Naruto drinking makes me stronger-Chapter 21: The First Test Begins

Hiruzen took a slow drag from his pipe, looking at the gathered jōnin in his office. "Everyone, the Chūnin Exams are about to begin."

The shinobi nodded, understanding the weight of his words.

In the Academy's teaching building, the first test was set to take place. The candidates arrived, filling the examination hall with quiet tension. Each group kept to their respective villages, carefully observing the competition.

"Konoha's Academy has a strangely warm atmosphere," Kisame muttered, his sharp teeth glinting as he grinned.

His teammate, Haneda Kaito, nudged him. "Be careful. That's a Hyūga over there."

Kisame turned his gaze to where Kaito pointed. "Byakugan... One of Konoha's two great dōjutsu."

The third member of their team, a physically imposing shinobi named Oiwa Ryo, narrowed his eyes. "The Inuzuka, Aburame, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara clans are all here too. They're sending in their best."

"Strange," one of the foreign candidates murmured. "I don't see any Uchiha."

The mention of the Uchiha made several examinees glance around the room.

With the Senju clan already fading into history, the Uchiha were undeniably Konoha's most powerful family. Their Sharingan was regarded as the strongest bloodline limit in the shinobi world. Every village had warned its candidates to be cautious of them.

The door creaked open.

"That must be them," someone muttered.

"Typical Uchiha, making an entrance like they own the place."

"Hmph. Let's see if their reputation holds up in the exam."

The room went silent, all eyes locked onto the newcomer.

A loud hiccup echoed through the hall.

Youyu walked in, swaying slightly, a bottle of sake in hand.

He blinked at the quiet room. "Huh? Why's it so quiet? Did I walk into the wrong room?"

Everyone continued to stare.

Youyu rubbed his neck and looked around at the stunned faces.

"Oh, you bastards are all here," he muttered. "For a second, I thought I had the wrong place. You better not be messing with me, or I'll start cutting."

The room erupted.

"Who the hell is this guy?"

"He's drunk?!"

"A Konoha genin?!"

They had all been expecting a proud, battle-hardened Uchiha, but instead, this was what Konoha had sent?

One of the Aburame, Yuura Shichiro, adjusted his sunglasses. "So, this is Youyu."

Inuzuka Chi scowled. "He's the core of Konoha's team? What a joke."

Hyūga Haruki remained silent, watching with narrowed eyes. "Hatake Kakashi was defeated by this guy..."

Up in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen watched the scene unfold through a crystal ball.

"This brat is completely unreliable!" he groaned.

Orochimaru, standing nearby, had a rare look of curiosity. "So that's the one who defeated Kakashi?"

Jiraiya pointed at the crystal ball. "I run into him at the bar all the time. Annoying kid, talks too much."

Hiruzen shot Jiraiya a glare. "So you were the one filling his head with nonsense."

Jiraiya immediately shut up.

A cloud of smoke filled the exam hall as Konoha's proctors appeared.

"Shut up and take your seats!"

The room fell into order as the first exam officially began.

Yuhi Shinku stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tense air. "I am Yuhi Shinku, a jōnin of Konoha. I will be overseeing this exam. All of you, back to your seats!"

The candidates took their places, some still casting wary glances at Youyu, who was guided to his desk by an examiner.

Shinku's expression hardened as he looked at Youyu. So, this is the kid my daughter won't stop talking about.

It didn't take him long to figure out where all his missing bottles of sake had gone.

His eyes narrowed.

This brat was drinking what belonged to him.

Shinku sighed, forcing himself to focus. Right now, his job was to oversee the exam.

"The rules are simple," he began. "This is a written test. You have four chances to cheat. If you're caught five times, you're out."

The true meaning of the exam became obvious almost immediately.

Hyūga candidates activated their Byakugan.

Inuzuka ninja relied on their heightened senses and ninken.

Aburame released insects to steal glances at answer sheets.

Yamanaka clan members used their jutsu to glimpse answers from others.

The foreign shinobi quickly followed suit, realizing that gathering information was part of the test.

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen watched carefully. "Konoha's candidates have a clear advantage. With the Hyūga's Byakugan, Inuzuka's ninken, and Aburame's insects, they'll have no trouble passing."

He was confident in all of them.

Except for one.

His eyes drifted to Youyu.

That brat wasn't even pretending to write.

Instead, he sat slouched at his desk, one arm hanging limply over the side, holding a bottle of sake.

Hiruzen's eye twitched.

"...Why did I let this happen?"

"You let it happen because he's our best candidate for the later rounds," Jiraiya reminded him.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Well, let's see how he handles the test."

Hiruzen groaned.

Meanwhile, in the examination room, an examiner approached Youyu's desk.

"Youyu, put that bottle away," the man whispered.

"Mm?" Youyu lifted his head lazily. "Oh. Right."

He took one last swig, set the bottle down... and promptly fell asleep.

The examiner's face paled.

Yuhi Shinku's eye twitched violently.

This idiot was supposed to be Konoha's best bet?!

The room remained tense as the test continued. More than a few foreign candidates shot Youyu looks of disdain, assuming he would be the first to fail.

Hiruzen rubbed his temples.

"You did make sure he had the answers, right?" he asked Tanaka.

Tanaka nodded quickly. "Yes, Hokage-sama! I personally handed them to him!"

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Jiraiya chuckled. "Then what's the problem?"

Orochimaru smirked. "The problem is that he might have already forgotten he has them."

Hiruzen paled.

Down in the exam room, Youyu cracked one eye open.

"...Oh, right."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the answer sheet.

Then, without the slightest attempt at being subtle, he laid it out on his desk.

Every examiner's eyes snapped toward him.

Yuhi Shinku had to physically stop himself from grabbing the kid and throwing him out a window.

The other candidates stared in shock.

Even the foreign shinobi who had been using every stealth technique available to cheat were stunned by the sheer shamelessness.

The room was dead silent.

Then, slowly, Youyu picked up his pen.

He lazily copied every single answer.

After he finished, he leaned back in his seat and took another sip of sake.

Hiruzen sighed heavily. "That settles it. He's an idiot."

"An idiot who's going to the next round," Orochimaru reminded him, amused.

Jiraiya laughed. "Well, at least he's efficient."

Hiruzen had nothing to say to that.

Youyu, completely unconcerned, went back to sleep.

Word Count: 1,132

Author Notes:

Hiruzen: "I am the Hokage. I will not cheat."

Also Hiruzen: "Here, take this answer sheet."

Next Chapter: The First Exam Results!