I just returned to Konoha and found that my entire clan was gone.

"Well, as long as Sasuke doesn't let his guard down, there shouldn't be any problems," Kakashi said, glancing at the two men below the field.

"The opponent's intention is too obvious. His free hand must be using some kind of ninjutsu. Sasuke will win once he understands it," Ye Lan explained from the side.

"Is that so?" Naruto turned to Kakashi and asked.

"That should be it," Kakashi replied casually.

"Yoshi!" Naruto took a deep breath and shouted, "Sasuke, watch out for the enemy's free hand! That hand is probably their finishing move!"

"You bastard!" Even Kakashi, who didn't care about other people's opinions, felt embarrassed and immediately covered Naruto's mouth without even looking at his book.

"You're in Ganzhou, God and Demon, Kaka sucking Rolls." Naruto, whose mouth was covered, couldn't speak.

"Don't interrupt when others are taking the exam. Do you want Sasuke to be disqualified?" Kakashi said in a low voice.

Everyone's eyes turned to Naruto, and Kakashi quickly raised his hand and said, "Don't mind him, he's just a kid and he doesn't know any better."

"Your companion seems a bit scatterbrained," Ye Lan remarked to Haruno Sakura beside him, having never seen such an oddball before.

“Naruto… he’s like that sometimes,” Sakura said awkwardly, scratching her head.

The two who were fighting in the examination hall paused for a moment when they heard Naruto's words on the stage. Sasuke also glanced at Naruto awkwardly. In fact, even without him saying it, he had already sensed that there was something wrong with the opponent's attack method.

Hearing that someone had exposed his secrets, Akabane Armor became anxious. He decided to stop holding back and attack with all his might, trying to strike before Sasuke could react. Akabane Armor's attacks became increasingly fierce. Although Sasuke tried his best to defend, he was still caught off guard and grabbed by the shoulder.

Just as Akaguni thought he was about to succeed, he met Sasuke's eyes, those two-tomoe Sharingan staring at him. Akaguni suddenly felt his consciousness blurring, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Illusion, not magic here.

The copper-armored man suddenly lost consciousness, and Sasuke then finished off his opponent with a Lion's Barrage.

"The winner is Uchiha Sasuke." Hayate Gekko then announced Sasuke's advancement.

Chapter 14 The Genin Stage

"As expected of Sasuke, he won so easily." Ino said happily, seeing that Sasuke won without much effort.

Hmph, as expected of the Uchiha clan. Neji, standing next to Guy, crossed his arms and put away his Byakugan.

"You taught Sasuke that genjutsu, didn't you?" Kakashi asked Ye Lan, turning his gaze away from the genjutsu.

"They're just simple genjutsu. It would be abnormal if the Uchiha clan couldn't even use genjutsu," Ye Lan said casually.

"Well, he used it just right without wasting any chakra at all. Sasuke is already showing signs of becoming a Chunin."

Naruto was initially pleased to see Sasuke's victory, but upon hearing Kakashi's praise of Sasuke, he felt a bit resentful and said, "I will win cleanly and decisively like Sasuke in the future."

"Yeah, yeah, Naruto, do your best too." Kakashi comforted Naruto like he was a child.

"Sasuke, congratulations!" Sakura greeted Sasuke upon his return.

Hmm? Ye Lan frowned, sensing something amiss, but ignored the crowd's joy. His gaze swept past the crowd, landing directly on the opposite stands. There, a Jonin wearing a Sound Ninja headband sat quietly, intently observing Sasuke.

A strange feeling welled up in Ye Lan's heart. His intuition told him that this person seemed to have some kind of intention towards Sasuke. His body tensed up subtly, ready to deal with any potential danger. Just then, the Sound Ninja seemed to notice Ye Lan's gaze and turned to meet his eyes.

Their eyes met, and Ye Lan saw a cold light flashing in the other's eyes, as well as a strange smile that was slightly upturned at the corners of his mouth.

"This guy..." Ye Lan muttered to himself. He knew this person was no good and could very well cause them trouble. However, when he tried to warn Kakashi, he found that the other man had already turned and left, disappearing into the crowd.

"What, did you notice something's wrong?" Hearing Kakashi's words, Sasuke and the other two also looked at Ye Lan.

"It's nothing, I think I saw someone I know." Ye Lan said casually, not wanting too many people to know. The sound ninja he just saw should be Orochimaru, whom he had fought before. He wouldn't be mistaken about that aura.

Kakashi sensed that Ye Lan didn't want to explain further, so he didn't ask any more questions and turned his gaze back to the big screen on the field.

"The second exam is about to begin. Let's see which genin can pass."

The next match was between Shino Aburame and one of the three Sound Ninja. Using the Aburame clan's secret technique of controlling insects, Shino successfully won the match.

"What is that? It's disgusting," Naruto said, seeing Shino's fighting style.

"The Aburame clan's secret technique is to control insects to fight using chakra. Not only that, the Aburame clan's greatest strength lies in reconnaissance and tracking. Having an Aburame teammate on the battlefield makes gathering intelligence much easier," Ye Lan explained to Sasuke and the others. Generally, those who participate in the Chunin Exams are the elites of each village, and they will demonstrate the unique fighting style of their village. Regardless of whether they pass the exam or not, it will greatly broaden their horizons.

