Inside the exam room, the examinees were busy employing every trick in the book to pass the written test. Unaware of the true situation, they unleashed all sorts of ingenious cheating methods.
Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuga diligently wrote down their answers, relying on their own knowledge. Kiba Inuzuka cheated using Akamaru's unique dog-like language, while Shino Aburame used his Parasitic Destruction Insect Technique to peek at the answers. Ino Yamanaka used her Mind Transfer Jutsu to directly memorize Sakura's answers and then passed them to Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. Tenten used a hidden weapon to attach a mirror to the ceiling, while Neji Hyuga used his Byakugan to see through objects and copy them. Sasuke Uchiha activated his Sharingan to copy actions. Haku used ice crystals to reflect the answers, and Karin simply used her Kagura's Mind's Eye to see freely.
Ibiki Morino then tested the examinees with a non-existent tenth question. The first written exam quickly ended.
Then Anko Mitarashi made her dramatic entrance, announcing that she would proctor the second exam in the afternoon.
Naruto Uzumaki immediately regained control of his body. However, he didn't change his appearance after leaving. Instead, he imitated Menma's mannerisms and demeanor, walking with an air of superiority towards the exam hall exit—though it looked somewhat awkward and stiff.
The female ninjas, unfamiliar with Menma, couldn't tell the difference. They all stared at Naruto's retreating figure, whispering things like, "So handsome," and "I love his charisma."
Only after leaving the exam hall and the crowd thinned out did Naruto stop, panting heavily, his goofy self fully revealed. Recalling the feeling of being the center of attention from the girls, his excitement could no longer be contained. He jumped up, waving his arms and shouting toward the sky.
"Awesome! This is so awesome!"
Sakura and Sasuke stared blankly.
"Naruto, can't you learn from Menma and be more composed?!" Sakura demanded. "You're all the same person, sharing one body!"
Sakura's small eyes were filled with regret and confusion. It was the same person, and now they even had the same hairstyle. Why was Naruto so stupid, so unappealing to her?
Sasuke shook his head with disgust and snorted coldly. He didn't understand what Naruto found so awesome. Those women were so annoying, only affecting his studies and training.
"Hahaha, you don't understand, it's a division of labor in our bodies!" Naruto grinned. "I'm all about optimism and positivity, while Menma is all about decisiveness and cool swagger! The two of us combined are the fearless Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto was feeling incredibly good; experiencing Sasuke's treatment for the first time, he felt absolutely amazing! After all, he wasn't the composed Seventh Hokage who would later cut his hair short and look like he was in prison. Just over three months ago, he was the universally hated demon fox monster! Ninety percent of what people said about him were vicious curses; there was no praise whatsoever! He tried hard to shake off those unpleasant memories.
As they walked, Naruto excitedly changed the subject, telling the two about his experiences during the exam.
"Sasuke, Sakura, you don't know, Menma actually couldn't do these questions at all! After looking at a few questions on the exam paper, his face darkened, and he got up to beat up the examiners! But luckily, I stopped him in time, or we might have been eliminated!" Naruto spoke with conviction, even sporting a look that seemed to say, "Praise my abilities!"
"Yeah right," Sakura deadpanned, completely disbelieving that Naruto could stop Menma. If he could really be stopped, Menma wouldn't have so brutally killed so many ninjas before!
Of course, they didn't know about Menma killing the Hokage's direct ANBU and destroying the Root base. After being ambushed and knocked unconscious, the two didn't wake up until the next day.
However, Sasuke, standing nearby, became interested and, unusually, turned to ask, "So how did Menma cheat and finish the exam? He couldn't have just handed in a blank paper, could he?" Sasuke shook his head. "That's unlikely. Only an idiot like you would hand in a blank paper... a complete moron."
Sasuke, who habitually prepared to call Naruto a loser, remembered that Naruto was only slightly weaker than him, and ultimately changed his tune to "idiot."
"I..." Naruto was about to retort, but then he realized he truly couldn't and wouldn't dare cheat. Finally, he could only smack his lips and say, "I didn't hand in a blank paper because someone next to me helped Menma finish the exam. And that person seemed to have been arranged by the examiners. I saw that Ibiki smiling at Menma, and it was a really ugly smile."
"Arrange for an examiner to help cheat!?" Sakura was shocked. So, being strong allowed one to be this capricious?
Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't too surprised, wearing an expression that said strong people should have such privileges.
Suddenly, a lewd laugh reached the ears of the three of them from not far away. "Hehehe..."
They stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. Before them, a figure was squatting in front of the partition, with waist-length white hair, wearing a red outer robe, and carrying a large scroll on his back.
"I remember this is the back wall of the bathhouse, and the courtyard inside is an open-air bath..." Sakura's face grew redder as she spoke, suddenly realizing what the person in front of her was doing.
Naruto jumped three meters high, pointing at the figure and shouting, "Ah—! It's a peeping tom! A pervert is peeping through the gap in the wooden planks!"
The figure in front heard the shout and immediately jumped up, ready to run away. But Naruto clearly wasn't going to let him go, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Catch the pervert! A pervert is peeping at a woman... Ugh!"
"Hey, you brat, keep your voice down, or you'll really get caught!" The figure who had been running away had somehow appeared behind Naruto. He picked Naruto up and covered his mouth, silencing his shouts.
"Such speed!" Sakura gasped. "It's almost like that bowl-cut guy from before!"
Sakura and Sasuke were both startled, then quickly drew their weapons and pointed them forward. At the same time, they warned, "Who are you? Put Naruto down right now! Otherwise, when Kakashi Hatake comes out, you'll die for nothing!"
"Naruto? That guy!?" The white-haired man holding Naruto seemed to realize something. After exclaiming in surprise, he quickly released Naruto's mouth and held him up to examine him. "It really does look like him! And that hairstyle and looks... he's even better than his predecessor!"
Naruto, flattered by the man's praise, struggled frantically. "Who are you, you despicable pervert? Put me down right now!"
"Good question! But please wait a moment." The white-haired man set Naruto down. After tidying himself up, he stomped on his wooden clogs. He then performed a dance so cheesy it gave everyone goosebumps.
"Hahahaha! I am Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, also known as the Toad Sage..."
He finished the dance and pointed at Naruto standing in front of him. "And also your future teacher, Naruto Uzumaki~~~"