Chapter 22: Genin Exams(1)
The morning sun cast a warm glow over the village hidden in the leaves as the second-year students assembled in their classroom in anticipation of the graduation exam. Renjiro was the last to arrive among the group.
After a short round of greetings, Ryuji arrived and led them to where the exam would be taking place. He briefed them on the format. The final exams would consist of four stages.
The first stage would be a written exam, similar to the end-of-year exams of prior years. It was a test of their theoretical knowledge and strategic acumen. It was to be held at another venue so they hastily set out for the venue.
Arriving at the exam venue, a spacious hall resonating with the rustling of the occasional murmur of discussions, Renjiro felt a mix of determination and anticipation. The corridors were crowded as there were different batches of the same exam taking the exam as well as the second-year group.
As Renjiro and his group made their way through the bustling corridors, he couldn't help but notice the hushed murmurs that trailed in his wake.
The source of the commotion became evident as snippets of conversations reached his ears, all centred around the distinctive feature that set him apart — his striking red hair.
"Did you see his hair?"
"Red, isn't it strange."
"I've never seen anything like it in Konoha."
"Have you forgotten about Lady Kushina?"
"Yes, He must be from the Uzumaki clan."
"But wasn't their village destroyed some years ago."
"Maybe there were some survivors."
Whispers echoed with curiosity and speculation as fellow students exchanged glances and pointed discreetly at the vibrant cascade of crimson that adorned Renjiro's head.
The vivid hue seemed to evoke a spectrum of reactions, ranging from admiration to intrigue. The sea of typical black and brown-haired shinobi had found an anomaly in Renjiro's flamboyant mane.
Some openly stared, their eyes widening with surprise, while others discreetly discussed the unconventional sight.
'Yes! Bask in the shadow of my handsomeness!'
Renjiro, aware of the attention, moved forward with a stoic expression, his demeanour unaffected by the spotlight cast upon him while he inwardly gloated.
"Renjiro!" The familiar voice echoed through the air, drawing Renjiro's attention. Inabi, Yashiro, and Tekka Uchiha, the trio of upperclassmen he had encountered back at the clan workshop, approached the group.
"Look who we have here," Inabi greeted with a sly grin, "I could not believe it when Sora told us, but you really decided to apply for the early graduation."
"Yes, I talked it over with Daichi-sama and he allowed me to."
"But don't let that get in your head, even if you become genins with us, we will still be your seniors," Inabi added.
All this was in good spirits. The trio had interacted with Renjiro before and couldn't deny the fact that he was talented. In fact, they would have been more surprised if Renjiro had chosen to stay at the academy.
Yashiro with his arms crossed, nodded knowingly. "So are you nervous about the exams?"
Renjiro's group exchanged glances, it was already clear that they were nervous. This was basically a test that could determine their life.
Tekka, the quietest of the trio, broke his silence to offer reassurance, "Don't let the nerves get to you. Just think of it as another step in your journey."
However, their exchange was cut short by a booming voice that resonated across the area.
"Alright, young shitheads, time to head in!" The authoritative voice boomed. The voice belonged to Yaza Kurama, the Jonin proctor overseeing the exams.
Yaza Kurama, a seasoned Jonin with a stern countenance, stood tall and imposing as the proctor overseeing the graduation exams.
Adorned in traditional Jonin attire, with a forehead protector proudly displaying the symbol of Konoha, Kurama emanated an air of authority tempered by a sense of responsibility.
Despite the formidable exterior, there was a pearl of subtle wisdom in his gaze, reflecting the seasoned mentor entrusted with shaping the future of Konoha's new generation.
Ryuji quickly bid them farewell and with a final nod from Inabi, Yashiro, and Tekka, Renjiro and his peers turned their attention toward the looming exam hall.
The examination hall was a spacious room filled with anticipation. Rows of desks neatly arranged, each candidate took their seat, nerves and excitement palpable in the air.
'Are we going to have to copy the test? Or is that too advanced for a genin exam?'
With a swift efficiency that mirrored his commanding presence, they were handed their exam papers. The rustling of paper echoed through the hall as each student received their set of questions.
"Begin!" Yaza's booming voice cut through the hushed whispers, signalling the start of the exam.
Pens scratched against the paper as the candidates delved into the challenges presented before them. Renjiro tackled the questions with a mix of confidence and diligence, the pen dancing across the page as he drew on his acquired knowledge from training.
As time ticked away, the students wrestled with the questions. The paper was a multichoice one and its duration was two hours long.
The questions were pretty straightforward. So even if you did not know the answer you still had a 25% chance of getting it right.
The test covered a wide range of topics from tactics & strategy to math to geography and even physics among others. Basically, all theory that the students had learnt in their time at the academy.
As the air in the examination hall grew dense, and Renjiro's heightened senses picked up on an unusual disturbance.
An instinctive warning prompted him to activate his Sharingan, its three tomoes swirling to life, each red iris reflecting the world with enhanced clarity.
To his astonishment, the entire hall seemed to be enveloped in a peculiar phenomenon. It appeared as if a thick shroud of smoke was permeating the surroundings.
The other candidates, unaware of this occurrence, continued diligently working on their exams, oblivious to the anomaly unfolding around them.
'What the hell is this? It's cloudy as hell. Is that chakra?'
Renjiro's Sharingan, finely tuned to detect anomalies in chakra, intensified his perception.
Gripped by a sense of foreboding, Renjiro focused his attention on deciphering the nature of this phenomenon, unsure of its origin or purpose.
Recognition flickered in Renjiro's eyes as he noticed Inabi, Aiko and other students sharing his perplexity. Aiko covertly made a hand sign and observing Aiko's hand sign, a revelation dawned on him. The peculiar phenomenon enveloping the examination hall was, in fact, a genjutsu.
'But when was it activated? I initially thought it was a genjutsu but when I looked at Yaza there were no chakra fluctuations within and around him. He's from the Kurama clan I should have expected this.'
Realizing that their peers were unwittingly ensnared in the genjutsu, Renjiro and the others found themselves at the forefront of an unexpected challenge.
The urgency of the situation pressed upon them, amplifying the importance of swift and decisive action to dispel the illusion.
Renjiro released his chakra, as a way to counter the Genjutsu, his chakra slowly enveloped the area he was. This did not go unnoticed by Yaza. His eyes were sharp and discerning, missing nothing as he observed the hall of aspiring young shinobi.
'The Sharingan. Has he realized it?' Yaza thought as he raised a brow.
'I need to help the rest,' Renjiro thought as he continued releasing chakra into the environment.
No. Renjiro did not have a false sense of justice. He only wanted to help the rest of his classmates so that they could be indebted to him. You never know where these favours could help you.
He wanted to forcefully intrude on Hayate's and Hiro's chakra network with his chakra. He succeeded as the two boys suddenly the two boys had confused looks on their faces
Seeing Renjiro's actions, Inabi and Aiko did the same and like a domino the rest of the unaffected students followed. Aiko did the same for Makoto while Inabi helped his two friends.
Seeing his Ruse was exposed, Yaza shouted,
''Put your Pens! down! Stand up and head out.''
They obediently did so and as they were getting out, but some of them were intentionally bumping into their friends in a bid to wake them from the genjutsu.
Unfortunately for them, their attempts were futile as they did not wake up from the genjutsu.
After all the students were outside, Yaza released the affected students from his Genjutsu.
"Wakey, Wakey Shitheads. You have been disqualified from the Exams." Yaza said while grinning. His gleaming perfect set of teeth added to the confusion of the students.
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