"Taking the exam in three-person teams with a combined score was not meaningless. It was to give you an early taste of the importance of trust, cooperation, and willpower. In the future, you will encounter difficulties on missions far more perilous than what you faced today—insufficient strength, lack of intelligence, poor teamwork, obstruction from rivals, and a host of other problems!"
Especially that last point. Daigan, who had been the first to tear through that veil of civility, had borne the brunt of the ill will from nearly every Genin in the room.
"The first nine questions have already eliminated the Genin who lack basic qualities, sound judgment, and decisive action. Those who remain have at least some merit... There is no tenth question. If you insist on one, it was the choice you just made. It filters out those with wavering wills, and that was the true focus of this written test..."
To those who knew in advance, it might have seemed trivial, but for the inexperienced Genin present, it was truly one of the most important decisions of their lives.
"When on a mission, ninja often face immense pressure and unimaginable difficulties, but that is no reason to give up. Sometimes, intelligence is more important than life itself, something that must be fought for with your life on the line. Failing to obtain accurate intelligence, or being misled by false information, can lead to devastating losses, potentially wiping out an entire generation of your village's finest. You will face enemies with unknown numbers, abilities, and armaments; you will walk into what could be traps; you will have captured comrades held as hostages; and you will face the risk of your own village's secrets being leaked through torture..."
The feeling from just a few minutes ago—that despair of knowing there was a problem, even understanding the solution, yet being utterly powerless, the agony that drove so many candidates to reckless, self-destructive actions and got them eliminated—came rushing back.
"Even so, can a ninja choose to refuse a mission? At times like these, what we need are ninja who can show courage to their comrades, who have the ability and determination to break through adversity together, and who are willing to complete the mission even at the cost of their lives. Cowards who cling to life and hope for next year, those with wavering hearts, are not qualified to become Chunin. By choosing to take the question, you answered the most critical question correctly. I hope you will continue to face challenges head-on in the future. The first stage of the Chunin Exam is over!"
The Chunin Exam was both a selection process and an important experience. It was the proctor's wish to weed out the unqualified and help the promising Genin rise to the next level.
"I wish you all the best in your exams!"
***
Looking down at the young Genin, who seemed to have had an epiphany, Morino Ibiki nodded with satisfaction. It had been worth changing the rules to keep a few more of them.
They were a bit useless, easily manipulated, but there was still room for them to be saved.
From the corner of his eye, Ibiki glanced at the wall clock. It was exactly 4:30 PM.
Just as he was about to say something more, a dark figure crashed through the classroom window, striking what they clearly thought was a cool pose.
It was the mercurial Mitarashi Anko.
Unfortunately, the exhausted candidates were completely immune to the infectious enthusiasm of the second stage's proctor. Instead, they just stared blankly at her inexplicable performance.
Ibiki whispered to the newcomer, "Read the room. And you're too early."
Slightly embarrassed, Anko looked around the exam room.
"There are still seventy-five people left? That's too many! Did you go easy on them?"
"If I hadn't kept these ones, you probably wouldn't have had a chance to make an appearance at all!"
"What's that supposed to mean? Whatever..."
Anko laughed boisterously.
"Fine, leave them to me! I'll have to cut at least half of them in the second exam. This is going to be exciting! We'll be moving to a new location for the second stage. I'll give you the details tomorrow. As for the time and place, ask your Jonin sensei! That's all for today. Dismissed!"
With that, the whirlwind proctor of the second stage left as quickly as she had come, leaving a crowd of dumbfounded Genin in her wake.
Only then did Daigan let out a long sigh and stand up first.
"Yome, Chi, let's go!"
The three Sand Ninja, who had nearly caused a major incident, thought it best to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.
Realizing they could leave, the other candidates also began to get up.
"Hey, you over there, the puppeteer..."
Someone seemed to want to say something, but Daigan wasn't the only puppeteer in the room. They could have been referring to Kankuro or Lady Saya.
Daigan ignored it, heading for the door without looking back.
"Trying to pretend you didn't hear me? Do you look down on us that much?"
A white-clad Hyuga Neji blocked Daigan's path.
"Sorry, who are you? I don't think I know you. I thought you were calling for the Kazekage's son, or maybe Lady Saya over there."
"Playing dumb is useless. You went too far!"
"Is there some kind of misunderstanding? I don't recall offending you..."
"Excuses? You can't hide anything from these eyes, which see all!"
Hyuga Neji was relentless, showing no intention of letting Daigan leave. Tenten and Rock Lee, who had also been screwed over, stood on either side of him, their faces full of resentment.
Many of the other victims also gathered around, seemingly demanding an on-the-spot explanation from Daigan.
The Konoha ninja, being the most numerous, were the most agitated.
"A fight? This is more like it. That stuffy written test was so boring..."
Lady Saya, with her sister Sana and Shira, began to voice her support for Daigan.
Whatever conflicts they might have had in the past, now was the time to set them aside and present a united front.
Gaara stood up, looking displeased at the noisy crowd. He wanted to act, but hesitated with so many proctors nearby.
Kankuro unwrapped the bandages on his puppet, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Temari stood beside Daigan, her Three-Moon Fan in hand, looking at the aggressive Hyuga Neji with contempt. "Konoha ninja, trying to bully us with numbers? A gathering of incompetent trash is still just a pile of trash! Hey you, are you challenging the Sand Ninja on behalf of those morons?"
"That's not what I meant..."
Daigan pushed through the crowd impatiently. "I don't care what you mean. Don't bother me. I'm in a bad mood right now and don't feel like hurting anyone."
It wasn't as if Daigan was the only one who had acted. If Hyuga Neji hadn't interfered, Uno, Shishio, and Koji's team might not have been eliminated.
Truth be told, how many people in the room were truly innocent?
Perhaps only Uzumaki Naruto, who was watching the conflict erupt with wide-eyed surprise, had done nothing.
"Hey, you lot!" Morino Ibiki roared. Several of the younger proctors quickly moved to disperse the instigators. "The second stage of the Chunin Exam is tomorrow, and you have time to cause trouble here? Did you think the second proctor's words weren't clear enough?"
"Head Proctor, you saw it yourself. I'm not the one starting trouble. Trouble came looking for me. It's hard to avoid!"
"The written test is over. I am no longer the Head Proctor," Ibiki said. "However, private fighting is forbidden in Konoha Village. Sparring outside of missions can only take place in training grounds. As a Konoha ninja, it is my duty to arrest the main perpetrators who violate this ban. If any of you miss tomorrow's exam because of it, don't blame me!"
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