Konoha: You're letting me build up my bonds, but you're offending the entire ninja world.

Losing a respected teammate is a deep pain for him, especially since that teammate died trying to save him.

Shimura Gengetsu spoke so casually, even comparing him to a jinx, which made Uchiha Itachi, who usually didn't like to show his emotions, show anger.

"Shimura-kun, my teammate was also a Konoha ninja. He sacrificed himself for the village. Your words are extremely disrespectful."

"I'm just stating the facts."

Gengetsu Shimura smiled slightly, completely ignoring Itachi Uchiha's unfriendly tone and gaze, and continued to say, "I recently reviewed some data and discovered that... ninjas who team up with the Uchiha clan don't seem to have much good luck."

Do you know Obito Uchiha?

After a moment of hesitation, Itachi Uchiha slowly nodded.

"Of course, he is Ye Yingxiong."

"Alright, let's just call him a hero, but what's the price?" Xuan Yue slowly opened her palm and started counting on her fingers one by one.

"Because they teamed up with him, their team was targeted by the Jonin of Iwagakure. Kakashi, the former genius ninja, almost perished, losing an eye. After receiving the Sharingan, he reportedly didn't improve for a long time due to bloodline incompatibility."

"His teammate, Nohara Rin, died directly in the war."

"His teacher, Minato Namikaze, also died in the Nine-Tails' attack."

"Do you think... teaming up with an Uchiha will bring misfortune?"

"......"

Uchiha Itachi remained silent and did not speak.

He was somewhat shaken by what he was being told.

Gengetsu Shimura was telling the truth. He also had a gut feeling that the powerful enemy who suddenly appeared was also after the Sharingan.

If his teammates hadn't sacrificed their lives, he himself would likely have perished on the spot.

However, Itachi Uchiha was, after all, a man destined for great things, and his resolve quickly returned.

"Shimura-kun, it's all because I'm not strong enough. I will work hard to become stronger and protect my teammates and the village to dispel the rumors."

"I hope so." Shimura Gengetsu shrugged, neither confirming nor denying his words.

The brief reunion with classmates came to an end, as all the exam papers had been handed out.

"Listen carefully, the rules for this written exam are different from any other exam you've ever taken," Yamashiro Aoba began announcing the rules:

"First, one point is awarded for each correct answer and one point is deducted for each incorrect answer. Scores are calculated based on groups of three...except for special circumstances."

"Second, cheating will result in a deduction of two points per instance. If anyone's score is less than or equal to zero, the entire team will be eliminated."

"Third, the total score of a three-person team must not be less than eighteen points!"

"Ninety minutes allotted. You may begin now!"

As soon as Yamashiro Aoba finished speaking, the numerous genin quickly entered exam mode.

Genjuro Shimura leisurely skimmed through the exam paper from beginning to end.

After reading it, he remained somewhat silent.

Great, there are only ten questions in total. None of them are multiple choice or true/false questions, which are his strengths. They are all open-ended questions.

Aside from the two questions related to poison, which he had learned during his advanced studies at the Root Academy, the rest...

What the hell is all of this?

This system is garbage. It doesn't even have the ability to improve memory or learn academic subjects, making it impossible for him to pass the first level based on his own abilities.

Looking at Uchiha Itachi, who was sitting one seat away and had already finished two questions, Xuan Yue's mood became even worse.

Forget it.

Xuan Yue sighed, her little face drooping.

Since that's the case, the only solution is to bring everyone to the same starting line.

Xuan Yue yawned, propped her cheek with her right hand, and scribbled erratically on the table with her left.

Three seconds later.

"Ninja Art: Dark Travel Technique!" Shimura Gengetsu silently chanted in his mind.

As if some eerie entity had stolen all the light from the classroom, in just two seconds, the color change of everything quickly faded, turning everything pitch black.

This is absolute darkness; even the Sharingan cannot see anything.

It can only be said that Tobirama Senju truly loved the Uchiha clan deeply.

Despite being the Hokage, Tobirama Senju's strongest technique was Water Release because the Uchiha clan was skilled in Fire Release.

