Ibiki's rules, like a giant rock crashing into a calm pond, stirred up a ripple of panic.
"I... I give up!"
A timid Ninja was the first to raise his hand, his face ashen.
The first domino fell, and with the first, came the second, and the third.
The decision to give up spread like a plague; examinees raised their hands in droves, then, taking their teammates with them, dejectedly left the room amidst the examiners' cold pronouncements.
The number of people in the classroom dwindled at a visible rate.
Sweat beaded on Sasuke's forehead; although he had already planned to answer the tenth question, he indeed felt immense pressure.
"The cost of answering incorrectly is too great. What if I answer wrong..."
He looked at Naruto.
Naruto had his eyes closed, as if he were an outsider, his breathing frequency not changing in the slightest.
"Next, it's your turn."
Ibiki's oppressive aura enveloped Naruto, the scar on his face directly facing Naruto, his gaze chilling.
Naruto slowly raised his hand, but did not utter the words "give up."
"Your intimidation logic is flawed."
These words instantly silenced the entire classroom; everyone, including those examinees preparing to leave, stopped their movements and looked at Naruto in astonishment.
The scar on Ibiki's face twitched; he hadn't expected such a response.
But he didn't press further, merely snorted coldly and continued walking to the back.
Finally, when no one else chose to give up, Ibiki slammed his hand on the podium.
"Time's up! Everyone still remaining here... congratulations, you've passed the first exam!"
"..."
One second.
Two seconds.
The entire classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Huh?" The first to speak was Inuzuka Kiba, pointing at his nose, his face full of disbelief, "Passed? What kind of joke is this! What about the tenth question!?"
This question voiced everyone's thoughts.
Ibiki's smile faded, replaced by a deep intensity.
"There was no tenth question at all."
His words once again caused an uproar.
"Or rather," Ibiki paused, his gaze subtly sweeping towards Naruto's direction, "the choice you just made was the tenth question."
"The first nine questions tested your ability to gather intelligence as a Ninja. You should have noticed by now that this exam included 'answers' we had arranged; trash who don't know how to use rules and methods to obtain intelligence aren't worthy of being a Chunin at all."
"And this so-called tenth question," Ibiki's tone became serious, "tested your resolve!"
"Imagine, during a mission, you encounter information that your comrades might die. Do you choose to abandon the mission to save yourselves, or do you muster courage, trust your comrades and yourselves, and face that unknown risk?"
"Let me tell you! In the Ninja world, intelligence can sometimes be wrong! Someone who is easily intimidated and doesn't even have the courage to face risks will only get their comrades killed, and themselves killed!"
Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief; only then did he realize his back was slightly damp with cold sweat. He still couldn't understand why there had to be such a strange exam segment.
"Using collective emotional manipulation to filter willpower, though primitive, is effective."
Naruto had opened his eyes at some point; he stood up, tidying his equipment, his movements without a trace of hesitation.
"However, the examiner's lie was too easy to see through."
"How could a Konoha examiner have the authority to decide the promotion qualifications of Ninja from other Ninja Villages?"
Sasuke's body stiffened.
It turned out that, from the very beginning, Naruto had seen through the essence of this test.
And he, however, was still wavering over that false choice; this frequent feeling of being inferior to others made him incredibly agitated.
By always following this person's commands, could he truly surpass that man and then kill that man? Perhaps he could.
But, would he gradually become a convenient tool in his hands... and forever be suppressed by him? Death Forest, Training Ground 44 entrance.
The air was filled with the scent of decaying leaves and dangerous beasts.
The chief examiner, Anko Mitarashi, announced the rules of the second exam in an almost morbidly excited tone.
The examination site was set in a closed forest with a ten-kilometer radius, filled with poisonous insects, fierce beasts, and natural traps. Examinees, in three-person teams, needed to reach the central tower within five days, carrying both a "Heaven" scroll and an "Earth" scroll.
The 26 teams initially held only one scroll (Heaven or Earth), and needed to defeat other teams to acquire the other scroll. This meant at least half the teams had to eliminate opponents through combat.
