The room was designed to unsettle.
Aren noticed that immediately—not because of the cracked walls or the flickering lights, but because of how quiet it was once everyone had taken their seats. Too quiet for a room filled with ambitious genin from every corner of the shinobi world.
Desks were spaced just far enough apart to isolate. Proctors stood at irregular intervals, some pretending to read, others staring openly. The air itself felt heavy, like it resisted careless movement.
This wasn't a test of knowledge.
It was a test of nerve.
Aren sat near the middle, posture relaxed, hands folded loosely. He catalogued the room without moving his head—foreign chakra signatures, elevated heart rates, shallow breathing patterns.
Naruto was already sweating.
Sakura sat straight-backed, eyes forward. Focused.
Sasuke looked bored.
Ino was three rows ahead and slightly to the right.
She didn't turn around.
She didn't need to.
The system came online the moment the doors slammed shut.
[Event Detected: Chunin Exam – Phase One]
[Environment Classification: Psychological Pressure Zone]
[Primary Threat: Attrition via Stress]
A tall, scarred man stepped forward.
Ibiki Morino.
His presence hit like a blunt instrument—intentionally so. Scars exposed. Voice flat. Eyes sharp enough to cut.
"This exam," Ibiki said, "isn't about passing."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
"It's about endurance. Resolve. And knowing when to quit."
Aren didn't react.
The system parsed Ibiki's cadence, tone, and emphasis.
[Speech Analysis: Intimidation Protocol Active]
[Objective: Induce Voluntary Withdrawal]
Ibiki explained the rules.
Ten questions.
One point per correct answer.
Each mistake deducted points from the entire team.
Drop below zero, and the whole team fails.
And then—
"The tenth question," Ibiki continued, "will be revealed at the end. If you choose not to answer it, you fail. If you answer incorrectly, you fail permanently."
The word permanently echoed.
No retakes.
No second chances.
The room shifted.
This was where panic bloomed.
Aren felt it ripple outward—sharp spikes of anxiety, collapsing confidence, spiraling thoughts.
The system flagged it.
[Mass Psychological Stress Detected]
[Risk: Contagion Effect]
He didn't suppress it.
He filtered it out.
The first question hit the desk.
Aren glanced at it once.
Then again.
It wasn't difficult.
It was irrelevant.
The system recognized the pattern immediately.
[Question Design: Intentionally Advanced]
[Purpose: Force Reliance on External Solutions]
Cheating.
The unspoken requirement.
Aren didn't move.
He didn't need to.
Instead, he focused on flow—the subtle disturbances in the room. The scrape of a chair leg. A bead of sweat hitting paper. Chakra flickers from hidden tools, mirrored reflections, altered breathing rhythms.
Kumo genin using mirrored ink.
Suna relying on subtle wind distortions.
Oto attempting auditory cues.
And Konoha—
Sasuke didn't bother hiding it.
Sakura calculated quietly.
Shikamaru was already done thinking.
Hinata's chakra flickered nervously but precisely.
Naruto was… struggling.
Aren felt a familiar tension rise.
Responsibility overextension.
The system warned him.
[Behavioral Warning: Unnecessary Intervention Detected]
He ignored Naruto.
That was the test.
Instead, he did something else.
He leaned back slightly, adjusted his breathing, and let his chakra disperse just enough to create interference—not to cheat, but to blur.
The system processed rapidly.
[Passive Field Interaction: Enabled]
[Effect: Minor Sensory Distortion]
It wasn't enough to draw attention.
Just enough to mask Hinata's Byakugan usage in his vicinity.
Ino shifted in her seat.
Not looking back—but aware.
That earned a quiet system response.
[Coordination Detected: Non-Verbal Team Synergy]
[Effect: Detection Risk Reduced]
Question after question passed.
Teams fell.
One by one, hands rose.
Withdrawals.
Some out of fear.
Some out of calculation.
Ibiki watched it all with cold satisfaction.
By question eight, nearly a third of the room was gone.
Naruto was shaking.
Aren didn't look at him.
If Naruto passed, it would be because Naruto chose not to quit.
Not because someone saved him.
Ibiki's voice cut through the tension.
"Now," he said, "the final question."
The room held its breath.
"If you choose not to answer," Ibiki continued, "you fail. If you answer incorrectly, you and your team are barred from taking the Chunin Exams. Forever."
Silence.
Aren felt the weight of it then—not fear, but gravity.
This was the real test.
Not knowledge.
Not cheating.
Intent.
The system stayed silent.
It didn't need to speak.
Aren already knew the answer.
Ibiki waited.
Minutes stretched.
Sweat dripped.
Hands trembled.
And then—
Naruto stood.
"I'll take it!" he shouted. "I don't care if I fail! I'll become Hokage even if I'm a genin forever!"
The room froze.
Ibiki stared at him.
Aren closed his eyes briefly.
So that's how he does it, he thought.
Not strategy.
Conviction.
Ibiki laughed.
Loud. Sudden.
"Congratulations," he said. "You pass."
The tension shattered.
Relief flooded the room.
The system chimed softly.
[Phase One: Cleared]
[Evaluation: Psychological Resilience – High]
As they filed out, Ino finally looked back.
Just once.
Aren met her gaze.
No smile.
Just understanding.
This was only the beginning.
The forest awaited.
End of Chapter 20
Author's Comment
📅 Regular Schedule: Daily updates will continue
💎 Bonus Chapters: Every 10 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter
Thank you to everyone supporting the story — especially those dropping Power Stones and comments.
The Chunin Exams are officially underway, and things are about to escalate fast 🔥