š¤š„ BLACK FRIDAY MEGA SALE is LIVE on Patreon! š„š¤
Discount: 30%
Code: 83DC5
***********************************
Crash!!
The entire hall jolted as glass shattered explosively,Ā a window burst inward with a thunderous blast, shards spraying across the floor like falling stars.
In the very next instant, a huge round object rocketed through the broken frame with incredible force, slamming into the center of the room.
Boom!!
The sphere cracked open mid-air, exploding in a sudden puff of smoke, revealing a woman spinning through the air with deadly grace, kunais already flying from her hands like a trained reflex.
Fwip! Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!
Four kunais stabbed into each corner of the hall with perfect precision, pulling a billowing ball of fabric taut in midair. It unfurled like a dramatic curtain, forming a massive makeshift screen before everyone.
Bold black kanji scrawled across it in thick, urgent strokes.
WELCOME TO STAGE 2 OF THE CHUUNIN EXAM!!
A gust of wind rushed in behind her, making her coat flutter as she stood center stage, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at the crowd with a wild grin.
"This isn't the time to be celebrating!" She shouted with manic energy. "I'm the proctor for the second exam!"
Her eyes gleamed with mischief and menace as she raised her voice.
"MITARASHI ANKO!!"
The students barely had time to blink before she barked her next command.
"LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT STAGE!"
"FOLLOW ME!"
...
There was a long silence.
Dozens of confused, stunned faces stared back at her like she'd grown an extra head.
But not a single soul moved from its spot.
...
From behind the hanging cloth, a calm voice spoke.
"You're early once againā¦" Ibiki said, stepping forward, arms crossed and clearly unimpressed.
Anko turned, raising an eyebrow. She scanned the room, muttering under her breath as she did a quick count.
"Seventy-eight, huh?"
Her eyes flicked back toward Ibiki with a smirk.
"Ibiki, you let twenty-six teams slide?" She said mockingly.
She cracked her knuckles. Her tone was razor-sharp now.
"Either the first exam was a joke this time..." She sneered. "...or you've gotten soft in your old age."
Ibiki gave no reply, his expression unreadable.
...
"Tch." Anko scoffed, tossing her coat back over her shoulders.
"Looks like this year's batch has a few impressive onesā¦"
Her smirk widened into something feral.
"Fine by me." Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"I'LL DROP MORE THAN HALF OF THEM IN THE SECOND EXAM!"
...
"More than half?!" Sakura gasped, her voice caught between disbelief and horror.
...
Anko turned back toward the students.
"You'll get the details tomorrow."
"We're changing locations. Get the time and place from your Jounin instructors."
Her voice hardened like steel as she gave her final word:
"That's it. You're dismissed."
She vanished in a blur of movement, leaving only a trail of tension and the crackling energy of what was to come.
One by one, all the genins stood up and walked out of the exam hall, leaving behind their answer sheets.
------
Later that evening in the silent, dimly lit exam hall...
Ibiki moved between the rows, the heels of his boots echoing with a sharp clack on the cold tile floor. His gloved hand scooped up each answer sheet with practiced ease, his scarred face expressionless, until his eyes fell on one particular paper.
He paused, and his gaze narrowed.
"Hmmā¦ This one is from the son of the Yellow Flash, right?"
His fingers hovered for a moment over the name written in firm, confident strokes.
"Uzumaki Narutoā¦"
He picked up the sheet and read through it.
And then, his eyes widened.
A faint tremble ran through his hand.
Then the paper slipped slightly from his grasp.
"...This..." He muttered, voice barely a whisper. "...Thisā¦ is..."
...
...
His hand clenched the paper as if in disbelief.
Crash!!
Ibiki burst through the doors of the hall, storming down the corridor like a man possessed.
The walls seemed to shudder in his wake as he marched straight toward the Exam Department, gripping the sheet like it held some secret.
He slammed the door open.
"CALL IN THE SENTINEL FOR THE THIRD ROW IMMEDIATELY!!"
His voice was sharp as a kunai and twice as fast.
"Y-Yes, sir!" One of the assistants stammered, bolting down the hallway with urgency.
...
...
Moments later, a man in a white uniform stepped out of a side chamber, clearly taken aback by the commotion.
"Morino-san? What is it?"
Ibiki's face was taut, serious. He asked him seriously.
"Manabuā¦ Do you have the paper where we listed the names of those who were caught cheating?"
The man blinked and nodded slowly.
"Yesā¦"
Ibiki leaned in, his voice quiet but razor-edged. "Does it contain the name Uzumaki Naruto?"
Manabu double-checked the scroll in his hands.
"ā¦No."
Ibiki's eyes glinted with a fierce intensity. He didn't speak for a moment.
Then in a low, deliberate voice:
"ā¦Okay. Alsoā¦ bring me the answer sheets of the decoy examinees we deployed."
"At once."
His tone brooked no argument.
Manabu saluted and vanished down the corridor as the room was left trembling with a silence thick as thunderclouds.
------
Later, in the Hokage's Office...
Knock! Knock! Knock!
A deep, deliberate sound echoed through the quiet chamber.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, looked up from his paperwork, his aged fingers stilling atop a stack of scrolls.
"Come inā¦" He said calmly, though his eyes sharpened with quiet anticipation.
The large wooden door creaked open.
A tall figure stepped in, his presence imposing.
Ibiki Morino, dressed in his signature black long coat, his face grim and unreadable.
"Ibiki, what is it?" Hiruzen asked, sensing the weight in the air.
Without a word of preamble, Ibiki stepped forward and extended two sheets with utmost care, one in each hand, as though they carried something far greater than ink on paper.
"Hokage-sama," Ibiki began, his voice firm but respectful.
"This is the paper of a particular examinee by the name Uzumaki Narutoā¦"
"And here is the paper of the decoys that we had placed in the hall."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. He took both sheets and studied them with a sharp, analytical gaze that sliced through the silence like a blade.
"Hmmm..." He muttered as his eyes darted between the two.
A long pause followed.
The candles in the room flickered, casting shadows across the wrinkled lines of the Hokage's face as he examined the script.
"Naruto's answers are a bit advancedā¦" Hiruzen said slowly, his voice laced with surprise. "With a good depth to it."
Ibiki folded his arms and looked serious.
"None of the examinees were able to provide such answers," he added, his tone edged with something close to awe, or perhaps concern.
There was another long silence.
The Third Hokage's fingers tightened ever so slightly on the papers and then, after a heavy breath...
"I understand." Hiruzen finally said, his voice calm once more as he passed the papers back.
Ibiki looked at him, waiting.
"What should I do?" He asked.
Hiruzen thought for a moment before he replied.
"Just continue the exams for nowā¦"
"I'll see if it requires my attention in the future..."
--- ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ---
š¢ Author's Note š¢
If you're enjoying this story and want more chapters right now, I invite you to check out my Patreon. There you'll find:
ā Daily updates ā never miss a day of new content
ā Advanced chapters ā read far ahead of public releases
ā Exclusive perks & extras ā only available to patrons
Your support not only gives you early access but also helps me dedicate more time to writing and expanding this story. Every reader who joins makes a huge difference.
š Dive into more chapters today: patreon.com/Myth_Valley
Let's keep the adventure alive! š„šāØ