Naruto: Did i Just Get Reincarnated as Gojo?-Chapter 262: Unique Skills to Pass the Exam!

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Even Itachi Uchiha—who had just deciphered the second question, paused, his pen hovering above the paper, after reading these twenty-two simple words.

Dedicated to becoming an exceptional Shinobi, to repaying his Clan and Advisor Gojo's kindness, Itachi was a diligent student.

Though only five years old, he had repeatedly achieved perfect scores on Konoha University's cultural exams.

His talent extended beyond Shinobi training; he possessed exceptional intelligence.

But even someone as brilliant as Itachi was stumped by this question.

He lifted his pen, circling the word "Intelligence," and pondered:

"The question states this is intelligence. If so, it should contain information: time, place, people, events—But this sentence contains none of that."

"This riddle-like method of conveying intelligence—it's something the Advisor would devise. If it were the Advisor, his meaning would be condensed, perhaps even abbreviated, but careful consideration would reveal the full message—We simply lack the necessary— analytical capacity."

Itachi, as if struck by inspiration, recalled the Advisor's often cryptic manner of speaking and put himself in that mindset.

A spark ignited in his eyes. Looking back at the twenty-two words, perhaps he had found the key to deciphering the intelligence the Advisor sought to convey!

Itachi began to write:

[The rain was unexpected. Otherwise, he would have said, 'Walking 9 KM in the rain is no joke,' not used the word 'Especially,' which implies a reflection after the fact.]

[The speaker is neither a Shinobi nor someone accustomed to outdoor activity. Again, the word 'especially.' The speaker didn't say, 'Walking 9 KM in the rain isn't a joke,' but simply, 'walking—isn't a joke,' indicating that the distance itself was difficult, and the rain made it even harder. 9 KM isn't a particularly long distance—Shinobi training around Konoha, and even fit civilians, could manage it.]

[Therefore, the walking likely occurred late at night or early in the morning, between midnight and five or six AM. Konoha has public carriages, but they stop running late at night, and private carriages wouldn't pick up strangers. To walk over 9 KM in a sudden downpour during these hours implies...]

———

While Itachi wrote furiously, Izumi, sweating profusely, moved on to the next question:

[Question 4: Survival Test]

[Four interrogated Shinobi, A, B, C, and D, are in a sealed room. The interrogator says: Whoever correctly guesses the symbol on their own forehead protector can leave.]

[Two wear Cloud headbands, two wear Stone headbands. They don't know their own headband symbol. They stand in a line: A is in front of B, C, and D; B is in front of C and D; C is in front of D. (Correction: The original description of a wall was unclear. Based on classic logic puzzles, the positioning is linear.) A wall separates A from the others, so A sees no one. B can see C. C can see D. D sees no one. (Correction: Visibility based on linear positioning.) No one can remove their headband or look behind them.]

[After a moment of silence, one of the four Shinobi correctly guesses their headband symbol. Which Shinobi—A, B, C, or D—guessed correctly?]

[Provide your reasoning.]

"They can only see the headbands in front of them? How can they possibly know their own? Is the question flawed?"

Izumi subconsciously looked up, glancing towards Ibiki Morino, but ultimately swallowed her doubts.

After pondering for a moment, and fearing she would run out of time, Izumi wrote down her answer:

Shinobi C. (Correction: According to classic logic puzzles, C can usually deduce the answer. D is guessing. If the two in front of D have the same color, C knows they must have the other color. If the two in front of D have different colors, C doesn't know their own color, but B, hearing C's silence, knows their own color must be different from D's. C is the more logical guesser; D relies on luck.)

(Original Logic: Shinobi A and B face the wall, gaining no useful information. Only C or D could possibly guess—A fifty-fifty chance. Izumi trusted her luck.)

[Question 5: Anbu Test]

[Anbu Shinobi, acting on intelligence, apprehend three suspicious individuals: A, B, and C.]

[It is known that among A, B, and C, one is a member of the Kage Guard, one is a petty thief (a matter for the Police Force), and one is a spy infiltrating the village.]

[The Kage Guard always tells the truth. The thief always lies. The spy may tell the truth or lie.]

[A says: "I am not the spy."]

[B says: "I am the spy."]

[The Anbu Shinobi asks the real spy, C: "Is B the spy?" To avoid revealing their identity, should C tell the truth or lie? Provide your reasoning.]

Plop—

A large teardrop landed on the exam paper. The tears—of a struggling student!

