"Examiner, I object—!"
Just when the Examiner thought the commotion had died down and he could peacefully continue his job, a crisp and childish voice—clearly aiming to challenge him—suddenly rang out across the field, perfectly interrupting his motion to read out the contents of the scroll.
"Huh? Whose kid is that? They actually dared talk back to that bastard of a Examiner?"
"Speaking up at a time like this? That kid's asking for trouble."
"So what? It's not our kid."
"True… But still, hearing someone go against that kind of Examiner really does feel satisfying."
"How about we wait and see what happens next? Whether we leave now or in a bit won't make much difference."
"Yeah, good idea. Let's do that."
At the same time, that blunt declaration of objection caused the villagers who were about to give up to stop in their tracks once again. As hushed whispers spread among them, one by one, their expressions began to shift into amused schadenfreude.
Because they quickly realized—the voice hadn't come from their group of failed candidates, but rather from the ranks of those who had clearly already passed the exam…
In other words, whether the Examiner ended up speechless from being challenged by a kid who'd already passed—thus indirectly letting these failures vent their frustration—or if that kid ended up angering this temperamental Examiner and got kicked out of the Ninja Academy to join their ranks… Either way, for this bunch of people who'd already lost everything, it was a win-win.
'…Who said that just now?'
Just as the failed candidates had hoped, the Examiner—who had thought the matter settled—saw his mood plummet instantly at being challenged again right as he was about to wrap things up. His half-recovered good spirits plunged to freezing levels, and his smile vanished as he scanned the surroundings, speaking each word with an icy tone.
"If you have objections, then step forward and face me directly."
With that bone-chilling statement, all the examinees who had passed and were sharing the same thought—terrified of being mistakenly implicated—hurriedly stepped aside in the direction the voice had come from. They quickly cleared a path about two or three people wide, slowly revealing the silhouette of the one who had spoken out of turn. This, in turn, drew gasps from the failed candidates and made their mocking grins deepen.
"Oh my god… it's him?"
"A monster versus a freak—haha, now that's a proper showdown."
"Wonder who'll win if it comes to a fight between a monster and a freak~ hahaha!"
As the figure came into view, the identity of the person who objected was now unmistakable. At some point, he had quietly slipped away from Uchiha Fugaku and the others and now stood alone, hands behind his back, smiling cheerfully.
It was none other than the so-called demon fox monster everyone whispered about—Naruto.
Simultaneously, as the wide-open path gave everyone a clear line of sight, those like Fugaku who had been distracted by the Examiner's earlier tyrannical display instinctively turned to look. Only then did they realize that the one who had just boldly spoken out was Naruto, who was supposed to be quietly comforting and playing with Hinata!
'What the hell is this kid up to now?'
Even Fugaku—who prided himself on having prepared himself for Naruto's antics, especially since the boy had earned the title of Unexpectedness No.1 Ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village in the near future—found the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably. After a moment of stunned silence, he slowly raised a hand to rub his chest and calm his wildly beating heart, sighing in half exasperation, half amusement.
"My little ancestor… are you dead set on scaring me into a heart attack?"
"Ah! Th-that's… N-Naruto-kun!"
Even Hinata, who had been cuddling happily in Naruto's arms just moments ago, gasped and covered her mouth in surprise. She stared at him wide-eyed, muttering softly with her lips trembling.
"Didn't Naruto-kun say he just wanted to go to the bathroom? How did…"
"Sh-shut up! Be quiet!"
The shocking identity of the one who had objected nearly made the Examiner—who had been preparing to lash out—faint on the spot. His once-cold expression froze up completely, tangled in a grimace. For a moment, he nearly blurted out the word Master before catching himself under Naruto's cheerful, unblinking gaze. He hurriedly changed his tone to something more proper, barking sternly in an exaggerated attempt to reassert control—though it now looked more like he was trying to keep the crowd calm than anything else.
"See? I told you! He really did piss off the Examiner…"
"Heh, but they seem evenly matched. This might get fun to watch."
"Ahem! I said—quiet!"
The Examiner coughed forcefully a few times while sweeping a cold gaze across the field—partly to settle his own pounding heart, and partly to play the role seriously. He relied on the intimidating image he had built up in everyone's minds to regain some silence. Then, after a short pause, he leapt down from the raised platform and landed directly in front of Naruto.
"Hmph hmph, you're kinda slow, Examiner~ Judging by your expression, this must be your first time standing in front of such a big crowd, huh? How's it feel~?"
The moment the Examiner landed and closed the gap between them, Naruto showed no sign of backing down. If anything, his grin widened. He lowered his head slightly and teasingly spoke, locking eyes with the Examiner's cold (but secretly panicking) gaze.
To onlookers, it looked exactly like Naruto was cockily provoking the authority of this unpredictable Examiner—just like that unlucky guy who'd gotten flung away earlier.
"Hahaha! He's gone this far and still dares to mouth off! This damn demon fox monster is gonna get tossed for sure~"
"Wonder if he'll fight back when he gets thrown. And if he shows his demon fox form, we'll have to evacuate~"
"Evacuating wouldn't be a bad deal—monster versus freak, that's a rare show… Wait, what?!"
However, just as everyone—including Fugaku and the others—braced themselves for Naruto to be thrown out… the Examiner's response shocked them all.
To the point that those with weaker nerves were practically clutching their heads and shouting in disbelief.
Because in full view of everyone—when Naruto openly taunted him—the Examiner didn't get angry at all.
On the contrary…
He smiled.
As if Naruto was some sort of precious treasure he'd just discovered.