As Rasa began to use his Magnet Release ninjutsu, Kankurō, hiding outside the exam venue, furrowed his brow.
As a puppeteer of the new era, Kankurō naturally employed modern cheating methods. Unlike the old-school puppeteers who hid inside the exam hall and used puppets to spy, he searched for answers directly from outside.
Once he found the answers, he could simply transmit them via a chakra relay device, allowing the puppet inside the exam hall to write them down.
Normally, for a puppeteer like Kankurō, whose skills were close to jōnin-level, manipulating a puppet from a dozen meters away should have been effortless. But this time, something unexpected happened.
Kankurō felt his control over the puppet being restricted, as if someone were interfering.
Had someone in Konohagakure seen through his puppet technique? Given the overall strength of Konoha, exposing his disguise wouldn't be difficult. However, the Chūnin Exams were meant for genin, the proctors, who were chūnin, shouldn't have that ability…
Was a Konoha jōnin meddling? Or was it another examinee disrupting his cheating?
After some thought, Kankurō concluded the latter was far more likely.
Everyone was competing for first place in the Chūnin Exams. Aside from eliminating rivals in the second-round team battles and third-round tournament matches, they could also thin the competition by sabotaging others in the first round.
Moreover, unlike the life-threatening second and third rounds, failing the first exam carried little risk, no one would lose their life or end their shinobi career over it.
With that in mind, Kankurō sat cross-legged and tightened his grip on the chakra transmission.
Since the chakra receiver was being jammed, he had no choice but to increase the output frequency to counteract the interference.
Seeing Kankurō's puppet move again, Rasa's eyes gleamed with approval.
Even while posing as a rogue ninja all these years, he had learned through various channels about Sasori's reforms in puppetry, shifting from traditional chakra strings to chakra signal receivers.
Now, puppets could be controlled remotely via signal transmission.
Though it couldn't match the precision and speed of chakra strings, it was still a revolutionary change for puppeteers, one that would even redefine their future combat styles.
Because of this, even though Sasori was largely absent from Sunagakure's affairs, he still held immense prestige.
This made Rasa feel somewhat ashamed. Back then, he had worked tirelessly, using Magnet Release to mine and fill the village's financial deficits, but none of it had truly strengthened Sunagakure's power.
Yet, Sasori had achieved exactly that, not only boosting the village's strength but also improving its environment.
At times, Rasa even wondered whether Sasori had truly killed the Third Kazekage. What really happened back then? What kind of conflict had erupted between them?
Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Rasa turned his attention to Gaara.
Gaara was in good spirits. The dark circles under his eyes from sleepless nights in his youth had nearly faded. At the moment, he was cheating using his Sand Eye while simultaneously transmitting chakra to Temari.
With a thought, Rasa used Wind Release to disrupt Gaara's Sand Eye.
As the hand seals took effect, a gust of wind swept through the exam hall. A stray draft sent a scrap of paper flying up to the ceiling, blocking the Sand Eye's line of sight.
Gaara noticed this and frowned.
A wisp of sand shot toward the ceiling, intending to remove the paper. But unexpectedly, his ninjutsu failed to dislodge it, instead, it created a noticeable noise.
The unusual sound caught the proctors' attention, and they soon spotted the Sand Eye above.
Gaara's expression darkened slightly. He immediately dispelled the Sand Eye Technique and turned back to his exam paper. He had already copied half the answers, just a few more glances, and he'd pass.
But right now, his priority was to find the shinobi who had blocked his cheating… and teach them a lesson.
As the heir to the Kazekage, Gaara wouldn't normally provoke other shinobi without reason. But if someone deliberately interfered with him, he wouldn't let it slide.
Waiting until the proctors turned their attention elsewhere, Gaara quickly pinpointed Rasa's location.
This shinobi, wearing a Sound Village headband and wrapped in bandages, was staring right at him with an amused glint in his eyes, as if he already knew exactly who Gaara was.
Seeing this, Gaara was certain: this Sound-nin was the one who had sabotaged him.
Channeling the sand from his gourd, Gaara decided to teach the intruder a lesson they wouldn't forget, one that would force them to withdraw from the Chūnin Exams and try again in six months.
The sand shot toward Rasa… but for some reason, it dropped mid-flight.
Gaara frowned. He hadn't expected his opponent to be strong enough to intercept his sand remotely. This level of skill was beyond an ordinary chūnin.
But instead of backing down, Gaara's interest only grew.
He had assumed the first exam would be boring. Now, it seemed things were getting interesting.
---
Inside the Exam Surveillance Room
The Third Hokage, along with Byakuya and Sasori, observed the first exam through eight strategically placed cameras. They could clearly see every examinee's cheating methods, and were thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
When they saw Ino Yamanaka using the Mind Body Switch Technique to pass answers to Chōji Akimichi, Byakuya chuckled.
"Hokage-sama, that must be the famous Yamanaka clan's signature jutsu. Truly, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio lives up to their reputation, even in cheating, they work as a team. At this rate, Konoha will soon gain three more elite jōnin."
The Third Hokage stroked his beard, visibly pleased with the trio's performance. He accepted the praise with a knowing nod.
The Ino-Shika-Chō alliance was indeed a unique force within Konoha.
Individually, each member was only at the level of an average jōnin. But when the three worked together, they could briefly rival a Kage in combat.
Yet, precisely because their strength relied on unity, they were never seen as a major threat. If necessary, the Hokage could always weaken their alliance by favoring one clan while suppressing the other two, ensuring they never grew too powerful.
