In the exam room, the atmosphere changed instantly. Most of the genin tensed up, their faces paling.
Only the head proctor, Ibiki Morino, seemed unfazed. He glanced down at the fresh wound on his arm and said calmly, "Nice shuriken jutsu."
Naruto Uzumaki could only stare. He had simply sensed danger and thrown the shuriken back on pure instinct. Had he really just injured the head proctor during the Chunin Exams? Was there any hope of passing now?
Ibiki's sharp gaze fell on Naruto. Then, he extended a finger and pointed to a genin sitting behind him. "Kick that guy out!"
The head proctor didn't make a fuss over his own injury. If he hadn't kept staring at Naruto for the rest of the time, everyone might have actually thought he was a fair and just ninja.
After forty-five minutes, Ibiki finally announced the tenth question and its special rules. If you answered it incorrectly, you would be banned from taking the Chunin Exams for life. If you gave up now, you could try again in the future.
One by one, genin who couldn't handle the pressure of Ibiki's ultimatum left the exam room in small groups.
Ibiki's eyes locked onto Naruto again. "Brat," he asked, "aren't you afraid of being a genin for the rest of your life, stuck doing low-level missions?"
"Doesn't matter," Sasuke Uchiha spoke up nonchalantly before Naruto could even answer. "The limit for a genin is C-rank missions. For us, that's just right."
A ripple of laughter went through the classroom.
Ibiki didn't laugh. He was silent for a moment, then said softly, "If no one else is leaving, then I will announce the final result... Everyone present, I judge you to have passed this written exam!"
The expressions of the remaining genin shifted from tense to joyful as they looked around at each other in relief.
Naruto clenched his fist and muttered to himself, "Looks like the gamble paid off... Does that guy Kurama still want me to train in the Eight Gates?"
The Art of the Eight Inner Gates. The Nine-Tails called it the ultimate taijutsu. As payment for the fox helping him pass the written test, Naruto had finally agreed to start the training.
On the stage, Ibiki explained the true purpose of the exam. Besides testing their information-gathering skills, it was also meant to test their willpower. Simply put, it was to see if these genin dared to bet their lives on their future.
"...If you don't have the resolve to bet your life, you don't have the qualifications to become a Chunin. That is all." Ibiki scanned the remaining genin. "I wish you all the best in the upcoming exams."
CRACK!
Just as his voice faded, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the room. A black figure wrapped in a large banner suddenly flew in through the window.
"Who's there! Spiral Bullet!"
A miniature Spiral Bullet formed instantly at Naruto's fingertip and shot out, striking the figure and knocking it right back out the window it came through.
Ibiki stiffly turned his head to look at Naruto, who was slowly retracting his finger. "Idiot! That's the proctor for your second exam! Even I don't dare to provoke her!"
"..."
Naruto was silent for a moment. He looked at the equally dumbfounded crowd around him and said awkwardly, "Don't... don't worry... she's probably not dead..."
"You idiot!" Ibiki was furious. He waved his hand, and a few chunin proctors flew down with him to retrieve the second proctor.
It was, coincidentally, someone they knew.
Anko Mitarashi clutched her shoulder. After Ibiki explained what had happened, she glared fiercely at Naruto. "Brat, you better pray you don't fall into my hands during the second exam!"
"Calm down, calm down..." Ibiki tried to smooth things over, pointing to his own arm. "Don't worry about a small thing like that. This guy even injured me..."
"Injuring the first two proctors in a row," Anko licked her lips, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Brat, it seems for the safety of the third proctor, I'll have to find a way to eliminate you..."
"...Ah-ha... haha... hehe..." Naruto scratched his head awkwardly, feeling two malicious glares drilling into his back. He didn't need to guess to know they were from Sasuke and Sakura.
-----
At the entrance to the Forest of Death, the site of the second exam, Sakura was still fuming. "No matter how you look at it, injuring two proctors in a row is going too far!"
"Though it was because their skills were lacking," Sasuke countered, grabbing Naruto's shoulder. He said in a deep voice, "But if we want to pass the Chunin Exams, the proctors are also a very important part of the process!"
"Alright, alright..." Naruto looked exasperated, waving his hand dismissively. "It was clearly those two proctors whose actions were too dangerous. I just acted on instinct."
As the three members of Team 7 bickered, the girl with the Byakugan timidly walked over. "Naruto-kun..." she said softly, "in the exam room just now... thank you..."
The shuriken Ibiki had thrown during the first test had really scared her.
Naruto patted her hair gently. "Hinata, it's okay. I just did it on reflex... and besides, you were trying to help me pass."
"Naruto-kun, you're amazing." Just as Hinata was about to say more, Kiba and Shino arrived beside her. All of Team 8 had passed the first exam.
"Hinata, the proctor is about to call for assembly."
"Then... I'll be going, Naruto-kun."
After Team 8 had left, Sasuke raised an eyebrow and looked at his teammate. "Does someone actually like this guy?"
Naruto waved a hand. "Not everyone has terrible taste like Sakura. Liking me is a pretty normal thing, isn't it?"
He had insulted two people with one sentence. It was a miracle that Team 7 hadn't disbanded yet.
Anko stood at the front of the group and announced the second part of the Chunin Exams: the Heaven and Earth Scroll Scramble. Within the Forest of Death, which had a radius of ten kilometers, all teams had to snatch scrolls from other teams. To win, they needed to collect both a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll and reach the central tower.
Because of the unpredictable nature of the battles and the harsh environment, all participating teams had to sign a survival consent form. The probability of death in this exam was very high.
All the ninjas present were prepared.
After Team 7 signed their form, they began to size up their opponents. Naruto held a notebook, constantly writing and drawing in it. Sasuke and Sakura stood beside him, adding their own notes about dangerous individuals and precautions they thought were important.
A man wearing a straw hat watched this scene from a distance and licked his lips. "Tsk, in the Forest of Death, the most delicious prey..."
-----
Bonus:
Orochimaru: Hehe, I really crave Sasuke's body...
Kabuto Yakushi: Lord Orochimaru, are you serious?
Orochimaru: What's wrong?
Kabuto: Danzo's men were pretty much all killed by them. We don't have enough people...
Orochimaru: Let Dosu test their strength...
Dosu Kinuta: Bastard, you're sending me to my death