A Tense and Thrilling Written Exam

Ibiki stood atop the raised platform. His scar-covered face and vicious gaze silenced the entire hall, and every genin held their breath as they listened.

"The first exam is a written test." Ibiki's voice was low and oppressive. "Now, take your seats according to your exam numbers."

Only then did everyone notice that neat rows of desks and chairs had somehow been arranged throughout the room. They quickly found their assigned seats.

Ling Yue, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura happened to be seated in different areas.

After sitting down, Ling Yue quickly scanned her surroundings.

Besides Ibiki, several stern-faced chunin were stationed around the exam room, their gazes sharp.

The test papers were handed out. Ling Yue took one look, and her scalp instantly went numb.

First question: Discuss the application of chakra nature transformations in B-rank ninjutsu, and use examples to explain the principles behind at least three compound nature transformations.

What the hell was this?! She had only just barely gotten the hang of a single nature transformation!

Second question: Analyze the chakra counterrelationship of the genjutsu Nirvana Temple Technique and the optimal method for breaking it.

She had never even heard of it!

Third question: Based on the following encrypted runes, derive the corresponding summoning formula for a summoning contract scroll...

Ling Yue felt as though she were reading a heavenly tome. Was this really an exam for genin? The difficulty was absurd!

She secretly glanced at Naruto in the distance. He was scratching his head over the test paper, looking utterly crushed.

Sasuke, meanwhile, frowned as his Sharingan slowly turned, seemingly thinking hard.

Sakura was writing with effortless fluency, fully displaying her top-student nature.

[ Ding! Mission prompt: Host must answer at least five questions correctly. ]

The system's voice rang out at just the right moment, carrying a hint of malicious amusement.

Ling Yue's mouth twitched. Get five right? Just kill her already!

It looked like she could only rely on her "own abilities."

She took a deep breath and silently pushed [Concealment] to its limit. Her entire presence faded, as though she were merely a stone blended into the environment.

At the same time, [Thunder Breathing] began circulating quietly—not for explosive power, but to sharpen her hearing and visual perception to the utmost limit.

Her ears trembled slightly as the faint scratching of several top students' pens against paper in the distance became amplified;

Out of the corner of her eye, she swept over several nearby examinees who looked like they knew the answers, like a high-speed camera.

Her brain overclocked, forcibly memorizing the fragmented answers she caught!

But that was not enough! She could not see many of the words clearly, and the answers varied wildly. She needed to compare and identify them!

Just then, Ibiki's cold voice rang out again:

"Now, I will announce the most important rules."

Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats.

"First: everyone starts with ten points. There are ten questions in the written test, each worth one point."

"Second: scores are calculated by three-person teams. Any team whose final total is below thirty points will have all members eliminated."

"Third, and most importantly..." Ibiki's gaze swept across the room. "Cheating, as well as being judged to have cheated, will result in a deduction of two points each time!"

A wave of sharp inhalations rose from below the platform.

"In other words," Ibiki said, a cruel smile curling at his lips, "if you are caught cheating five times, or if cheating causes your team's total score to fall short, not only you, but all of your teammates will be eliminated!"

"And once points are deducted, they will never be restored!"

A rule of death!

This rule was downright vicious! It forced people to cheat, then used collective punishment to increase the risk! The psychological pressure instantly hit its peak!

Ling Yue cursed inwardly. This was even more troublesome now. Not only did she have to cheat without getting caught, she also had to make sure her teammates did not lose too many points? That idiot Naruto...

Sure enough, Naruto looked like he was about to tear his hair out. His eyes darted around wildly, and it was obvious he was trying to pull something.

An invigilator instantly appeared behind Naruto and said coldly, "First warning. Two points deducted."

Naruto: "!!!" His face went pale with fright.

Ling Yue rubbed her forehead. Bad start, brother!

The atmosphere in the exam room grew even tenser. Invigilators kept flashing into view, coldly announcing, "Two points deducted." Every time, the other examinees' hearts tightened.

Ling Yue forced herself to calm down.

Don't panic!

She pushed [Concealment] and her enhanced senses to the limit, entering a state of intense concentration.

Her eyes became scanners, her ears caught every tiny sound, and her brain frantically processed information.

Sakura's answers... Neji's answers... that glasses-wearing guy's answers... even fragments of answers from a female ninja from the Sand Village beside her...

She needed to piece them together, compare them, identify the most likely correct answers, and then...

How was she supposed to copy them?

Looking directly would be too obvious. She noticed that the paper was quite thick. Maybe...

Her finger quietly gathered an extremely faint thread of chakra. It was not for a nature transformation, but like a needle probing through the back of the paper, sensing the movement of the glasses-wearing guy's pen in the seat ahead!

