23: Chapter 23 Chunin Exams, The Eve of the Storm"I recommend you participate in the Chunin Exams." Kakashi Hatake leaned against the memorial stone, speaking in a lazy tone, as if discussing the weather, uttering a statement that would change the fate of the three.
Uchiha Sasuke's body tensed instantly, and his Sharingan, which he had awakened in the Land of Waves, almost uncontrollably surfaced.
He needs to fight, he needs stronger opponents, he needs a stage to test the gap between himself and that monster.
"I'll participate." His answer was without the slightest hesitation.
[Ding!You have received 1800 [Desire] from Uchiha Sasuke!]
"But, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura Haruno's face was full of resistance."The Chunin Exams.what if we encounter an enemy of Zabuza's caliber again."
The bridge in the Land of Waves, covered in blood and snow, is a nightmare she can never escape.
Kakashi didn't say anything, but simply left the choice to them.
"Sakura, don't worry!" Naruto Uzumaki jumped in at the right moment, patting his chest loudly."With me, the man who's going to become Hokage, and Sasuke, who's so strong, we'll definitely be fine!Don't you have any faith in us?"
He cleverly threw the question back, replacing the fear of the unknown with a test of trust in his companions.
Sakura Haruno choked for a moment.
She glanced at Sasuke, who had made up his mind, then at this idiot who was always full of inexplicable confidence, and finally bit her lip and nodded.
The first round of the Chunin Exams: the written exam.
Team 7 entered the familiar classroom at the Ninja Academy, only to find it had been transformed into a tense examination room.The genin from various villages sat sparsely, each with a wary and nervous expression on their face.
The air was thick with negative emotions, but for Naruto, this place was paradise.
A bald man with a face covered in hideous scars and wearing a Konoha headband walked onto the podium.He simply stood there, doing nothing, yet an invisible pressure, a mixture of torture and death, enveloped the entire classroom.
Ibiki Morino, captain of the Konoha Anbu interrogation team.
[Ding!Extremely high concentration of [Wei Pressure] x3000 detected from Ibiki Morino!]
[Ding!You have received 5500 units of [Fear] from all the candidates!]
[Ding!You've received 4800 units of "nervousness" from all the test takers!]
"Now we begin the first exam." Ibixi announced the rules in a hoarse voice that could peel away a layer of skin, "The exam is a written test, with ten questions in total.Cheating is not allowed.Anyone caught cheating five times will be disqualified along with their teammates."
Naruto received the test paper and glanced at it.
These problems involve cryptography, ballistic calculations, and tactical analysis, making them almost impossible tasks for a true genin.
But he is not.
This knowledge, given his vast reading volume, was as simple as breathing.
However, actors must adhere to professional ethics.
Naruto immediately got into the zone.He scratched his head, bit his pen, and his face showed just the right amount of anxiety and confusion.He would sometimes look at the ceiling, and sometimes stare blankly at the blank test paper, perfectly portraying the helplessness of a poor student in the exam room.
He could clearly sense that the other examinees around him were all using their unique abilities.Kiba's puppy was helping him peek, Shino's insects were passing on answers, and Sasuke was using his Sharingan to copy the writing movements of the person in front of him.
Only Naruto sat there obediently, without writing a single word.
He knew that the real core of this exam was never the first nine questions.
Time passed second by second.
Finally, fifteen minutes before the end of the exam, Ibishina's hoarse voice rang out again.
"Now, let's announce the tenth question."
The atmosphere in the classroom froze instantly.
"Before the questions are announced, you need to make a choice." A cruel smile appeared on Ibixi's face."You can choose to answer or give up.Those who choose to give up will immediately disqualify themselves and their teammates, but they will have another chance next year."
"And those who chose to answer, but didn't get it right." He paused, each word striking heavily into the hearts of all the examinees, "will forever lose their eligibility to participate in the Chunin Exams!"
boom!
These words were like a bomb, exploding in everyone's minds.
He is banned from taking the exam for life.
The price was too high.
The examination room was instantly filled with negative emotions ten times stronger than before.
[Ding!You have received 9000 units of ultimate despair from all the candidates!]
