Chapter 30: The Tenth QuestionThe Final Minutes
Time crawled forward as candidates employed every method at their disposal.
The one-hour examination period passed quickly. Forty-five minutes gone.
The once-crowded classroom now held significantly fewer occupants—dozens of wastes eliminated, their empty seats serving as warnings to those who remained.
Most candidates had already completed the first nine questions.
Morino Ibiki's scarred face stretched into a ferocious smile. "That's enough, you losers. Put down your pens. Now we get to the real test."
His voice carried such weight that timid candidates swallowed nervously, awaiting his next words with visible anxiety.
"Now then... I'll announce the tenth question."
Ryuzen rested his chin on one hand, watching Ibiki with bored familiarity. He knew this script by heart—the psychological pressure, the manufactured desperation, the eventual reveal.
Ibiki was a master of psychological warfare. For those lacking confidence, he appeared as a natural-born devil.
"The tenth question..." Ibiki's gaze swept the room. "You'll face a choice. Answer... or don't answer."
Murmurs rippled through the candidates.
"However." His voice hardened. "If you choose to answer and get it wrong, you'll forfeit your right to take the Chunin Exam forever. You'll remain genin for the rest of your lives."
Silence.
"If you choose not to answer... you'll be eliminated immediately, along with your teammate. But you can try again next year."
Chaos erupted in the minds of the unprepared.
Some candidates, who had managed to copy their way through the first nine questions but lacked genuine knowledge, crumbled instantly. The stakes were too high. They couldn't risk permanent failure.
Hands rose. Candidates withdrew.
Each withdrawal triggered more. Fear spread like contagion.
Even some who had been confident moments ago began to waver, watching others leave, wondering if they should follow.
Then—
"Don't underestimate me! I'm not going to quit! I'd rather stay here and take the test, even if I fail for the rest of my life! I'll keep taking it over and over!"
Naruto Uzumaki slammed his hands on his desk, rising to his feet with eyes blazing.
"I'm going to become Hokage no matter what! I don't care how hard it gets—I'm not backing down!"
The room froze.
Then, slowly, the atmosphere shifted.
Candidates who had been wavering found their resolve hardening. If that dead-last could face the challenge, how could they do less?
Ibiki studied Naruto with new respect.
Ryuzen observed as well, mildly impressed. Asura's reincarnation indeed possessed that gift—the ability to make others believe, to rally spirits, to forge unity from despair. No wonder the entire shinobi world would eventually stand behind him.
With the psychological assault clearly ineffective against these candidates, Ibiki announced the truth.
Everyone who had remained had passed.
Shock rippled through the room. Candidates who had steeled themselves for impossible questions couldn't process the outcome.
Only Naruto celebrated loudly, drawing a rare look of surprise from Hinata.
Seated beside him, she had witnessed his blank paper—only his name written, nothing else. Yet he had passed.
She couldn't help wondering if he had somehow known the tenth question's true nature.
After explaining the exam's real purpose—testing information-gathering abilities and teamwork under pressure—Ibiki concluded the first round.
The second exam's proctor, Mitarashi Anko, made her characteristically dramatic entrance.
The Chunin Exams continued.
After the Exam
On their way home, Hinata mentioned Naruto's strange situation to Ryuzen and Shino.
Ryuzen smiled slightly but said nothing.
Shino, however, offered analysis. "Uzumaki Naruto... that man is unusual."
He adjusted his sunglasses. "I observed him for some time. He's an orphan, and the villagers seem to universally dislike him. The reason remains unknown."
Ryuzen's smile didn't reach his eyes, but he offered no explanation.
At the Academy gates, the three didn't separate immediately. Kurenai had sent a summons—they were to meet at their usual training ground.
Briefing
In the familiar clearing, Kurenai first asked about their exam experience, then revealed the second exam's location.
"The Forest of Death." Her expression grew serious. "Also known as Training Ground 44."
She explained the layout—a circular area with forty-four locked entrances, designed for survival training. Rivers and dense forest filled the interior. At its center stood a tower.
The distance from any entrance to that tower was approximately ten kilometers.
Ten thousand meters. Twenty li. Ten kilometers.
After providing this information, Kurenai dismissed them.
Analysis
Walking home, Shino processed the information aloud. "Ten thousand meters... close or far depends on circumstances. Rivers and forests create obstacles, but for ninja, pure distance means nothing."
He adjusted his glasses thoughtfully. "The second exam won't be a race. If I'm not mistaken—we'll need to escort something, or collect specific items, and deliver them to that central tower."
Ryuzen glanced at him with appreciation. Shino's deduction was essentially correct.
Outwardly, he only said, "We'll find out tomorrow."
They parted at the usual street.
Still early, Ryuzen and Hinata followed their established routine.
One went home to prepare rice. The other bought vegetables.
Evening
In Ryuzen's kitchen, two figures worked shoulder to shoulder, chatting as they prepared their meal.
Today's written test provided endless conversation topics—the tricky questions, the faces of candidates caught cheating, speculation about whether those who withdrew would learn the truth and regret their decision.
Hinata's lips curved into frequent smiles, her eyes forming beautiful crescent shapes.
With her, Ryuzen dropped his usual cold demeanor. He talked freely, guided conversations when she struggled for topics, made her laugh.
At the right moment, during her cooking, he launched his usual "surprise attack" from behind.
Daily training, as always.
The familiarity never diminished the experience. Each repetition only deepened what existed between them.
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