Breaking the Deadlock with Dominance, Wild Anko and New Prey

"All right, trash! The written test is over! Now, I'll announce the tenth question!"

Ibiki's full-throated roar struck every examinee's taut nerves like a heavy hammer.

Everyone, who had just been left dumbfounded by Naruto's absurd answering speed, was instantly dragged back into harsh reality.

It was here!

The final question that would decide their fates!

A cruel smile of absolute control resurfaced on Ibiki's scar-riddled face.

He slowly raised one finger, as though gripping an invisible butcher's blade.

"Before I reveal the question, you need to make a choice."

"Choose to answer, or not answer."

"Any examinee who chooses not to answer, along with their teammates, will be eliminated immediately!"

The moment that rule was announced, the classroom filled with sharp gasps.

Several impatient examinees began whispering among themselves, but Ibiki's next words plunged the entire examination room into an icy abyss.

"And those who choose to answer... if you get the tenth question wrong... you will permanently lose your eligibility to take the Chunin Exams!"

"Boom!"

Those words were no less explosive than a detonating explosive tag, blowing up in everyone's minds!

A gamble that staked their entire ninja careers sent fear spreading like a plague.

"I... I quit! I choose not to answer!"

"I'm not gambling! I'll come back next year!"

One examinee after another broke down, crying as they raised their hands.

The entire examination room became a complete mess, thick with an inescapable air of despair.

Sakura's face had gone pale as paper. She bit her lower lip tightly, her body trembling beyond her control.

She instinctively looked toward Sasuke and found that although his face was dark and still, his tightly clenched fists exposed the turmoil in his heart.

What should they do?

Should they gamble?

What if Naruto got it wrong...

She secretly glanced at Naruto, only to find him still in that utterly unshakable pose, his feet propped on the desk and his hands behind his head. He even lazily swung one leg, as if this brutal elimination round that would decide countless fates were nothing more than a boring after-dinner diversion.

In truth, Naruto did find it boring.

As a transmigrator, he had long known that the tenth question was really a psychological test. There was no actual question; anyone who chose to stay would pass.

He had originally planned to rest with his eyes closed and wait for Ibiki to announce the results.

However, at that moment, the long-absent system notification suddenly rang in his mind without warning.

[Ding! It has been detected that the host is at a crucial point for establishing authority!]

[Mission triggered: Overlord's Path: Prologue!]

[Mission description: Mediocrities drift with the tide; kings make the rules. Before a hundred ninjas, shatter the psychological trap with absolute dominance, select pawns worthy of your command, and establish your initial majesty as a "king"!]

[Mission reward: Dominating Aura skill upgrade, Uzumaki reputation +100.]

[Failure penalty: The system will determine that the host lacks courage, greatly reducing the trigger probability and rewards of subsequent "Uzumaki Empire" questline missions.]

Naruto slowly opened his eyes.

I see... the system wants me to begin "reviewing the troops" early?

A trace of amusement flashed through his azure eyes.

Fine. Rather than wait for this bunch of trash to eliminate themselves, he might as well choose them personally.

The Forest of Death would need some cannon fodder to draw enemy fire anyway, and they could handle some unnecessary trouble for him.

Just as Sakura was about to be driven mad.

"Bang!"

A deafening blast cut through every cry and disturbance in the examination room!

It was Naruto!

He slammed his palm down hard on the desk!

The entire classroom instantly fell silent.

Everyone froze, turning to look at him in unison.

Naruto slowly lowered his legs from the desk and rose to his feet.

He did not even look at Ibiki. Instead, in an extremely impatient tone, he addressed the "trash" still hesitating and trembling throughout the room.

"Quit fucking yapping."

His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unreasonable force that pierced clearly into every ear.

"A pathetic little psychological suggestion like this, and you dare put it on display?"

"You don't even have the guts to gamble everything, and you want to be ninjas? Go home and farm."

"Anyone who doesn't dare gamble, get out. Now. Immediately."

"Stop wasting my time."

Dominating!

Arrogant!

Conceited to the extreme!

He was not encouraging anyone, nor was he giving some pre-battle speech.

He was simply using the most naked words possible to weed out the "trash" in his eyes!

Those words worked better than any threat Ibiki could have made!

The examinees who had been sobbing moments ago were stunned by his scolding. They even forgot to cry.

As for those whose resolve had already been firm, it was as if they had been injected with a shot of adrenaline. The hesitation in their eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by blazing fighting spirit!

Sakura and Sasuke could only stare blankly at Naruto's back. It was not especially tall, yet at that moment, it seemed incomparably dependable.

The fear, unease, and hesitation that had filled their hearts moments ago were somehow... completely scattered by his few rough words!

Sasuke's fist slowly relaxed, and a self-mocking smile appeared on his face.

So that was it... this was Big Brother's bearing.

He had still been agonizing over the gains and losses of an exam, while Big Brother had already begun selecting his future followers.

Compared to Big Brother, his vision was still far too narrow.

Ibiki stared deeply at Naruto, the scars on his face twitching.

This brat... had actually used such a crude method to instantly dismantle the psychological trap he had carefully arranged. He had even turned the tables, transforming this examination into Naruto's own show of authority.

He sighed, knowing there was no longer any need to continue with the tenth question.

He slowly opened his mouth, preparing to announce that everyone who had remained would pass.

Then—

"Crash!"

A piercing sound of shattering glass suddenly exploded from the side of the examination room!

A black figure shot through the massive window like a cannonball, smashing the glass and charging inside amid a sky full of flying shards in an outrageously flamboyant entrance!

Two kunai bearing explosive tags stabbed firmly into the blackboard behind Ibiki, and a huge black banner unfurled with a sharp snap!

Two lines of arrogant crimson words were written across it: [The first exam is over! I am your second examiner!]

The next second, the black figure landed steadily on the platform, one hand on her hip while the other pointed boldly at the dumbstruck examinees below.

The newcomer was a woman with an unbelievably voluptuous figure.

A messy purple ponytail, a revealing black fishnet underlayer, and an open beige trench coat—wild, sexy, dangerous!

"Yo! You brats look pretty lively!"

The woman laughed wildly and licked the corner of her mouth. "Now isn't the time to celebrate! I'm the second examiner of the Chunin Exams, Anko Mitarashi! Starting tomorrow, I'll take you to have some fun in hell!"

Her powerful presence, mixed with a faint scent of blood, instantly pressed down on the examinees until they could barely breathe.

Everyone, including Sasuke and Sakura, was stunned by the crazed-beauty aura radiating from this woman.

Only one person was an exception.

At some point, Naruto had returned to his chair. With one hand supporting his chin, his deep blue eyes traveled over that wild, fiery figure with keen interest.

The corner of his mouth slowly curled into the smile of an apex predator.

"Interesting prey."