Shadow Clones FTW!

by RMZ05

After the battle with Zabuza and Haku in the Land of Waves, Naruto accidentally discovers the hidden potential of his Shadow Clones—their ability to transfer memories. Seeing the opportunity to drastically speed up his training, Naruto sets out to become stronger than ever before. How will this early discovery change his journey as a ninja?

9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 : The First Test!

Team 7 arrived at the entrance of room 301, where they were surprised to find Kakashi standing outside as if waiting for them. "Glad you came, Sakura," Kakashi said, his usual nonchalant tone carrying a slight warmth. "For your sake, and those two," he added, nodding toward Naruto and Sasuke.

Sakura blinked in confusion. "Why? What do you mean?" she asked.

Kakashi explained, "Only groups of three are allowed to enter the exam. I thought it was important for you to know that. It's not just about individual choices—it's about teamwork. I didn't want the other two pressuring you into taking the exam if you weren't ready. I wanted you to come because you chose to."

Sakura took a moment to let his words sink in. Kakashi was looking out for her, making sure she felt ready on her own terms, not just dragged along by her teammates. A small, grateful smile appeared on her face.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura," Kakashi said, his voice more serious now, "I'm proud of you. Good luck." He stepped aside, giving them a clear path to the door.

"We won't let you down, Sensei!" Naruto said confidently, clenching his fist in excitement. With that, the three genin walked toward the doors to room 301, their anticipation building.

As soon as they opened the doors and stepped inside, they were hit by the intense atmosphere. The room was packed with shinobi from various villages, all older, more experienced, and glaring at them like predators sizing up their next meal. The air felt thick with competition.

Sakura paled slightly, her earlier confidence shaken. I never expected there to be this much competition… she thought nervously. If being scary was one of the tests, then they've already beaten me.

The Genin inside ranged from teenagers to young adults, making Team 7 look like lost little kids. They were well aware that it was rare for fresh graduates like them to enter the Chunin Exams. But before their unease could settle in too deeply, a familiar voice called out.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Ino's voice rang through the tense room as she suddenly appeared behind Sasuke, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a playful hug. "Where have you been? I missed those broody good looks of yours."

Sasuke's face immediately twisted into a look of irritation, clearly bothered by her sudden invasion of his personal space.

"Back off, Ino!" Sakura snapped, stepping up to her crush's defense. "Sasuke's mine!"

Ino Yamanaka. Man, Ino's always loud and bossy, especially around Sakura, he mused, recalling the rivalry between the two girls that seemed to have started since they were kids. Ino had her long, platinum blonde hair tied back into a high ponytail, her blue eyes sharp as ever. She wore a sleeveless purple outfit, showing off her confidence and bold personality.

"Oh, it's you guys," a familiar lazy voice drawled. Shikamaru and Choji from Team 10 approached. Shikamaru had his hands stuffed in his pockets, his usual bored expression plastered on his face. Choji, meanwhile, was munching on a bag of chips, his round face showing no concern about the tension in the room.

"Shikamaru, Choji!" Naruto greeted them, grinning widely.

Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah, yeah. What a drag this is gonna be."

Naruto laughed. "You haven't changed a bit, Shikamaru!"

As Naruto looked at his former classmates, he started thinking about their personalities and appearance. Shikamaru Nara, Naruto thought, looking at the boy with the high ponytail who looked like he could fall asleep standing up. The laziest guy you'll ever meet. He's smart, but man, he hates doing anything that requires effort. Shikamaru's outfit was the same as usual—a simple mesh shirt under a short-sleeved jacket, with the Nara clan symbol emblazoned on it.

Naruto's eyes shifted to Choji. And then there's Choji Akimichi… he thought with a grin, watching Choji munch away on his chips. He's always eating something, but he's a good guy. Always thinking about food, though. Choji had his usual round, gentle face, wearing his traditional Akimichi-style clothing and a scarf. He looked big compared to the others, not just because of his frame, but also the layers of clothes.

As Naruto's thoughts wandered, another voice cut in.

