Chapter 124: The Mutation of the Sharingan

Chapter 124: The Mutation of the Sharingan

Among the candidates taking the exam, Sakura was the most nervous. After introducing each other's names, she immediately turned to Kabuto to ask for advice on what to pay attention to during the Chunin Exams.

Kabuto, like a salesman, began promoting his own creation, the "Ninja Info Cards." Ino had seen these cards twice before at the Konoha Hospital. Following the covert policy of the "Baroque Works," the "President" and "Vice-President" maintained a facade of being mere acquaintances in public. Ino stepped aside, letting Kabuto entertain the Genin with his spiel.

Ino began observing the many Genin participating in the exam.

Since this was an exam hosted by Konoha, the majority of the participants were from the village 87 Konoha Genin, to be exact. The Sand Village had 30 Genin, the Rain Village had 21, the Grass Village had 15, and Ino's old friends from the Waterfall Village had sent 12 participants. The Sound Village, on the other hand, had only sent 3 Genin.

Kabuto's comment about the Sound Village being a small and insignificant ninja village angered the three Sound Genin present. There was no such thing as the "Six Paths of Dosu." Despite being only 14 years old, Dosu was wrapped in bandages, had arms that hung past his knees, a hunched back, and a sleazy gaze. He looked like he could easily pass for 54.

Kabuto's identity as a spy was unknown to these discarded pawns from the Sound Village. Ino stood to the side, amused, as Dosu showed off his power, shattering Kabuto's glasses and causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.

Dosu's one-sided display of the Sound Village's strength not only intimidated the Konoha Genin but also helped Kabuto solidify his image as weak and incompetent. It was a win-win situation.

Sakura and Naruto, being the good kids they were, helped Kabuto up. With a bitter smile, Kabuto wiped the blood from his mouth and stepped aside, instantly losing 90% of the attention he had been receiving.

Not long after, a group of special Jonin, led by Ibiki Morino, entered Classroom 301 to begin the first exam.

Ino glanced at the proctors. Heh, they were all from the intelligence division. She recognized every single one of them!

Her knowledge hadn't been completely forgotten since her days with Iruka-sensei. After receiving the exam paper, she skimmed through the questions, even though she already knew the final outcome.

What else was she supposed to do? Like Sasuke, who glanced at the questions, tossed his pen aside, and struck a cool pose, declaring he couldn't answer a single one? With so many familiar faces around, Ino couldn't afford to embarrass herself like that!

Deciphering codes, calculating the maximum range of shuriken, chemistry problems, physics problems Ino didn't resort to any cheating methods. She picked up her pen and began answering the questions.

Ino could answer all of these questions, as could Sakura and Hinata.

The seating arrangement had been completely randomized. Aside from Naruto, who was seated next to Hinata, everyone else was surrounded by strangers. Each candidate had to rely on their own unique methods to get through the exam.

Kiba had his ninja dog sneak a peek at someone else's answers and relay them to him.

Shino used his insects, Gaara used his Sand Eye, and Neji used his Byakugan.

Naruto stared blankly at his exam paper, his mind completely empty.

Sasuke smirked coldly, activating his Sharingan to mimic Ino's movements as she answered the questions.

"Ouch!" Two tomoe spun in his Sharingan, but after copying just two characters, he felt a sharp pain in his eyes.

The sealed power of his Sharingan suddenly went out of control.

Ino, who was in the middle of answering questions, also felt as if someone had struck her head with a chisel.

She nearly cried out in pain, the intensity causing her to snap the pen in her hand.

What the hell?

Her consciousness was forcibly pulled into a dark, empty space.

Beneath her feet, she felt a liquid slowly flowing, the water level reaching just above her ankles.

There wasn't a single source of light in this world, but Ino could still sense her own presence.

In the distance, there were three light sources of varying intensity. Unable to make sense of the situation, she hesitantly walked toward them.

When Ino was within arm's reach of the three light sources, her body was drawn toward one of them, merging with it.

The world around her underwent a dramatic transformation. Countless things some clear, some blurry, some with names, some without flashed before her eyes. It felt like an eternity, yet also like a single moment.

When she regained her ability to think, she saw a figure with a blurred face and a voice that sounded ancient speaking to her.

"The most important thing between people is communication. The purpose of our Shinobi Sect is to try to connect with the hearts of everyone. The heart drives our bodies, and our bodies, in turn, affect the world for better or worse. Only by mastering the heart can we truly understand ourselves and this world. Yamanaka, did you understand today's lesson?"

A voice that was neither male nor female came from Ino's light source. "Teacher, I'm dull and slow-witted. I'm afraid I'll never be able to comprehend the world you've described in my lifetime."

The figure referred to as "Teacher" smiled gently. "Change doesn't happen in an instant. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Do a little today, do a little more tomorrow, and one day, you'll understand what I mean. Talent isn't important… Indra, did you understand what I said?"

The third light source let out a cold laugh. "When you and my uncle rebelled against our grandmother, how many years did you fight? Ten? Twenty? Back then, why didn't you talk about communicating with the heart and resolving conflicts through dialogue? Now you regret it, doing a little today, a little more tomorrow, trying to fix the world you broke? Father, I feel nothing. All I see is your cowardice!"

The "Teacher" fell silent. After what felt like an eternity, he sighed. "It's fine. One day, you'll understand me too. I'll be waiting."

The dark, ocean-like world quickly faded away, and everything she had seen and heard within it disappeared in an almost incomprehensible manner. Ino opened her eyes again, finding herself back in Classroom 301, holding the broken pieces of her pencil.

Although 99% of her memories from the dark world had vanished, her spiritual energy had grown significantly stronger. In the final moments, she had managed to grasp a fragment of memory.

A name that wasn't entirely unfamiliar, yet not entirely familiar either Indra!

Indra's chakra was still affecting her? This thing was like a bug! There had been no cellular-level contact, so was it transmitted through spiritual energy?

The memories of Indra from the illusion were like trying to hold sand in her hand the tighter she gripped, the faster it slipped away. As she struggled to recall, the last remnants of the memory disappeared, leaving only the name "Indra" in her mind. What he had done or said was completely forgotten.

One of Ibiki's subordinates, Tobitake Tonbo, noticed Ino's pale complexion and quietly asked if she was feeling unwell.

"Sorry, that last question was a bit tricky. I got a little too excited and ended up breaking my pen," Ino lied, brushing off his concern as she continued answering the exam questions.

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