Under the crushing, almost tangible weight of the psychological pressure Ibiki Morino had deliberately created, time seemed to stretch, every second as agonizing as a dull knife slicing flesh.
Overwhelming fear and uncertainty about the future ate away at every candidate's resolve.
At last, one candidate could no longer bear it.
He sat to Naruto's left, his face pale as paper, cold sweat beading on his forehead and his lips trembling nonstop.
After a long inner struggle, he shakily raised his hand.
The gesture seemed to drain every last ounce of his strength.
He knew that raising his hand meant all three members of his team would be eliminated.
Choosing not to answer the tenth question meant a score of zero, with his teammates disqualified along with him.
But... but...
He squeezed his eyes shut, a single thought screaming wildly in his mind: Failing one Chunin Ninja Exam had to be better than never being allowed to take it again!
Answering incorrectly meant losing eligibility forever. He dared not take that risk, either for himself or for his teammates.
He would rather bear the stigma of being "a coward" and "dragging his teammates down" than remain in this brutally cruel gamble.
"I... give up... on answering the tenth question."
He spoke in a barely audible voice.
Ibiki's gaze locked onto him like an icy arrow, then onto the two equally ashen-faced teammates beside him.
"Candidate number 50 has declined to answer."
Ibiki's voice betrayed no emotion, as though he were reading out a verdict written long ago.
"Along with your teammates, candidates number 130 and 111, you have failed the first exam. Now, please leave the examination room."
Brief, clear, and beyond dispute.
The three candidates rose as though their backbones had been pulled out of them. Under countless gazes