The First Round, Written Exam

The first round of the Chunin Exams was a written test, and the chief examiner was Ibiki Morino, a man with vicious scars on his face and eyes as sharp as a vulture's.

He stood in the center of the podium and looked down over the densely packed examinees in the exam hall, a cruel sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. His voice spread through the entire hall through the microphone. "Welcome to the first stage of the Chunin Exams, the written test. But don't get happy too soon. This exam is different from any test you've taken before—it tests not only your knowledge reserves, but also your 'survival ability.'"

He paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on the faces of several examinees trembling with nerves, then continued, "The rules are simple. Each person starts with ten points, one point per question. Whether you pass is determined by the total score of your three-person team. Cheating once costs you two points. If even one member of your squad gets zero points, the entire squad fails."

Duanmu knew the so-called first written test was nothing more than a formality. The key was the final question. As long as they answered that last question properly, it did not matter whether they had any points before it.

It was just that the people in the exam hall did not know that yet. They had only realized the simple rule that cheating was fine as long as they did not get caught.

Duanmu simply did not write at all, instead observing his surroundings. He noticed that examinees from each ninja village were passing answers in different ways.

Some squad members tapped their fingers rapidly on the desks, making Morse code only their teammates could understand; others used ninja tools to create tiny reflections, projecting the answers onto a distant wall.

In the corner, the examinees from Sound Village had sinister eyes. They were not in a hurry to cheat, instead observing their surroundings like venomous snakes, as though searching for some kind of opportunity.

Duanmu discovered that Naruto was the only one here who had no idea what to do.

Naruto looked up, and his eyes happened to meet Duanmu's. Thinking Duanmu could not write anything either, he immediately showed an expression like he had "found a comrade," lowered his voice, and made faces at Duanmu. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly, as though asking, "You don't know either?"

Looking at him scratching his head and ears while forcing himself to stay calm, Duanmu could not help laughing inwardly.

He did not respond, only shook his head lightly. His gaze fell back onto the blank test paper, his fingers unconsciously tapping the desk as though he were thinking about something, when in reality he had already taken in every detail in the exam hall.

The little movements of those Sound Village examinees, the faint murderous aura radiating from Gaara among the three Sand siblings, and the hidden eye contact between Konoha's other squads—everything was under his control.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still fidgeting because he could not answer the questions. His hands secretly formed clumsy seals beneath the desk, trying to use the Clone Technique to cheat, only for his unstable chakra control to produce a crooked, twisted clone that collapsed to the floor the instant it appeared, drawing a wave of low laughter from the examinees around him.

Naturally, Naruto also received a warning from the examiner. His face flushed red, and he lowered his head in embarrassment, wishing he could crawl into a crack in the floor. He clapped both hands tightly over his mouth, afraid that making even the slightest sound would draw more attention.

As time slowly passed, the first half of the written test ended. Ibiki Morino stepped onto the podium again, his gaze sweeping over the examinees below with their various expressions. The smile on his face grew even colder. "It seems all of you have already experienced the 'fun' of this exam. Now, I will announce the rules for the final question—those who give up on the exam will be considered to have failed, but it will not affect their eligibility to take the Chunin Exams again in the future; those who choose to stay and answer this question incorrectly will forever lose the qualifications to become a ninja. Now, you have ten minutes to consider. Those who decide to stay, raise your hands."

As soon as he finished speaking, the exam hall instantly fell into dead silence. The examinees who had still been secretly passing answers all turned pale, and even their breathing seemed to freeze.

Ibiki Morino looked with satisfaction at everyone's panicked state, as though admiring prey falling into a trap, and added unhurriedly, "Remember, this question has no correct answer. Your choice is the answer itself."

Gradually, quite a few examinees began to waver, especially those teams from smaller ninja villages with weaker strength. They looked at one another, their eyes filled with fear and hesitation.

A female examinee wearing a forehead protector raised her hand tremblingly, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz. "I... I give up."

Her companions immediately raised their hands as well. The three of them left the exam hall almost as if fleeing, as though staying even one more second would make them fall into an abyss.

With the first came the second. Voices giving up sounded one after another throughout the exam hall, and the harsh scraping of desks and chairs against the floor rose and fell. In less than five minutes, nearly one third of the seats in the hall had emptied.

