Naruto chuckled. His voice was low, deep, and confident.
The room froze for a moment, and dozens of heads turned in his direction.
Even Sasuke and Sakura looked his way with wide eyes, completely caught off guard.
From the front, Ibiki's scarred brow lifted in surprise. His cold stare zeroed in.
"…You think this is some kind of joke?" Ibiki asked, his voice low and heavy with warning.
"Yep," Naruto replied with a casual nod, the corner of his lips curling into a cocky smirk. "I think it's a funny joke."
A lot of gasps rippled through the room.
Sasuke stared, unable to hide his confusion. 'This idiot… what the hell is he doing?!'
Sakura, on the other hand, felt her heart skip. 'Naruto-sama…?!'
Naruto picked up his answer sheet, spinning it between his fingers before flashing it proudly toward the front.
"Look at my answer sheet!" He said, voice bold and clear. "Looks pretty complete, doesn't it?"
Ibiki's eyes narrowed. "What about it?"
"I just think this test was too easy, ya know," Naruto said, as if he were complaining about the flavor of a rice ball.
The sheer audacity and the absolute confidence in his voice... made everyone take a deep breath, with girls having a faint blush on their cheeks.
Ibiki's jaw twitched. "Is that all?"
Naruto let out a disappointed sigh, then raised his voice.
"I just hope the tenth question isn't as pathetic as these ones… You people seem to be underestimating me."
Sasuke's eyes widened. Is this guy insane… or is he serious…?
Naruto's expression suddenly darkened, but he was not angry. His expression got intense, dead serious.
"So, I'm telling you…" His voice rang through the room, slow and forceful. "Don't you dare underestimate me."
"Neither am I going to quit nor am I going to run. These little mind tricks of yours sure are wasted on me."
"After all, I'm going to be the strongest ninja in the world. So... you should at least try harder to break me."
He ended it with a grin, a smirk laced with charisma and unwavering confidence.
Even Ibiki paused.
The entire hall had fallen into silence again. But this time, it was different.
The fear was gone from the eyes of the students.
All of their eyes sharpened, and their backs straightened with shoulders trembling lightly.
Even the most terrified genin clenched their fists.
Naruto had flipped the entire mood with a single outburst.
Ibiki looked around slowly, the steel in his expression faltering for a split second.
He stared at Naruto for a moment longer, then asked the room again.
"I'll ask once more."
His voice carried weight, but now it felt like a formality.
"It's a choice that will alter your life… If you want to quit, this is your last chance."
But no one moved, not a single hand was raised.
'This kid…' Ibiki thought, watching Naruto calmly lean back in his chair. 'He didn't just answer the questions. He changed the whole room…'
He inherited his father's, Minato Namikaze, damn charm… and his presence...'
Naruto, meanwhile, leaned back with arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling with a smirk.
'Heh… this Ibiki guy is good. He nearly scared half the room out without even doing anything.'
Too bad those tricks don't work on me.
Ibiki slowly stepped forward, expression unreadable. He looked over the crowd, faces now filled with fire, determination, and clarity.
'Seventy-eight teams still standing… Hah. Much more than I expected.'
He glanced at the Sentinels, who all nodded back at him in silent agreement.
'Tch... No matter how hard I push… this group's already solidified their will.'
Then, turning back to the front, Ibiki slammed his hand on the podium, making everyone jump.
Boom!
"I like your determination!" He thundered. "Then, for those of you still here…"
He grinned for the first time that day.
"The first exam…"
"YOU HAVE PASSED IT!!!"
...
"Wait a minute!" Sakura's voice suddenly rang out as she stood up sharply from her seat, her brows furrowed in confusion and frustration.
All eyes turned to her.
"What about the tenth question?!" She demanded, her voice laced with disbelief. "You said it would be a life-altering decision!"
...
A low, ominous chuckle echoed across the silent room.
"Hehehe..."
"Hehehe... There wasn't a tenth question in the first place!"
Lots of gasps exploded around the room.
Ibiki's scarred face twisted into a devilish smirk.
"In fact..." He said, letting his words hang in the air for a moment, "Your decision to stay back... was the tenth question!"
The silence was deafening as it was filled with shock, confusion... realization slowly spreading through every corner of the hall.
...
"Wait!" Temari from the Sand team slammed her hands on the table as she stood up, her expression furious.
"Then what were all those nine questions for?!"
"It was just a waste of time!" She snapped, her voice sharp.
...
Ibiki looked at her with calm steel in his eyes.
"Not a total waste though..."
He turned slowly toward the entire room, his voice now heavy, powerful.
"The objective of those nine questions was already accomplished."
"They were designed to test your individual ability to gather information!"
Temari clenched her fists. "Ability to gather information?"
Ibiki nodded grimly and then, without a word, he reached up and slowly removed his full headband protector.
Dozens of gasps echoed again, even louder than before.
Because beneath the headband protector was a mangled, burnt scalp, grotesque and brutal. Nerve patterns and twisted scar tissue glistened in the fluorescent light like a battlefield etched into his very flesh.
The eyes of the students widened, and some of the genin visibly recoiled.
Naruto just blinked once, not startled at all.
Sakura covered her mouth in shock.
Ibiki's voice cut through the tension like a kunai through silk.
"This…" He began, gesturing to the disfigured head, "Is the price of failure in this world?"
His eyes darkened.
"Information is power. Information is survival. On the battlefield, a single wrong piece of intel, or even a moment of hesitation, can be fatal."
He stepped forward slowly, each footstep deliberate.
"Torture, interrogation, deception... every tool we have is tied to how well we understand and manipulate information. You can't bluff, you can't falter."
His voice dropped low, chilling.
"You either endure… or you break."
Everyone was silent, their breath caught in their throats.
Ibiki continued, his voice turning slightly softer but no less intense.
"For those of you who chose to stay…" He glanced at Naruto with a faint smirk, "You've already answered the most difficult question."
"You chose to endure."
"You proved that you have the resolve to face what lies ahead."
He raised his voice again.
"You've passed through the gates."
"The first exam of the Chuunin Selection Test… is now complete."
His gaze swept across the stunned faces before him.
"I wish you all well."
---- ✦ ✦ ✦ ----
Spoilers for the next three chapters!
Chapter 186: Anko Mitarashi
Chapter 187: The Second Exam
Chapter 188: The Forest of Death
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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