The forbidden techniques developed, especially the Root techniques, were mostly aimed at the Uchiha clan. The Flying Thunder God Technique countered dynamic vision, and the Dark Travel Technique directly blinded those with Sharingan eyes.

Even the shadow clones are created in a way that even the Sharingan cannot detect.

However, if Tobirama Senju knew that his invented ninjutsu was being used to cheat, with the sole purpose of passing the first round of the Chunin Exams, would he be so angry that he would strip Gengetsu of the full power to use this ninjutsu?

"What the hell is that noise?!"

"It's so dark! I can't even see my own hands!"

"Whose ninjutsu is this! Undo it right now!"

"Damn it... I was only halfway through copying..."

In the pitch-black classroom, after a brief moment of stunned silence, the students erupted in fierce discontent and clamor, instantly turning the entire classroom into a noisy marketplace.

"Shut up! Everyone stay in your seats! Don't move!"

"The candidate in the third seat from the left in the third row! Two points deducted! If you dare to leave your seat again, you will be disqualified from the exam!"

Yamashiro Aoba's voice was very loud. With his ability to locate sounds, even if he couldn't see, he could detect the source of the disturbance and the small actions of some examinees.

After pointing out the behavior of several candidates, the situation was stabilized.

However, a buzzing sound still emanated from it, whispering softly.

Uchiha Itachi remained calm after the incident, neither shouting nor questioning anything.

He simply turned his head to look in the direction of Shimura Gengetsu, his eyes filled with solemnity.

Although Itachi Uchiha did not notice Gengetsu Shimura's technique, he was probably the only one in the exam room who could do that.

This technique can even block the Sharingan's vision; it's incredibly effective against the Uchiha clan. What kind of ninjutsu is it...?

"Itachi, are you trying to sneak a peek at my test paper?" Shimura Gengetsu suddenly spoke up.

"Can you see me?"

"I can sense your gaze; it's lewd."

Uchiha Itachi: "..."

On the podium, Yamashiro Aoba was already sweating profusely with anxiety.

He tried all the methods he knew to break the Dark Walk spell, but to no avail.

The classroom remained pitch black, and the students' patience was being worn down little by little.

Yamashiro Aoba could only pin his hopes on the Hokage, who had been observing the situation, and the other Jonin to come up with a solution as soon as possible.

Otherwise, this exam would truly become a joke.

Hokage Building.

Hokage's office.

The room contained several screens connected to equipment in the examination room, capable of broadcasting the examination proceedings live...

But now, all the screens are completely black.

A group of Konoha high-ranking officials, along with the Jonin who were waiting there, stared in disbelief and fell into silence.

"This is... Lord Tobirama's Dark Arts, isn't it?"

Koharu Utatane broke the silence first, her tone tinged with nostalgia, "Back then, Lord Tobirama used his Dark Travel Technique to assassinate countless targets."

"Even now, the memory is still vivid."

"Now is not the time to reminisce about your youth, Xiaochun."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. "Now that the first exam has been suspended, we must deal with it as soon as possible, otherwise what will the other villages think of Konoha?"

"Danzo, this is trouble caused by Gengetsu. What do you think we should do about it?"

They had just watched the replay from different camera angles and observed Gengetsu's spellcasting process. In fact, even without watching, it was clear that only Gengetsu Shimura was qualified to learn this spell in the entire examination hall.

"Trouble? I don't think it's trouble."

Faced with Hiruzen Sarutobi's attempt to shift the blame, Danzo Shimura showed no dissatisfaction, but calmly retorted: "This exam was originally designed to test a ninja's intelligence gathering and observation skills."

“Xuan Yue was simply preventing others from gathering intelligence. Her methods were so sophisticated that even the proctoring ninjas couldn’t detect it. It was entirely in accordance with the rules.”

Danzo said, with a hint of pride in his voice, "It's just that they're too useless. I don't think there's anything wrong with what Gengetsu did."

"If you ask me, we should just eliminate everyone else and directly promote Xuan Yue to Chunin."

"No."

The Third Hokage refused without hesitation, saying, "There are three events in total. Eliminating everyone in the first round is against the rules."