-(There was no exam... because the entire village exploded... it was tragic, really... )- thought Homura as he wrote down his real answer on the piece of paper in front of him.

-(That's what will f*cking happen if they force me to write another damn word!...*sigh*... I'm not really good at taking tests anymore, and I hate using supercomputing for this stupid purpose. I feel stupid for coming up with the wrong answers half of the time... How is this a kid's test? Are all ninjas secret geniuses or something?...Now the first part of the chunin exam is making a lot more sense.)

Needless, to say that the entire village did not get destroyed but Homura has been forced to write down answers to several questionnaires.

He has overall gone through several cognitive tests and physical examinations ever since he stepped inside the academy, and at this point, he was just tired of it all.

-*sigh*(This is boring, but at least I am not alone for this test like I was for the prior test...)- Thought Homura while looking around the room.

He caught sight of a few people he knows.

There were the figures of Uryuu and Saya, children that he knew from the orphanage; sitting and writing on the papers that they were handed out on their desks.

They seemed occupied in trying to write down their answers.

A bit further ahead of him, there were also people that he knew from the show, but that he had never met in real life such as Kiba, Choji, and Shino.

The same with the other children, they were also busy taking the quiz.

The quiz wasn't exactly hard but posed several challenges since they were not simply right or wrong questions.

So one had to carefully think about what their answers would be and proceed carefully.

-(That guy still has his dog with him?)- thought Homura while looking at Kiba.

Kiba was a side character from the Inuzuka clan in the show.

His clan was famous for training hounds that they used for combat and tracking.

It was a rather reputable clan within the village, and although Homura had never seen a member of that clan within the village, he could easily recognize the kid in front of him due to him becoming a bit of a joke in the latter parts of the show.

- (Just how lax are these people? The same thing happened in the chunin exams written exams. They allowed him to take that dog with him...That was unfair.)

The creature that Homura was referring to was Inuzuka Kiba's partner, a small pup with mostly white fur called Akamaru.

Although, though the dog had white fur it was named Akamaru, which contradicted its features, at least for those who were unaware why it was named that way by its owner.

But this fact mattered very little to Homura.

Homura had clearly forgotten the puppy's name, and he did not truly care enough to try to remember either way.

To him, it was just an unfair advantage that the kid, in front of him had, which made him jealous.

He wished he could have such an advantage as well.

Although, he was without a doubt the biggest cheater within the room at the current moment.

Speaking of the room, not everyone was taking this exam in the same room.

Naruto and Sasuke were taking the test in another room and the same for the other kids not currently present.

Not that Homura had seen them anyway after they entered the academy for the most part.

As they entered the academy they followed the individual that was in charge of them. After a couple of minutes, they were separated into smaller groups as the children had to be physically examined by the staff at the academy.

The boys and girls were separated into groups and each group was overseen by several personnel who put them through a series of diverse tests.

It wasn't anything too rigorous.

They had to go through several medical and non-medical tests in order to determine if their bodies could physically handle the tests that they would be subjected to in the future.

Which surprised Homura to no end.

He thought that the academy created by ninjas would be so advanced in the health department.

Although, the ninja world does have many of the technologies from his original Earth such as movies, trains, televisions, and many other similar or the same types of technologies.

At the end of the day, he did not expect to be tested.

He expected to be put in some ring.

He expected a fight.

Alternatively, be forced to use weapons to hit an animal or something similar, but instead, he got subjected to a series of medical exams, and several other tests that he had no idea about, and since the last hour he was forced to answer several questions, either by writing or answering the examiners.

He was without a doubt being mentally tested, which according to supercomputing skill's calculations, the series of tests weren't to identify traitors or anything as grandiose as that, but rather quick thinking, emotional maturity, strategy, and mostly cognitive thinking.

It could only mean that those without the required mentality or fortitude of mind weren't going to make it through the exams unless they were not talented in other departments, and that department was going to be in physical abilities or something similar in nature.

-(Tobirama was truly a real asshole. Making a test like this, I can't only say that he was a shrewd and cruel guy. He would use both able-bodied and those with a sharp mind. Those who seemed to be failing at both would get rejected... The more I learn about him, the more I hate him. I will make sure to make him suffer if I meet him during the war.)

Regardless of Homura's ramblings.

The tests had changed greatly since the second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, founded the academy, however, the principles beneath these exams seemed to have remained mostly the same.

Perhaps it was cruel, perhaps it was a form of kindness to not allow those without the necessary abilities to receive the type of education that would allow one to thrive in the shinobi world.

Nonetheless, the truth remained the same regardless of the real reason.

The truth is that those without a shred of talent to pursue a carrier path to becoming a shinobi were unable to make it past the entrance exams.

However, to avoid any sort of mistake, the individuals being charged with regulating the exams, did their best to give the most accurate possible evaluation and grade as fairly as they could.

It wasn't because of the kindness in their hearts, but it was a matter of national security.

The fewer available bodies to replenish their forces, the more likely the village would be subjected to severe problems in the future.

Most still remember the casualties of wars and the tragedies that occurred not too long ago.

Not only that but the village still suffers from the skirmishes they've had with other villages on a regular basis.

The world may appear to be more or less peaceful for the last couple of years, however, the truth could not be any more different.

Long periods of time without major conflicts, also meant that each nation was amassing more military power in the meanwhile.

