The class stopped whatever they were doing and looked at their Proctor, who had a smile on his face.
"However, before I give you the Tenth Question, I shall inform you about the rules that concern it."
His words caught them all off guard and piqued their curiosities.
Suddenly, the door of the room opened, and Kankuro, who had gone to the toilet, returned with one of the sentinels who had accompanied him.
"Heh, aren't you lucky?" Ibiki smiled at them. "Looks like playing with dolls has paid off for you."
Enma smiled at those words, knowing well what their Proctor meant.
"Well, sit down."
Kankuro sighed in relief and made his way back to his seat.
Ibiki glanced around the classroom and then walked over to the window, staring out of it.
"The rules that concern the Tenth Question are hopeless rules..."
His words were light, but they tensed everyone up.
"First, you will have to choose whether you will take the Tenth Question or not."
Everyone was surprised by his words.
"What happens if we choose not to take the 10th Question?" Temari immediately asked, and Ibiki smiled.
"If you choose not to take the 10th Question, your score will be zero regardless of what you have done on the other questions. In simple terms, you fail. And, of course, your two companions will fail together with you."
"That's ridiculous. Why would we choose not to take the last question if that's the rule?" someone scoffed, and it was a blond boy wearing the Forehead Protector of Kumo.
"That brings us to the second rule." Ibiki closed his eyes. "If you take it and are unable to answer it correctly, then you will have to relinquish your right to take the Chunin Exam ever again."
The words stunned them all, and Karin deeply furrowed her brows.
A commotion rose in the class, and people pointed out that there were already Genins here who were retaking the test, and Ibiki just laughed at them.
"It's your misfortune, then, that I am your Proctor this time. My test, my rules," he said coldly. "For those who are not confident about correctly answering the next question, I have already given you the choice to take your leave and save your chances of becoming a Chunin in the future. The choice is all yours."
Kiba gulped at his words, and Akamaru's nervous bark resounded in the room.
"So, then, let's begin." The Proctor's voice turned indifferent. "Those who don't wish to take the 10th Question, raise your hands."
Shizuka nervously glanced at Karin and Enma, and seeing them calm, she too steeled her heart and put her trust in them.
This, however, could not be said for others.
One by one, people raised their hands and started standing up, leaving the classroom.
They were all surprised when Naruto raised his hand, but then he suddenly slammed it on the table and stood up.
"Don't underestimate me! I won't run!" He panted as if he had gone through a battle. "I'll take it! I will take your damn question! But even if I fail and end up remaining a Genin forever, I will still achieve my dream of becoming Hokage, no matter what it takes! I am not scared. Dattebayo!"
He stubbornly folded his arms on his chest and sat down again, and Karin, Enma, and Sasuke failed to hold back their chuckles.
His audacious words gave power to everyone else as well, either by questioning their pride or helping them strengthen their resolve. People stopped getting up and leaving after he gave his answer to Ibiki.
"I will ask again. This is a choice that will alter your life. Leave, if you are not confident about taking the 10th question. It's the hardest one you have faced so far."
Ibiki warned them, and despite growing nervous again, no one stood up to leave.
"I am not going to go back on my words. That's my Ninja Way!" Naruto grinned at him.
The Proctor waited for another minute and then sighed.
"Eighty-seven, eh? Much more than I expected." He chuckled. "I like your determination, and I hope it was all worth it."
Everyone started getting a little restless.
"Those who are still here, taking on the First Test..."
His words lingered in the air, and people audibly gulped.
"You have all passed it!"
For a moment, there was a brief silence, but then people exclaimed in shock.
"What?!"
"What does this mean?!" Sakura confusedly stood up. "Where's the damned 10th question?!"
Ibiki laughed at her words and then flashed a bright smile.
"There was never a 10th question to begin with. Or you can look at the choice you have just made as the answer to the tenth question."
"What?"
His words confused a few, but most, who had already understood the meaning of the test, smiled.
"The first nine questions have already fulfilled their objective, which was to test your information-gathering skills..."
Everyone listened to their Proctor explain to them the true purpose of the test and the tenth question.
"Hardest choices require the hardest resolve. Someone who does not have that resolve does not deserve to be a Chunin, and someone who betrays their team does not deserve to be a Chunin either..."
Soon, the clock hit 1:30 pm, and two figures suddenly appeared next to Morino.
"My name is Shirakumo Hayama..." "My name is Riichi..."
"We are the Proctors of the Second Test of the Chunin Exams, and those of you who have passed Ibiki's Trial will report at the 10th Gate of the Forty-Fourth Training Ground before 3 pm."
"If you are even a second late, you and your team will be disqualified. See you!"
The two Jonins waved their hands and disappeared with puffs of smoke.