"Well, what do you know? Looks like the whole gang is back together again," Kiba said as he approached, with his small white dog, Akamaru, perched on his head. Kiba looked as cocky as ever, a grin plastered on his face. Behind him were his teammates, Hinata and Shino.

Hinata peeked shyly over Kiba's shoulder. "H-Hi, Naruto," she greeted quietly, her cheeks flushed pink. She twiddled her fingers nervously, barely able to make eye contact.

Naruto blinked at her, oblivious to her nerves. "Hey, Hinata!" he greeted back, full of his usual energy.

Naruto took a quick mental note of the rest of Team 8. Kiba Inuzuka—he's always loud, and he's got a huge ego. But he's cool, I guess. Kiba had wild brown hair and the red fang markings on his cheeks, wearing his usual fur-lined jacket. Akamaru, his trusty partner, barked from atop Kiba's head.

Then Naruto glanced over to Shino. Shino Aburame… still creepy with those sunglasses, and he doesn't talk much. Kinda mysterious. Shino was as stoic as ever, his face mostly hidden by his high-collared coat and dark sunglasses, making it hard to read him.

Finally, his eyes landed on Hinata. And Hinata Hyuga… she's always so quiet around me. I wonder why she's so shy all the time… He shrugged it off, as clueless as ever about her feelings. Hinata, with her short dark hair and soft lavender eyes, seemed even more flustered than usual. Her pale lavender jacket made her look soft and approachable, but her blushing face didn't go unnoticed.

Shikamaru glanced lazily toward Team 8 as they made their way over, hands in his pockets, his typical slouch on full display. "So you guys are here too, huh? What a drag," he muttered.

Kiba grinned wide, showing off his fang-like teeth. "Yep, all nine rookies, haha! Looks like this is gonna be fun! At least, for those strong enough to make the cut. Right, Sasuke?" He shot a cocky smirk toward the Uchiha.

Sasuke, ever the cool-headed one, smirked back confidently. "Make sure you don't get overconfident, Kiba."

Kiba chuckled, standing tall with his small white dog, Akamaru, perched on his head. "Just you wait, we've been training like crazy."

Naruto, never one to miss a beat, jumped in, "What do you think we've been doing? Sitting around picking daisies?"

Hinata, standing shyly beside Kiba, immediately apologized. "I-I'm sure Kiba didn't mean anything by it..." Her soft voice earned a confused glance from Kiba. Before any further banter could ensue, a voice interrupted.

A tall, slender man approached the group with a kind smile. He had long, silver hair tied back, glasses reflecting the light in the room, and wore the standard gray Konoha shinobi vest. His relaxed demeanor stood out amidst the tense atmosphere of the exam room. "Hey, you rookies might wanna keep it down a little," he said with a friendly tone. "Take a look around you."

At his suggestion, the rookies paused and glanced around the room. Their eyes widened as they realized nearly every Genin in the room was glaring at them, clearly irritated by their childish bickering. The intense stares sent a clear message — the Chunin Exams weren't a place for idle chatter. The tension in the room thickened as the weight of the competition settled in on them.

Sakura, curious about the kind stranger, asks, "So, is this your first time taking the exam?"

Kabuto laughs, rubbing the back of his head slightly embarrassed. "Actually... this is my seventh time."

The entire group blinks in surprise. "Seventh?!" Naruto exclaims. "You must be an expert by now!"

Kabuto smiles sheepishly, "Yeah, I guess I do know quite a bit," he says. Shikamaru, leaning against the wall, mutters, "Some expert, he hasn't even passed." His tone is full of lazy sarcasm.

Kabuto chuckles lightly, "Well, I guess seventh time's the charm," he replies. But Shikamaru only sighs in response, "What a drag... I guess those rumors about how tough the exams are must be true then."

Sensing the growing unease, Kabuto tries to reassure them. "Hey, don't give up hope yet! These exams are definitely tough, but maybe I can help you guys out a little." He reaches into his pouch and pulls out a set of cards. "These are called Ninja Info Cards. I've been gathering intel on candidates for a while now."

