Question Ten! A Life-or-Death... Nap?

"Time's up!"

Ibiki Morino's icy voice rang out like the death knell of the Shinigami, instantly shattering the silence that had been stretched to its limit in the examination hall.

Every examinee still desperately cheating or staring blankly at an empty paper shuddered and had no choice but to put down their pens.

"Next, I will announce question ten."

Ibiki did not hand out any papers. Instead, he folded his arms and swept his gaze across the room like a statue of judgment. "But before that, I'm adding several rules regarding question ten."

"These are rules of despair."

As Ibiki slowly laid out the two tyrannical conditions—"If you choose to answer and get it wrong, you will be permanently barred from the Chunin Ninja Exams and can only remain a Genin for the rest of your life," and "If you choose not to answer, your three-person team will be eliminated immediately"—the atmosphere in the entire classroom exploded.

Fear spread through the crowd like a plague.

"What kind of joke is this?! Who makes rules like that?!"

"This is completely unreasonable!"

"I... I'm not taking the exam anymore!"

The examinees with fragile mental defenses began to break down. Amid the crying and cursing, one trembling hand after another rose, choosing to give up.

Watching person after person leave, those who remained felt their resolve waver even more.

Sakura stared fixedly at Naruto's back, her heart filled with worry. That idiot Naruto didn't answer a single question. If he chooses to answer... no! I can't let him ruin the rest of his life!

Just as Sakura was about to raise her hand and withdraw on Naruto's behalf—

Bang!

A tremendous sound rang out, nearly shattering a desk.

Naruto Uzumaki shot to his feet. Fierce flames burned in his azure eyes, and his booming voice was enough to shatter every last trace of fear:

"Don't underestimate me! I'm not running away!"

"Even if I can only be a Genin for the rest of my life, I'll still become Hokage and show you all! Give us the question, you bastard examiner!"

That shout was like a flare exploding in the pitch-black night sky. The wavering morale instantly steadied, and those hesitant eyes became firm once more.

"This kid..." Ibiki looked at Naruto, and a trace of barely perceptible appreciation finally appeared on his face, which seemed frozen in ice for eternity. "Interesting."

He looked around the examination hall. Seeing that no one else was raising their hand to withdraw, he prepared to announce the final result.

However, at that moment—

A pale hand slowly and shakily rose from a quiet corner.

The action was so abrupt that it instantly drew the entire room's attention.

Everyone froze.

"That's... that sickly kid from Team Eleven?"

"At this point, is he actually giving up?"

"That blond kid just got everyone's spirits back up, and this guy wants to be a deserter? Hopeless trash!"

Even Naruto was stunned. He turned around and stared at Ye Tian in disbelief. "Hey! Ye Tian! What are you doing?! Giving up now would be way too embarrassing!"

Sasuke's brows furrowed tightly as well, his eyes filled with angry disappointment.

Ibiki, standing on the platform, also frowned. He had not thought highly of this examinee who had been sleeping from the beginning. Seeing him raise his hand at the final moment only increased his contempt.

"You want to withdraw?" Ibiki asked coldly. "If you withdraw now, your two teammates will lose their qualifications as well."

"Cough, cough..."

Ye Tian did not answer immediately. Instead, he covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed violently, as though he were about to double over beneath the desk.

The sound made everyone nearby feel an itch in their throats.

After finally stopping, Ye Tian raised his head. His face was filled with weakness and pain, as though he might breathe his last at any moment.

"Um... Mr. Examiner..."

Ye Tian's voice was as faint as a thread; no one could hear him clearly without listening closely. "May I ask... can the air conditioning here... be turned up by two degrees?"

The entire room: "???"

Everyone suspected something was wrong with their ears.

At such a serious, tense moment, with their ninja careers on the line, he had raised his hand just to adjust the air conditioning?!

"It's... too cold..." Ye Tian wrapped his worn coat tightly around himself and trembled. "My cold poison... cough, cough... seems to be acting up again. If you can't adjust the temperature... could I hand in my paper early and leave?"

As he spoke, Ye Tian broke into another violent coughing fit. A trace of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth—actually from secretly biting the tip of his tongue earlier—staining the white handkerchief red.

"I'm afraid... if I stay any longer... cough... the blood I cough up might splatter on the paper... and that would invalidate it, right? That would be... terribly unlucky..."

Dead silence.

Ibiki's weathered face twitched wildly.

