Naruto: Naruto Hosted by the System

Naruto used his senses to survey the examination room. Sakura Haruno was almost finished, while Sasuke's paper was still blank. Some examinees had already lost their eligibility to take the exam because they had been caught cheating five times.

Hmm? These two people...

Naruto noticed that there were two other people besides himself who were almost finished, but strangely, their process didn't seem like they were solving problems, but rather like they were writing down the answers from memory. Moreover, their seats were cleverly arranged, right in the middle, giving everyone in the exam room a chance to copy their answers.

These two people are probably the examiners.

"Huh? Do the examiners also have to take the exam?"

No, the real purpose of this exam is to test the candidates' information gathering abilities, which means finding a way to copy the answers from the two examiners or their partner.

However, we found a different way and solved it ourselves.

"So that's how it is." Naruto thought to himself.

Suddenly, he let out a wicked grin.

"System, how about we play a prank we haven't done in a long time?"

【As you see fit.】

Suddenly, fog rolled in during the exam.

Whoosh!

The examiners quickly realized what was happening and blew away the fog.

Logically, the person who created the fog should have been punished, but none of the examiners present could identify the culprit, so they had to give up.

But soon, everyone in the examination room realized that something was wrong.

Because all the candidates' exam papers have disappeared!

Soon someone raised their hand: "Report! My exam paper is missing. Could it have been blown away by the wind?"

On the stage, Ibiki Morino sneered: "No problem, the exam continues."

The other examiners also showed no unusual behavior, as if this was part of the exam setup.

But in reality, they were all confused.

Which candidate did this? Was the goal to reduce competition?!

Ibiki Morino whispered a few words to one of the examiners, who then left the examination room.

Soon, the examiner returned with a reply from his superior.

It was an illusion; the exam papers were still neatly placed on the candidates' desks, and the exam continued.

After receiving instructions from his superiors, Morino Ibiki felt relieved, but at the same time he was also a little surprised: who could possibly deceive all the examinees and examiners present and cast such a powerful illusion?

The answer is, of course, Naruto.

Naruto isn't actually very good at genjutsu, but he has a lot of chakra, is incredibly strong, and can throw bricks. He can leave the delicate tasks to the system.

At this moment, Hinata, who was next to Naruto, realized that the test paper was missing and was clearly flustered.

Naruto then reminded her, "Hinata, activate your Byakugan."

Hinata was taken aback when she heard Naruto's words, but she obediently did as he said, and sure enough, she found that the test paper was still on the table.

No, not only that, there was even an answer sheet on her desk!

"Did...Naruto-kun make this?"

"uh-huh."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

The thought that this was Naruto's answer to her brought a sweet smile to Hinata's face.

Naruto didn't really remember Hinata, but she had never bullied him and seemed to have goodwill towards him, so Naruto didn't mind repaying her kindness with kindness.

On the other side, Sasuke, who had not yet discovered the problem, decisively activated his Sharingan and finally saw the test paper and answers on the table.

This... is genjutsu? There's actually someone here with such strong genjutsu? Could it be Naruto...?

Sasuke's heart tightened. He had always felt that his biggest advantage over Naruto was his Sharingan, but if Naruto could do anything the Sharingan could do, or even do it better, then he...

In the examination hall, everyone displayed their unique abilities. Some people could tell that the exam paper was still on the table by smelling the ink; some had special insects; and some guessed the truth and wrote it down blindly from memory...

Sakura Haruno, having focused on mastering illusion magic, was relieved to find the exam paper on the table.

Soon, it was time to announce the tenth question. There were still many people in the room, but most of them didn't know what was going on and were just sitting there.

"Now we will announce the tenth question, but before we announce it, you must choose whether or not to take it."

"But if you choose to take the test and fail to answer correctly, you will be disqualified from participating in the Chunin Exams forever."

"If you lack confidence, just choose not to take the exam. That way, you might have another chance in the future."

Upon hearing this, many people were so frightened that they gave up on the exam.

Those who remained, except for those who saw through the illusion, were all hesitant.

However, none of the people Naruto was paying attention to gave up on the exam.

"The guy carrying the gourd didn't seem to be affected by the illusion, and his companions listened to him and chose to stay."

He's probably a Jinchūriki, just like his host.

