Things we do for love

Chapter 33

Konohamaru was smirking.

During the first ten minutes of the test, he quickly read each and every question, which were all MCQs. At first, he was confused as to why so many questions were completely unrelated to what they had studied in the academy or during the study sessions for the Chunin exams.

He then realized that many of these questions were not even related to shinobi-related matters. A lot of it involved politics or finance, which an average shinobi didn't need to know. Not to mention the biology of a plant and nutrition, which while needed, wasn't required to the level the questions asked for.

'This is a test of quick thinking and analysis. I guess the main test is to analyze what we can and cannot do. It's less about doing all of them, and more about correctly figuring out the ones which we can do and then score the highest we can,' he thought as he attempted the questions.

Thankfully, Naruto while training him didn't only focus on strength or jutsus and basic knowledge.

"Kono, you know that you're the grandson of the third right?" asked Naruto. They had just finished training and were proceeding to the library.

"Yeah, what about it?" he asked curiously.

"Well, you not only are a shinobi, but also the future heir of the Sarutobi clan, since you're the eldest in your generation. If Asuma san has a kid, they'd most likely be a head after you. So you need to prepare for it, including clan politics and other things," Naruto told him making him think.

'Damn, big bro really knows his stuff,' he thought as he breezed through basic politics, clan relations and finance. He also was sure that he aced the ninjutsu section, and also did pretty well in Fuinjutsu.

He completely avoided Taijutsu and Genjutsu-related questions, however, as he knew he wasn't well versed in that. That also included Medical and biology-related questions.

Finally, the hour was up and Konohamaru had attempted 120 questions.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! STOP!" yelled Kankuro as most of the scribbling stopped.

Two people however didn't pay heed to him and continued to write. They didn't know how big of a mistake it was.

Immediately, two pairs of puppet hands launched towards them and engulfed their hands, and the next second, screams were heard all through the halls.

"Next time you disobey orders, you won't just receive an electric shock," he menacingly stated before turning to the door from where Shikamaru entered.

"Alright everyone, though it's a drag, I'll explain the true motives of the test. So regardless of whether you figured it out or not, you will be evaluated based on the scores you obtained. As you guys must have noticed, there were many odd questions in the test that didn't belong here. Any idea why?" he asked as a few hands shot up, including Konohamaru.

Shikamaru looked around the room, before pointing at Daiki.

"I think the questions rested both our knowledge and analysis. Due to the high number of questions and less amount of time, we had to analyze our strengths and weaknesses and ignore questions that we didn't know or would take a lot of time. For example, there were a few algebraic questions that were impossible to solve within the time frame by a normal shinobi. And also, a lot of medicine-related questions that only a medic ninja should know," he said as Shikamaru gave a ghost of a smile and nodded.

"You are right, but that's just a partial reason. You all needed to work on time management and analysis, that's right. There is also negative marking for wrong answers, to teach you about the consequences of your actions. Throughout your life as a shinobi, you will be facing uncertain scenarios where you won't be able to see the complete picture. Most of the time, you wouldn't know everything about the situation or the adversary. In those cases, you will have to either retreat or take a risk.

Similarly, here you guys had to evaluate whether you'd take a guess or just not answer the question. And that will have consequences. So those who just blindly chose an answer for every question will lose points. Every correct answer is 4 points and the wrong answer is a negative 1 point," Shikamaru said, now smirking as a lot of people looked at him in dread.

"Shouldn't we have been told this before? How's that fair?" asked a guy angrily.

"Fairness? Did you really believe such a thing exists in the shinobi world? No. There is no fairness or equal grounds. It's your job to fight in unfavourable conditions to complete your missions. Traps, ambushes, hostage situations, all these are common in the shinobi world. You talk to me about fairness, but can you reason with a bandit who holds a little girl on the point of a knife? If you try to do that, you'd not only likely fail the mission but also get the girl killed," Shikamaru said seriously, leaking pressure worthy of the Jonin he was.

"Everyone, listen. These tests are to prepare you for Shinobi life, which is the definition of responsibilities and unfairness. Therefore, don't expect the tests further down the line to be easy or fair. On a lighter note, this test also evaluates which path is the most suitable for you all. What I mean by that is there are questions from various fields, and they can evaluate your strengths. When you receive your scores, they will include an analysis, which will depict the fields you are suitable for, like Medical, Research, and Cipher Corps amongst others. Now you should know that nothing is set in stone, and you can do whatever you want to do. The analysis will just tell you what to work on, and what you're good at. With that, the first Test concludes."

He then exited as Kankuro ushered the genins outside.

"Hmm, you did well, didn't you?" said Temari with a smirk as Shikamaru sighed.

"I could have used this time to sleep," he muttered making her grin.

"Don't be a spoilsport, come on, I'll treat you to a nice Grilled Mackerel rice bowl," she said putting her arms around his shoulder and dragging him.

"... What a drag," he said, though he had a soft smile on his face.

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In a dimly lit room, Orochimaru was lying on the bed while Kabuto prepared some medicine for him.

Right now, he was in an extremely weak state, nearing the date he would need to switch his body.

'Everything I do is for my goals... no, I do it to clear the darkness in the way of the path to my goal...' he thought, remembering the day he tried to sneak up on Itachi.

He vividly remembered, the feeling of triumph, before all his hopes came crashing down. The chill he felt, the fear he felt.

He coughed blood, startling Kabuto, who rushed to him, only stopping when he felt extreme hostility being directed at him, making him stumble backwards.

"What are you doing, Kabuto*cough*"

"Orochimaru sama! Are you alright?" Kabuto asked as he rubbed his back, trying to ease the cough.

"I'm fine... that body will be mine soon," he said, wheezing in between his words.

"I'll be reanimated soon, I feel great."

"You've reached your limit. At this rate if I don't administer a rank 10 medicine you will..." he said while rubbing his back, before stopping and walking to the door.

"I'll only take a minute," he said and then walked out of the room.

On his way out, he heard Orochimaru wheeze and cough before bursting into a bone-chilling laughter.

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Hello everyone, so here I am, back to it.

Hope you all liked the chapter, though it may be a bit boring to a few since it's mostly conversation. Don't worry, soon there will be some action.

Also, thank you all for over 503K reads, it means a lot.

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