Kabuto demonstrates by taking one card and spinning it in his hand while channeling chakra. As the card spins, it suddenly lights up, displaying a map. "See? This shows how many Genin from each village are participating in this year's exams."

Everyone watches intently as Kabuto explains, showing them which villages were represented and how many Genin had come from each one.

Sasuke, ever focused on what could help him gain an edge, raises an eyebrow and asks, "Can those cards give you information on specific candidates?"

Kabuto smirks, sensing the Uchiha's eagerness. "Yes, they can. Do you have anyone in particular you're curious about?"

Sasuke, with a sharp look in his eyes, speaks up. "Gaara of the Desert... and while you're at it, Rock Lee."

Kabuto raises an eyebrow and chuckles. "Well, it's no fun if you already know their names... but I suppose I can still help." He takes out two cards from the stack, giving them a brief spin in his hands while channeling his chakra into them. "Alright, let's see what we've got."

Sasuke folds his arms and leans in, waiting for the information as Kabuto looks at the first card.

"First up, Gaara of the Desert," Kabuto announces as the card begins to display Gaara's details. "He's from the Hidden Sand Village, as you might have guessed. He's part of Team Baki, and his teammates are Kankuro and Temari. Now here's the interesting part: Gaara has completed every mission assigned to him without a single scratch. He's a bit of an enigma because his record is flawless – no injuries, no failures. Some even say he's never lost a fight."

Sasuke's eyes narrow, his curiosity piqued even further. "No injuries at all?" he asks.

Kabuto nods. "Yeah, pretty impressive, right? Rumor has it he's got some special abilities, but there's not a lot of info on him. People from the Hidden Sand keep things pretty tight-lipped."

Sasuke takes in the information, intrigued by Gaara's reputation.

Kabuto then moves on to the next card. "And now, Rock Lee," he says, glancing over at Naruto, who perks up at the mention of his recent opponent.

"Rock Lee's from the Hidden Leaf, like you guys. He's part of Team Guy, with his teammates being Neji Hyuga and Tenten, both very capable shinobi in their own right. As for Lee himself... well, he's a Taijutsu specialist. Pure physical combat, no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu at all."

Sasuke reacts with mild surprise. "No Ninjutsu or Genjutsu? And he's still that strong?"

Kabuto nods. "Exactly. He's a rare one, relying solely on his body. In fact, he's developed an incredible level of speed and power through sheer hard work. He may not be able to use Ninjutsu, but don't underestimate him. People say he's the strongest Taijutsu user of his age."

Naruto, listening intently, clenches his fists, remembering how intense their fight was. "Yeah... I can vouch for that," he mutters to himself, earning a glance from Sasuke.

Kabuto finishes up the briefing, flicking the cards back into the stack. "So there you have it. Gaara of the Desert and Rock Lee. Two of the toughest Genin you'll face in these exams."

Sasuke smirks, his interest piqued even more. "Interesting. Very interesting."

Suddenly, a group of Sound Ninja, noticing Kabuto's information-gathering, approaches him with hostile intent. The lead Sound Ninja glares at Kabuto. "You think you're so clever, don't you, with those little cards of yours?" Without warning, the Sound Ninja charges forward, attempting a surprise attack. Kabuto dodges swiftly, but just as he's about to counter, his vision begins to blur. Staggering slightly, he quickly realizes that despite avoiding the physical blow, the attack somehow affected him.

Kabuto grips his head, blinking rapidly to clear his vision, while the surrounding rookies, including Team 7, watch in confusion and surprise. Sasuke narrows his eyes, realizing the Sound Ninja's technique must be more dangerous than it initially seemed. Naruto, on the other hand, tenses up, ready to jump into the fray, but before anything more can happen, a commanding voice cuts through the tension.

"Enough!"

Everyone turns to see a tall, imposing man with scars on his face and wearing a black flak jacket enter the room. His very presence causes the room to fall silent. The man steps forward, glaring at the participants.

