Chapter 102: Promotion Commotion (Part-3) [Speedrunning the Chunin Exam (No Glitches, Just Skill)]

Chapter 102 - Promotion Commotion (Part-3) [Speedrunning the Chunin Exam (No Glitches, Just Skill)] The written exam had been almost laughably easy for Ren. Most of the questions tested knowledge well beyond standard Genin training, but with his stats and intelligence level, he was done in just twenty minutes. After finishing, he leaned back in his chair and casually scanned the room. He noted that the number of examinee had already thinned out, every few minutes, a proctor would call out a name and eject a full team for cheating. Since no rules were given at the start, some had foolishly assumed they could use underhanded methods like in past exams. Those early exits were a clear sign of who had failed to adapt. Ren's eyes roamed until they met the gaze of the head proctor, the disinterested-looking man with pineapple-shaped hair. They stared at each other for a moment before both looked away at the same time. Ren couldn't help but think, 'It looks like, it is a war-era theme, orders without question. Also, he doesn't strike me as someone who'd go through the effort of planning anything elaborate like Ibiki did. So was it really just that, straightforward of a test this time?' Time passed quickly, and once the hour was up, the proctor stood and spoke in a monotone voice, "Take their papers. Time's up." A few groans echoed across the room, followed by some weak protests, but they were instantly cut off as the proctor began speaking again, this time with clear disappointment. "You lot made the most basic mistake: not asking for the rules when the test began. You didn't even question why the paper didn't have a time limit. Then some of you started cheating, right in front of the proctors." He glanced toward Kurotsuchi, clearly expecting something. She stood up smoothly and spoke like a model student. "In a real mission, this would simulate information gathering. Getting caught cheating is equivalent to getting caught while spying, which would compromise your team. Escorting a team out symbolizes being captured, or killed." "Correct," the proctor nodded, and Kurotsuchi sat back down. He resumed his scolding. "Some of you knew the answers. Some of you were smart enough to cheat without being caught. But the rest of you? Sitting there like lumps, hoping to coast through. Ridiculous." His tone hardened as he added, "Let me explain how we actually graded you. There were ten questions. If you got five or more wrong, you fail, simple as that. And if even one person on your team fails... the whole team fails. Also, you'll be banned from taking the Chunin Exams for the next two years." That statement made several students gasp, and a few began protesting loudly again. Especially the ones from foreign village. "And that," the proctor snapped, "is another mistake. You're in a foreign village, and you didn't even take time to understand how we run our exams. Every exam's structure is agreed upon beforehand by your village elders. So if you're mad about the rules, take it up with them." He looked around the room one final time. "Come back here tomorrow at 8 a.m. for the results. And let me say this, you're the worst batch of Genin I've ever seen. I hope the next set of rules are stricter, so unqualified brats like you stop slipping through and getting your teammates killed." BAM. He slammed the door shut behind him. A tense silence followed, but it didn't last long for Team 1. Ren stood up calmly and walked out. Hitoshi, Yugao, and even Itachi joined him on the way. Some of the more confident squads followed shortly after. As they walked through the streets, Ren broke the silence. "Well, that was fun. I thought they were going for the war-era theme, orders without explanation, situational adaptation. Guess I was overthinking it." "I had the same thought," Hitoshi added. "I thought the unknown variables were part of the test." Yugao chimed in, "I just answered the questions. They were easy enough. Didn't bother thinking too deeply." She turned to Itachi. "What about you?" "The questions weren't difficult," Itachi replied in his usual calm tone. "I finished quickly and began considering all possible test structures. This one was within my predictions." Team 1 stared at him for a moment, then just shrugged. It wasn't surprising. That was just Itachi being Itachi. As they continued walking, a loud voice broke the moment: "ITACHIII!!" A blur slammed into Itachi