"There are too many participants for the make-up exam. We will divide you into groups and begin group answering…"
As those words echoed across the exam space, everyone was stunned to realize that not only had the people around them changed, but so had their surroundings — even their clothing was completely different.
The Fourth Raikage, Ay, glanced down at his attire — purple armor emblazoned with the kanji for "Thunder" on his chest. He nodded with satisfaction at first… until he took a look around the field and his face darkened instantly.
The entire space had been divided into seven sections, each with ninja clad in distinct colors, forming an arrangement that looked like a collection of blooming, multicolored flowers.
Red for Konoha.
Yellow for Sunagakure.
Brown for Iwagakure.
White for Kirigakure.
Purple for Kumogakure.
Black for the Iron Country.
Blue for the Rain Village.
Don't ask how Ay knew which was which — the names were boldly printed across their armor. You'd have to be blind or willfully ignorant not to figure it out.
Ay's face grew increasingly grim — his Kumogakure division had the fewest people.
Tch!
If I'd known this would happen, I would've brought the entire intelligence division! Raikage cursed inwardly. Just like they say — three idiot Lōshas are enough to outwit even Deidara!
He'd underestimated this whole trip to Konoha. He should have known that they'd get dragged into this mysterious exam and brought along half the think tank from the Hidden Cloud.
Compared to the sea of red-clad Konoha shinobi, numbering in the tens of thousands, his group of nine from Kumogakure looked downright pitiful.
---
"Tch! Why the hell did I get thrown in with the Iron Country crowd?!"
Hidan scowled, his black outfit clashing starkly with his pale skin. He stood in front of a group of about a hundred misfit-looking warriors.
"Ugh, and this black armor is so tacky!"
Beside him, Kakuzu looked equally unimpressed — but far more calculating.
He was already sizing up the field.
He saw Uchiha Itachi and Orochimaru clad in red among Konoha's division. Deidara was in brown. Sasori in yellow. Granny Chiyo stood beside the latter, her eyes squinting suspiciously at her former puppet comrade.
"It's grouped by affiliation," Kakuzu muttered as he turned to the red-haired girl behind him. "What village are you from?"
"I-I'm from Grass Country…"
"Hmph. Figures." Kakuzu clicked his tongue. "Looks like you from Kusagakure, us from Takigakure, and others like the Hot Springs Village are lumped together here as 'extras' in the Iron Country."
Hidan rolled his eyes. "Great. We're the discount shinobi shelf."
Just as he finished grumbling, a sharp voice snapped across the group.
"Extras? Heh! You've got a lot of nerve."
An old man stepped forward, eyes gleaming with disdain.
"I have no intention of mingling with you lowlifes."
---
It's him. It's him. It's HIM!
Sasuke Uchiha's eyes turned crimson, the three tomoe of his Sharingan spinning violently.
His gaze locked onto the red figure across from him — Uchiha Itachi.
"What's going on...?" Orochimaru whispered, his arm dangling in an unnatural angle, eyes narrowed with unease.
"I'm not sure," Itachi replied quietly, without turning his head. He could feel the burning, hate-filled gaze boring into his back.
He's here.
Sasuke… You still can't suppress your killing intent.
Itachi sighed inwardly. He kept one eye trained on his little brother, ready to react if Sasuke made a move. If Sasuke acted impulsively here, in this mysterious exam space, he'd likely be punished — severely.
---
Meanwhile, someone was positively glowing.
Terumi Mei was grinning ear to ear.
She casually placed herself between two towering figures — Kisame Hoshigaki and Zabuza Momochi — and tried not to squeal with joy.
This is perfect! she thought.
For a long time, she had been trying to find a way to persuade Kisame to return to Kirigakure. Now, not only was he here, but Zabuza was also back in the picture — buy one, get one free!
She practically wanted to dance right then and there. If she didn't have to maintain her "dignified Mizukage" persona, she would have.
In her heart, she knew these two were once heroes of Kirigakure — people like her. The only difference was, they had failed.
But I succeeded.
---
"D-Da-Deidara…"
The sound of Kurotsuchi grinding her teeth made Deidara's soul shiver.
Inwardly, he cursed Nagato a dozen times over.
Liwei! You bastard! Why'd you drag me into this?!
And to make matters worse, he was grouped with her — the crazed girl who had once sworn to break every one of his fingers.
But wait...!
A wicked grin slowly formed on his lips.
This is a make-up exam!
Which meant… he could intentionally get questions wrong.
If he answered incorrectly, he'd throw the exam to the next group — sabotaging everything!
Hehehe… Art truly is an explosion.
---
At the center of the seven platforms, Nagato stood alongside six bodies of Pain, each corresponding to a section of the test field.
He raised his voice to address the examinees:
"This is a make-up exam. There are eight total questions. Teams will answer in turns. If one team answers correctly, they continue. If not, the next team clockwise will attempt."
"A team that answers at least two questions correctly will pass. Answering fewer than two is a failure."
"Correct answers will include analysis. Wrong answers will not. A team that answers two in a row correctly may request a video replay."
"There is no reward for passing. But those who fail… will be punished."
---
The moment Nagato's voice fell, murmurs of discontent rippled across the red-clad crowd of Konoha.
They — who made up 99.9999% of the platform's population — were outraged.
Originally, they'd been excited. They thought they had another chance to gain power, like those who answered correctly in previous exams.
But this?
This was outrageous!
A make-up exam… with no reward… and punishment for failure?!
Even civilians began shouting in protest, their anger directed squarely at Nagato.
So much for "convincing people with virtue"!
What virtue?!
---
"This is a death trap disguised as a quiz…"
Nara Shikamaru muttered, his expression unusually serious.
Eight questions. Seven teams. One team guaranteed to succeed.
But what chilled him was what came next — likely, only one team would succeed.
And then…
He looked up at Nagato and felt a deep sense of dread.
Did this guy choose this exact format… to split the Akatsuki?
If that was his intent, then this man was terrifying.
Reducing the power balance of the world. Fostering deeper divisions between villages. And doing it all with the guise of a "make-up test."
Diabolical.
Shikamaru met his father Shikaku's gaze — and saw the same realization in his eyes.
They both remembered — Akatsuki had been given another chance.
And with no reward for success, the "punishment" for failure was bound to be as dramatic as the last round's rewards.
---
Nagato, unfazed by the growing tension, raised a hand and continued.
"To ensure fairness in this exam, it will be broadcast in all directions."
SWISH!
With a sharp hum, a colossal projection screen materialized above the crowd.
All complaints ceased.
Some immediately started fixing their clothes and hair. Others adopted serious, composed poses.
Unlike the chaotic early livestreams of the Akatsuki, these villagers had thought about this moment countless times — What would I do if I was ever on the exam livestream?
Now, it was their time.
---
And so begins the most chaotic make-up exam the Shinobi World has ever seen.