[Ding!You have received 12,000 units of ultimate [fear] from all the candidates!]
Naruto almost burst out laughing.
This was the main course he had been waiting for.
Some candidates, unable to withstand the pressure, raised their hands with trembling hands, chose to give up, and were then led away from the examination room.Panic began to spread.
Sakura Haruno's face turned pale.She looked at Naruto, seemingly wanting him to give up as well, at least to preserve any chance for the future.
Right now.
Bang!
Naruto Uzumaki slammed his hand on the table and stood up from his seat.
The loud noise attracted everyone's attention.
He raised his right hand high and roared with all his might.
"Don't underestimate me!I won't run away!Even if I'm a genin for life, I'll work hard to become Hokage and show you!"
"I will never give up!This is my ninja way!"
That voice was filled with the stubbornness and passion unique to young people, regardless of the consequences.It was like a bolt of lightning that pierced the darkness, instantly breaking through the clouds of despair that hung over the examination hall.
Those candidates who were already prepared to give up were all shocked when they heard this.
yes.
Even the perennial loser dares to gamble everything, so what are they afraid of?
The world of ninjas is, by its very nature,Dancing on the edge of a knife—if you don't even have that much awareness, what future can you talk about!
[Ding!You have received 10,000 Courage points from all the test takers!]
[Ding!You have received 8000 units of "Determination" from all the candidates!]
[Ding!You have received 7500 "Inspiring" points from all the candidates!]
[Glory Points +25500!]
Naruto was overjoyed inside, but on the surface he still maintained that sullen, hot-blooded, idiotic look.
Ibihi looked at him, and for the first time, a barely perceptible, almost appreciative smile appeared on his狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face.
"Very good awareness." He spoke slowly."Then, everyone present.the first test, everyone has passed!"
Everyone was stunned.
Ibiki explained that the true purpose of the exam was to test one's courage to gather information under pressure and one's resolve to make choices.Naruto, with his seemingly foolish declaration, perfectly exemplified the latter.
Just as everyone was still basking in the joy of passing the exam, a figure suddenly smashed through the window and rushed in.
A woman with a hot figure, holding a kunai, and exuding a wild and dangerous aura unfurled a huge banner in front of the crowd.
The examiner for the second exam, Mitarashi Anko, reporting for duty!
[Ding!Detected 2500 units of [Excitement] from Mitarashi Anko!]
[Ding!Detected 2000 units of Bloodlust from Mitarashi Anko!]
Red Bean surveyed all the successful candidates with the same detached gaze one would give to prey, and announced the location of the second exam.
Exercise Field No.44, also known as the "Forest of Death".
"You'll be engaged in a scroll-grabbing battle inside, facing all sorts of ferocious beasts and enemies.Remember, you have to sign a waiver of liability, otherwise I won't be responsible for collecting your corpses." She stuck out her tongue, her smile both radiant and deadly.
The entrance to the Forest of Death.
Class 7 obtained their "Earth Scroll." This means they must find the team possessing the "Heaven Scroll" and steal it.
Naruto stood in front of the barbed wire fence and closed his eyes.
He could clearly sense that the vast forest was filled with the fear of various creatures on the verge of death, the ferocity of wild beasts hunting, and the undisguised malice and greed emanating from the other squads of ninjas.
This was practically a self-service feast of emotions tailor-made for him.
"Alright, kids!" Red Bean announced loudly from the top of the tower, "The second test shall now begin!"
Squeak—
The heavy iron gate slowly opened, revealing the entrance to the dark forest.
Naruto was the first to rush in, still with that carefree, excited look.
However, the moment he stepped one foot into the forest.
A cold, sticky, and immense chakra surge, brimming with extreme killing intent and greed, emerged from the depths of the forest without warning and instantly locked onto him.
The feeling was like a giant python lurking in the abyss, finally spotting its long-desired prey and flicking out its cold tongue.
Naruto's running motion paused for a barely perceptible moment.
The smile on his face remained unchanged.
But in the unseen depths of his heart, a sinister smile crept across his lips.
He knew that the "guest" he was most looking forward to had already arrived—Orochimaru.
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