"What?! System, how did you know?"

[Based on Kurama's reaction and the unusually large amount of chakra within him.]

The Nine-Tailed Fox inside the seal snorted: "That guy is only one-tailed. The strength of us tailed beasts is related to our tails, so he is the weakest and far inferior to me."

[Additionally, a red-haired girl's chakra is somewhat similar to the host's, suggesting she might be a member of the Uzumaki clan.]

"My people..."

Upon hearing this, Naruto had an idea and dispelled the genjutsu cast on the red-haired girl and her teammates.

Time flew by, and an hour passed quickly.

"Time's up! I hereby declare that everyone still here has passed the first exam!"

Naruto then dispelled the genjutsu.

The audience was quite shocked. Some asked what the tenth question was, some asked what the significance of the first nine questions was, and some asked why the test was so difficult and included illusions...

Regardless, the first round was passed.

Sakura Haruno, unaware that it was Naruto's genjutsu, came to reunite with her teammates, only to hear Sasuke talking about "the answer."

"The answer? What answer? After I dispelled the illusion, all I saw in front of me was the exam paper!"

Naruto said nonchalantly, "Oh, I used the genjutsu. Anyway, you should know the answers to these questions, so I didn't prepare any for you."

"..."

Chapter 25 Orochimaru's Attack and the Tailed Beast Ball

After the first round of assessments ended, the examiner for the second round, Mitarashi Azuko, burst in through the window in a flurry of activity.

"Hmm? Ibiki, you're as strict as ever, you haven't kept many people."

"Hehe, the quality of this year's candidates is actually not bad, but there is one unexpected guy."

Mitarashi Anko remained unconvinced and led the remaining examinees to the location of the next examination.

This test is a survival exercise. Each team will start with either a "sky" or "earth" scroll. They will pass if they collect a complete set and reach the central tower within five days.

After the exam rules were explained, everyone entered the exam hall, which was called the "Forest of Death," and dispersed.

"What should we do now? Should we try to collect the scrolls?" Sakura Haruno asked.

Sasuke then looked at Naruto: "Passing the test is not a difficult task for us, but Naruto, you've noticed, haven't you? There are a few people worth paying attention to in this test."

“That’s right. For many people, being eliminated in the first round of assessment is actually a good thing, at least they won’t be in mortal danger.” Naruto nodded.

“Life-threatening…” Sakura Haruno’s eyes widened.

"Of the remaining people, there are three that you cannot handle."

"You guys can't handle it" means that Naruto, you can handle it on your own...?

Sasuke clenched his fist instinctively.

"One person's features are very obvious: he carries a gourd on his back, has red hair, and his ninjutsu is probably related to sand."

"Do you remember when I borrowed the Nine-Tails' power during the Land of Waves mission?"

Sasuke and Sakura nodded.

They wouldn't pry into Naruto's secrets unless he told them, but they were indeed very curious about what had happened before.

"We'll talk about the specifics later, but in short, that guy is about the same as me in this respect."

Sasuke was somewhat unwilling, but if it were Naruto from the Land of Waves at that time, he probably wouldn't have much of a chance of winning.

"Then there's a senior named Kabuto. You might have met him before the exam started. His actual strength is probably at the Jonin level."

Sasuke's pupils contracted: "What? That unassuming guy actually..."

"The last one is a grass ninja. He is the most dangerous of all the examinees besides me. He is stronger than Kakashi-sensei and is probably comparable to the Third Hokage."

Sasuke and Sakura were both stunned by these words.

"Compared to the Third Hokage?! How could there be such a guy among the genin!"

"I don't know. It wasn't like this before the second assessment started. I guess it was switched."

"Let me tell you about his features first: tall, with waist-length hair, and a very long tongue..."

Just as Sasuke and Sakura Haruno were concentrating on listening, Naruto suddenly used Rasengan on the ground in front of him!

"Naruto, what are you doing...?"

Soon, Sasuke and Sakura found out the answer to the question, because the person Naruto had just been talking about appeared before them.

"Such keen perception." The other party seemed unharmed after taking a Rasengan.

This person's body was soft and slender like a snake. He opened his mouth and stuck out his strangely long tongue, greedily staring at Sasuke and Naruto.

"Judging from your eyes, are you targeting both of us?"