"Damn it! How can the exam continue after something like that? I thought I was going blind!"
"Exactly! How am I supposed to answer anything when I can barely see!"
Ibiki's reassurances failed to placate all the candidates.
A number of them began to protest loudly, all of whom were the ones who couldn't answer the questions and lacked the skills to cheat.
They knew they had no hope of passing, so they were trying to use this incident to cause a disruption, hoping Ibiki might be forced to end the exam early and perhaps pass them by default.
"I am the head proctor. What I say, goes!" Ibiki shot back coldly, seeing right through their intentions. "If you feel you cannot continue the exam, you may choose to withdraw!"
His icy words, combined with his intimidating appearance, instantly silenced the rowdy candidates. None of them dared to make another sound.
'Phew! Looks like I'm in the clear.' Seeing the exam return to normal, Naruto let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Being called out by Ibiki had made his heart leap into his throat, and he had become even more nervous when he realised his actions had given him away.
Although he figured that even if the proctor knew he had used Solar Flare, it would only count as one cheating offence, he couldn't be sure.
What if this incredibly scary-looking proctor didn't play by the rules?
Fortunately, the proctor was following the procedure. He hadn't been kicked out, and his use of the light hadn't been announced to everyone.
But one question remained: How did Ibiki know what he had done?
'Heh, that idiot Naruto. He still hasn't realised the guy next to him is a disguised proctor,' Sasuke thought with a smirk, having seen the entire thing.
He had covered his eyes right before Naruto used the Solar Flare, avoiding the blinding light.
He had then watched everything unfold, including the proctor next to Naruto giving hand signals to Ibiki.
As the exam continued, more and more candidates were caught, docked ten points, and ejected from the room.
In the blink of an eye, forty-five minutes had passed, leaving only fifteen minutes.
Seeing that the time had come, Ibiki suddenly spoke. "It is now time to announce the tenth and final question."
Hearing this, all the candidates turned their attention to him.
"But before I do, there is a special rule for this question. A rule that will make all of you tremble in fear!"
Ibiki stared at the candidates, expressionless. The invisible pressure he exuded, combined with his words, created an extremely tense atmosphere.
'A rule to make us tremble in fear?'
Those with stronger nerves, like Sasuke and Neji, merely narrowed their eyes. They were not overly affected by his words and waited for him to continue.
But the weaker-willed candidates were already growing nervous, some even beginning to tremble.
Ibiki was pleased with this reaction. This was precisely his goal: to instil fear in those with weak resolve and filter them out.
"This is the rule, you can choose whether or not to take the tenth question."
"If you choose to take it and get it wrong, you will be barred from ever taking the Chunin Exams again for the rest of your life."
"If you choose not to take it, you and both of your teammates will be disqualified from this exam!"
BOOM!!
The moment this rule was announced, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck the candidates' minds. The room exploded into an uproar.
"What kind of stupid rule is that? If that's the case, what was the point of the first nine questions?"
"Yeah! So if we don't take the tenth question, everything we just did was for nothing?"
Many candidates began to shout, venting their frustration at this new rule.
However, Ibiki ignored their complaints, simply chuckling and saying, "I make the rules. It's just your bad luck that you got me this year."
"For those of you afraid of failing the tenth question, it's best to quit now. After all, you can always try again next year, can't you?"
"Damn it!"
Hearing this, many candidates were furious. But another portion, mostly those from other villages, looked unconcerned.
'Hmph. If I don't pass this exam, I can pass the one in my own village later. Konoha can't control me!' Kankuro thought with a cold sneer, completely dismissive of Ibiki's words.
The ninja from the Village Hidden in the Sound felt the same. They were only here on Lord Orochimaru's orders; passing or failing the Chunin Exam was irrelevant to them.
'Should I take it or not?'
At that moment, Naruto's fists were clenched, his mind in turmoil. If he took it and failed, he could never become a chunin.
How could he become Hokage then? But if he didn't take it, wouldn't all his hard work have been for nothing? And he would be dragging Sasuke and Sakura down with him.
As he struggled, many of the Konoha candidates, unable to withstand the pressure, began raising their hands. "I choose to quit the exam!"
"Me too!"
"I'm quitting too!"
In an instant, more than a dozen candidates had left the room.
'Hmph! I'm the man who's going to become Hokage! How can I back down here!'
Naruto thought back on everything that had happened since he became a ninja, from the fear and hesitation during his first encounter with an enemy to the courage he had now.
From his original, weak body to his current, battle-hardened physique; from his former status as the dead-last to his current strength, which even Kakashi-sensei had praised.
He had earned all of it through his own relentless effort. How could he let it all be for nothing!
Besides, he was aiming for first place in this exam!
SMACK!!
"Bring it on! I'm going to take first place in this exam, and I'm not going to be scared off by some stupid question!"
He slammed his hand on the desk, pointed at Ibiki, and declared his decision. The sudden outburst made everyone in the room turn to look at him.
'Heh, that's just like Naruto,' Sasuke thought with a smirk.
'That's our Naruto,' Sakura thought with a gentle smile.
Ibiki, the target of the outburst, remained expressionless. "Oh? Are you sure?" he said coldly.
"This concerns your entire life. If you make the wrong choice, you won't get a second chance."
"Of course! I don't believe for a second I'll be a genius for my whole life!" Naruto shot back without hesitation. "And even if I am, so what! As long as I keep getting stronger and stronger, one day, I'll definitely become Hokage!"
'Hmph. You're an interesting one, Naruto Uzumaki. First, you use that unconventional cheating method, and now you manage to calm the nerves of the other candidates with just a few words.'
Ibiki glanced around the room and noticed that after Naruto's speech, the other candidates who had been struggling with their decision had all calmed down, as if his confidence had steadied them.
In that moment, no one else raised their hand to quit. Seeing this, Ibiki knew that dragging it out any longer was pointless.
A rare smile spread across his face. "Congratulations. All of you have successfully passed the first exam."
???
His words were met with a sea of blank faces and question marks.