If Konoha had to remain a major power within the current systems that each country adhered to, it could not lag behind.

A powerful military force was necessary to protect the land of fire, from other countries trying to encroach on their land, secrets, or steal their resources.

Every other party was an enemy waiting for an opportunity to invade or exploit a gap in their system, that is why the entrance exams were so important.

The next generation that could determine the future of the village had to be properly assessed, so as to not make any mistakes in the next batch of shinobi that will be charged with protecting the village and its interests.

-(done. At least now, I don't have to think any more of this nonsense... just hope there aren't any more tests like these. )

Immediately, after completing everything Homura dropped the pencil that he was holding onto his desk. And breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been busy with the exam, for the last 20 minutes.

He made sure to try to complete it as fast as possible, without too much of a fuss.

-(I made sure to complete as fast as I could since I want to appear as a genius, but the fact that I am not in the same room as Naruto is freaking me out! I thought my pal Hiruzen would pull some nepotistic strings as the Hokage but didn't do it... I really can't count the old bastard...What a shocker.)

Not seeing Naruto for quite a while made Homura nervous.

It wasn't due to him being worried about Naruto's sake but not being in the same testing group was a bad sign.

It reinforced the idea that he could not count on plot armor to get his way throughout the academy, he truly had to distinguish himself and go ahead with his plans.

Since hoping things to go according to expectations were not turning the way he had thought so far.

- (I really have no other choice but to go the genius route. If Kiba and the other minor characters were not here, I'd be freaking out... I have to ace this exam no matter what. Just hope there's no ninjutsu test in the coming examinations, otherwise, I am no match for Sasuke.)

Homura looked at the piece of paper in front of himself one more time.

Finishing early made him more anxious, about doing too well in the exam but at this point, it couldn't be helped.

Everything had been filled according to his supercomputing skill.

Not that he could not pass most of it by himself, however, Homura lacked the passion to truly try to understand anything asked of him for many reasons.

He was more or less a brainiac in his old life, not because he cared about studies, but because by studying he could just get a cozy job inside some boring office so that he could pretty much sleep all day.

He was simply that lazy.

Although he loved materials related to science and technology, he knew that those fields required too much work for him to dedicate his life to their pursuit, not to mention money.

So he kept an avid interest in them in his free time. However, he would never go beyond what he was willing to dig to satisfy his curiosity or needs.

But the main reason that he decided to use his supercomputing skill is to appear as a genius by giving all the right answers.

Even though it was dangerous he had already decided to appear as a loud, hardheaded, and eccentric genius type of genius at the academy.

So that he becomes famous enough for his name to be recognized but at the same time not be groomed in whatever programs or tests those chosen to become part of the ANBUs are chosen to take part.

In other words, he just wants to create a more or less fake profile, so that nobody could get any weird ideas or be heavily focused on him, but enough focus for people to think that he has enough talent to be worth something in the eyes of the village as a whole.

The shinobi world works more or less on merit.

Those that are recognized for their strength and abilities become famous and have an easier time being promoted.

Those who fall into obscurity are forgotten, and not seen by others as an essential asset by the village and villagers.

It was a bit of a contradictory system, since shinobi were praised for their abilities to remain unseen and discreet but at the same time their system was also merit-based and fame played a huge part in politics as well.

- (I can't believe that I have to act like an idiot just to avoid the most evil ninja in this world... Or at least number 3 or 4. Orochimaru, is definitely number one. If we don't count the aliens...I just hope I don't get some of my blood extracted from me otherwise I am dead... )

That's right, the person that Homura feared more than Uchiha Itachi was none other than Shimura Danzo.

Although he feared him for a completely different set of reasons from Itachi, he was still very afraid of what Danzo might do to him, if he ever found out who or what he truly was.

Homura's DNA was quite unique, it would be foolish to let such an individual go; if Shimura Danzo was ever able to get his hand on to his DNA.

He would have a necessary key to the puzzle to make himself stronger.

Whether or not Danzo was already in possession of the Hashirama cells or not, having Homura's DNA would allow for easier integration of Hashirama's cells within his body and most likely allow for better implementation and removal of most of the downsides of implanting himself with the Sharingan.

In order to ace this exam, Homura could not go through gene therapy without becoming weaker, it was a risk he had to take until the very last moment.

However, if his plans were to fail and they had somehow already acquired his DNA, Homura, knew that it would probably not matter if he tried to somehow get the best score, he would be done for.

- (... Danzo does more than just tormenting the people in his cult of fucked up shinobis.)

The entrance exams were proving to be much more demanding than he had previously anticipated, he felt becoming more and more paranoid with each test, however, it was already too late to back down.

So he tried to think of other things to distract himself from, the nihilism spiral that his mind was currently trapped under.

- (... I wonder how the others are doing... well, who cares. Sorry Takao, but I am going to pass this year's exam; so far that's for sure.)

- Times up! Everyone, put down your pencils.

Before Homura could go into another existential crisis, the proctor inside the room announced that this section of the entrance exam was over.

All the children that were still busy answering reluctantly dropped their pencils and stopped at once.

-(Sh*t! I wonder what's next?...I hope it is a fight. I want to be done with this cr*p already!)

Chapter end

 *Edit later, late update because I had sewage issues. Next week the entire room will have to be remodeled, will have to sleep in the living room... sigh... *