Naruto gripped his pen tightly, his knuckles turning white, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.

Though he did not understand the deeper meaning behind the question, the words "forever lose the qualifications to become a ninja" struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

Becoming Hokage was the dream he had held since childhood. He absolutely could not give up here!

But he was also afraid he would answer wrong and drag Duanmu and the others down with him.

Duanmu sat with one leg crossed over the other, watching all of this with a calm expression. He knew this was exactly the effect Ibiki wanted—to screen out those ninjas who lacked resolve and courage.

A true ninja had to hold to their own path even when facing unknown danger.

He noticed the Sound Village examinees did not move in the slightest. Orochimaru's subordinates were extraordinary indeed. Gaara of the Sand was lying on the desk, seemingly deaf to the commotion around him, and only the occasional cold glance he cast toward Naruto exposed the fluctuations in his heart.

Time passed second by second. Ibiki looked at the clock on the wall, and his voice rang out once more. "One minute left."

Just then, Naruto suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with unprecedented determination. He lifted his hand, and although his voice was not loud, it was unusually clear. "I won't give up!"

Sasuke and Sakura looked at him almost at the same time. A trace of surprise flashed through Sasuke's eyes before turning into approval; Sakura froze for a moment, then raised her hand as well, her voice carrying a slight tremble yet incomparably firm. "I'm staying too!"

Sasuke was the last to raise his hand, his movement crisp and clean, without the slightest hesitation.

Duanmu looked at the three people beside him, the corner of his mouth curving into an almost imperceptible smile, and slowly raised his hand too. His movement was calm and unhurried, as though he were only doing something utterly insignificant.

Inside the exam hall, more and more people chose to stay, either encouraged by their companions or held there by their own persistence.

When Ibiki announced that time was up, the exam hall that had once been full was left with fewer than half the examinees, but in the eyes of every person who remained, there was now an extra measure of the resolve belonging to a ninja.

Ibiki looked at these examinees below, whose eyes were different yet equally determined, and the cold smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a barely perceptible hint of approval. He cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Very good! Congratulations, you have passed the first stage. From now on, you have already proven that you possess the basic quality needed to become ninja—courage in the face of despair."

A burst of suppressed cheers rang through the exam hall, and the tense atmosphere was finally relieved.

Naruto waved his fist excitedly and almost jumped out of his chair.

When they left the exam hall, Naruto sidled up to Duanmu and said excitedly, "Duanmu, Duanmu! We actually really passed! Just now, I thought we were done for, but good thing none of us gave up!"

He gestured animatedly, even knocking the forehead protector on his head crooked to one side. "That examiner was way too scary, right? Saying we'd never be able to become ninja if we answered wrong—that was just trying to scare people! But thinking about it now, it didn't seem that hard. We just had to dare to stay!"

As he spoke, he even slapped Duanmu hard on the shoulder, his face brimming with the joy of surviving a disaster and anticipation for the next exam.

Sasuke walked over and saw Duanmu's blank test paper. He did not believe for a second that Duanmu truly could not write anything. His brows furrowed slightly, and his steps paused. His gaze lingered on the test paper for a moment before shifting to Duanmu, his tone carrying a hint of probing. "You knew what the answer to the final question was from the start, didn't you?"

Sasuke's gaze was as sharp as a blade, as though he wanted to find a flaw beneath Duanmu's calm expression. After all, Duanmu's earlier look of having everything under control was absolutely not the reaction an ordinary examinee should have.

"Mm... more or less." Duanmu did not answer directly, only turned his gaze toward the window. The sunlight outside was just right, and a few little birds had landed on the branches, chirping away.

"A ninja exam has never only tested knowledge. More often, it tests mindset and choices. Like just now—if you don't even have the courage to keep going, then there's no point talking about the challenges that come after." He turned his head and looked at Sasuke, the corner of his mouth holding the faintest smile. "But you're pretty sharp, actually noticing that I didn't answer the questions."

Sasuke gave a cold snort and looked away, though his tone softened slightly. "A trick of that level is easy to understand as long as you think about it a little."

He refused to admit out loud that he admired Duanmu, but his steps subconsciously slowed, and he walked side by side with him. "Still, what you said just now about 'mindset and choices' is a little interesting."

"The next round of the Chunin Exams is when things will truly be put to the test."