Chapter 7 — Exam
The Ninja Graduation Exam was a written test that determined whether one could officially become a genin. Aside from Obuya, everyone in the room was already recognized as a proper academy graduate, just waiting to take this final step.
This exam carried another layer of importance—it was the prerequisite for the Chūnin Exam.
Only those who passed this written test would qualify to advance further.
For every genin present, becoming a chūnin was a long-held goal. Because of that, the atmosphere in the classroom was unusually tense, each student taking the test with complete seriousness.
The exam papers were distributed one by one.
Obuya glanced down at his sheet—and immediately pressed his hand to his forehead, his expression stiffening.
The questions were all centered on ninjutsu theory.
For him, this was an obvious weakness. His knowledge in this area was shallow, fragmented at best. Looking at the questions, he couldn't even confidently distinguish correct answers from wrong ones.
He turned his head slightly and glanced toward Obito.
Sure enough, Obito was in the same situation.
The two of them mirrored each other almost perfectly—stiff posture, blank stares, pens hovering uselessly above the paper. The only difference was that Obito's anxiety was far more obvious. His desire to qualify for the Chūnin Exam made his restlessness even stronger.
Time passed little by little.
Obuya watched helplessly as the exam moved closer to its end.
"This… this is my first demon side quest," he thought, his expression darkening slightly. "Am I really going to fail it right at the start?"
"And more importantly… this determines whether I can become a Konoha genin."
"If I fail, I won't be able to stay in Konoha. I'll be forced to leave sooner or later… and seeing Rin again would become almost impossible."
At that thought, he instinctively lifted his gaze toward Rin.
She was seated slightly ahead of him.
At that exact moment, Rin also turned her head, glancing back at him quietly.
Their eyes met.
Rin's expression shifted subtly. Without drawing attention, she made a small movement with her hand at her side—and flicked a tiny paper ball toward him while the examiner's focus was elsewhere.
Obuya's eyes sharpened.
He had been waiting for this opportunity.
Taking advantage of the brief distraction, he lowered his gaze and quickly picked up the paper ball.
Inside, neat and compact handwriting listed the answers clearly. At the very bottom, two characters were written: Obito.
Obuya immediately understood.
Without hesitation, he memorized the answers as quickly as possible, then lowered his head and began writing at speed.
Five minutes before the end of the exam, he finished.
Now, he shifted his attention toward Obito.
Obito, on the other hand, looked like he was on the verge of collapse. He scratched his head repeatedly, his movements frantic enough that strands of hair had already fallen onto his desk.
At that moment, Kakashi, who was seated across the aisle, suddenly stood up.
He walked forward calmly, handed in his paper, and turned to leave.
"Kakashi, don't you want to check your answers?" the examiner asked, sounding almost concerned. "This exam determines your eligibility for the Chūnin Exam."
Kakashi stopped at the doorway but didn't turn around.
"Too easy," he said flatly. "There's nothing to check."
With that, he left.
"That guy…!"
Obito's legs trembled with frustration, his face flushed with irritation.
Just then, a paper ball rolled quietly to his feet.
He froze for a split second, then quickly glanced toward Obuya.
Seeing Obuya give a subtle nod, Obito's face immediately lit up.
Taking advantage of the examiner passing by, he bent down swiftly, picked up the paper, and began copying the answers at full speed.
Five minutes later, the bell rang.
The exam was over.
Once the examiner collected the papers and left the room, the tense atmosphere instantly collapsed.
Obito shot to his feet, laughing loudly.
"Haha! Obuya, nice one! You saved me!"
He walked over and gave Obuya an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"Did you both finish?" Rin hurried over, her expression full of anticipation.
Obuya finally let out a breath, tension easing from his shoulders as he nodded. Judging by Obito's reaction, it was obvious he had completed it as well.
Rin smiled brightly.
"That's perfect! Obito can take the Chūnin Exam now, and Obuya has officially become a genin. That means you're part of Konoha—we're teammates for real now."
"What?!"
Obito's eyes widened in shock. "The higher-ups approved Obuya joining Konoha?"
Until now, very few people knew that passing this exam meant Obuya could officially stay in the village. Hearing it confirmed, Obito was overjoyed.
"This is amazing! We have to celebrate tonight. I'm treating everyone!"
Rin seemed to think of something. "If we're celebrating… maybe we should invite Kakashi too."
"Huh? That guy?" Obito's expression immediately soured. "If he comes, I'm not paying."
Obuya couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
Whenever they went out together, Obito always ended up covering the cost, never complaining about it.
"But things will be different now," Obuya thought to himself. "Once I start taking missions as a genin, I'll be able to earn money. I won't have to rely on others anymore."
That night, Rin did invite Kakashi.
As expected, the moment they sat down, Obito and Kakashi started arguing again. Only Rin could keep them from escalating further.
Obuya mostly stayed quiet, observing.
From Kakashi's behavior, he could sense it clearly—after losing his father, Kakashi had grown distant and withdrawn. Aside from occasionally mocking Obito, he showed little emotion.
Despite his earlier complaints, when it came time to pay, Obito still covered the bill for all four of them without hesitation.
It was obvious that, no matter how much they argued, Obito still considered Kakashi one of his own.
That night, the sky was dim, with only a few scattered stars.
Obuya lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.
The closer he became to Obito and Rin, the more he refused to accept the future that awaited them.
Rin's death.
Obito's descent into darkness.
Those outcomes were things he could not accept.
"Without me, everything would follow the original timeline," he thought quietly. "But now that I'm here… I'm the only variable."
"If anyone can change what's coming… it has to be me."
In the end, it all came down to one thing.
Power.
Lying there in the dark, he slowly raised his right hand.
Zzzzt… zzzzt…
Blue electricity flickered across his palm, casting faint light in the room.
"According to the system, Cardiac Shock can eventually reach a level comparable to Chidori," he thought. "That means its strength isn't fixed—it can keep growing."
"The Third Great Ninja War is about to begin. I only have about a month."
"In that time… I need to push this ability as far as I can."
"And more importantly… I have to reach One-Star Demon as soon as possible."
"With Human Modification… even if I can't get the Sharingan right away, I can at least strengthen my body and remove its current weaknesses."
His fingers curled slightly as the electricity faded.
The path ahead was clear.
All that remained… was whether he could achieve it in time.