from the side. A girl hugged him tightly, then looked up, cheeks reddening slightly. "Hehe, sorry! Got too excited. How was your exam?" It was Izumi Uchiha, smiling brightly. Itachi nodded, composed as ever. "It was easy. I'll pass, Izumi." Ren raised an eyebrow at the scene and took the lead. "Well, we won't interrupt your romantic reunion. But make sure to invite us to the wedding, kay?" With that, he walked off ahead, Yugao grinning and following after him. Izumi flushed a deeper red while Itachi stood frozen, still processing Ren's words. By the time Itachi recovered, he and Izumi were already sitting by the bridge sharing dango. She was talking animatedly while Itachi quietly stared at her, then turned away, blushing just faintly as Ren's words echoed again in his mind. ~~~ The next day arrived swiftly, and the front of the academy was buzzing with anticipation. Genin from all over the world crowded around the notice board, trying to get a look at the results of the written exam. Team 1 stood at a distance as Ren calmly waded through the crowd toward the board, leaving Yugao and Hitoshi behind. After a few minutes, he reached the front and scanned the list. 1st - Ren Takahashi 2nd - Itachi Uchiha (same score) 3rd - Kurotsuchi 4th - Hitoshi Aburame 9th - Yugao Uzuki Ren raised an eyebrow but kept his expression calm. 'Tied with Itachi, huh? Not bad.' He smirked slightly. 'A few years back, I bet the Uchiha would've been pushed to the top just on principle. But now? My existence and the shifting clan politics probably forced them to stay honest.' He checked the system but found no rewards. 'Yeah, I guess the system didn't count this as a true "challenge." Fair enough.' Next, he checked the list of teams that passed. There were only eleven full squads and one solo name at the bottom Itachi Uchiha. Among the eleven squads, 4 were from Konoha (including Team 1), 2 from Sunagakure, 1 from Iwagakure and 4 from minor village. He noted that neither Kabuto nor Iruka's teams made it. With nothing more of interest, Ren returned to Yugao and Hitoshi, informing them of their results. As expected, their reactions were muted since they had already expected to pass. They waited near the academy like the instructions had said. Soon, the failed Genin dispersed and the area cleared. That's when a thud sounded and a man landed in the center of the clearing with a loud laugh. The man was unmistakably an Akimichi, large build, jovial expression, and radiating physical power. "Let's head to the Forest of Death!" he announced cheerfully. "What awaits you there is either death, or the third round. Personally, I'm leaning toward death. My teammate told me what kind of Genin we've got this year." Another boisterous laugh. Then he added, "Meet me at Training Ground 44." Without another word, he vanished. Team 1 exchanged a glance and quickly took off. On the way, Ren quietly instructed, "Hitoshi, once we're inside, place a bug on every team, except the stone squad and Itachi. We need to know who has which scroll." Yugao raised an eyebrow. "You already know how the test works?" Ren nodded casually, making up a smooth excuse. "Yeah. Dad told me about it. His team, you know, him, Sensei, and the Fourth, still holds the record for the fastest completion time: 6 hours, 15 minutes." Yugao's eyes widened slightly. "The Fourth's team? Master and Sensei were with the Fourth?" Ren nodded. "Yup. Let's break their record. Maybe we'll get another reward." Yugao smiled, pumped at the thought. "Sounds good." They reached Training Ground 44 first and waited as the other teams trickled in. Fifteen minutes later, the final team arrived. The same Akimichi proctor stood in the middle, scrolls in hand. He raised them and began the briefing. "These are the Heaven and Earth scrolls. Each team gets one. Your goal is to reach the central tower with both within five days. That means you'll have to fight another team to get the second scroll." His grin widened. "If you open the scrolls before reaching the tower, well, I guess you don't want to know what happens." A nervous shudder passed through some of the younger Genin. One Konoha Genin cautiously raised his hand and asked, "Are these all the rules?" Big mistake. The Akimichi's cheerful tone vanished instantly. "A higher authority is giving you orders, and you're interrupting?" he barked. "If this was wartime, I could kill you for that." The Genin almost cried on the spot. The first proctor, scolded them for not asking about the rules and