***
To think that a special Jonin from Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force had been outmaneuvered by a mere Genin from Sunagakure.
It wasn't a matter of retaliation; Morino Ibiki wasn't that petty.
Still, in his summary report for the first stage of this joint Chunin Exam, he would have to thoroughly detail the cause and effect of this anomaly to serve as a reference for future missions of this kind.
Things having come to this, he had to find a way to salvage the situation.
If he let it continue, there would be no need to announce the tenth question, nor would there be any need for the second stage's team survival test in the Forest of Death.
They might as well just hold an early round of individual matches to pick ten finalists for the main tournament in a month.
*It would be a lot easier that way, but I can't let that happen!*
Ibiki glanced at the time, estimated the number of remaining candidates, and then solemnly rapped his knuckles on the blackboard.
The sudden action from Proctor Morino Ibiki made every candidate in the room stop what they were doing.
Nara Shikamaru, sweating bullets; Uzumaki Naruto, scratching his head in confusion; Rock Lee and Akimichi Choji, still waiting in vain for support...
One by one, ninja who would one day be famous looked to the stern-faced Ibiki as if he were their savior, waiting for the proctor to announce what was next.
Any candidate with half a brain had already noticed how unusual this written test was.
The difficulty was far beyond reason, which went against the spirit of the Chunin Exam. If something didn't change soon, this joint exam would become a laughingstock.
Konoha, the host village, certainly didn't want things to turn out this way.
And the one responsible for making the first stage so awkward, for putting them in this difficult position, had to be that despicable Sand Ninja puppeteer, Daigan.
It wasn't that no one had tried to change the situation, but it would have required every candidate in the room to stop interfering with their rivals' attempts to gather intelligence.
It was a classic prisoner's dilemma, a theoretical scenario that most senior students at the Ninja Academy had encountered. While they hadn't delved deep, they understood the basic principle.
The optimal choice was for everyone to set aside their prejudices and overcome the hurdle together, but they were simply incapable of cooperating.
The best choice for an individual, the best choice for a squad, and the collective interest of all the candidates were in complete opposition.
Among competitors who couldn't trust each other in the slightest, even a prior agreement would be no guarantee that someone, upon getting the answers, wouldn't sabotage those still struggling.
Squads that had already finished their papers and secured their passing grade sat on the sidelines, occasionally fanning the flames.
The Genin who hadn't finished were helpless, watching as their fellow unlucky latecomers slowly slid into the abyss with them.
It was impossible for the candidates to save themselves. Only the proctors had the ability and authority to change the rules on the fly and remedy the situation.
For the vast majority of the candidates, this was like a godsend. For Daigan, however, his expression changed drastically.
*Did I go too far? Is this going to backfire?*
The most troublesome part was Kankuro's absence. If he didn't return in time, he would be disqualified, taking Gaara and Temari down with him. This was especially critical for Gaara; without qualifying for the third stage of the Chunin Exam, there would be no chance for him to smoothly unleash the One-Tailed Shukaku.
Such a drastic turn of events would cause a major shift in the Konoha Crush plan. Everything would spiral into an uncontrollable, unknown direction.
Thinking deeper, if Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were all eliminated in the first written test, Daigan would become the de facto leader of the Sunagakure Genin in this exam. He would inevitably have to take on some of the tasks originally assigned to Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.
Daigan didn't mind hovering on the fringes of the "Konoha Crush" and waiting for an opportunity, but to get deeply involved? With his current strength, could he really leave Konoha alive?
Daigan glanced at the time. It was only 4:05 PM, ten minutes before the tenth question was scheduled to be announced. Could Kankuro make it back in time?
"You wastes of space are a disgrace to the ninja profession!"
Having captured the attention of every candidate in the room, Morino Ibiki slammed his hand on the lectern.
"I originally had some expectations for you, but it seems I overestimated you. In light of this, I've decided to announce the tenth question early and add a new rule that will drive you further into despair..."
As he spoke, a sinister look crept onto Ibiki's face.
"Now then, will this be a pleasant heaven or a painful hell for you? I can't wait to find out..."
*This is bad!*
Daigan hurriedly sent several signals to Yome for her to relay to Chi. At the same time, his fingers twitched as he fully activated his secret puppet technique—Human Puppet Performance.
Meanwhile, Chi understood Daigan's intentions, but...
*Contingency Plan C? Is the situation really this dire?*
Despite her doubts, Chi's complete trust in her teammate made her execute Daigan's command without hesitation. She raised a fan with her left hand, obscuring her face, and focused all of her chakra. She then unleashed her most insidious genjutsu, inhaling a mixture of secret medicine powder and genjutsu-infused chakra through her nose.
Instantly, her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
*How ironic. The first person to experience this secret technique I worked so hard to develop is myself.*
Following Daigan's orders, Chi's expression changed as she launched the genjutsu attack on herself, her eyes losing focus.
Then, in the blink of an eye, her pupils cleared. She looked like a completely different person. Yamanaka Ino had seized the opportunity to escape her prison.
The panicked Konoha kunoichi had no idea what was happening. She hastily formed the hand signs to end her Secret Technique: Mind Transfer Jutsu, and her consciousness swiftly returned to her own body.
Noticing Chi's actions, Daigan quickly used his puppet threads to suppress Chi's reaction to the genjutsu, blocking some nerve signals to alleviate her pain.
Yamanaka Ino, in her haste to escape, wasn't so lucky. A few seconds after regaining consciousness, she let out a pained shriek before collapsing onto her desk again, her body wracked with tremors.
The sudden turn of events drew the attention of both candidates and proctors.
Morino Ibiki, who had been about to announce the new rule, frowned.
"What's going on?"
The Konoha Chunin proctor Seimon, who was sitting near Ino, walked over and checked her condition.
"She's disoriented. A sudden illness?"
Worried for Ino, Nara Shikamaru slammed his fist on his desk and shouted, "Impossible! I've never heard of Ino having any sudden illnesses! One of the candidates must have attacked her. I think whoever broke the rules should be disqualified!"
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