Just as Naruto casually glanced around, pretending to be indifferent while sneakily observing the expressions of the bitter, resentful crowd, Tenzo—unaware of Naruto's true intentions and instinctively following his orders—dutifully began explaining the details of the first two rounds of the exam to everyone present.
"The first round," he began, "was meant to preliminarily assess the abilities of the new applicants. You probably noticed it even before arriving—this year's number of applicants was unusually high. So much so that following the standard process of lining up and registering was practically impossible for those who arrived a bit later."
To Tenzo, Naruto's question might have seemed somewhat trivial, but since it was technically an order, he subconsciously loosened up as he responded. His speech became more fluid, and instead of keeping his words terse and measured, he began gesturing freely, talking in a smooth and easy manner—as though he were giving a debrief after a completed mission, smiling and at ease.
"This is when all of you needed to abandon a civilian's way of thinking and approach the situation with a ninja's mindset. Whether you followed the standard protocol and lined up patiently, or used your skills to find a shortcut and jump the queue, as long as you were able to break through the crowd and make it into the academy, you passed the first round."
"But... Exam Examiner-sama, wasn't the first round unfair from the very beginning?!"
Seeing how Tenzo seemed like a different person before Naruto—so much gentler and more responsive than earlier—the crowd regained some courage to speak up. Inspired by Naruto's question, someone trembled and raised their voice the moment Tenzo finished speaking, following up with a bold challenge.
"If this round was meant to test personal strength, then shouldn't those of us who carved out our own path have had more right to take the test than the ones who just showed up early and waited? Why weren't they disqualified?"
"That question... actually has a very simple answer."
Caught off guard, Tenzo instinctively looked to Naruto for guidance. Only when he saw the boy nodding with a calm smile did he relax and continue explaining without missing a beat.
"Being able to arrive early and wait at the academy gates, enduring the long, boring hours that wear down one's will, and holding on until registration began—that endurance is also a necessary kind of strength for a ninja."
"Ohhh! I get it now—that's what it was all about!"
Seeing Tenzo handle the sudden question with ease, Naruto let out a breath of relief. At the same time, he dismissed the Shadow Clone Technique he'd hidden in the crowd to guide the questioning. Although Naruto, the mastermind behind this year's three-stage ninja academy entrance exam, already knew all of this inside and out, he still put on a show of sudden realization—eyes wide, face lit up with mock surprise, knocking a fist against his palm.
Then, as if his curiosity hadn't been satisfied, he rose on his toes and eagerly waved his hand in the air like a student excited to ask a question.
"Ne, ne! Examiner-sama, Examiner-sama! If just getting into the school counted as passing the first round… then what was the second round about? Why did so many people fail?"
That question dropped like a pebble into a calm lake—sending ripples through the crowd. Not only did it catch the attention of those who'd been mysteriously eliminated in the second round, but even those who had already passed leaned in, ears perked, waiting for Tenzo's answer.
After all, whether you passed or failed, the registration window lasted three full days. In other words, even if you failed today, you still had two more chances. So learning the truth behind this strange round that disqualified nearly two-thirds of applicants would be useful—either to help others avoid the same trap, or to make a comeback yourself.
But what they didn't know… was that Naruto had already anticipated this loophole.
To prevent cheating—especially given how during his Chūnin Exams at age twelve, Orochimaru had launched an invasion during the very first event—Naruto had designed nine different test sets, each similar in difficulty but completely unique in content. His goal was not only to prevent cheating but also to elevate the strength of the new generation, ensuring that they could one day shoulder the village's burdens.
Of course, it wasn't that Naruto wanted to shut out the average villagers from getting in. It's just that… well, how should he put it? To be polite, their thinking was a little too… "simple." Less politely? Rigid and inflexible.
In fact, these tests weren't that difficult—just basic logic puzzles mixed with riddles, like an entry-level text-based game.
Take the first round, for instance: the academy may have publicly announced a registration time, but they never said you couldn't line up early, nor did they forbid you from skipping the line to sneak in ahead.
Once you figured that out, the difficulty was practically negligible. Compared to the hellish nightmare of the college entrance exams Naruto had suffered through in his previous life, this wasn't even an appetizer. There was zero challenge.
Still, Tenzo, ever the earnest soldier, didn't let the crowd down. As soon as Naruto stopped talking, he rushed to respond as if afraid of being reprimanded for hesitation.
"The second round was also quite simple. It tested only one thing—your ability to control your emotions. For example: after this little guy appeared—" he gestured to Naruto, "—could you suppress your disgust or hatred? And if you were 'chosen'—or not—could you restrain your jealousy?"
"Oh, and speaking of being chosen..." Tenzo paused, pulling out the scroll he had read from earlier.
"You all thought this was a list of those who failed, didn't you? Well, here's the truth—"
He unfurled the scroll for all to see. It was completely blank.
As the crowd stared in stunned silence, eyes practically bulging from their sockets, Tenzo calmly continued his explanation.
"Whether or not you let emotions like hatred, jealousy, affection, or joy sway your judgment—being able to remain calm and composed in any situation is crucial. It's not only vital for completing missions, but it's also one of the most basic qualifications for becoming a ninja."
"In other words, only those who couldn't help getting riled up over every little thing were lucky enough to be 'chosen' for disqualification, right?"
Having said that, Tenzo casually scanned the crowd. Seeing the formerly furious candidates now flushed with shame and avoiding his gaze, he didn't rub it in. Instead, he just shrugged and spoke in a flat, no-nonsense tone.
"Any more questions?"