Izumi ran a hand through her hair in frustration, skipping several more questions before arriving at Question 9:

[Question 9: Rescue the Client]

[Your client has been kidnapped by enemies seeking revenge and is hidden behind one of three opaque doors. Behind the other two doors are enemy Shinobi hired to kill you. Your goal is to rescue your client, but you cannot see behind the doors.]

[The enemy leader allows you to choose one door. After your initial choice, the leader, knowing what's behind the other two doors, opens one of them, revealing an enemy Shinobi. After a struggle, you defeat the enemy, but you are exhausted.]

[Now, the enemy leader gives you one final choice. Should you stick with your initial choice, or switch to the remaining unopened door, to maximize your chances of rescuing the client?]

[Note: Engaging in another battle will result in your death, and consequently, the client's death.]

"Let the client die! I quit the mission!" Izumi muttered angrily. What did these bizarre questions have to do with being a Shinobi?

The prep course at Konoha University hadn't covered anything like this...

Even a genius specializing in cultural studies would struggle to answer even one of these questions correctly in such a short time.

If Izumi, a top student at the Konoha Shinobi Academy, felt this way, the less academically inclined students and those from remote villages could only scratch their heads in bewilderment.

Some couldn't help but glance sideways, trying to glimpse the answers on the papers of those who were writing furiously.

Their attempts were met only by the sharp eyes of the elite Chunin proctors, who made notes on their clipboards.

A moment later, a proctor announced, "Number 31, Number 36, five counts of cheating. Leave the examination hall! As random punishment, Number 44 and Number 47, also from the Village Hidden in the Bears—you leave as well!"

"Damn it! Do you have proof we cheated five times?!" one of the accused protested.

Pow!

The proctor punched the defiant Cheater in the stomach, doubling him over. "We were selected by Advisor Gojo to proctor this exam. Our authority is the proof! Or—are you questioning Advisor Gojo's judgment?"

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. The defiant Cheater said no more, clutching his stomach as he shuffled out of the hall.

———

The events unfolding in the examination hall were broadcast live on the large screen.

The Otogakure Dome buzzed with discussion.

People debated the answers to Gojo Kaigetsu's first 9 perplexing questions.

Even Minato Namikaze fidgeted, tugging at Gojo Kaigetsu's sleeve and whispering, "Kaigetsu-kun, these questions—if most participants are eliminated in the written exam, the later stages will be pointless."

"The first Fire Games will become a laughingstock, and Konoha will face exorbitant penalties for breaching the advertising contracts!"

"Don't worry, Minato. Everything is under control~" Gojo Kaigetsu reassured him.

"To use a popular phrase, this is now a Village Lottery Game. The stage is set; all that remains is for the Genin from each village to perform."

———

Back in the examination hall, someone flipped over their test paper and raised their hand. "Proctor, where is the tenth question?"

"The tenth question will appear in the final five minutes. Wait!"

After the initial panic, Izumi regained her composure.

Honestly, she wasn't confident in answering any of the questions correctly. But she knew someone who could—Itachi Uchiha!

Gradually, Izumi recalled Ibiki Morino's words at the beginning of the exam: "Using shameful methods to cheat..."

Meaning—using unshameful methods to cheat, obtaining the correct answers from the surroundings, was the true purpose of this exam! This exam tested their intelligence gathering abilities!

Izumi's eyes widened in realization.

Not only gathering intelligence, but also preventing others from stealing her answers, perhaps even feeding misinformation to rivals to reduce competition. And finally, relaying the correct information to teammates—That was the true meaning of the first round!

Realizing this, Izumi looked towards Itachi again, noticing that, from the very beginning, his pen-holding hand had been moving in a consistent, repetitive pattern...

"He's signaling the answers to me!"

Izumi understood!

'Single Tomoe Sharingan, activate!'

One of the Sharingan's abilities: copying an opponent's movements, becoming a "Copy Shinobi." Some used this ability to achieve stalemates against any opponent; others used it—to cheat on exams.

Trusting Itachi implicitly, Izumi first copied his movements onto the blank space for the first question, then realized he was writing the answer to the third question. She quickly transcribed the answer.

"Phew..." Izumi breathed a sigh of relief. At least one point secured!

The Village Lottery Game—she hadn't let Konoha down!

———

The eight Shinobi crossed the sea, each displaying their unique skills!

Zabuza Momochi used the Hiding in Mist Technique to obscure the vision of the other participants, casually copying the answers before generously sharing them with Chōjūrō.

Deidara molded a small clay bee, sending it buzzing around the room in search of answers.

The two from Otogakure used the sound of pen scratching against paper to decipher Itachi Uchiha's answers.

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