the second one scolded him for asking the rules. His teammates quickly pulled him aside, and the teams moved to the tent to sign the liability waivers, forms that confirmed their death during the exam wouldn't be the village's responsibility. Team 1 was handed the Heaven Scroll. With Hitoshi's bugs already deployed, they also quickly identified which nearby team carried an Earth Scroll. Ren smirked as they headed toward their gate. All teams were then escorted to separate entrances by Chunin guards. The Akimichi looked up at the sky, then bellowed, "BEGIN!" The gates opened simultaneously. All squads rushed forward into the dense jungle. But while the others charged deeper into the forest blindly, Team 1 instantly veered right, toward the nearest team carrying the Earth Scroll. The Chunin guard at their gate watched them for a moment before closing the gate again and returning to his post. Inside the Forest of Death, chaos was about to begin, but for Team 1, it was already business as usual. Ren gave the signal. Hitoshi's insects had already picked up on the other squad's direction. Now all that was left, was the hunt and the aim to break a legendary record. ~~~ Team 1 moved swiftly through the dense undergrowth of the Forest of Death, Hitoshi taking the lead with his insects guiding their path. "They'll pass through this route soon," Hitoshi commented, his voice barely above a whisper. Ren and Yugao took up position beside him, each of them perfectly concealed among the foliage. They didn't have to wait long, just as Hitoshi predicted, a squad moved into their ambush path. Ren narrowed his eyes as he recognized them. 'Ah, the same loudmouth who got chewed out by the proctor earlier. You guys must be rethinking this whole shinobi career thing already. So let me help you out.' With that, the three of them flickered from their hiding spots. The ambush was over before it even began. All three opposing Genin collapsed to the ground in an instant, each knocked out cold before they could register what hit them. A clean takedown. No unnecessary movements. No wasted time. Hitoshi quickly rifled through their packs and found the Earth Scroll, tossing it to Ren, who caught it with one hand and tucked it into his belt with a grin. "Well, let's go break that record," Ren said, still grinning. "And let's make sure it's so ridiculous that no one even thinks about trying to beat it." Yugao returned the grin. Hitoshi gave a short, satisfied hum. Before heading toward the tower, they carried the unconscious team back toward the nearest gate and left them near a path where a patrol would easily spot them. They didn't do this out of kindness, well, not exactly. It was more of a professional courtesy. A fellow Konoha team, and more importantly, they had made their job easier. 'They deserved at least that much,' Ren thought. All in all, the entire engagement, from ambush to drop-off, had taken them just 20 minutes. With the scrolls secured, they were on the move again. This time, Ren took the lead. Having trained in the Forest of Death before, he knew its terrain better than most Genin. Every twist, turn, and shortcut, Ren used them all. Hitoshi made sure they avoided every other team by directing their path with his insects, while any large animals they came across were dealt with by Yugao or Ren before they could become a problem. No breaks. No pauses. Just forward momentum. Finally, after more than an hour of nonstop movement, the tower came into view, its tall, cylindrical structure rising through the mist and trees. All three of them broke into a final sprint, kicking off branches and roots as they dashed toward it. The gates of the central tower loomed ahead. They skidded to a stop in front of it. To their surprise, the gates were shut, and there didn't seem to be anyone stationed there to receive them yet. Ren walked up to the doors and raised a hand, ready to knock. But before he could multiple voices rang out behind them in unison, each of them stunned. "What the fuck?" ~~~ {Hell yeah!!!!! Finally we are at Chapter 100. Didn't think that I would come this far honestly, but yeah. Here we are. Thanks for sticking around till now, hope we reach many more hundreds together and break records just like team 1.} {Thanks, QuantumServer for becoming a member.} { h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / / Z e e n o n } {You can just search for my name too, it's the one with tom's pic (from tom and Jerry)} {You know what else to do.} {STONES!!!!}