Shino returned to his team, and his teammates were a girl with Byakugan and a genin with a small dog.

"It seems their team is quite unique, bringing together ninjas from several of the village's most capable clans in terms of reconnaissance," Ye Lan said in a low voice. The Hokage's team divisions do make some sense, but he hasn't figured out anything about Sasuke's two teammates yet. One is a girl who is somewhat intelligent but also quite ordinary, and the other is a carefree Naruto. He wonders what their strengths are.

The next battle was between Kankuro of Sunagakure and Akabane Armor's companion, Misumi. Just when Misumi thought she was about to succeed, she realized that she had only been controlling the opponent's puppet for a long time, which made Naruto shout that it was cheating.

"Kakashi, you should really give your student a good lesson. How did this guy even graduate from the Ninja Academy?" Ye Lan said, looking at Naruto's ignorant attitude. This kid's personality seems a bit like Anko's, but he doesn't seem even more unreliable than Anko.

Kakashi chuckled upon hearing this. He knew Naruto's foundation was weak, so he figured he'd have to give Naruto a proper lesson later.

"But opponents like this are really not easy to deal with. To defeat them, you have to deal with their puppets first," Sakura said worriedly as she watched the contestants on stage each having their own fighting styles.

"Dealing with puppeteers is actually easier by targeting their true form, but puppeteers usually don't expose their true form. Like that kid from Sunagakure, he hid himself in a puppet from the start, making himself undetectable. However, puppeteers still need to control puppets, so careful observation can help find the opponent's true form through the chakra threads." Ye Lan was mainly saying this to Sasuke. It's actually very difficult for ordinary people to observe chakra threads, but it's different for those with Sharingan.

"Speaking of which, puppeteers should be most afraid of encountering a ninja like you, right?" Kakashi interjected, and everyone looked at him to see how he would explain.

"With the Sharingan and your swordsmanship, you're probably the last opponent a puppeteer wants to face."

Ye Lan did not refute. A ninja like him could easily sever any chakra thread with his Sharingan. Puppet masters without puppets were like lambs to the slaughter in front of him.

Before anything else could be said, it was Sakura's turn to go on stage. Her opponent was Ino, her former classmate and now her arch-rival.

Looking at the two girls fighting on the field, Ye Lan frowned and said, "Kakashi, your student is too ordinary."

"Hmm... Sakura's strength is her learning ability, but she is indeed somewhat lacking in practical combat skills."

"Then you have to find a way to teach something, you're not exactly a qualified teacher..."

"Well... let's talk about it after the Chunin Exams. I haven't been teaching them for very long, so let's get to know them first before looking for a solution." Logically speaking, Ye Lan is like a parent to his students. Although it's not Sasuke, Kakashi is the same student he's teaching. He doesn't want Sakura to make Ye Lan think that he's not a good teacher.

After Ino criticized Sakura for focusing too much on hair care and neglecting her ninjutsu training, Sakura resolutely cut off her long hair with a kunai, demonstrating her determination to become a ninja. For a girl who loves beauty, cutting off her beloved long hair is undoubtedly an extremely difficult thing, but Sakura made this decision without hesitation. This action surprised and impressed Ino, and also ignited her own fighting spirit.

Ino initially thought she had the upper hand in the competition, but Sakura's resolute attitude made her realize she couldn't underestimate her opponent. So, to the astonishment of the others, Ino also cut off her long hair without flinching, to show that she had the same determination and courage. And so, in this bewildering situation, the two girls ended up in a draw.

Perhaps it was because they shared a similar fate, but these two sworn enemies eventually reconciled.

"Damn it, Sakura actually lost to Ino!" Naruto scratched his head in frustration.

This is as far as a ninja of this caliber can go. This was the thought of most of the Jonin present. To them, the battles of Genin were no different from children playing house. Ninjas without family background had no trump cards and could only rely on whether the Jonin leading the team put their heart into teaching them.

The next match also featured two female ninjas: a Konoha genin with her hair in a bun, and a Sunagakure female ninja carrying a fan.

This Konoha genin's name was Tenten. Her attire reminded Ye Lan of the traditional clothing of his country in his previous life, so he couldn't help but pay attention and start observing her.

Keep it up every day!

"Let them see your strength!" Might Guy and Lee, who looked almost exactly like him, shouted loudly.

"It's so noisy." Naruto covered his ears. Even a kid like him would find others noisy.

Tian Tian displayed her unparalleled arsenal, throwing kunai, shuriken, hammers, sickles, spiked clubs, and all sorts of other weapons at her opponent as if they were free.

Ye Lan could tell from this girl's fighting style that no matter how strong Tian Tian was, her family must be very wealthy.

Tenten's fighting style looked very flashy, but her opponent picked up her exaggerated fan and waved it away. This genin named Temari was very skilled in using wind release techniques, and with the addition of that weapon, she easily dealt with Tenten's attacks.