"Good luck." Ibiki smiled at the participants, who quickly got up from their seats and rushed out to reach the 10th Gate in time.
It was almost like a race through the village, and some wanted to eliminate other Genins, preventing them from reaching the Training Ground, but stopped when they saw several Jonins around them.
Those Jonins, however, were not helping them find the way, and so most of the foreign Shinobi chose to follow the Konoha Genins.
"Hey, can you show us the way?" Temari asked Karin, Enma, and Shizuka, who were climbing up the stairs to head to the roof of the academy.
Her two younger brothers were right behind her, and even the two Kumo Teams walked over to them.
"We are not heading there right away. You can join us later when we go there or..." Shizuka took out a rough map of the village from her pouch and spread it out. "Here's the 10th Gate of the Forty-Fourth Training Ground." She pointed at the red spot on the map.
The Kumo Shinobi came close and looked at the map before they took their leave. As for the Sand Siblings, they did not go and accompanied Team 5 to the rooftop.
Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara watched the three of them as they sat down on the parapet and started laughing as they recalled the events of the Exam.
A short while later, Karin's clone brought them food from the canteen, and the Sand Siblings were surprised when the girl even invited them to share their meal.
The blonde glanced at her brothers, and seeing how quiet Gaara was, she took a gamble and stood up to join Team 5.
She smiled in her heart when her little brother did not say anything or stop her from sitting with the two Uzumaki and their raven-haired friend.
"Why are you still a Genin, Temari?" Shizuka curiously asked the girl, who was happily eating her bento.
"Father wanted us siblings to be on the same team. That's why," she said, and then curiously looked at the two Uzumaki siblings. "Why did you join the Academy a year late?"
Enma did not answer her as he kept sipping on his soup.
"Brother could not see," Karin spoke after she swallowed the boiled egg she was eating. "I was his eyes when we were younger, so that's why Father wanted us to be in the same class."
"Oh..." Temari looked at them in surprise. "What happened to your eyes?"
"Nothing. They are fine." Enma shook his head. "Father sealed them so that I could learn to see without them."
She cutely tilted her head.
"How does that work?"
"Mind's Eye of the Kagura."
"That's your Clan's Secret Jutsu, not a Bloodline Limit."
"Yes, but it works for me like a Bloodline Limit now. I can keep it open and close it, and it doesn't affect my Chakra much either. Most importantly, I can use it even when I am very tired, and without any need of clearing my mind, which is the requirement of almost all Sensory Jutsus and abilities."
"So, it's like a sixth sense to you now?"
"Exactly, but I cannot keep it open all the time."
"Why?"
"It gives me a headache, and then there is too much information, including all the unpleasant things, which I cannot filter out." He sighed, and she kept looking at him before her eyes suddenly widened in realisation.
"Oh..."
Shizuka blushed as her mind drifted off to some very passionate thoughts, and then the rest of the meal was spent in silence.
Once they finished eating, Karin and Shizuka quickly collected their waste and threw it inside a bin.
"Let's go." The Uzumaki Princess said, and the two Sand brothers stood up.
Gaara dematerialised into sand and followed everyone as they rushed towards the 10th Gate of the Forty-Fourth Training Ground.
They reached the place with a quarter of an hour still left until 3 pm, and then they parted ways.
All the teams were very tense after they saw the menacingly tall trees and the signboard that read "Forest of Death".
"What's up with this signboard, Enma?" Naruto suddenly rushed up to them and raised the question.
"It's called the Forest of Death because it is filled with terrifyingly large creatures and poisonous plants, fruits, and mushrooms. Also, it has been the venue of Chunin Exams for nearly twenty years now, and it is littered with traps set during former exams. Be careful when you go in."
"We are going in there?" The blond Uzumaki gulped in fear, and Karin giggled at his reaction.
"Why else do you think we were called here?" she asked. "Also... there has never been a Chunin Exams without the death of, at least, one team during this stage."
The Uzumaki Princess deliberately raised her voice a little so that everyone could hear what she just revealed.
Sure enough, the Rookies tensed up, especially Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, and Naruto.
Shino remained impassive as ever, and Team 10 was very solemn. However, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji had already seen up close what death felt like when they joined them on the mission in Akagahara Forest, so they were holding themselves well.
Naruto too managed to brave up, but the cherry-blossom-haired girl seemed unsure as she kept her head lowered.
Just when Sakura was about to debate whether she and her team were really ready for this part of the Chunin Exams, Enma's hurtful words resounded in her head.
And instantly, she regained her resolve.
At 3 pm sharp, their two Proctors suddenly appeared in front of the Gate, and everyone quickly gathered around them.
"Alright, kids. Sign up these forms!" Riichi said as he threw a form each to every participant. "These are your Death Certificates."
As soon as they heard his words, they could not help but feel chills run up their spines.