He had interrogated countless tough men and seen all kinds of pleas for mercy, but this was the first time in his life he had heard someone say they were afraid blood splattering onto the test paper would be unlucky.

And judging by the kid's appearance, he really did seem close to dying. If he actually died in the examination hall, that would indeed be troublesome.

"Is... is this the legendary ninja style of throwing yourself under someone's feet?"

The other examinees were equally dumbfounded. The atmosphere, which had been tense to the point of death, became somewhat absurd and comical after Ye Tian's interruption.

"...There is no air conditioning."

Ibiki took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to throw the kid out. With a dark expression, he said, "Endure it! And wipe your blood clean!"

"Oh... all right... since it's for the exam... I'll endure it..."

Ye Tian lowered his hand with a wronged expression and lay back down on the desk. He even carefully folded the bloodstained handkerchief and placed it in the most conspicuous spot.

After that disturbance, Ibiki no longer had the mood to continue his psychological pressure.

He looked at the Genin who had been tormented nearly to their limits yet still had determined eyes, especially Naruto, who had led the disruption, and this... peculiar sickly kid.

"Very good."

Ibiki suddenly tore off the cloth around his head, revealing a scalp covered in vicious scars, along with a hearty smile.

"Congratulations."

"You have all passed the first exam!"

"Eh?!!!"

Amid a chorus of stunned cries, Ibiki explained the true meaning of question ten—that no matter how hopeless the choice, one had to possess the determination to press forward.

"As a Chunin, you must possess the resolve to never abandon a mission even if your life is at stake. Those who give up because they fear future risks have no right to become Chunin!"

The words were deafening, making every Genin present feel their blood boil.

However, at that touching moment—

Crash!

The glass window on the side of the classroom suddenly shattered.

A purple figure charged in amid flying shards of glass and a huge black cloth.

"Now isn't the time to celebrate, brats!"

A curvaceous female ninja wearing a fishnet undershirt and beige trench coat nailed two Kunai to the ceiling, unfurling a massive banner:

[Second Exam Proctor: Mitaraishi Anko has arrived!]

"I'm the proctor for the second exam, Mitaraishi Anko!"

Anko stood on the platform and shouted wildly, "The next exam is hell mode! You'd better prepare yourselves!"

The result was complete silence. Everyone was still too caught up in Ibiki's speech to recover.

"Seriously... is nobody going to respond?" Anko scratched her head awkwardly and looked at Ibiki beside her. "Ibiki, you let way too many through, didn't you? Twenty-six teams? Are the rookies this year really that strong?"

"Hmph, perhaps." Ibiki shrugged.

In the corner, Ye Tian narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Anko's utterly unconcealed, fiery figure.

Of course, as a proper cultivator, he was not looking at those pulse-pounding curves, but at something deeper.

"So she is the vessel of the Curse Mark?"

Through Ye Tian's Heavenly Eye, he could clearly see an extremely cold and sinister cluster of Chakra lurking beneath the spot on the back of Anko's neck concealed by her hair.

That was the Cursed Seal of Heaven left behind by Orochimaru.

"Though this energy is evil, its purity is extremely high, like a concentrated Demon Essence Pill."

Ye Tian licked his lips, and a trace of greed flashed through his eyes. "And this woman's body... tsk, tsk. Those taut muscle lines, that vigorous vitality. Only someone with minor body refinement could withstand the violent power of such a Curse Mark."

"However, this Demon Essence Pill is still dormant for now."

Ye Tian withdrew his gaze and calculated inwardly. Once we enter the Forest of Death, that old snake Orochimaru will definitely appear and activate the Curse Mark. When that happens...

"Heh heh, while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole waits behind."

"Orochimaru wants Sasuke's body, and I... I want it all!"

After Anko announced the gathering location for the second exam—Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death—she left in a whirlwind.

The others began to disperse as well.

Naruto excitedly waved his fist. "Awesome! We finally passed! I knew I was a genius!"

As they walked out of the classroom, the sunlight outside was somewhat blinding.

Ye Tian looked up at the distant forest. That forbidden area enclosed by wire fencing exuded an unsettlingly gloomy aura.

But in Ye Tian's eyes, it was a paradise full of treasures.

"Forest of Death... there should be plenty of poisonous insects and herbs inside, right?"

"And there's Orochimaru, that walking 'encyclopedia of ninjutsu' and 'gift pack of forbidden techniques.'"

"I really... can't wait."