Naruto: How to Be an Undercover Shinobi

The first exam ended quickly without any unexpected twists.

The results were announced on the spot.

As expected, the three who cheated using Mangekyō Sharingan and space-time ninjutsu passed without a hitch.

After the results were posted, Jiraiya trailed after Reiji like a nosy child, grinning as he pressed for details about how the three managed to cheat.

Reiji flatly refused to tell him.

Don't be fooled by Jiraiya's thick eyebrows and honest-looking face.

If he spilled the beans about Rie and the others, that intel would be sitting on the Third's desk before he even made it out the door.

Having shut Jiraiya down without hesitation, Reiji led the Genin who passed to Training Ground Thirteen just outside the village.

At Gate One, Tsunade was already waiting in her signature white crop top.

She gave a brief rundown of the mission:

Find the two scrolls—Heaven and Earth—hidden within Training Ground Thirteen. Collect both, reach the central tower, and you'll advance. The assessment ends in three days.

With that, Tsunade opened the wire mesh gate. In an instant, the Genin turned into streaks of shadow, darting into the training ground.

Once everyone had entered, Tsunade let out a long breath. It was obvious—this was her first time dealing with this many kids, and she was a bit nervous.

Reiji casually found a patch of open ground near the gate and lay down.

Seeing him, Tsunade clasped her hands behind her back and walked over gracefully.

"Reiji, aren't you going to check inside?"

He shook his head without thinking.

As long as Rie and the others didn't stir up trouble, there was little chance of anything fatal happening in the training ground.

Besides, wasn't this kind of monitoring work exactly what shadow clones were made for?

Seeing him shake his head, Tsunade sat down beside him and muttered while gazing at the empty entrance,

"The Land of Wind is so shameless. Their exam candidates are practically my age.

And the Land of Lightning isn't much better. Except for that kid who called you 'old man,' the rest clearly look older than fifteen or sixteen.

Only we in Konoha are dumb enough to treat this joint Chūnin Exam like it's a real test."

Reiji cracked an eye open and looked at her, mildly curious.

"Isn't the Ninja Academy a six-year program? Kids start at six or seven, graduate at twelve or thirteen, then go out for six or seven years of field experience. Isn't that normal?"

Tsunade shot him a sharp glare and pinched his ear.

"Reiji, you're such a blockhead!

The Academy might be set up as a six-year program now, but no one said you have to stay all six years!

Kids with talent can graduate early—no point wasting time in the Academy.

Besides, most clan kids enroll as early as four or five.

And there are some who, even after becoming Genin, stay at the Academy because they haven't reached graduation age or for all sorts of other reasons!"

That's when Reiji realized he'd been making assumptions.

Things had changed over time.

Back when Tobirama Senju established the Academy, the ninja world was still in chaos. The village needed to rapidly train new forces to boost its strength.

But after the Third Hokage took over, a long era of peace followed.

With the external pressure easing, the village began prioritizing the quality of training over quantity.

That's when the six-year system was put in place.

At the same time, to deal with the still-unstable political landscape, talented children were allowed to graduate early and receive more focused one-on-three training.

No wonder, in the original story, some characters were close in age but had ninja registration numbers that were miles apart.

Realizing this, Reiji suddenly felt like a light had gone on in his head.

He had to admit—the system was pretty well thought out.

This setup not only gave gifted students the opportunity to graduate early and advance their training, but also let those with average talent stay in the Academy longer—delaying their time on the battlefield and, in turn, improving their chances of survival.

Time always seemed to fly when Reiji was with Tsunade. Before he knew it, the second stage of the exam passed without a hitch.

At the tower, four teams—twelve Genin in total—qualified for the next round.

What came next was the third stage: the tournament.

The venue had been set at the newly built Konoha Arena.

Naturally, the construction was handled by Konoha Unlimited Liability Company.

It was a massive circular coliseum, ringed by elevated stands that could seat just over three thousand people.

At the center lay a plain circular dirt ring, with a single crooked tree awkwardly rooted in the middle—radiating a strong "budget cut" aesthetic.

As Reiji put it: the funds Hiruzen Sarutobi provided were only enough for this postmodern minimalist design.

Predictably, Orochimaru was appointed as the chief examiner.

After a short three-day break, the remaining four teams arrived at the packed arena.

By midmorning, the stands were already filled with Konoha villagers who had purchased tickets, cheering and waving their money as they rooted for their favorite fighters.

Meiko, leading the staff from Konoha Unlimited Liability Company, strolled through the crowd with a registry book in hand, politely and professionally tending to the audience's wallets.

Hiruzen Sarutobi made his money off the ticket sales.

Reiji ran the betting pool.

Before long, Hiruzen Sarutobi announced the start of the competition from the VIP box.

First up: a brawny contestant from Iwagakure versus a spicy-looking kunoichi from Sunagakure.

With a signal from Orochimaru, the battle began.

Reiji lounged in the stands, watching the match unfold with idle interest.

The two on the field were clearly holding back, pretending to be clumsy while probing each other's abilities.

Reiji wasn't bothered.

Even if both were seasoned Chūnin, they still didn't measure up to Rie and her teammates.

To put it plainly: Cao Pi's wife enters the garden, and Zhen Ji starts picking vegetables.

The fight gradually intensified.

The Sunagakure kunoichi was the first to drop the act, launching a Wind Release technique that sent the Iwagakure brawler stumbling backward.

Then the brawler faked an opening, lured her in with a rock clone, and followed up with a brutal Earth Release: Rock Fist that sent her flying.

The outcome was clear.

In a flash, Reiji used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear at the brawler's side, grabbing his arm just as he was about to follow up.

"That's enough, Forever Alone—you've won!"

As he spoke, Reiji raised the man's arm high, announcing his victory.

Cheers erupted from the stands.

Nearby, Orochimaru—who had just arrived—glanced sideways at Reiji without saying a word.

Flying Thunder God Technique.

He'd already studied the training manual for it, but his talent clearly didn't lie in that area.

Which only made him more envious of Reiji's mastery over it.

With both participants escorted off the field, the second match began.

The match-up: Rie Sakuhō versus A.