"I'm Ibiki Morino, the proctor for the first test of the Chunin Exams," he announces. His voice is cold and authoritative. "And let me make one thing very clear: from this point on, there is to be no fighting between candidates, no matter how tense things get."

The room tenses as Ibiki continues, his presence as the head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Unit unnerving many of the participants. "You may think you're strong or smart," he says, his eyes scanning the room. "But let me assure you, I'm your worst nightmare from here on out. So, if you don't want to be disqualified right now, you'll follow my rules to the letter."

Naruto swallows hard, feeling the pressure already weighing on him. The other rookies, including Sakura and Sasuke, look equally tense. The threat of disqualification hangs heavy over the room, and it's clear that Ibiki isn't someone to be messed with.

"Now," Ibiki continues, "we're moving on to the first part of the exam. It's going to be a written test."

Naruto's face turns pale. "W-Written test?!" he exclaims in horror.

Ibiki's stern gaze swept over the room as he addressed the Genin. "Before we begin, hand in your application forms," he commanded. "You will all be assigned a seat for the written test."

- The Written Test -

Ibiki's voice cut through the murmur of anxious whispers, commanding the room's attention. "Now that I have your attention, let's go over the specifics of this exam."

"The exam operates on a point reduction system. You start with a total of 10 points. For every question you get wrong, 1 point will be deducted from your score. For example, if you miss 3 questions, your final score will be 7."

Naruto's eyes widened as he thought to himself, And if I miss 10, my final score will be 0.

"Teams will pass or fail based on the total scores of all three members," Ibiki continued, causing a collective gasp of shock. Sakura's face reddened with frustration as she turned to glare at Naruto, already anticipating the struggles he would face.

Ibiki's tone grew more serious as he elaborated on the next rule. "The sentinels around the room are here to watch for any cheating. Each time they catch someone cheating, 2 points will be subtracted from the culprit's score. Be warned, their eyes are extremely sharp. If you're caught cheating 5 times, you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored. Anyone foolish enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here."

The room fell silent as the weight of Ibiki's words settled in. Sakura and Sasuke's faces tightened with concern, while Naruto's face turned pale. He pictured his teammates glaring at him with disappointment, imagining the worst-case scenario.

"And finally," Ibiki said, his voice dropping to a low, ominous tone, "the last question will be given out only 15 minutes before the end of the exam. You have a total of 1 hour to complete the test. Understood?"

A chorus of nervous confirmations echoed through the room. Ibiki's stern gaze swept over them all.

"Begin!" Ibiki's command signaled the start of the exam, and the room was filled with the sound of rustling papers and scribbling pens as the Genin started their test, each one bracing themselves for the challenge ahead.

Naruto's heart raced as he scanned the test questions, his mind spiraling with panic. The exam papers in front of him seemed like they were written in a foreign language, each question more impossible than the last. He slumped forward, hands gripping his hair in frustration, as he nervously glanced around. Everywhere he looked, other Genin were scribbling furiously, answers flowing from their pens as if the questions were common sense.

"How are they doing this?" Naruto thought, eyes wide with disbelief. "I can't even make sense of the first one, let alone the rest of them!"

He pressed his forehead against the desk, trying to think of some way—any way—out of this. Then, a flicker of hope crossed his mind. "Wait... What about my clone's memory retaining method?" Naruto thought, his heart beating faster. "If one of my clones figures out the answers, I'll know them too once it dispels. But… how am I supposed to pull that off without the sentinels catching me?"

As his gaze shifted to the sentinels stationed around the room, their sharp eyes scanning the candidates like hawks, an idea suddenly clicked into place. A wide grin slowly spread across Naruto's face as a plan began to form. "That's it," he whispered to himself, confidence surging through him.

