Here's the BONUS CHAPTER as promised—thanks for the support, and let's keep this energy going!
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There were fewer than a hundred candidates. Three classrooms at the Ninja Academy were more than enough.
Coincidentally—or perhaps not—each member of Guts' three-man squad ended up in a separate classroom for the first stage: the written exam.
In the classroom where Guts sat, his teammates included the now-famous Hatake Kakashi and Izumo.
Yes, that Izumo—the same one who would later serve as a Konoha Gate Guard alongside Kotetsu.
Though history barely remembered his name, his future was still unwritten.
"Kakashi, do well on the test,"
Guts said casually, patting Kakashi's shoulder.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He instinctively took two steps back.
Every time Guts smiled like that, something was bound to go wrong.
"Don't tell me… he's planning to copy me?"
Kakashi muttered to himself, warily eyeing the eccentric classmate.
He knew Guts well—especially his dismal writing skills. The guy was more suited for swinging a fist than holding a pen.
But his suspicion was short-lived. The seating was already fixed. Guts, Kakashi, and Izumo were placed as far apart as possible.
Unless one had a Byakugan or used cheating techniques, copying was impossible.
With the scrape of a chair, the proctor—a nameless Chūnin from Konoha—cleared his throat and announced the start of the exam.
Without hesitation, Kakashi picked up his pen and dove in. His answers flowed effortlessly, one after the other.
The others hesitated. Some scratched their heads. Some even glanced nervously around the room.
The proctor's gaze, however, was fixed squarely on Kakashi and Guts.
Two Chūnin taking a Genin-level test—of course they'd draw attention.
"Impressive," the proctor murmured as he watched Kakashi breeze through the questions.
"Worthy of White Fang's son."
But when he turned to Guts, his brows jumped.
He's… writing just as fast as Kakashi… with his eyes closed?!
At the back of the room, Guts sat calmly, eyes shut, pen dancing across the page.
He wasn't guessing. He was listening.
With Observation Haki evolving beyond its base form, Guts could feel the movement of Kakashi's pen in the room—its strokes, its pauses, the flicks of pressure. And he mimicked each motion precisely.
Even the handwriting.
By the time Kakashi finished and raised his hand, Guts did the same—at the exact same moment.
The proctor hurried to collect both papers.
As he glanced between them, his jaw dropped.
Identical answers. Nearly identical handwriting.
Only one difference: on Guts' paper, the name "Hatake Kakashi" was scribbled out, replaced with "Guts."
The Chūnin stared at the test papers for a full minute, stunned. If he hadn't been watching the whole time, he would have assumed Guts just copied it afterward.
Outside, Kakashi leaned against a wall, waiting.
When Guts stepped out immediately after, Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
"You didn't seriously just… write nonsense, did you?"
Guts offered only a chuckle.
"Whatever. You're Chūnin anyway. Just don't fail in the first round,"
Kakashi muttered, turning away with his usual aloofness.
The exam lasted an hour. Candidates began trickling out.
Among them was a ghostly pale Uchiha Obito, looking like his soul had nearly escaped through his mouth.
"Don't worry, Obito. I'm sure you passed,"
Rin said gently, supporting him as they walked.
The grading process was quick. The moment all the tests were gathered, they were rushed to the staff room and corrected within minutes.
Less than ten minutes later, the results were posted.
Kakashi and Guts—right at the top.
Kakashi muttered, staring at the results board in disbelief.
He knew Guts didn't get it by studying.
"He must've used some kind of trick…"
Moments later, a shrill cry echoed from the back of the crowd.
Obito shouted, jumping with joy.
He had barely scraped through—but passed nonetheless.
Roughly half of the candidates weren't so lucky. Heads hung low as they shuffled away.
Guts, ever tactless, grinned wide.
"Even Obito passed on pure guesswork. Maybe the ones who failed should just go jump off a cliff."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
Obito shouted, face red with fury.
"Are you calling me stupid?!"
Before Guts could reply, a familiar voice called out.
"Orochimaru-sama wants all candidates at Practice Field 44."
The name made his skin crawl. The man was already deep into his Forbidden Technique research.
For him to be involved in something as minor as an exam was… odd.
Also known by a far more ominous name—The Forest of Death.
Once the candidates arrived, Orochimaru stood before them, cloaked in his Jōnin attire. His smile sent chills through the group.
"The second exam," he began.
"Is a survival battle. Each three-man squad must reach the central tower. The forest is your battlefield."
"All other squads are your enemies. Only the first four teams to reach the tower will advance. You may prepare tonight. The trial begins tomorrow at ten."
And with that, he vanished into the trees.
Kurenai folded her arms.
"So basically, we have two choices: race to the center as fast as we can… or eliminate the competition."
Guts stretched his arms, grinning.
"Good. This is more my style."
He never liked the "scroll-hunting" format—too much risk of accidentally snatching the wrong one.
A straightforward free-for-all? Now that he could enjoy.
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