"The final hidden question!" Morino Ibiki said. "You may now choose whether to answer the tenth question. If you choose not to answer, all three members of your team will be eliminated together..."
"What? If we refuse to answer, we're eliminated. Do we even have a choice?" one Genin spoke up.
"Yeah, who would choose to refuse?" another Genin echoed.
"Heh heh." Morino Ibiki explained, "If you choose to answer the tenth question but get it wrong, you will be permanently barred from taking the Chunin Ninja Exams!"
"What—" The entire room erupted in an uproar. Everyone was shocked.
"What kind of rule is that? That's ridiculous!"
"I've taken the Chunin Ninja Exams several times. I've never heard of a rule like this!"
"I refuse to accept this! Absolutely not!"
"If you want to blame someone, blame your bad luck. I just happened to be the chief examiner this year." Morino Ibiki gave a sinister grin. "I make the rules. Either you accept them, or you forfeit."
"If you forfeit, you can still take the Chunin Ninja Exams next year. But if you choose to answer the tenth question and get it wrong, you'll be a Genin for the rest of your life."
"Damn it." Many of the Genin on site gritted their teeth and glared at chief examiner Morino Ibiki with hostile eyes.
At that moment, Hinata also showed a worried expression. Naruto quickly moved closer to her and said in a bright voice, "Don't worry. Being a Genin for the rest of your life wouldn't be so bad either."
Hinata's face turned even redder. She did not respond, nor did she know how to respond. All she could do was think, Is Naruto-kun worried about me...?
"Genin just get paid less, and the rewards for missions are much lower. But there's also much less trouble, and you have more free time." Naruto leaned close to Hinata's ear and whispered, "Anyway, I'll support you in the future."
"Huh?" Hinata suspected she had misheard. She seemed to have heard something incredible just now. What had Naruto said?
Naruto's blood surged as he looked at Hinata, finding her more adorable the longer he looked. He shouted inwardly, I practically won at the starting line. Good thing I once stood up for justice and saved little Hinata like a hero when we were young... That tiny act back then has blossomed into these hidden feelings today...
At this point, Naruto had forgotten that he was actually a transmigrator. He had almost completely overlapped Naruto with himself.
"Hmph." Chief examiner Morino Ibiki snorted. "This is a choice that concerns your entire lives. Once you choose, there is no turning back. If you want to give up, do it now."
Among the Genin still present, most were already afraid. Some had their teeth chattering; some clutched their heads in anguish; some were trembling all over...
Watching Hinata become flustered from his teasing, Naruto chuckled twice and stopped making things difficult for her. He first swept his gaze around the room and found that far too many Genin examinees remained, so he cleared his throat and said, "The tenth question must be difficult, right?"
The moment he said that, everyone present became even more anxious.
"Ah." Chief examiner Morino Ibiki said smugly, "It's harder than the first nine questions combined."
"I give up!" A Genin examinee ran out of the classroom in tears.
"I give up too."
"Ahhh..." Some Genin examinees were on the verge of a mental breakdown, their thoughts thrown into chaos by excessive tension.
Naruto looked around and discovered that the number of Genin examinees had been cut in half. Still not quite satisfied, he continued, "There shouldn't be any way to cheat on the tenth question, right?"
The Genin examinees were shocked once again. Even Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Gaara, and the other most outstanding ninjas felt the pressure increase sharply.
"That's right." Chief examiner Morino Ibiki looked at Naruto with confusion as he said, "There is almost no possibility of cheating. You must rely entirely on your own genuine abilities to answer the tenth question. Get it right, and you advance to the next round. Get it wrong, and you will be permanently barred from the Chunin Ninja Exams."
Morino Ibiki thought inwardly, Naruto Uzumaki... He's very unusual... He seems to be cooperating with me to scare the other Genin examinees... Is that just my imagination? If he really is using me to frighten the other examinees and eliminate competitors, then this kid is truly remarkable... Can there really be someone like this among the Genin?
"I can't take this anymore!" Another Genin examinee ran out of the classroom in a near-breakdown state.
"Bleurgh—" Some Genin examinees were even so nervous that they vomited on the spot.
"I'd rather die than stay here any longer." A whole group of examinees withdrew from the exam.
Naruto nodded at that point. With just a few simple sentences, he had eliminated so many Genin. With so many competitors gone, the situation had become much simpler.
Naruto continued, "Hmph! So what if there's only the last tenth question left? If you've got the guts, add two more questions."
Confirmed! This kid really is using me to scare off the other Genin! He's using this to eliminate competitors! Morino Ibiki exclaimed inwardly. Someone like this has appeared among the Genin... Truly incredible... Naruto Uzumaki, I remember the file said he's from Team 7, Kakashi's student... I'll remember you...
Sakura flew into a rage, cursing Naruto inwardly over a hundred times from head to toe.
Sasuke was covered in cold sweat. What the hell is Naruto doing? The atmosphere is getting more and more oppressive. I feel like I can barely breathe...
Rock Lee's eyes shone, Neji stared silently at Naruto, and Gaara glared at Naruto with fierce eyes.
Clearly, Naruto's last sentence had offended every Genin examinee present. Even the more than thirty Chunin proctors noticed that the atmosphere had become strange.
"Naruto-kun..." Hinata, seated beside him, was worried about Naruto. She gathered her courage, reached out, and tugged at the corner of his clothes.
Naruto merely gave Hinata a confident smile, which reassured her considerably. Naruto glanced around and said, "Tch, the ones left are pretty good at handling pressure. Fine, I'm done playing."
"Hmph." Chief examiner Morino Ibiki knew the final moment had arrived, so he said, "Congratulations to everyone who held on until now. You have passed the first round."
"What!" The Genin examinees were shocked once again. Someone asked, "What about the tenth question? What is the tenth question?"
"The tenth question is very simple. As long as you could withstand the pressure and remain seated here, you passed the tenth question." Morino Ibiki explained, "By now, you must have realized that this test was meant to assess your intelligence-gathering abilities."
"The questions on the test papers were extremely difficult. There was no way Genin could solve them, so I arranged for Chunin who knew the answers to disguise themselves as examinees and mingle among you, allowing you to obtain the answers through cheating."
"The tenth question tested your perseverance as ninjas. As ninjas, you will sometimes face many difficult dilemmas, but you must have the courage to make a choice. Without even that much perseverance, how could you possibly become Chunin?"
"Therefore, all of you who remain here have passed the test."
Before you continue