Carefully, Naruto slid his hands under the desk, fingers weaving into the familiar signs for his Shadow Clone Jutsu. With a quiet poof of smoke, a clone formed—small, silent, and unnoticed by the sentinels. Naruto cast a quick glance at the examiners; none of them seemed to notice a thing. Hinata, seated beside him, caught sight of the subtle movement but merely widened her eyes in surprise. Her veins pulsed slightly around her eyes as she activated her Byakugan, though Naruto didn't understand what that meant. Concern flickered across his mind for a brief moment, wondering if she was okay, but he quickly dismissed it, focusing back on the task at hand. This was no time to get distracted.

There was another quiet poof, a moment later, a tiny spider crawled onto Naruto's desk, sporting a tuft of spiky yellow hair identical to his own. The tiny creature skittered across the paper, its mission clear: to reach Sakura's desk, copy her answers, and return without being noticed.

Naruto held his breath, his heart thudding in his chest as he watched the spider scuttle across the room. He glanced nervously at the sentinels, but none of them seemed to notice the tiny clone making its way through the sea of feet. Hinata, though, had caught sight of the strange spider with Naruto's trademark yellow hair but only smiled softly before turning her attention back to her paper. Naruto exhaled in relief, silently thanking her for keeping quiet.

- With Naruto's Spider Clone -

The spider clone darted across the floor, navigating its way through a maze of trembling feet. Its tiny legs moved quickly, dodging sudden stomps and accidental kicks as it worked its way toward Sakura's desk. Halfway there, the clone found itself face-to-face with a tiny insect—a real bug, crawling in the opposite direction. They both paused, staring at each other in a silent confrontation before parting ways, each focused on its own mission.

Finally, the spider reached Sakura's desk, climbing up the leg of the table and onto her paper. Its tiny eyes gleamed with satisfaction as it began copying down the answers. However, one of the questions was blocked by Sakura's arm. The spider hesitated for a moment before bravely nudging her arm, hoping she would shift it aside. But instead of moving it, Sakura let out a startled squeal.

With a sharp slap, she crushed the spider under her hand, causing the entire room to glance her way. Sakura quickly cleared her throat, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, I just… saw a spider," she mumbled awkwardly. Thankfully, the sentinels resumed their watch after a brief pause, seeming satisfied with her explanation.

When Sakura lifted her hand, she blinked in surprise at the empty spot where the spider had been. Realization dawned on her, and her face flushed even more. "Wait a minute… Was that… a Naruto clone?" she thought, her eyes widening as she recalled the odd tuft of yellow hair on the spider's head. A small smile tugged at her lips as she shook her head in amusement. She glanced over at Naruto, who was stifling laughter behind his hand, his eyes watering with the effort to stay quiet.

"Sorry, Naruto," she thought, "but at least you're trying to be clever for once." She paused, her gaze moving over the test questions again. "These questions are impossible. There's no way most people here can answer these on their own."

Sasuke, seated across the room, had already come to a similar conclusion. His Sharingan was activated, his red eyes tracking the movements of the other Genin as he discreetly copied their answers by reading their pen strokes.

As the time ticked down, the tension in the room mounted. Just then, Ibiki's voice boomed, commanding everyone's attention.

"Alright, listen up!" Ibiki's voice cut through the murmurs, instantly silencing the room. "There are now fifteen minutes left in this exam. It's time for the tenth question."

The atmosphere grew even more charged as the Genin all shuddered in anticipation. They braced themselves for the final challenge, their minds racing with worry and doubt. What would this final question be?

Ibiki's sharp eyes scanned the room before continuing. "You have a choice," he began, his voice carrying a sinister edge. "You can choose to take the final question… or not."

Confused murmurs broke out across the room. Why would anyone choose not to take the question if it meant failing the exam? Ibiki's smirk deepened, the sight unsettling to the Genin.

"If you choose not to take the question," he explained, "your final score will be zero. That means your entire team fails."

The room fell into a tense silence as Ibiki continued. "If you do choose to take the final question and get it wrong… you will be banned from ever taking the Chunin Exams again. You will remain Genin forever."

Kiba stood up, slamming his hands on the desk. "What kind of rule is that?! It's completely unfair!"

