Take question ten as an example; it would be at least forty-five minutes before an examiner would provide any explanation.

How could any candidate finish before that time?

“Hokage-sama, one of the exam proctors, Minato, annotated the situation on the side,” said the examiner.

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head at these words. Behind the record of "five minutes and thirty seconds," there was a small note explaining the situation in detail.

“So that's what happened. Uchiha Shimizu…”

Hiruzen now understood why such a situation occurred.

It was simply because Shimizu's theoretical knowledge was too solid, allowing him to complete all the questions directly.

And the final answer happened to align with the essence of the tenth question. This was not surprising under the circumstances.

“Fugaku, the Uchiha have produced an excellent ninja. I believe this person will become a bright flame of the Will of Fire, illuminating Konoha.”

“Uh… Yes, Hokage-sama,” Fugaku replied with a frown. An excellent ninja from the Uchiha clan?

Many Uchihas were participating in this year’s Chūnin Exams, including several outstanding ones.

Who?

The Third Hokage referred to an adjustment made for the Uchiha clan in the second stage of the exam. Instead of going to the training grounds, it was directly transitioned into the Chūnin Exam preliminaries.

Each participant drew lots, and Shimizu was fortunate to get a bye.

This meant he only needed to wait quietly for the first round of preliminaries to end and participate directly in the second round.

“Hey, Kurenai, Shimizu actually got a bye.”

Two people exiting the examination room observed the announcement board in front of them.

“If I make it to the second round, I might even get to spar with Shimizu,” Sarutobi Asuma said, cracking his knuckles and waving his newly purchased weapon. It resembled brass knuckles but had curved blades extending from the bottom, gleaming coldly.

Shimizu had graduated from the ninja academy some time ago, and Asuma was curious to see how strong he had become.

“No, the one who will spar with him is me.”

Yūhi Kurenai spoke in a frosty tone, her crimson eyes filled with determination.

“So eager to face me, huh?”

Shimizu appeared behind Kurenai without warning. She could even feel his breath on the back of her delicate neck.

Startled, Kurenai turned around swiftly, glaring daggers at Shimizu.

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“Who told you to hog all the attention today?”

Sarutobi Asuma grinned mischievously, thinking Kurenai couldn’t stand Shimizu’s showboating and wanted to humble him.

“Kurenai, do you have some extra time?”

Shimizu quietly observed her.

Having submitted his answers early, he had gone out to feed some doves before returning to check the announcements. At that time, the results hadn’t even been posted.

“…I do.”

Kurenai’s expression shifted multiple times before she finally nodded.

She wanted to know what Shimizu was planning. If he dared to mess with her again like before, she would call for backup.

“Asuma, I’m going to discuss genjutsu with Shimizu for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

Kurenai hastily came up with an excuse, worried that Asuma might overthink the situation.

“Sure, the match is still a while away. I’ll wait for you here.”

Asuma, exuding a rebellious vibe, trusted Kurenai completely and didn’t question her at all.

Five minutes later.

Shimizu and Kurenai arrived at a secluded corner, sparsely populated.

The location was a rooftop with a view of the bustling crowds below.

“What exactly do you want? Do you want to spar with me now?” Kurenai demanded without pretense.

Shimizu had done unspeakable things to her in the past. The fact that she hadn’t punched him yet spoke to her restraint.

“This isn’t the right place. Our duel should happen later. If you survive long enough in the tournament, we’ll inevitably face each other.”

A smirk crept across Shimizu’s face.

“I know you’re eager to redeem yourself, and I’m satisfied with your resolve. But I don’t like what you’re wearing today. Change into something youthful, or I won’t face you in genjutsu. Instead, I’ll defeat you in other ways since genjutsu is all you can rely on, isn’t it?”

With that, Shimizu vanished using the Body Flicker Technique, not waiting for Kurenai’s reply.

“I won’t wear that!”

Shimizu’s sudden disappearance left Kurenai trembling with anger. She pounded the rooftop railing, her fingers digging into its surface as if trying to vent her frustration.

But if Shimizu didn’t fight her with genjutsu, then all her efforts up until now would have been for nothing.

“This devil…”

Kurenai gritted her teeth. Every encounter with Shimizu seemed to redefine her perception of him.

After a moment of silence, Kurenai’s chest rose and fell as she took deep breaths. She loosened her fingers, which had turned pale from the grip.

She didn’t want to keep dreaming about Shimizu every night. She even suspected that he had cast some subliminal genjutsu on her, causing her to relive that nightmare repeatedly.

For her rebirth, for the reputation of the Yūhi clan, Kurenai turned and left—heading in the direction of the Yūhi clan’s residence.

Half an hour later.

Sarutobi Asuma, bored from waiting, played with his chakra blade. He suddenly heard footsteps and looked up to see Kurenai.

She was now dressed in a sharp outfit: a long-sleeved top covering her upper body, a red sash around her waist, and a white skirt.

“Kurenai changed clothes?” Asuma muttered, putting away his chakra blade and walking over to greet her.

“Kurenai, why did you…”

Asuma, unable to keep secrets, voiced his question immediately.

“A ninja accidentally spilled water on me, so I had to change,” Kurenai said calmly, her voice crisp.

“No worries! Maybe your bad luck just ran out. You’ll have nothing but good luck in the match,” Asuma said, trying to comfort her.

“Bad luck…”

Kurenai looked at Asuma, who remained oblivious to the truth, and felt a pang of sorrow.

She clenched her fists tightly. She would eliminate the source of her misfortune starting today.

The two walked together toward the competition area.

The matches began shortly after, and the two headed to their respective zones based on their opponents.

The day would be long. Some were brimming with energy, while others were eliminated in the first round and left dejected.

Meanwhile, Shimizu had already returned home.

The preliminaries would take days, but since he had a bye, he simply waited for notification to proceed to the next round.

The petty squabbles of others held no interest for him.

He would rather spend the time training.

Only Pakura seemed worthy of attention, with her unique kekkei genkai, Scorch Release.

Two days later.

The Chūnin Exams were in full swing, reaching the second round.

Shimizu looked at his draw result: his opponent was Pakura.

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