#30 Divine Reward System.

[301] In the classroom, Ibiki’s voice rang out, sharp and authoritative.

“Now, submit your [application forms] in order. After that, each of you will draw a number and take a seat accordingly.”

“Your written test papers will be distributed shortly.”

Most of the participants remained unfazed by the [written test], but one person was already on the verge of panic.

Uzumaki Naruto.

Written exams were his worst nightmare.

“What do I do? What do I do?!” he muttered, his hands gripping his spiky hair.

Tatsuya, noticing Naruto’s distress, stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. “Relax, Naruto. I’ve got you covered.”

Naruto’s eyes widened with hope. “Tatsuya, you have a plan?!”

“Of course,” Tatsuya replied confidently.

“Then tell me! We’re almost up to submit our forms!” Naruto urged, leaning in.

Tatsuya smirked. “One question: Do you trust me or not?”

“Of course I do!”

“Good.” Tatsuya nodded. “Then listen carefully—no matter what happens, no matter what the examiner says, don’t panic. Don’t let yourself feel pressured.”

“What? But—”

“You just have to sit there and complete the test without saying a word. Leave the rest to me.”

Naruto hesitated. “Uh… but what about the actual test?”

“Just hand in a blank paper.”

Naruto nearly tripped over his own feet. “WHAT?! A BLANK PAPER?!”

Even Sasuke, who had been quietly listening, furrowed his brows. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Tatsuya—he just found the idea ridiculous.

A [written exam], and you’re telling me we can pass without answering a single question? That’s like saying you can win a fight without throwing a punch.

“Since you trust me, don’t question it,” Tatsuya said firmly. “I’ll explain everything after the exam.”

Naruto still looked skeptical, but he ultimately nodded. “Alright… I’ll trust you.”

With that, the three of them stepped forward and submitted their [application forms].

As expected, they were all assigned to different seats—this was obviously done to prevent teams from helping each other cheat.

Tatsuya glanced at his assigned seat and blinked.

Huh. Interesting setup.

He was surrounded on all sides by girls.

In front of him sat Kin Tsuchi from the Sound Village.

To his front left and right were kunoichi from the Hidden Rain and Hidden Waterfall.

To his left was Hinata, to his right was Tenten.

Behind him? Sakura, with Temari directly behind her.

And to his right? Ino.

A prime seat, envied by many.

The moment he sat down, he could practically feel the jealous stares from the other guys in the room.

Not long after, Hinata, Sakura, and the others greeted him.

Even Temari chimed in from behind. “Oh, it’s you. Looks like we’re meant to meet again.”

Tatsuya turned his head slightly, smirking. “Since fate brought us together, let me give you a friendly warning.”

Temari raised an eyebrow. “A warning?”

“Stay away from the Sound ninja.”

Temari’s playful expression turned serious. “What do you mean by that?”

“That’s all I can say for now.”

Tatsuya wasn’t the type to waste time on things that didn’t benefit him. But since Temari had no malice in greeting him, he figured he’d return the courtesy.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered warning her at all.

Curious about their exchange, Ino leaned in. “Tatsuya, how do you know her?”

“It’s not like we’re close or anything. Just… fate, I guess.”

Before Ino could ask more questions, Ibiki’s voice cut through the chatter.

“Alright, listen up! I’m going to explain the rules for this exam!”

The room fell silent as the head examiner laid out the details.

“① Each candidate starts with 10 points. The written test consists of 10 questions, each worth 1 point. A wrong answer will deduct 1 point. This is a deduction-based system.”

“② Your total score is determined as a team. You pass or fail together.”

“③ If you are caught cheating—or if we even suspect you of cheating—2 points will be deducted each time.”

“④ If any team member’s score drops to zero, the entire team is disqualified.”

After going over the rules, Ibiki signaled for the test papers to be distributed.

Once the papers were placed in front of them, his voice rang out again.

“You have one hour.”

“The exam begins now!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone’s eyes dropped to the test paper.

And then—

Pure silence.

Nearly every candidate looked utterly lost.

The questions were impossibly difficult.

A few geniuses might’ve been able to answer them, but for the majority? It was hopeless.

The test was clearly designed to force them to cheat.

Because if you didn’t, your entire team would fail.

After a brief moment of realization, most of the examinees figured it out.

This wasn’t just about answering questions—it was about gathering intel without getting caught.

And so, the real test began.

① Sasuke activated his [Sharingan], copying the hand movements of another candidate. ② Neji used his [Byakugan] to directly see through the paper of someone who had the right answers. ③ The most impressive? Dosu from the Sound Village—he used his unique ability to “hear” the movements of pencils and deduce the answers from sound alone. ④ Gaara created a third eye with sand, keeping watch on multiple test papers at once. ⑤ Shino sent out his insects to secretly relay answers. ⑥ Ino used her [Mind Transfer Jutsu] to jump into another candidate’s body, peek at their answers, and return to her own.

Each ninja displayed their own way of gathering intelligence.

This wasn’t just an exam.

This was a battlefield of wits and strategy.