"Inside here, you'll find your enemies, man-eating beasts, and me!" She licked her lips, like a snake eyeing its prey. "In short, you'd better not die too ugly."
No sooner had she spoken than she flicked her wrist, and a kunai, whistling through the air, flew past Naruto's cheek and embedded itself in the tree trunk behind him.
A trickle of blood oozed from the cut on Naruto's cheek.
Sakura let out a short gasp.
Sasuke's pupils constricted, his hand already on his Ninja tool pouch.
Anko's figure appeared behind Naruto like a ghost; she reached out, seemingly wanting to pinch Naruto's chin, a provocative smile on her face. "Kid, you don't seem very easily startled."
Naruto didn't move, nor did he wipe the blood from his face.
He merely turned his head, looking at Anko, who was inches away, with cold eyes.
"Your attack angle deviated from a vital point by fifteen degrees, and the force was not lethal, making it an ineffective deterrent."
The smile on Anko's face instantly froze.
"Furthermore," Naruto's voice dropped even lower, yet it pierced Anko's eardrums like an ice pick, "do not touch me with hands that have been tainted by 'his' aura."
Anko's body suddenly stiffened.
On her neck, beneath the skin covered by her collar, three comma-shaped cursed seals felt as if they had been branded by a hot iron, sending a burning pain through her.
That aura... besides Hokage-sama and a few others, how could this brat... perceive the cursed seal left by Orochimaru!
Her hand trembled slightly, almost unable to grip the kunai.
"The exam, begins!" Anko almost shouted these words, using it to cover her loss of composure.
As the iron gates opened, Team 7 was the first to rush into the forest; other teams followed closely, arriving at various positions within the forest.
"Sasuke, scout the sector thirty meters to the left wing; eliminate any rustling, no questions asked."
"Sakura, fifteen meters behind, focus on trap identification and Chakra sensing, maintain vigilance."
"I will provide central support, using me as a base point, maintain formation, and march in silence."
Naruto's instructions were concise and cold.
One moment they were a Genin squad, the next they transformed into a silent and efficient war machine.
Sasuke gritted his teeth, but his body had already instinctively carried out the command; his Sharingan activated, he scanned the jungle to his left vigilantly.
Sakura also immediately entered a state of focus; she concentrated on sensing everything around her, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
Deep in the forest.
A faint Chakra fluctuation was captured by Sasuke's Sharingan.
"Enemies, three, Hidden Rain Village Ninja, showing a tendency to use genjutsu," he reported in a low voice.
"Sasuke," Naruto's voice came.
"Thirty degrees to the left, clear the target within three seconds."
No need to think, no need to hesitate.
Under Naruto's hellish training, Sasuke's body had developed a conditioned reflex.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A scorching fireball roared out, precisely hitting the thicket where the enemies were hidden.
The screams lasted only an instant before abruptly ceasing.
The battle ended the moment it began.
Sasuke looked at his hands, which had just formed a hand sign, and then at the scorched earth in the distance; a strange emotion welled up in his heart.
This was not jealousy, nor was it unwillingness.
Rather, it was a sense of... awe.
Once again, in actual combat, he so clearly felt the almost overwhelming advantage brought by Naruto's training methods.
Just then, Naruto's footsteps suddenly stopped.
He abruptly looked up, gazing towards the center of the forest.
An "impurity" far deeper, more evil, and filled with a will for active depravity than the aura around Gaara, swept over like a tsunami.
That was not passive pollution.
That was a walking source of plague, a devotee from the depths of chaos, actively spreading decay and despair.
"Priority one target detected," Naruto's face was extremely grim.
"This isn't a passive source of pollution; this is a follower of the 'Great Unclean One'."
He muttered in a low voice, every word carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
He flipped his right hand, and a sealing scroll appeared in his palm.
The white smoke dispersed.
Buzz—
The grotesque Chainsword, filled with violent aesthetics, was tightly gripped in his hand.
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