Sakura, as a testament to her incredible intellect, answered all of the questions quickly (a feat which the examiner later said could not be accomplished at genin level). Sasuke realised that he, too, did not know the answers, but immediately activated his Sharingan to copy someone else's answers. Naruto, who did not realise this, went into a traumatic state in which he felt that he would cause his entire team to be eliminated, as he did not know the answer to any of the questions. The first nine questions were supposed to be obtained by cheating, where the genin must use any techniques to find out the correct answer without being caught. The first part of the exam (proctored by Ibiki Morino) was written, but it was not a test of knowledge as much as a test of information-gathering and willpower. Naruto was thrilled at the possibility of becoming a chūnin. Meanwhile, Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai all volunteered their teams for the exam as well. One day, whilst playing with Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi, Naruto met three genin from Sunagakure, Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari, and learned that they were in Konoha to participate in the Chūnin Selection Exams.

Team 7 returned to Konoha to continue with their lives as regular genin.