What Kazeka had said was downright vicious. Even though Morino Ibiki wanted to cover up the incident, Kazeka had put the Sound Ninja in a very difficult position.
Of course, ninjas were trained to endure. If it was only a little humiliation, Dosu could tolerate it for the sake of the exam.
But Kazeka's words were practically accusing Otogakure of lacking skill. Dosu couldn't let that pass.
"Examiner, since Kazeka here thinks our methods are too crude, we'll hand them over..."
Dosu passed the little flute he had been using to transmit information to an assistant examiner nearby. His voice was icy.
"Our Otogakure has plenty of methods. I hope certain people aren't only good at making a fuss over petty tricks.
When it comes to a real fight, I hope they'll be just as confident!"
The angry Dosu made no attempt to hide the murderous intent and threat of revenge in his words, but Morino Ibiki didn't stop him.
Cheating was the sort of thing that wasn't meant to be brought into the open. If someone's method was clumsy and they got caught, the examiners would deal with them accordingly.
Besides, in Morino Ibiki's eyes, the Sound Ninja's cheating methods were actually pretty good!
Now that Kazeka had stirred things up, the others began to get ideas of their own:
If Kazeka could report people, couldn't they do the same?
If they got other people's points deducted and their cheating methods taken away, wouldn't their own chances of passing increase?
As for threats, they'd all be fighting sooner or later anyway. Who was afraid of whom?
Still, there was no need to draw too much attention just yet. They'd watch what Kazeka, the one leading the charge, did, and how Morino Ibiki responded, then decide what to do!
Just as everyone expected, Kazeka didn't let them down. He focused solely on the Sound Ninja, looking determined to drive them out of the exam room!
"Examiner, I'd like to report that the Sound Ninja are still up to something!"
"Examiner, tapping on the desk to pass information is too crude. I propose that the Sound Ninja have double points deducted!"
"Examiner, using low-frequency sound waves to pass information is still a little too obvious. I think..."
"Examiner, the Sand Ninja are using the Puppet Technique to pass information. I'd like to report them too!"
"Examiner, I think the Konoha Ninja's cheating methods are a little too obvious as well!"
With Kazeka leading the way, many of the other ninja began reporting on their own initiative. The Sound Ninja were clearly getting the worst of it, thanks to Kazeka.
In no time at all, Kazeka had reported them three times!
The endless stream of accusations left Naruto gaping in astonishment. Even more unbelievable was the fact that so many people were cheating!
Thinking back to how he'd wanted to sneak a look at the answers earlier but had been too timid to do it, Naruto couldn't help letting out a long sigh:
So I'm the only honest one here!
Seeing so many people reported—and quite a few still sitting calmly at their desks even after being reported—Naruto began to consider cheating too.
But once he actually tried, he discovered that he didn't seem to know any way to copy!
He couldn't answer the questions, and he couldn't even copy the answers properly. For the first time, Naruto felt like he might be completely useless.
Just then, an eyeball with three pairs of spiderlike legs abruptly crawled onto Naruto's desk.
The little thing was both cute and horrifying. It nearly scared Naruto right off his seat.
But soon, Naruto had no time to worry about that. A huge mouth suddenly split open in the middle of the eyeball, and it spat out a slip of paper:
"Naruto, want the answers? Agree to be a test subject, and I'll tell you!"
Naruto: "..."
The familiar handwriting and manner of speaking immediately made Naruto think of Kazeka.
Naruto found Kazeka's experiments terrifying, but he seemed to want to become a Chunin even more.
More importantly, he could feel the icy killing intent coming from Sakura's direction behind him.
Naruto understood that if he was the reason his team failed to become Chunin, Sakura would definitely kill him!
"Gulp!"
Naruto swallowed and shakily wrote his agreement on the slip of paper. The Eye Spider swallowed the note and left, only to return again a short while later.
It opened its huge, fanged mouth once more. This time, what it spat out was a cheat sheet covered in answers!
Seeing the cheat sheet, Naruto felt like someone in the dark had finally glimpsed the light. He focused all his attention and rapidly wrote down the answers on his exam paper.
Not for any other reason, but because the exam room had become a paradise for people reporting cheaters.
Seeing that reporting people actually worked—and that some had really been driven out of the exam room—only made everyone more enthusiastic.
All kinds of advanced cheating methods were exposed. Naruto was terrified he'd be next!
The accusations made a lively spectacle, but they hadn't eliminated many people.
Once someone reported them, the others copied faster. There were only ten questions in all, and many people had already finished!
"That Kazeka kid really does love making trouble..."
Watching the uproar in the room, one of the assistant examiners behind Morino Ibiki chuckled.
"He's being so petty. The Sound Ninja must be having a terrible time with him!"
"So what if they are? As ninja, they need to be able to persevere through any adversity..."
Morino Ibiki kept his expression neutral.
"Endurance is the essence of being a ninja!
Still, this exam has become rather interesting because of Kazeka."
"Indeed..."
The assistant examiner continued:
"Because of that kid, I bet two more teams will be eliminated this time!"
"Even so, there are still too many of them..."
Morino Ibiki kept his expression unchanged. The transition from Genin to Chunin was a process of qualitative change.
To earn the title, ninja would do whatever it took. From schemes and deception to life-and-death battles, all manner of brutal methods were employed.
The first exam had already eliminated quite a few people, but most of the ninja still had real ability. They wouldn't be weeded out in the first round!
"In that case, we'll have to use the final measure!"
At that, Morino Ibiki suddenly tapped the blackboard, drawing everyone's attention.
"By now, you've probably worked out roughly how many points you have. I don't need to tell you that they're all terrible!
So I'm adding one more rule. It's simple: whether or not you answer the tenth question!
If you give up, your team's exam is void. If you answer incorrectly, you'll lose the right to ever take the Chunin exam again!"
Morino Ibiki's words struck everyone like a heavy hammer.
This was the simplest kind of psychological battle—and an open one at that. It was all about whether they had the courage to persevere!
There was no denying that this kind of straightforward strategy was the most agonizing. Its effect was obvious, too.
Within a few breaths, ninja began leaving one after another!
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