Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 220 The First Test of the Year

In the second month of the new year, the genin faced their first exam of the year.

Even in early spring, Konoha can still be chilling to the bone, which is quite disadvantageous for test takers. Usually, not many people choose to register at this time, but fewer people doesn't mean the exam won't be held. It's said that next year's exam will revert to being held alternately by Konoha and Sunagakure, so genin who don't want to travel far to take the exam can only try their luck with this year's two exams.

As the fastest-promoted Jonin rookie, Naruto was unsurprisingly chosen to be an examiner, and Shikamaru was sent along as well. The official reason given was that they were close in age to most of the examinees, which would make them more relaxed and allow them to hone their skills—a win-win situation. But what was the reality? Naruto's overhaul of his department went too "smoothly," quietly imprisoning a dozen clerks, and plunging some long-serving veterans into bribery cases, leaving them preoccupied with their own problems and even implicating several clans.

Tsunade wouldn't tolerate them; she was already being lenient by not sending them all to their deaths with a single punch. Since the lives of ninjas were at stake, the news spread, and the people below were in an uproar. Konoha wasn't a place where any one clan could dictate everything. There were those who wanted to profit, those who remained neutral, and those who were absolutely loyal to the Hokage. But the largest group of ninjas consisted of the commoner ninjas who joined Konoha after its expansion. These were the people who did the hard and dirty work at the grassroots level; their voices were a powerful force.

Even if those powerful clans desperately want to get rid of him, they have to consider how to extricate themselves from the situation first. Taking bribes and deliberately suppressing a ninja's mission rank is no small matter, and every clan has to cherish its reputation. Therefore, all departments related to the investigation have been extremely busy lately, and Naruto, who has played a significant role in this matter, is frequently being harassed.

Initially, this group used their old tricks, spreading rumors and smearing Naruto's increasingly positive image. However, Tsunade wasn't the Third Hokage; she deeply abhorred such methods. Now that she had the authority to enforce them, she was determined to make good use of them. Her direct subordinates in the Anbu were all handpicked by Kakashi, the former Anbu captain, so their efficiency was unparalleled. The rumors were fabricated in the morning, the arrests were made in the afternoon, and Tsunade signed a decree that same day requiring the term "Jinchūriki" to be included in textbooks, not just ninja textbooks, but also in history classes for ordinary people, so that everyone would understand from a young age just how cruel the fate of a "Jinchūriki" truly was.

Of course, Naruto's opinion had already been sought on this matter, and Tsunade wouldn't do something like reopening old wounds without his consent. Not all Jinchuriki are as lucky as Naruto, who can live peacefully with a Tailed Beast from a young age. The previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto's mother Kushina, wasn't able to perfectly suppress the Nine-Tails and gain the right to move freely until she reached adulthood, and even then, her freedom of movement was limited to the village.

No one can guarantee that doing so will stop the people from being so afraid, but Tsunade has a feeling that perhaps by Naruto's generation, the fate of Jinchuriki will come to an end.

In short, Naruto was placed in the examiner group to lay low. Once the case is fully resolved, those who should be punished are punished, and those who should be sent to jail are sent to jail, then he will take office as the department inspector.

"Have you finished grading that test paper?" Shikamaru, having caught Naruto dozing off for the third time, finally lost his temper and threw a scroll at him. However, the scroll inexplicably bounced off, and Naruto, propping his chin up, didn't even open his eyes.

"Was that Wind Release just now?" The ninja on the other side, who was almost asleep, immediately woke up. "I've long heard that Lord Naruto's Five Elements Release techniques are incredibly powerful, but I've never been able to see them in person."

Shikamaru: "......"

Please, do you even remember their job is to grade exams?! Even if the exam itself doesn't affect passing, it does affect advancement! Are you sure they won't make mistakes grading like this?!

Is this really what ninjas are all about? They act like they're just going through the motions when doing clerical work, but the moment the topic of fighting comes up, they perk up instantly. Everyone in the room turned to look at them. Those doing the hard labor here were all young people, grading math problems—right or wrong, no need to argue, just look at the result.

Now, Naruto couldn't fall asleep even if he wanted to. With difficulty, he opened his eyes, looked around, and asked in confusion, "Did I just miss something?"

Shikamaru: "......" As expected of someone who can fall asleep in class in all sorts of positions, was he really asleep just now?

The ninja next door didn't care at all and immediately asked with great anticipation, "Lord Naruto, I'm also a Wind Release ninja. I've recently hit a bottleneck in my training. Could you please give me some pointers?"

Naruto tilted his head, puzzled for a moment. "But the grading isn't finished yet; there's still the review process..."

"I can help you!"

"Ahem, me too."

"Let me see how much you have left."

Once one person took the lead, the others rushed to join in the fun. Young people, after all, often find it hard to believe what others say is the truth; they only realize their shortcomings after personally experiencing setbacks. Thus, Shikamaru watched helplessly as Naruto's stack of papers quickly disappeared, leaving him with only a tiny bit, instantly transforming from the slowest to the fastest at revising.

"Is that even possible?" Shikamaru stared in disbelief. He lowered his head in thought, and then suddenly it dawned on him. He had actually intended to help share the burden, but Naruto had passed the buck to someone else before he could even say anything.

Where did this guy learn all these skills?! Damn it!

Even the older generation probably had never seen so many ninjas go to the training ground for team building. They got what they wanted and got a beating, but they all went back full of energy, determined to fight Naruto again.

"You're the only one left, Shikamaru. Do you want to fight me too?" Naruto stretched in the middle of the messy training ground, as if the battle just now was only a warm-up.

Shikamaru had just seen it clearly: Naruto hadn't used any techniques other than the Five Elements Release techniques, nor had he utilized the principle of mutual restraint. Instead, he retaliated against whatever the opponent used, and that's how he managed to defeat a large group of people one by one. He seriously suspected that even if all of them attacked together, the outcome wouldn't change.

"I hate trouble," Shikamaru replied, but a hint of curiosity lingered in his heart.

He has never used the Shadow Binding Technique to control Naruto before. Will Naruto fall for it?

Naruto's smile widened. "You're being stubborn. You clearly want to say it."

"...Both Ino-Shika-Cho teams are good at support, you know that, right? Ino tried to ambush you before, but failed."

"Huh? When?"

"So, it was a complete failure, you didn't even get to feel the power of the technique. So, I'm very curious."

"Are you susceptible to control-type ninjutsu?"