After watching the Ino-Shika-Chō's methods, Byakuya turned his attention to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
Sakura was one of the few honest examinees, a true academic who treated the exam seriously, answering questions diligently without cheating.
Sasuke had initially planned to rely on his own knowledge, but when he encountered a few particularly difficult questions, he had no choice but to use his Sharingan to copy the writing motions of others, replicating their answers stroke-for-stroke.
As for Naruto? He silently accepted Hinata's "generosity," filling his paper with the answers she provided.
Naruto wasn't stupid. Under Black Zetsu's guidance, he had quickly learned Hinata's true status, the Hyūga clan's heiress, who harbored admiration for him. But Hinata's gentle nature made her ill-suited to become the next clan head.
Naruto suspected that the only reason the Hyūga patriarch tolerated Hinata's feelings for him was because of his own status, as the Fourth Hokage's son and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
From Hinata's behavior, it seemed she still didn't know his true background.
Of course, her attention also brought complications. A certain Hyūga prodigy, Neji, had taken notice of Naruto and seemed eager to challenge him during the exams.
Maybe defeating Neji could ease some of the Hyūga clan's internal tensions…
As the heir to the Kazekage, Gaara wouldn't normally provoke other shinobi without reason. But if someone deliberately interfered with him, he wouldn't let it slide.
After waiting for the proctors to look away, Gaara quickly located Rasa. The Sound-nin, wearing bandages and a headband, was staring at him with an amused expression - as if he already knew exactly who Gaara was.
Seeing this, Gaara was certain this was the one who had sabotaged him. He channeled sand from his gourd, intending to teach the intruder a harsh lesson that would force them to withdraw from the exams.
The sand shot toward Rasa... but inexplicably dropped mid-flight. Gaara frowned. He hadn't expected his opponent to be strong enough to intercept his sand remotely. This level of skill surpassed ordinary chunin.
But rather than retreating, Gaara's interest grew. What he thought would be a boring exam had suddenly become interesting.
In the surveillance room, the Third Hokage observed the exams alongside Byakuya and Sasori through multiple cameras. They watched as Ino Yamanaka used Mind Body Switch to pass answers to Choji Akimichi.
Byakuya remarked, "Hokage-sama, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio truly live up to their reputation - even cheating as a team."
The Hokage stroked his beard, pleased with their performance. The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance remained uniquely powerful within Konoha - individually competent, but collectively capable of briefly matching a Kage's strength.
Meanwhile, Sakura worked honestly on her exam while Sasuke used his Sharingan to copy answers. Naruto accepted answers from Hinata, aware of her status as the Hyuga heiress and her admiration for him. He suspected the Hyuga clan tolerated this because of his own status as the Fourth's son and Jinchuriki.
The Hokage then addressed Sasori about Kankuro's puppetry. "Kazekage-sama, Kankuro controls his puppet without visible chakra strings. Has Suna advanced beyond that limitation?"
Sasori replied calmly, "This technology is still developing. Only myself, Elder Chiyo, and Kankuro can use it currently."
The Hokage hid his concern. In his youth, he'd fought Suna's puppeteers and knew their strength - and their weakness. Breaking free from chakra strings represented a significant advancement.
As the Hokage and Sasori exchanged diplomatic pleasantries, Gaara and Rasa's conflict escalated to the point of disrupting the exam. Chief proctor Ibiki Morino prepared to intervene.
Byakuya commented, "Hokage-sama, shouldn't you restrain Kazekage-sama's subordinate? Gaara seems ready to fight that Sound-nin."
The Hokage remained silent, his gaze shifting to Sasori as tensions mounted in the examination hall.
Sasori furrowed his brow as he observed the ninja confronting Gaara. There was something unsettlingly familiar about this bandaged opponent. A name flashed through his mind, and he turned to glance at Byakuya, who maintained an inscrutable smile that seemed to confirm his suspicions.
"Just children squabbling," Sasori remarked casually to the Third Hokage. "If these exams proceeded without incident, they'd be dreadfully dull."
Byakuya nodded in agreement. "I share that sentiment."
Faced with their apparent amusement, the Third Hokage reluctantly signaled ANBU reinforcements to stand by outside, preparing for potential escalation while allowing the situation to unfold.
Inside the examination hall, Ibiki Morino had reached his limit. As Gaara and Rasa prepared another exchange of jutsu, the chief proctor rose to disqualify them. But Gaara, noticing Ibiki's movement, swiftly formed hand seals.
Sand erupted from his gourd in a blinding tempest that engulfed the entire room. Proctors raised their arms against the stinging grains as visibility dropped to zero. When the sand settled seconds later, Gaara sat calmly at his desk - his answer sheet now complete. His gaze flickered between Rasa and a furious Ibiki.
Rasa observed the scene with detached interest, his eyes locked on the seething proctor. Ibiki clenched his fists, ready to act, until an ANBU operative appeared at the doorway. After a brief exchange, Ibiki's shoulders slumped in resignation.
The rules were clear: any method of obtaining answers was permitted. Cheating, subterfuge, even brute force - all were valid tactics in this test of information gathering. Gaara and Rasa had simply demonstrated the harsh reality of shinobi work: overwhelming skill rendered conventional rules meaningless.
A ninja of Gaara's caliber could extract intelligence openly, then eliminate all witnesses if necessary. Ibiki knew confronting such power was futile, though it galled him as exam proctor.
Why did monsters with jonin-level strength keep appearing in chunin exams? What was the point of proctoring when examinees could casually overpower the judges? The bitter taste of professional humiliation lingered as Ibiki returned to his seat, the unspoken hierarchy of strength having overruled his authority once again.