Under the heavy and sticky mental pressure that Ibiki Morino deliberately created, time seemed to be stretched out, and every second was as painful as a dull knife cutting flesh.
Huge fear and confusion about the future erode the will of every candidate.
Finally, one candidate couldn't bear it anymore.
He sat on the left side of Naruto, his face was as pale as paper, cold sweat was dripping on his forehead, and his lips were trembling.
After a long inner struggle, he raised his hands tremblingly.
This movement seemed to use up all his strength.
He knew that this raise of his hand meant that all three members of his team were eliminated.
If you choose not to answer the tenth question, you will get zero points and your teammates will be eliminated.
But... but...
He closed his eyes tightly, and there was only one thought left in his mind, shouting wildly: It is better to fail Chunin Ninja Exams once than to never be able to participate in the future!
If he answered incorrectly, he would be permanently disqualified. This was a risk that he did not dare to take, nor did he dare to take on behalf of his teammates.
He would rather bear the reputation of being "cowardly" and "impairing his teammates" and withdraw from this too cruel gamble.
"I... give up... answering question ten."
He said this in an almost inaudible voice.
Ibiki's eyes were like cold arrows, instantly locking on him and the two teammates next to him who also looked ashen.
"Candidate No. 50, give up answering the question."
Ibiki's voice was devoid of any emotion, as if he was reading out a verdict that had already been written.
"Together with candidates No. 130 and No. 111 of the same team, they failed the first exam. Now, please leave the examination room."
The words are concise and concise, leaving no room for doubt.
The three candidates seemed to have had their backbones ripped out, and they stood up in despair. Under the gaze of countless sympathetic, disdainful, or grateful eyes, they walked out of the examination room with empty steps Earth Flow.
The heavy door slamming sounded like a knock on the hearts of everyone left.
This is just the beginning.
It's like knocking over the first domino.
In the following time, one after another candidates could not bear the pressure and raised their hands tremblingly. Every time they raised their hands, they were accompanied by Ibiki's cold and ruthless verdict, and the sad departure of a small team.
"No. XX, unqualified."
"No. XX, unqualified."
"No. XX, unqualified."
Since the rule is "If you choose not to answer, the team will be wiped out", so each elimination will directly clear out a team, and the number of people in the examination room is decreasing at a stable and cruel speed.
It does avoid the embarrassing situation where the number of students cannot be divided evenly or a single candidate is left behind.
The atmosphere in the examination room became more depressing as people kept leaving.
The remaining candidates looked solemn and did not even dare to make eye contact with each other, for fear of seeing the wavering in each other's eyes, which would trigger their own inner collapse.
Time passes minute by minute.
There are less than five minutes left before the end of the exam.
Ibiki Morino glanced at the seats of the remaining candidates below again, silently counting the number of people in his mind.
His expression remained calm, but deep in his eyes, there was a glimmer of unnoticeable evaluation.
'78 people?'
There were a few more people than he originally expected to survive until the end.
It seems that in this Genin, there are more people who are determined and dare to fight against the odds than he expected. This is a good sign.
His eyes glanced at the invigilators in the aisles on both sides of the examination room who were observing the candidates with scoreboards.
These experienced Chunin or Special Jōnin are also paying close attention to the status of the candidates.
Ibiki's eyes met theirs, communicating silently.
One by one, the invigilators nodded slightly to Ibiki.
This means that they also recognized the performance and willpower of these candidates who are currently staying. They have achieved the expected goals of the assessment.
Ibiki understands clearly.
'If you persist, it will be the same.'
He secretly thought: Those who should have collapsed have already collapsed, and those who can persist until now have basically withstood the test of willpower.
Continuing to exert pressure is of little significance. Instead, it may really crush some seedlings that could become excellent Chunin.
It's time.
He took a deep breath, and the expression on his face, which was staggered with scars and had always been as cold as an iceberg, suddenly changed subtly.
He looked around at the young faces below who were still tense and waiting for the final "judgment", and slowly spoke, his voice no longer cold and ruthless as before, but with a hint of... appreciation?
"Your... determination is good."
This sudden evaluation, which was completely different from the previous one, stunned all the candidates. Determination? What does it mean?
Before they could react, Ibiki grinned upward, revealing a hearty and even a little relieved smile that was completely different from the previous "smile".
He raised his voice and declared clearly and forcefully:
"So..."
He paused deliberately to whet everyone's appetite.
"... everyone who stays here..."
His eyes scanned every blank and expectant face.
"... in the first exam..."
"All passed!"
"Congratulations!"
"Hahahaha!"
The moment the words fell, Ibiki could no longer hold back and let out a burst of hearty laughter that was extremely hearty and even somewhat heroic.
The laughter was rich and powerful, instantly dispelling the long-standing atmosphere of gloom and despair in the examination room.
Candidates' questions and confusions came one after another.
Ibiki doesn't care.
This written examination named "Chunin Ninja Exams First Session" was essentially a large-scale mental interrogation site directed by him for all candidates.
He enjoyed the process of setting up psychological traps with his own hands, and enjoyed watching these fledgling young Ninja struggle painfully, hesitate, and even finally collapse and give up under the heavy pressure.
Every candidate who raises his hand and gives up, every candidate who suffers in fear but finally perseveres, every subtle change in their expression, every rapid breathing, is within the scope of his observation and "enjoyment".
This exam not only tests knowledge or the ability to acquire information, but also will.
And he, Ibiki Morino, is the "torture officer" holding a mental whip and candy, cruelly and accurately whipping and testing the hearts of these young people.
Seeing the chaos and various reactions in the audience at this moment, the satisfaction in Ibiki's heart as if the "prank" had succeeded and the fun of being an observer reached its peak. This is much more interesting than simply interrogating a prisoner.
Naruto gently let go of Hinata's no longer cold little hand that he had been holding tightly just now. He felt that his palms were also a little sweaty, so he naturally raised his hand and wiped the sweat on his pants casually.
This action was subtle and ordinary, but it made Hinata, who had just calmed down from the huge emotional fluctuations, blush slightly on his cheeks.
"Great, we passed."
Hinata raised his head and looked into Naruto's eyes as blue and clear as the clear sky.
There was no haze there, just pure happiness and encouragement for her.
The last trace of nervousness and panic in her heart was dispelled by this smile.
She nodded vigorously, with a shy but bright smile on her face, and responded quietly but firmly:
"Hmm!"