She was actually using Kami-e's perception for this!

At the same time, she held her pen as her wrist trembled rapidly with tiny movements.

She applied Flash Step's force-generating technique to microscopic control. Without lifting her head or looking to the side, she relied on the trajectories she sensed and the answer fragments in her memory to rapidly write on the test paper!

Her speed was incredible, yet her handwriting was unexpectedly neat.

First question... done! It was not exactly the same, but she should have gotten the key points right.

Second question... breaking genjutsu? She truly did not understand this one. She could only copy and guess.

Third question... encrypted runes? That glasses-wearing guy seemed pretty good at this? She would follow his lead!

She was like a precise human cheating machine, multitasking as she frantically stole the intellectual achievements around her.

An invigilator's gaze swept in her direction, as though he had noticed something.

Ling Yue instantly pushed [Concealment] to its peak. Even her breathing and heartbeat nearly stopped. Her writing motions remained natural and smooth, as though she were simply answering the questions seriously.

The invigilator watched her for several seconds. Finding nothing unusual, he looked away.

A thin layer of cold sweat covered Ling Yue's back. That was close!

Time passed second by second.

People were constantly caught cheating and had points deducted. Some even gave up directly under the pressure.

Naruto looked utterly hopeless by then, lying motionless on his desk as though he had completely despaired.

Sasuke's brows were tightly furrowed. His Sharingan seemed capable of seeing other people's movements, but understanding and copying still took time, and he could easily draw attention.

Sakura continued writing furiously, but sweat had appeared on her forehead as well. The pressure was clearly enormous.

Finally, the last moment arrived.

Ibiki checked the time, and an even more terrifying smile appeared on his face.

"Now, I will announce the rules for the tenth question."

Everyone looked up, their hearts in their throats.

"First, you may choose to take it or not take it," Ibiki said slowly. "Those who choose not to take it may leave immediately. Their scores will be voided, and their teams will be eliminated."

A commotion broke out below the platform.

"But..." Ibiki's voice suddenly turned cold. "Those who choose to take it, if they answer the tenth question incorrectly, will lose their qualification to participate in the Chunin Exams forever!"

"What?! Lose our qualification forever?!" The room instantly exploded into uproar!

"What kind of rule is that?!"

"That's absurd!"

"How can you do this?!"

Everyone began complaining at once.

"Now, I'll give you five minutes to think it over. Those who choose not to take it may raise their hands and leave." Ibiki looked like a hunter savoring the struggle of his prey.

Examinees whose minds had already collapsed immediately raised their hands and ran from the exam room in tears.

Like a chain reaction, more and more people chose to give up.

Naruto's entire body trembled. His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were filled with extreme struggle. Lose his qualification forever? Then what about his dream of becoming Hokage...

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly as well. He could not fail! Absolutely not!

Sakura looked anxiously at her two teammates, then at the steadily dwindling crowd around them. Her mind was in chaos.

Ling Yue felt tremendous pressure too. Lose her qualification forever? The punishment was too severe!

What exactly was the tenth question? She had no clue at all! Her earlier cheating methods were completely useless against an unknown tenth question!

What should she do? Take a gamble? Or give up?

Giving up meant failing the mission and having one skill randomly deducted!

[Flash Step]? [Thunder Breathing]? She could not afford to lose either one!

Time passed second by second.

Fewer and fewer people remained in the exam room, and the oppressive atmosphere was suffocating.

Ibiki looked at those who remained, his voice carrying a trace of amusement. "Oh? There are still so many of you determined to continue? Very courageous. But let me remind you, if you choose to take it and answer incorrectly, it won't just affect one person..."

His gaze swept over the teams still holding on.

"...the entire team will lose their qualification forever!"

Those words were like the final straw that broke the camel's back, crushing another group of people. Several teams began arguing among themselves. In the end, someone broke down and raised a hand, dragging their entire team into elimination.

Naruto suddenly looked at Sasuke and Sakura, his lips trembling as though he wanted to say something.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and growled, "Shut up, dead last! Don't even think about dragging us down!"

Though Sakura was afraid too, she looked firmly at Naruto. "I believe in Kakashi-sensei's choice! Team 7 won't give up!"

Naruto looked at his companions, then at Ling Yue in the distance, who was still sitting perfectly straight. Suddenly, he slammed his fist onto the desk!

"Damn it! Who's afraid of who?! I'll take it!"

In the end, only a few dozen people remained in the exam room, all of them exceptionally strong-willed.

Ibiki looked at those remaining, and the terrifying smile on his face seemed to... soften slightly?

"Very good." He nodded. "Then I announce..."

Everyone held their breath, their hearts nearly stopping.

What exactly was the tenth question?!