyes closed, the classroom descended into chaos deception, tricks, and covert techniques flooded the room. It was a battlefield of brains.
Even Sasuke, annoyed beyond measure, activated his two-tomoe Sharingan.
Yes, that's right. Watching everyone furiously scribbling answers, Sasuke felt his Uchiha pride take a hit.
And with so many rising talents around him Naruto, of all people, was catching up it lit a fire in him he couldn't ignore.
Before he realized it, his blood was boiling, and his eyes had turned red.
Casting a glance Neji's way, Sasuke clenched his fists.
"I'll definitely surpass you."
If Neji had heard him, he probably would've sneered.
"Foolish second-born… you know nothing of true strength."
Time ticked by.
And finally, the test reached its climax.
Morino Ibiki switched gears into full interrogation mode, unleashing the full force of his psychological warfare. The pressure was intense. One after another, Genin began raising their hands in surrender, leaving in shame and confusion.
Everyone in the room was gripped by internal conflict except for Neji.
Unshaken, unfazed. His gaze never wavered.
Ibiki observed Neji with quiet approval.
As expected of the Hyuga prodigy. What composure.
Smack!
Naruto suddenly slammed his hand on the desk, rising to his feet and launching into one of his classic speeches, all conviction and fire.
And just like that, his trademark "Talk no Jutsu" took effect.
Those on the verge of quitting suddenly felt emboldened. With nothing to lose, they pushed forward. Somehow, they stumbled through the exam and passed.
Thwack!
A stone flew in through the third-story window. A kunoichi somersaulted inside in one graceful motion.
"Really?" Ibiki sighed. "You could at least act like this is a professional setting."
Neji's eyes lit up as he looked at the new arrival: Mitarashi Anko.
She was Orochimaru's former student. From her, Neji could potentially gain access to part of Orochimaru's jutsu.
A faint grin tugged at his lips. He had a plan.
"Well, well! Still so many of you left?" Anko laughed. "Ibiki, looks like your methods are slipping."
Ibiki just shrugged. "Can't help it. This year's Genin are actually pretty impressive."
"Haha! In that case, I'll help you trim the herd a bit."
The moment she said that, the room went tense.
Another round of eliminations?
Ignoring the murmurs, Anko waved her hand.
"I'm your second-stage proctor Mitarashi Anko."
"We don't have time to waste. Everyone, move out to the second testing site."
Once everyone had filed out, Ibiki began collecting the papers. He glanced at Naruto's blank test sheet and chuckled.
"Uzumaki Naruto, huh? What a fascinating kid."
But when he saw Neji's paper, his face turned dark.
He looked like he wanted to slap himself.
You just praised this kid…
Thud!
How many years have I been an interrogator? Studied psychology my whole life… and I got played by a brat? Damn it!
Soon, everyone arrived at the infamous Forest of Death, where the second stage would begin.
Anko stood tall before the gathered Genin and clapped her hands.
"All right. Stage Two simple and brutal."
"Each team will receive either a Heaven or Earth scroll. Your objective is to collect both scrolls and reach the tower at the center of the forest within five days."
"Oh, and just so you know," she added with a mischievous grin, "the number of Heaven and Earth scrolls is equal."
"So we really are eliminating half the teams…"
"No, no…" Anko wagged a finger. "Who knows?"
As she energetically explained the rules, Neji wasn't listening.
His gaze had already shifted elsewhere.
After all, a shadow-level threat was hiding in this forest.
His peripheral vision locked on a certain trio from the Village Hidden in the Grass, alert and searching.
"Hm?"
Orochimaru, with his heightened chakra perception, immediately noticed someone watching him.
But he couldn't pinpoint who it was.
"Well, well… spotted already?" He licked his lips, grinning with eerie delight.
"This is going to be fun."