The oven knobs of time slowly turned, heating up atmosphere until the perfect temperature was reached for the commencement of the exam...

When the sun first peeked out from the horizon, Shino had already met up with his team and the trio set off for the designated exam building.

Naturally, the simple illusion set up by some "troublemakers" did not stump Team Kurenai. If it did, it would be a shame to Kurenai sensei who had been teaching them about genjutsu for so long.

After getting their applications through, Shino soon stood at the entrance to the first exam hall, flanked by his teammates, Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuga. The atmosphere was tense as the Genin of all ages from all over the village gathered for the Chunin Exams.

Not only that, Genin from other villages were also mixed in, many from unknown small hidden villages not mentioned in the anime.

They were an intimidating bunch – except, their focus just happen to intentionally or unintentionally avoid Shino… so he didn't feel intimidated at all.

Soon. Soon, they will pay attention to him. Shino had prepared extensively for this moment, and he was determined to play his cards safely, but with enough flare to gain just the proper amount of attention.

As Shino scanned the crowd, he noticed the members of the Konoha 11 had already congregated.

In a peculiar twist of fate, their team's arrival seemed to have been delayed by the swirling currents of time and they appeared to have come later than the original. Despite not deliberately altering events, the tapestry of destiny had already begun to weave a different path thanks to his arrival.

Yet, there were somethings that still haven't changed.

Naruto Uzumaki, the loud-mouthed ninja with a heart of gold, who is clamoring to be Hokage.

Sasuke Uchiha, the brooding prodigy with a love-hate relationship with his Oni-chan.

And Sakura Haruno, the pink-haired kunoichi with the outstanding ability of being useless- until she gains the power from the blonde one punch woman later on. Now, she was on par with another blondie… at being idiots drooling over Sasuke.

Shino observed them from a distance, taking note of their body language and interactions with their own teams. He also noticed that Sasuke was a bit ruffled up, seemingly just coming out of a fight.

Suddenly, his eyes caught a familiar figure approaching - Kabuto Yakushi, Uncle Snake's spy.

Shino had encountered Kabuto before when he went to retrieve some virus strands from the Konoha hospital and knew he was a skilled ninja even though they did not interact. Just from the fact that Kabuto could notice a very overlooked existence, like himself, in a crowd proved that Kabuto was an exemplary spy.

Kabuto walked with confidence, his long silver hair tied back in a ponytail, and his glasses glinting in the sunlight. He stopped in front of the trio, his gaze swept past the aggressive-looking Kiba and fidgeting Hinata, before locking onto Shino.

"Hello, Shino Aburame," Kabuto said with a sly smile as he adjusted his glasses. "I've got some good intel on other participants. Would you be interested?"

Shino remained stoic, similarly adjusting his glasses and replied in an emotionless tone, "No."

"It seems not. There is no need to be so vigilant. I'm simply here to observe. The Chunin Exams are always such a fascinating spectacle," Kabuto chuckled before walking away, looking for his next prey, which happens to be the group with the Naruto trio.

Shino followed him with his eyes, remaining wary of Kabuto's true intentions.

Kabuto then began his good performance with 'good' intentions.

With the sound of Choji's constant snacking set the background beat, Shino observed as the Konoha 11 and Kabuto bantered back and forth, Sasuke's competitive spirits on full display. He also saw several other familiar faces - Shikamaru Nara, and Ino Yamanaka.

"Yaho! It seems that'll be interesting, let's go join the gang, Shino, Hinata!" Kiba went to reunite with his classmates, joining the listening crowd.

Kabuto threw them a glance, and nonchalantly continued his performance, showing off his cards...

Seeing him pay no further heed to his group, Shino inwardly breathed a sigh of relief before refocusing his attention on the other examinees.

As for the intel of Kabuto, can he know more than him as a transmigrator? Even if he did, would he be willing to divulge it?

Channeling his attention towards other snippets of dialogues, Shino couldn't help but overhear a nearby group of nameless Genin side characters discussing their strategies for the upcoming exams.

"I heard the first test is a written exam," one of them said.

"Easy peasy," another replied with a grin. "I've been studying non-stop for the past week. I've got this in the bag."

Shino raised an eyebrow. He had also prepared for the exam extensively, but he knew better than to underestimate the challenges that lay ahead. Although Shino knew that one could even pass with a blank paper like a certain idiot, Shino didn't want to take any chances.

It wasn't mentioned in the anime, but Naruto's endeavor was probably reported directly to the Hokage. Although the old man was about to be given a bento, he still didn't want his report ending up on his desk.

So, with the assistance of Alina, he invested a couple of weeks pouring over dusty tomes and rare manuscripts within the confines of his clan's scroll room and the public library of Konoha, archiving all sorts of books into his database.

Every word, every page, was meticulously scanned, no matter how obscure or seemingly irrelevant. In the game of strategy and intel, one can never be too prepared. Even if the books may not be useful now, it may come in handy in the future.

With Alina at his side, there is no limit to the data that can be analyzed and mined for its secrets. So, no amount of data can be considered too much. The Hive's collective growth relies not only on their genetic adaptation - a vast and ever-expanding knowledge base is essential.

Final verdict - Yep, he definitely prepared extensively. Shino believes he could handle anything that is thrown his way, even without cheating.

Shino continued scanning the bustling crowd, inadvertently brushing past the Sand Siblings mixed in the crowd, not lingering too long to avoid drawing ire.

His eyes were then drawn to a lonely figure – a young girl with vividly red hair. Though her face was concealed as she huddled against her own knee, seemingly distancing herself from the world around her, a sense of familiarity caught Shino's attention.

"Could it be... her?"