This is my ninja way

The scene on the Sky Screen continued.

After the clash at the entrance, where Rock Lee had defeated them and Neji had mocked them in public, the three members of Team 7 looked far from happy. They entered the written examination hall for the Chunin Ninja Exams together, their faces cold.

The vast examination hall was packed. Genin from Konoha, Sunagakure, Otogakure, Amegakure, and other villages were all seated. The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, with deadly intent lurking everywhere.

Soon, the proctor, Ibiki Morino, arrived, and the written exam officially began.

The moment the papers were handed out, every candidate lowered their head to read the questions.

There were ten questions in total, each tricky and obscure. They covered ninjutsu theory, tactical planning, terrain analysis, laws of the shinobi world, and the fundamentals of secret techniques. Their difficulty far exceeded an ordinary Genin's knowledge.

Never mind ordinary Genin-even many Chunin might not have been able to answer them.

Then the Sky Screen magnified everyone's movements in the examination hall, displaying them before the entire shinobi world.

At that moment, everyone finally witnessed the true rules of the Chunin written exam for themselves.

Nominally, this exam tested knowledge. In reality, it tested a ninja's ability to gather intelligence, observe, steal information, conceal their actions, and exercise restraint.

Nearly ninety percent of the candidates were trying every possible way to cheat.

The ninja from the various villages used all kinds of methods.

Some used specially made pencils, invisible ink, and coded hand signals to share answers.

Some relied on tiny summoned insects to sneak onto their neighbors' papers and record the answers.

Some worked together, passing information through glances, gestures, and coded marks in sand.

Members of clans with bloodline limits enjoyed an even greater advantage.

The Hyuga Clan's ninja activated their Byakugan, seeing straight through obstructions to read every paper in the room and copy answers with ease.

Sasuke Uchiha activated his Sharingan, his extraordinary motion perception replicating someone else's writing movements and instantly revealing the answers they had written.

Throughout the hall, everyone showed off their own tricks. Everyone was cheating.

The viewers across the shinobi world watched, dumbfounded, before erupting into an uproar.

But in this hall full of people taking shortcuts and cheating furiously, two alone stood apart.

The first was Sakura Haruno.

She did not cheat, peek at anyone's paper, or rely on anyone else.

The solid theoretical foundation she had built since childhood, along with a vast store of knowledge far beyond her peers, actually allowed her to solve these advanced questions at a glance.

Her pen flew across the page. Calm and composed, she wrote without hesitation, producing precise, flawless answers. She was one of the few candidates in the entire hall answering through genuine ability.

The second was Naruto Uzumaki.

He stared at the densely packed questions on his paper, which might as well have been written in some incomprehensible script, utterly stupefied.

He could not answer a single one.

Sweat covered Naruto's forehead. His body went rigid, his heart raced, and terror gripped him.

Everyone around him was answering at lightning speed and copying furiously, while he alone had absolutely no clue.

He wanted to cheat, but he did not dare.

The more he thought, the more he panicked. Cold sweat slicked his palms, and his mind went blank.

It's over!

It's completely over!

At my very first Chunin Ninja Exams, I'm going to be eliminated outright-the only loser here to hand in a blank paper!

Inside the examination hall, everyone harbored their own thoughts, hidden tensions swirling beneath the surface.

Outside the Sky Screen, the entire shinobi world stared in disbelief.

"So the written portion of these joint Chunin Ninja Exams isn't testing academic knowledge at all! It's testing a ninja's ability to steal intelligence!"

"No wonder Genin have such a hard time passing the Chunin Ninja Exams. Even the first round is this devious!"

"The Hyuga's Byakugan and the Uchiha's Sharingan are ridiculously effective in a written exam!"

"Isn't Sakura even more ridiculous? She actually knows the answers! Is this what a top student looks like? I'm so jealous!"

"Meanwhile, Naruto... really can't answer a single question! He's completely dumbstruck, and he doesn't even know how to copy!"

"That's painfully real. This is the gap between a dead-last and a genius!"

Discussion swept through the shinobi world, bringing wave after wave of shock, amusement, and reflection.

The time allotted for the written exam ticked away.

Using their various methods, most candidates had managed to assemble answers to the first ten difficult questions.

Just as everyone thought the exam was about to end, the proctor, Ibiki Morino, slowly rose and announced the written exam's true final question-the eleventh.

Ibiki's icy voice carried throughout the hall.

"The rules for the eleventh question are simple."

"Now, I'm giving all of you one chance."

"If you choose to withdraw, your entire team must leave immediately. It won't count as a failure, and you may still take the Chunin Ninja Exams next time."

His words instantly threw the room into an uproar.

Everyone froze.

Then Ibiki delivered the most terrifying part of the rule.

"However."

"Anyone who chooses to stay and continue the exam..."

"If you fail this written test..."

"You will be permanently barred from taking the Chunin Ninja Exams!"

Boom!

The entire examination hall fell deathly silent!

Everyone's face turned ashen.

This was not a loss of points! It was not a single elimination!

It meant never being able to take the Chunin exam again for the rest of their lives!

For all these Genin, the Chunin Ninja Exams were their only path to promotion and greater strength.

A permanent ban was as good as destroying their future!

In an instant, countless candidates lost their nerve.

Those who had just been desperately cheating and answering questions were suddenly caught in an agonizing struggle.

Take the gamble?

Or withdraw?

Win the gamble, and they would pass.

Lose, and they would be finished for life!

Quite a few candidates with weaker nerves stood up on the spot, conceded, and chose to leave.

It was too risky!

It simply was not worth the gamble!

In moments, more than half the candidates had left the hall.

Outside the Sky Screen, the viewers across the shinobi world felt their hearts tighten.

"My god! This is the real killer move of the Chunin Ninja Exams!"

"The first ten questions were all a smokescreen! The last one stakes your entire life!"

"That's brutal! Who knew the joint exams were this cruel?"

"I'd withdraw immediately too! I couldn't afford that gamble!"

Inside the hall, even the geniuses looked deeply solemn.

Neji's brow furrowed as he considered his choice.

Rock Lee looked serious and did not decide immediately.

Sasuke's face was cold, his gaze dark.

He had lost an arm, suffered humiliation, and carried his clan's honor on his shoulders. He would never allow himself to give up halfway.

Sasuke stared fixedly at Naruto. If Naruto withdrew, their whole team would fail.

He absolutely could not accept that!

But the one who truly fell into complete despair was Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto had not answered a single question from start to finish. His entire paper was spotless.

He was one hundred percent guaranteed to fail!

There was no way out!

The viewers across the shinobi world all took it for granted that Naruto would withdraw.

But in the next instant...

Poised on the edge of the abyss, Naruto drew a deep breath.

He abruptly raised his head, his eyes firmer than ever before.

Ibiki Morino looked at him. "Kid, you're staying? You haven't answered a single question. Staying will only get you banned for life."

Naruto clenched his fists and shouted:

"I'm not leaving!"

"I'm never leaving!"

"Even if I can't answer a single question! Even if I might never be able to take the Chunin exam again!"

"I will never run away from the Chunin Ninja Exams!"

"This is my ninja way!"

His declaration rang throughout the hall!

The entire examination hall instantly went silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the blond boy whose paper was completely empty, yet who would rather die than admit defeat.