After Tenten threw out all her ninja tools, Temari finished her off with a Wind Release technique. Seeing the unconscious Tenten, Temari casually tossed her into the pile of ninja tools Tenten had thrown out. At this moment, Tenten's companion, Rock Lee, couldn't help but jump down from the stands and hug Tenten.

Pointing at Temari, he accused the other party of going too far, but it was his teacher who stopped Xiao Li.

"What? They've already won, why are they doing this?" Naruto muttered from the side.

Ye Lan was too lazy to even bother criticizing Naruto anymore. A ninja who grew up in peacetime simply couldn't imagine that the life-or-death struggle was the norm for ninjas. On the battlefield, you can't just tell the enemy not to kill you when you're losing and expect them to show mercy.

After Shikamaru's duel against a female Sound Ninja, it was Naruto's turn to take the stage.

Seeing Shikamaru cleverly and skillfully break through the opponent's genjutsu and win with his family's Shadow Imitation Technique, Naruto clasped his hands in preparation for the match. He had just thought of a move, so let's see him perform it.

His opponent was Kiba Inuzuka, a genin who had a dog with him.

"Go Naruto!" Sakura cheered for Naruto, not discouraged by her own loss.

"Hey, don't lose, you bottom-of-the-barrel guy!" Sasuke cheered in his own way.

Seeing the names of both sides on the big screen, Ye Lan had some questions. It was only then that he learned Naruto's surname was Uzumaki. What puzzled him even more was that this kid clearly had blond hair. Was it just a coincidence?

Chapter 15 The Caged Bird

"Naruto, I didn't expect my opponent to be you?" Kiba felt incredibly lucky. He felt like he had drawn the best possible draw, as if the spot for Chunin was already within his grasp.

"I'll show you my new technique, Kiba," Naruto replied without any hesitation.

Who would come up and reveal their trump card to the opponent right away... Kakashi was helpless against Naruto.

As the match began, Kiba's beloved dog Akamaru transformed into his likeness, and the two unleashed a Fang Over Fang attack that left Naruto powerless to retaliate. The intense assault caused Naruto to fall repeatedly, leaving him no chance to use any ninjutsu.

Naruto's injuries were getting worse, but like an unkillable cockroach, he always managed to get back up.

"Kakashi, this kid is from the Uzumaki clan, right?" Ye Lan asked directly, seeing how resilient Naruto was.

Sasuke and Sakura were both surprised when they heard Ye Lan's words. In their minds, Naruto was an orphan with no relatives. How did a member of the Uzumaki clan suddenly appear?

"Well, in a way, Naruto is a member of the Uzumaki clan," Kakashi admitted after a moment's thought.

"What kind of existence is the Uzumaki clan? It wasn't mentioned in the school textbooks." Sakura asked anxiously. It turned out that she was the only one in the team with an ordinary background, and even Naruto, who was an orphan, had a background.

“It’s normal that you haven’t heard of it. The Uzumaki clan was wiped out decades ago. At its peak, there was even the village of Uzushiogakure, but it was eventually destroyed by other ninja villages in a war. The few remaining members of the clan are scattered all over the ninja world. Now, there are very few Uzumaki clan members in the ninja world.” Ye Lan explained, “The Uzumaki clan is born with strong physical regeneration abilities, sensory abilities, and a huge amount of chakra. In addition, they are proficient in sealing ninjutsu. They were once a very powerful clan.”

"Don't count on sealing techniques. Naruto knows absolutely nothing about ninjutsu. All he has left is his tough, fleshy body," Kakashi said, looking at Naruto who was constantly being beaten.

That makes sense; judging from this kid's personality, he's not cut out for learning sealing techniques.

With the Uchiha clan, the Uzumaki clan, and a smart girl, Ye Lan gained a basic understanding of Kakashi's class.

Just when everyone thought Naruto would eventually be worn down by Kiba, Naruto used a transformation technique to turn into Kiba's appearance, which stopped Kiba's attack.

Kiba chuckled dismissively, claiming that his sense of smell was a million times greater than that of an ordinary person, and that he could easily see through Naruto's transformation. However, he punched Kiba and was transformed into Akamaru. Just when Kiba thought he had guessed wrong, he turned around and attacked another one, which also turned him into Akamaru.

The Akamaru who was initially knocked down was Naruto after being hit. At this moment, he finally seized the opportunity to use the inspiration he had just received from Sasuke's Lion Barrage. He used Shadow Clone Jutsu, and several clones kicked Kiba into the air. Naruto's main body then unleashed the finishing blow, which was named Naruto Barrage.

This kid seems to have some battle intelligence, but he only figures out how to fight after he's already been beaten up. It's a good thing he's from the Uzumaki clan, otherwise any other genin would have been eliminated long ago. And the so-called Naruto combo—it's always the Uchiha who copy others, and now someone else is copying the Uchiha too, even using similar names...

Ye Lan found that this blond-haired kid was actually quite interesting.

"Naruto, well done!" Sakura shouted as her teammate won the victory.

Naruto also gave his comrade a thumbs up.

The large screen on the field spun rapidly, and there weren't many ninjas left. Soon, their names appeared.

Hinata Hyuga versus Neji Hyuga.