The exam room was silent—well, except for the nervous scribbling of desperate ninja candidates trying to decipher the cryptic test questions in front of them. Most of the questions were obscure, difficult, and completely unrelated to anything they had ever studied in the Ninja Academy. Seriously, who thought ninja needed to know advanced calculus?
The real catch of this test, though, wasn't answering the questions—it was figuring out how to steal the answers without getting caught.
All around, ninja from different villages were using their unique skills to cheat.
Sasuke, ever the overachiever, activated his Sharingan to copy the hand movements of the guy in front of him. He looked smug while writing, probably thinking, Uchiha supremacy.
Kiba, who was never exactly known for his brains, relied on Akamaru, who peeked at someone else's answers and barked out a secret dog code to Kiba. The problem? Kiba didn't actually understand the dog code.
Gaara, in classic creepy fashion, used his sand to create a floating eye that hovered over test papers. No one dared to call him out on cheating—mostly because they valued their lives.
Shino, being the ultimate introvert, let his bugs do all the work while he sat still, looking like he was meditating.
Meanwhile, Naruto?
He was sitting there, doing nothing.
Not even a single pen stroke on his test paper.
Hinata, who had already finished the test without cheating, nudged her paper toward Naruto and whispered, "Naruto-kun, you can copy mine."
Naruto blinked. "Wait, you actually knew the answers?"
Hinata nodded shyly.
Naruto looked at her with newfound respect. Damn, she's smarter than me.
He then proudly shook his head. "No need, Hinata. I have my own plan."
His plan? Do absolutely nothing and hope for the best.
This was based on his deep knowledge of the plot, which told him that as long as he stayed until the end, he'd pass.
Brilliant.
The Big Announcement
As the test dragged on, more and more candidates got caught cheating and were kicked out. Eventually, only 120 ninja remained.
Morino Ibiki, the terrifying head examiner, finally stood up, cracking his knuckles like he was about to personally assassinate everyone who failed.
"Alright, time's up," he said. "Now, before I grade your papers, we have one final test—the tenth question."
Everyone straightened up. The tension skyrocketed.
Ibiki smirked. "Here's how it works: You can either choose to answer the tenth question, or you can quit right now. If you quit, you can take the Chunin Exams again next year. But if you stay and fail this final question..."
He let the words hang in the air.
"Then you will be banned from taking the Chunin Exam forever."
Complete. Silence.
Then—
"WHAT KIND OF STUPID RULE IS THAT?!"
Half the candidates lost their minds.
"This is rigged!!"
"That's illegal, right?! Someone call a lawyer!!"
Ibiki didn't flinch. "You're free to leave if you don't like it."
One by one, people started quitting faster than Sakura giving up on Sasuke's attention.
Hinata turned to Naruto. "Naruto-kun… should we quit?"
Naruto gave her a legendary grin. "Nah, we're staying."
Hinata hesitated, but she trusted Naruto.
Sasuke and Sakura, seeing Naruto's unwavering confidence, also stayed.
One by one, candidates left the room, until only 78 ninja remained.
Ibiki surveyed the remaining hopefuls. He nodded approvingly, then…
"Congratulations! You all pass."
The room exploded into chaos.
"WAIT, WHAT?!"
Ibiki crossed his arms, clearly enjoying everyone's mental breakdowns.
"The real test was to see who had the guts to stay. You all passed the moment you refused to give up."
Naruto smirked. Big brain moment.
Meanwhile, the people who had just left were probably out in the hallway crying in regret.
Before the newly qualified candidates could celebrate—
BANG!
The exam room door slammed open, nearly flying off its hinges.
A tall, wild-looking woman in a fishnet bodysuit and a tan trench coat dramatically entered the room.
With a single leap, she flipped over the desks, threw two kunai into the ceiling, and unfurled a huge banner that read:
"MITARASHI ANKO – SECOND EXAMINER"
Everyone stared, speechless.
Naruto leaned toward Sasuke. "Uh… is she a ninja or a circus performer?"
Sasuke just sighed.
Anko grinned way too enthusiastically, her sharp eyes scanning the room. "Alright, you weaklings! I'm the examiner for the next round!"
Her voice was WAY too loud for this early in the morning.
Ibiki, who had been silently tolerating her nonsense, facepalmed.
"Ibiki, how many do we have left?" Anko asked.
"Seventy-eight."
Anko huffed. "Tch, that's way too many. Guess I'll have to thin you guys out myself."
She cracked her knuckles menacingly.
Naruto gulped. Why does she sound so excited about that?
Then, with a mischievous smirk, she clapped her hands. "Alright, kiddies! Tomorrow, we're heading to the Forest of Death! So if you're not ready to risk your life, then don't bother showing up!"
The whole room collectively tensed.
Naruto's grin returned. "Heh. Now it's getting fun."
(End of Chapter)