"Silence! The proctors here will determine if there's a problem!" Ibiki barked at the agitated Shikamaru.
***
Seimon gently lifted Yamanaka Ino's eyelid, touched his hand to her forehead, and sensed the chakra fluctuations within her body.
"This is... genjutsu!"
An uproar immediately swept through the surrounding candidates.
"Genjutsu?"
Ibiki's already grim face became even more ferocious.
"You... very good! So some of you actually dared to violate the ban on private fighting!"
Slightly angered, Ibiki glanced at Tobitake Tonbo, who was monitoring the prime suspect—the Sand Ninja Daigan—and then at Tetsu, the proctor watching Daigan's teammate, the genjutsu-using kunoichi Chi.
Tobitake Tonbo shook his head, indicating he hadn't seen anything.
Tetsu, sitting next to Chi, hesitated for a moment before answering, "No violation!"
The unassuming Chi had sat quietly for over half an hour before casting a genjutsu on herself. This clearly did not violate any rules.
If Chi's actions were considered a problem, then nearly every candidate in the room would have to be disqualified.
If they were to trace it back to the source, Yamanaka Ino, who had first used the Mind Transfer Jutsu on Chi, was more at fault.
Strictly speaking, to be fair, they would first have to expel Konoha's Team 10 before they could even begin to address Chi's responsibility for casting a genjutsu on herself that inadvertently affected the "fish" that was Ino.
"No violation?" Ibiki asked, enunciating each word.
"That's correct, Head Proctor!"
No violation didn't mean no action. Tetsu had made it clear to the other proctors and the few clever candidates in the room: *Yes, it was the Sand Ninja Daigan working with his teammates Yome and Chi, but we can't find any loophole to expel them under the rules you announced.*
"Haha... very, very good!"
The Head Proctor, now laughing in his anger, had administered the Chunin Exam many times, but this was the first time a candidate had found a loophole in his rules.
"The ninja world is full of surprises. One can never relax on the path of improvement! Tetsu, submit a detailed report to me later..."
Tetsu nodded in acknowledgment.
"Seimon, can Yamanaka Ino continue the exam?"
"Head Proctor, the genjutsu cast on Yamanaka Ino was quite sophisticated, but I've already dispelled it. She should wake up soon. She might be a bit drained, but it won't affect her ability to continue the exam."
"Thank you for your hard work," Ibiki said with a nod. "Yamanaka Ino and Nara Shikamaru made noise without permission, disrupting the exam order. Record one instance of cheating for each of them, for a deduction of two points..."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the back door of the classroom. The puppet disguised as a proctor pushed the door open and led Kankuro inside.
"You got lucky, you puppet-playing Sand brat... huh?"
Unaware of the strangely tense atmosphere, Kankuro didn't say much. He cautiously made his way to his seat, slipping a copy of the answers to Temari as he passed her.
The Head Proctor glanced at the wall clock. Seven or eight minutes had passed since he had planned to announce the tenth question early. "So, that was your goal."
Enduring the proctor's scrutinizing gaze, Daigan could only feign a look of pitiful ignorance.
He had only intended to eliminate a few competitors; he never imagined it would turn out like this.
He definitely couldn't afford any more missteps. If he was caught, Ibiki would undoubtedly kick him out of the exam room without a second thought.
Fortunately, Kankuro had made it back in time.
Regardless, the mission to get Gaara safely into the third stage's main tournament had not failed. Daigan wouldn't have to bear those unpredictable and highly lethal responsibilities.
At the front of the room, Ibiki's voice was grave.
"Before I reveal the tenth question, each of you must first face a despairing choice. You have the right to withdraw from the Chunin Exam now and try again next time. If one person on a team chooses to withdraw, their two teammates are also automatically disqualified. Or, you can choose to answer the tenth question. However..."
A humorless smile touched the Head Proctor's lips.
"If you choose to answer but get it wrong, regardless of your previous performance, you will be stripped of your eligibility for the Chunin Exam and will never be allowed to take it again! In other words, you'll be a Genin for life..."
"What?"
As soon as Ibiki finished, the candidates below gasped.
"That choice is too cruel!"
"Shut up, you scum! Didn't I just say this was a choice of despair? Enough nonsense. If you want to stay, be quiet. If you want to quit, you can leave now!"
After a flurry of whispers, a strange silence fell over the room. Everyone was carefully weighing their options while observing the reactions of the other candidates.
Before long, declarations of withdrawal began to ripple through the room. Team after team failed to withstand the psychological torment, defeated by this final test of spirit.
What Daigan found most regrettable was the departure of Uno, Shishio, and Koji's team, a reasonably strong Sand squad.
The seemingly gentle kunoichi Uno and the low-key Shishio were calm and composed, but it was the arrogant Koji who raised his hand to quit. A reluctant Uno and Shishio had no choice but to stand and leave the room.
*Hmph! The more self-satisfied and absorbed in their own cleverness they are, the more they weigh the pros and cons, and the harder it is for them to pass the tenth question!* Ibiki thought.
Among the Konoha Genin, the most at-risk was the struggling Team 10, especially Nara Shikamaru.
His tendency to overthink things, combined with his immaturity, made him the biggest liability in this situation.
All three team members had blank papers, and Shikamaru and Ino each had a cheating mark against them, costing them two points.
With a cumulative score of negative four, Team 10 was on the brink of elimination.
Additionally, the clever-by-half Sand Ninja Daigan was, in Ibiki's mind, a prime candidate for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
The Head Proctor glanced towards Daigan's seat. The arrogant brat who had been stirring up trouble for nearly an hour now had his fingers interlaced, pressed against his forehead, his head bowed slightly, hiding his expression.
*Is he planning a new way to disrupt his enemies, or is he hesitating about whether to quit?*
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