Ibiki didn't flinch. "Unfair? Maybe. But I'm the proctor of this exam, and what I say goes. The ninja world isn't fair, and you better get used to that if you want to survive."

The ruckus that followed was even louder. Genin all around the room began shouting, expressing their disbelief and anger. The idea of being stuck as a Genin for life was horrifying, especially for those with high ambitions. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and Sakura clenched her fists in frustration, while Naruto's face went even paler.

A heavy, oppressive silence settled over the room as the weight of Ibiki's words sank in. Slowly, one by one, Genin began raising their hands. The fear of failure, of being stuck as a Genin forever, was too much for some to bear. As they stood and filed out of the room, their teammates trailing behind, some shot looks of disdain at the one who had raised their hand. Others seemed more understanding, resigning themselves to their fate.

Sakura sat in her seat, her mind racing. She looked over at Naruto, who was visibly struggling with the decision. "Why isn't he raising his hand?" she thought frantically. "No one would blame him if he did. If Naruto fails, he'll never achieve his dreams. I can't let his dreams die because of us. I should raise my hand…"

Her hand twitched, ready to shoot up and save Naruto from this impossible choice. But just as she was about to move, she froze in shock as Naruto's arm suddenly raised high into the air.

Sasuke glanced over, a mix of understanding and annoyance in his eyes. But before he could process the situation fully, Naruto slammed his hand onto the desk with a loud bang, standing up in defiance.

"As if some stupid question could scare me!" Naruto yelled, his voice full of determination. "Don't underestimate me!"

A ripple of surprise and admiration spread through the room. Naruto's outburst, idiotic as it might have seemed, sparked a wave of confidence among the remaining Genin. One by one, those who had been on the verge of quitting lowered their hands, determined to stay in the game.

Ibiki's smirk returned as he surveyed the room. No one else raised their hand. The tension hung thick in the air, everyone waiting with bated breath for what came next.

"Well, if that's everyone who's staying…" Ibiki paused dramatically, letting the anticipation build. "Congratulations. You pass."

For a moment, the room was dead silent as the words sank in. Then, confusion and disbelief took over.

"Wait, what about the tenth question?" someone called out, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

Ibiki chuckled, crossing his arms. "The tenth question… was whether or not you would take the tenth question. You see, this exam wasn't just about answering questions. The first nine questions were designed to test your information-gathering skills, to see how well you could work under pressure.

He paused, letting the lesson sink in before continuing. "But the tenth question was about making tough decisions. As shinobi, you'll face situations where you'll have to make choices that could mean the difference between life and death, success and failure. The ability to make those decisions without fear, to put the mission above your personal feelings, is what we were testing. Those who were too afraid to take the chance… well, they don't belong in the Chunin ranks."

The room was filled with a mix of relief, exhaustion, and newfound respect for the test's cunning design. As the Genin began to process the fact that they had passed, the atmosphere started to lighten—until a sudden crash broke the calm.

A kunai shot through one of the windows, embedding itself in the wall with a large, billowing flag attached to it. The fabric unfurled dramatically, revealing bold lettering that read, "Second Exam Proctor. The Sexy Anko Mitarashi!"

A figure appeared in the shattered window, a smirk playing on her lips. "My name's Anko Mitarashi," she announced loudly, "and I'm the proctor of the next exam!" She jumped down, landing in front of the assembled Genin, her presence commanding attention.

Anko looked around the room, taking in the remaining candidates with a critical eye. Her gaze flicked to Ibiki, who was watching her with a stoic expression. Anko raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening. "Not bad, Ibiki, but I think you're losing your touch. There's still a decent number of them left."

Ibiki shrugged, unfazed. "Maybe this year's batch is just exceptional."

Anko chuckled darkly, her eyes glinting with a dangerous gleam. "Well, it's fine. My exam will cut the candidates by more than half."

The room, which had just begun to relax, tensed up again. The remaining Genin stared at Anko with a mix of fear and determination, wondering what horrors awaited them in the second exam.