Sasuke, Fired Up and Fired Up, Passes the Written Test

"Using the rules I set?

In a specific situation, using specific rules to achieve your own goal.

And ensuring all your teammates advance...

What a troublesome brat!"

Watching Sasuke and the other two with their serious expressions, Ibiki gave a wry, helpless smile...

He had originally been the one setting questions for the examinees, yet he had been completely turned around by one of them.

If he refused to acknowledge his own rules, he would be personally denying the authority of the exam!

But if he acknowledged Sasuke's approach, the other examinees would all follow suit...

Then this intelligence-gathering exam would lose all meaning!

What a difficult choice...

But how could he let some brat lead him around by the nose...

"Consider yourselves lucky. Sit down..."

Ibiki gave Sasuke a meaningful look, then nodded in approval of his actions amid the excited expressions of all the examinees.

"Awesome, Sasuke rocks..."

"That's great..."

Naruto and Sakura shouted excitedly at the same time, their anxious worries finally settling.

Naruto especially was now brimming with confidence about passing the Written Test!

Ibiki's action also filled quite a few examinees who had not answered any questions with wild joy...

In that case, couldn't they...

"All right...

Quiet down. Now I will announce today's tenth question..."

Just as the other examinees were eager to try, Ibiki returned to the podium and shouted with a sinister grin.

Everyone's expressions changed, and they quickly quieted down to look at Ibiki.

"First, I want you to make a choice.

Before the tenth question is announced, choose whether you will take it or not..."

Ibiki swept his cold gaze across the room before finally settling it on Sasuke as he made the announcement.

Now.

What would you choose, brat...

"Take it or not??

Do we even need to think about that? Of course we'll keep taking the exam..."

Sakura immediately shouted her objection, voicing the thoughts of every examinee.

They had come this far. How could they give up...

"Because I'm about to announce a rule that will fill you with despair!

Any examinee who fails the tenth question will be permanently barred from taking the Chunin Exams..."

Ibiki turned to Sakura with a chilling smile. His answer left everyone stunned!

"How could there be such an absurd rule??"

"That's right! Why should our right to take the exam be taken away for life?"

Examinees instantly began shouting in dissatisfaction, and the atmosphere grew tense...

"No, we can copy what that Konoha brat did.

There's no such thing as failing the exam!"

At that moment, one clever fellow immediately stood up and shouted.

The tension around him instantly vanished...

That was right, who cared what the tenth question was!

As long as they followed Sasuke's method, they could just flip the table and break the deadlock. It was foolproof...

"My apologies, but I'm adding another rule now.

Any examinee who exploits the cheating rules will be eliminated immediately..."

Watching the crowd's soaring morale, Ibiki curled his lips and mercilessly announced another rule.

At once, the announcement stirred up an uproar...

"I object..."

"Exactly! Why can they do it but we can't?"

"Are you favoring Konoha ninja?"

"That's right! Konoha must be making rules that benefit its own people..."

For a moment, rumors erupted throughout the examination room as everyone united to bombard the proctor team.

With the rules changed like this, how could they calmly take the tenth question??

"You pieces of trash, shut up..."

Faced with the examinees' questions, Ibiki did not indulge them. He directly released his killing intent and bellowed.

The entire room immediately fell silent...

"Favoritism??

If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves for not thinking of that loophole first!

Here, I am the rules...

The rules I announced before represented Konoha, and so do these...

Begin. Choose whether to continue or give up..."

Ibiki looked contemptuously at the clamoring examinees, making everyone tense once again...

Now, this was a truly major choice!

"Sorry, Yuan Nei. I give up..."

"I give up too..."

"Damn it, I don't want to spend my whole life..."

In less than three minutes, quite a few examinees could no longer bear the rule and chose to withdraw.

Their withdrawal tormented the remaining examinees even more...

Even Naruto could not help wavering now!

Even if he had Sasuke's test paper now, he might still fail the tenth question.

Then he would drag Sasuke and Sakura down with him, and he would never be able to take the Chunin Exams again...

Smack...

Just as Naruto hesitated, Sasuke behind him suddenly slammed his hand onto the desk and stood up.

Everyone's eyes turned to Sasuke once again...

"A ninja...

Is, by nature, a dangerous profession with no guarantee of surviving tomorrow, constantly facing unknown risks.

In this cruel world, ninja die every moment!

Whether they are Genin, Chunin, Jonin, or the Kage of a village...

So looking before and after has never been my style!

If my fate is to remain a Genin for life, then I'll accept failing the tenth question...

But that is absolutely not a reason for me to retreat!

I still have dreams that I must fulfill. I will never fall here.

Finally, my teacher once said:

Ninja are those who break the rules.

If the rules of this exam are your rules, Examiner, then I can break your rules too.

Anyway, I will not let your rules deny my existence...

Even if I have to be a useless Genin for the rest of my life, I would rather do that than become an even more useless deserter!"

Under everyone's astonished gazes, Sasuke stared at Ibiki and spoke with resounding conviction.

Sasuke was not merely saying it. Those words came from the bottom of his heart.

Knowing the plot, he understood better than anyone the terrifying threats that lay ahead...

This was his Nindō as well!

Sasuke's words drew strange yet inspired looks from many people...

"That's right...

Sasuke's right. We're men who dream of becoming Hokage.

How can we retreat here...

I'm going for it. At worst, I'll be a Genin for life..."

Naruto, who had already been wavering, immediately stood and shouted. At the same time, he looked at Sasuke with admiration and unwillingness in his eyes.

How could he lose to that Sasuke guy...

He had stolen the spotlight again, damn it!!

"Sasuke-kun is so cool! I support you..."

"That's exactly right..."

Sakura and Ino immediately chimed in sweetly, their eyes sparkling as they looked at Sasuke.

"I'm doing it. At worst, I'll be a Genin for life..."

"That's right. If I can't even get past this, then I might as well stay a Genin..."

"If my existence is only worth a Genin's level, then what difference does it make whether I take the exam or not?

I'm betting on it. I don't want to regret it later..."

The other examinees were all hot-blooded youths. They immediately steeled their resolve and made their choice.

Under the sidelong glances of the proctors, the tense atmosphere Ibiki had created instantly crumbled apart...

"Tch, that Uchiha brat again...

He actually made everyone firm up their resolve and change their attitude in an instant.

What a headache!!"

Ibiki shifted his gaze to Sasuke and muttered faintly. However, the smile at the corner of his lips showed that he was quite pleased.

This brat might really have a chance of becoming a Chunin!

"No one else is withdrawing??"

Looking at the high-spirited examinees, Ibiki asked again.

After seeing everyone nod heavily, Ibiki could not help letting out a breath...

There was no point in continuing any longer!

"Then congratulations...

Every examinee here has passed!!"

The next second,

under everyone's nervous and uneasy gazes, Ibiki's expression changed as he loudly announced.