Ibiki looked around the silent room, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his scarred face. The way his cold eyes roamed across the students gave the impression he already knew who would fail.
"Now then…" He said, his voice sharp and commanding, "We will start the first test of the Chūnin Exam!"
His tone was final, no excitement, no friendliness, just cold, strict authority.
"Turn in your applications, take one of these number cards in exchange, and sit in the seat matching that number!"
Chairs scraped, sandals tapped, and papers rustled as genin handed over their applications. Number cards were distributed, and everyone filed to their assigned seats scattered across the wide examination hall.
Naruto accepted his card with a bored flick of his wrist. He slid into his seat with a casual lean, pushing up his sleeve to rest his arms on the desk. In his mind, the test was child's play. He barely even glanced at the paper as he settled.
Sakura, by contrast, practically glowed with confidence. She smoothed her uniform and sat upright, sleeves neatly folded. In her heart, she already pictured a perfect score—this was exactly her element.
'Finally, a chance to prove myself,' She thought, smiling at her blank paper as though it were a friendly rival she'd already bested.
Sasuke took his seat in silence, scanning the room with his usual intensity. He noted the spacing of desks, the positions of proctors at the corners, and the stern faces of those already jittery. He'd treat the test as part of the mission was quiet, precise, and unshakable.
A few moments later, everyone was seated. The room settled into a tense, expectant hush.
Ibiki walked forward and tapped the board with chalk. The only sound echoing in the hall.
"Looks like everyone has finally settled down," He said, his deep voice carrying a warning tone. He raised the chalk and wrote on the board. "There are several rules to this first test."
He paused and turned his head slightly. "I will take no questions, so listen well—very well."
A few gasps rippled through the room.
No questions? Sakura's eyes widened briefly, but then she relaxed since she didn't need to ask. She already knew she'd dominate this test.
Ibiki, unfazed, continued writing.
"First rule!"
"You each begin with ten points."
"The written test has ten problems in all."
"Each problem is one point."
"And this test is a point deduction system."
He turned to face them again, letting the words sink in.
"You lose one point for each problem you get wrong."
"If you get three wrong…" He said slowly, "You'll have seven points left. Simple math, right?"
Naruto glanced down at his paper and smirked. Too easy. I could answer these in my sleep.
He idly tapped his pencil against the desk, already plotting how quickly he'd be finished.
Sakura nodded to herself. Exactly how I like it—straightforward and fair. No surprises.
A quiet murmur ran through the crowd.
Some genin already looked anxious while others tried to mask their unease.
Ibiki didn't give them time to settle.
"The second rule—"
"Pass or failure will be determined by the total score of your three teammates."
A wave of shock washed over the room. Faces stiffened, eyes widened.
Sakura casually brought her hand to her chin. Team total? Perfect. We'll wipe the floor with them.
Her confidence only grew, knowing Sasuke and her dear master, Naruto, would score just as highly.
Naruto leaned back, arms crossed. Even better. We all ace it, which we will. No problem at all.
Sasuke's expression remained unreadable, but his eyes flicked toward Sakura and Naruto to be sure they were ready to carry their weight as well.
A boy in the back spluttered, "Wait—so if one of us screws up, we all fail?!"
His voice cracked with panic. Sakura simply narrowed her eyes—mistakes weren't an option.
Then Ibiki snapped his fingers, and the room fell silent again.
"SHUT UP!!" His voice boomed like thunder. Everyone froze. "There's a perfectly good reason for this! Shut up and listen!"
Sakura took a deep breath, pressing her fingertips together.
Ino and Hinata remained mute and focused, unwavering.
Naruto merely smirked, confident that none of them would slip.
Ibiki moved on.
"If you've got it, here is the most important rule next!"
Everyone leaned in instinctively.
"Those who are deemed by the sentinels as having committed an act of cheating or something similar will have two points deducted for each infraction."
"WHAT?!" A shout echoed from the back.
Sakura's heart skipped a beat, and then she relaxed. There was no chance she'd be caught. She'd studied for days. They won't even see me hesitate.
Naruto seemed almost amused. Sure, sure. Let them watch all they want. I already know these inside out.
Ibiki's gaze swept the room, cold and calculating.
"In other words…" He said, voice lowering, "Some of you may be dismissed during this test, without waiting for your papers to be graded."
Silence slammed back into the hall like a door.
He's sharpening the knives now, Sasuke thought. Good. Let's see how many break first.
Naruto tapped his pencil on the desk with casual arrogance. Hope that's not my team… but even if it is, I'll catch up.
Sakura refocused on her blank page, nearly trembling with anticipation. This is it. I'll show them all.
Ibiki continued, his voice icy.
"Those who commit awkward cheating…" He paused, eyes flicking to the proctors, "will bring ruin upon themselves."
One of the sentinels seated near the examinees piped up in a low, chilling voice: "I'll check you… anytime…"
A few genin visibly shivered.
Sakura took a steadying breath. They can watch all they want. They won't find anything.
Naruto extended his legs under the desk, leaning back slightly with a smug grin. They have no idea how far ahead I am.
Ibiki moved on to the final rule.
"If any one person on your team gets zero points…"
The pause was deafening.
"…your entire team will fail."
That blow seemed to freeze even the air.
Sakura's jaw clenched. Hah. Not on my watch.
Naruto's grin grew broader. Don't worry, they'll all stare wide-eyed at me while I finish first.
Even Sasuke's stoic mask cracked into a slight, confident smirk. He understood now: it couldn't be just his brain. It would be a showcase of teamwork, and they were unstoppable when they combined forces.
Ibiki gave a final glance at the clock.
"One last thing…"
"The last question will be given forty-five minutes after the test starts. The entire test time is one hour."
He turned toward the analog clock mounted on the wall. Its ticking seemed to fill the entire hall.
Then, with a deliberate nod, he boomed, "BEGIN!!!"
Rustle! Flip!
The papers were turned in unison, and the pencils were ready.
A storm of silent focus and barely contained panic swept the room.
Sakura's lips curved into a confident smile as she read Question One. Heh. Already done.
She wrote her answer swiftly.
Naruto blinked at the same question, then winked to himself.
Of course. Too simple.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he read, filling in answers with perfect precision.
Around them, a few genin hesitated, tearing at their hair with worry. Others scribbled furiously, desperate to keep pace.
But for Team 7, the written test was nothing more than an early warm-up.
The real challenge would come when the clock struck forty-five.
And as Ibiki's stern gaze swept the room, Team 7 knew that failure was not an option.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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