Ibiki wanted to throw them all out of the classroom, but remembering the Third's orders, he merely sighed in resignation and turned away, pretending not to see. After all, no matter how many questions those brats answered correctly, they would eventually pass into the second exam, which would then be handled by Mitarashi Anko—whose unpredictable personality was sure to deal with them. He wouldn't have to worry about this problem anymore.
"Candidate number thirty-eight, and his teammates—out!"
"Candidate number twenty-seven, and his teammates—out!"
"Number sixteen..."
One by one, examinees were escorted outside. The number of people left in the classroom gradually decreased.
"Time's up! Everyone stop writing and hand in your papers."
Ibiki glanced at the clock and called a halt, ordering someone to collect all the exams. Naturally, the special group—including Sakura's team—that had been closely monitored had their papers separated from the rest.
Ibiki first picked up the separate stack of exam papers. The answers were nearly identical—clearly copied through cheating from two specific examinees who had been intentionally placed inside. His silence spread a chilling tension through the room.
Unfazed by the tension, Ibiki moved on to Sakura's team's papers. As soon as he looked at them, fury surged within him. His left hand gripping the podium tightened violently, nearly crushing the table beneath it.
"What arrogance! Simply outrageous!"
Ibiki was so angry that his body trembled slightly. Not only did these little punks turn in completely blank pages, but they didn't even write their names—the papers looked as if they had just come off the press! At that moment, Ibiki felt his authority being directly challenged. He almost wanted to haul those kids into the interrogation room and force them to answer each question under pressure.
The whole room fell silent under the weight of his fury. No one could understand what exactly had upset this intimidating examiner, but everyone remained quiet, unwilling to provoke him further.
"Since everyone has completed the first nine questions, I'll now explain the tenth question," Ibiki forced down his rising anger, managing a twisted, grim smile. "However, before you answer this final question, you must make a choice—one that will decide if you'll ever get another chance at the Chunin Exams!"
"Examiner, does that mean we won't be allowed to take the Chunin Exams again if we choose incorrectly?" A genin from a lesser-known village raised his hand indignantly. "By what authority do you have the right to decide that?!"
"Heh... By what authority?" Ibiki's pent-up anger finally found a target. Glaring at the boy coldly, he said, "By the simple fact that I am your examiner—and I alone decide who passes and who fails. Is that explanation good enough for you?"
"As punishment for questioning an official examiner, I hereby declare you've failed the first stage of the entire Chunin Exams!"
"By what right!" The shocked genin from the small village instinctively shouted back.
"Get him out of here!"
Ibiki slammed his hands on the table and immediately had the examinee carried out. His two companions could only leave as well with helpless expressions.
Ibiki's way of handling things sent a wave of fear through nearly all the examinees. Their attitudes quickly turned serious. They originally thought Ibiki was just joking, but to their surprise, he actually did it. When you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. Instinctively, many examinees suppressed their arrogance a bit.
"Now that nobody seems to have any objections," Ibiki said with a satisfied nod, clearly pleased with how his authority successfully intimidated so many people. As for those twelve brats, he'd already decided not to bother with them anymore—they were just too infuriating!
"Before I explain question ten, there's something you should know," Ibiki continued with an evil grin. "You can either choose to answer or not answer this final question. If you choose to answer and get it wrong, you'll be permanently barred from participating in the Chunin Exams ever again!"
"But if you choose not to answer," he added, "you'll lose your qualification this time, though you can try again next time. So which option will you choose?!"
Ibiki's words left the entire room in complete silence. The choice lay before them: refuse to answer and fail this exam, giving up the chance now but keeping the option to try again later; or dare to answer the question, knowing failure meant being stuck as a Genin for life. It truly was an agonizing decision for most.
"I give up."
"Me... me too..."
Soon enough, some examinees couldn't take the pressure anymore and chose to withdraw. And once this option opened, it was like a dam had burst—more people started raising their hands, signaling their abandonment of the choice altogether, further thinning out the number of remaining candidates inside the classroom.
"Looks like Konoha has been too peaceful these past years, without enough pressure around," Sakura muttered disapprovingly. In recent years, Konoha had enjoyed steady peace. Without life-or-death situations challenging these ninja, their psychological endurance had dropped shockingly low. This was supposedly the strongest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, yet there were so many who gave up on becoming chunin right here today.
"If you decide to back out now, you can always take another shot later," Ibiki added fuel to the fire for those still hesitating. "But if you fail here, you'll remain a Genin for life! You better be mentally prepared for that responsibility!"
Chapter 168: Anko, Burdened by Debts [Part One]
"We give up too."
Another group of examinees nervously raised their hands, choosing to forfeit the exam.
"Anybody else want to quit?" Ibiki asked while scanning the room coldly. An invisible pressure fell upon every candidate, making the unsure ones' eyes flicker uneasily as thoughts of surrender stirred within them.
"Enough!" Naruto suddenly stood up, slamming his hand on the table. His face wore a determined expression. "I absolutely won't give up on this exam!"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>