Yome, who was watching the entire room, looked at the unresponsive Daigan with concern, afraid he was about to do something reckless.
However, remembering Daigan's instructions from before the exam, she calmed herself and waited patiently for things to unfold.
Chi, who had just recovered from her own genjutsu, was slumped over her desk, resting. Without a command from Daigan relayed by Yome, it seemed she had no intention of moving.
As more and more teams chose to withdraw, the already spacious exam room became even emptier.
Nara Shikamaru, who had never faced a predicament like this before, nervously gnawed at the dead skin on his right index knuckle, forcing down the anxiety in his heart as he considered the possibility of passing the first stage.
*The proctor announced the tenth question early, clearly because the elimination rate was too fast and too high, and the projected number of successful candidates was far lower than expected. So he changed the rules. But pinning my hopes on there being enough teams with scores even lower than Team 10's is too wishful. Besides, is it worth risking being a Genin for life for a slim chance? I don't really care, but what about Choji and Ino?*
His mind a tangled mess, Shikamaru looked at the culprit, Daigan, who was currently feigning deep thought.
*Is that guy struggling too? Looks like the proctor found his weak spot!*
***
Unlike most of the Genin candidates, Daigan's mind had long since moved past the question of whether to stay or go.
He was only feigning hesitation to cover his tracks, to keep from revealing his true thoughts, and above all, to prevent anyone from suspecting he already knew the rules of the exam and the way to pass the first stage. It was a fitting, consistent end to his behavior throughout the Chunin Exam so far.
Daigan didn't dare underestimate a ninja's ability to see the big picture from the smallest details.
Under the observation of over a hundred pairs of eyes, any abnormality would be magnified infinitely.
His risky move of indirectly attacking Yamanaka Ino with a genjutsu to buy time and save Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara's team had already been pushing it.
Morino Ibiki was an elite of the Torture and Interrogation Force, a true master of manipulating minds. Daigan wouldn't dare expose any unnecessary weaknesses now that he was under scrutiny.
Anything more he did would only be counterproductive.
Ninjas were not people who played by the book. The moment Daigan made his move and disrupted the exam, Ibiki had immediately changed the rules.
That willingness to go back on his word to achieve his objective was a powerful lesson for Daigan.
As long as the mission could be completed, a ninja wouldn't care about a few minor rules.
The overt purpose of this joint Chunin Exam was to select outstanding Chunin. The first stage was meant to filter out qualified candidates for the next round. The proctors didn't really care about the exam rules or passing standards; they just needed to kick out the obvious failures. The rest of the screening could be left to the next proctor.
Thanks to Daigan, the exam room had become chaotic, but the overall situation hadn't been compromised, which was why he hadn't been targeted yet.
As long as his performance warranted his participation in the next stage's Forest of Death, there wouldn't be a major problem.
But if he made a move unbefitting of a ninja, like directly attacking another candidate or being suspected of knowing the questions in advance, the rest of the Chunin Exam would likely have nothing to do with him, Yome, or Chi.
Unconsciously, the time had passed 4:20 PM. There were less than ten minutes left before the written test was over.
*Twenty-six teams left!*
Thanks to Yome, Daigan knew how many people remained in the room without even looking up.
The total number of participants in the Chunin Exam was the same as he remembered, but due to his influence, three of the Sand's Genin teams had been swapped out for stronger ones: Uno, Shishio, and Koji's team; Saya, Sana, and Shira's team; and his own Otokaze team with Yome and Chi.
Uno, Shishio, and Koji's team was now out, while Saya's team and the Otokaze team were still holding on.
With two unexpected Genin teams added to the mix, the number of successful candidates was already consistent with his memory, which meant at least two teams that should have passed the first stage had already been sent home.
The exam wasn't over yet; perhaps more would crack under the pressure.
*Uzumaki Naruto hasn't slammed his desk yet, but it should be soon.*
Just as Daigan was anticipating it, a Konoha Genin named Hoki, sitting near Naruto, raised his hand and announced his withdrawal.
Deeply shaken, Naruto struggled for a moment before slowly raising his own hand.
*Is this it? Twenty-five Genin teams pass! What a shame...*
After a moment of hesitation, Nara Shikamaru ultimately chose not to quit, which, to Daigan's disappointment, also earned his admiration.
If their positions were reversed, Daigan wasn't sure he could have held out.
Of course, Uzumaki Naruto played a major role. If it hadn't been for his declaration of not quitting, which bolstered the resolve of those remaining, the outcome might have been different.
Sure enough, Naruto caused quite a stir. After Ibiki reconfirmed his decision to stay and looked around at the remaining candidates, he decided that dragging it out further wouldn't change anything. He magnanimously announced the results of the first stage:
"To everyone present, congratulations. You've all passed."
The shocking result stunned all the candidates, each lost in their own thoughts. It was the simple-minded Uzumaki Naruto who reacted first, letting out a loud cheer.
"Don't... don't you have any questions?"
Morino Ibiki gave what he considered a brilliant smile, but it only made the scars on his face look more terrifying.
Most of the candidates felt completely drained, too mentally exhausted to even muster curiosity.
Only a few of the teams that had actually completed the test might have felt it was unfair; the rest were just relieved.
"What do you mean by that?"
Passing the written test was a good thing, but such an anticlimactic ending left a strange taste in their mouths.
Haruno Sakura was the first to voice the question, and Temari of the Sand also expressed her dissatisfaction, feeling that the entire exam had been almost meaningless and the conditions for passing were a joke.
Silencing the candidates' whispers, Ibiki pulled down his bandana, revealing a head covered in gruesome scars from torture, which instantly quieted the room.
"After this written test, I believe all of you have, to some extent, experienced something important. The dangers of the ninja world will only reveal their cruel truth after you've been promoted to Chunin. So, think carefully about the consequences of mission failure."
Re-tying his bandana, Proctor Ibiki continued, "At the very beginning of this test, I already told you the rules. When you saw questions that were completely beyond a Genin's ability to answer, you should have quickly realized the true meaning of this test... That's right, it was to test your ability to gather information. For that purpose, we planted sources of intelligence in the room for you to steal from..."
As the proctor paused, two Konoha Chunin, Oke and Hayase, who had been disguised as Genin candidates in the middle of the room, raised their hands and stood up.
Uzumaki Naruto, who had been completely oblivious to this, was shocked. Feeling a bit ashamed, he tried to cover it up with some blustering boasts that nobody believed.
"You've just experienced what happens when your judgment and intelligence-gathering skills are lacking. Today, your failure means, at most, not passing the Chunin Exam. If you fail on a mission, you'd better hope you die in battle. If you're captured, I don't need to describe the miserable fate that awaits..."
Ibiki's grim words brought the memory of his scarred head back to the candidates' minds.
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