Uchiha Sasuke: "..."
As expected.
I knew it!
Sasuke's face was flushed red with embarrassment.
He couldn't stand it anymore.
His cheeks burned with a stinging shame.
Whenever the black-framed large screen cut to him, he felt a sense of social death.
Uchiha Fugaku:...He silently withdrew his previous statement of "As expected of my son."
Senju Hashirama: Hahaha~
Senju Hashirama: Madara, this little guy Sasuke is a bit like you used to be.
Uchiha Madara:...Uchiha Madara: Hmph! He's more like that trash Obito.
Uchiha Obito: "Bullshit! No matter how useless I am, I could never..."
Kakashi Hatake: "Don't be in such a hurry. Sasuke was just a bit careless, but he's still a genius-level Uchiha. You?"
Kakashi Hatake: "You're just a piece of trash propped up to be a puppet!"
Kakashi Hatake: "If you weren't so useless, you might not have even caught Uchiha Madara's eye."
Uchiha Madara: An Uchiha who doesn't act like an Uchiha. If it weren't for him being useless and cowardly enough, and having a rebellious streak, he truly would never have caught my eye.
At this moment, Uchiha Obito's composure broke; he stopped pretending.
Uchiha Obito: "History is written by the victors. No matter what you say, who dares to call me useless now? Who dares to say they can kill me at will?!"
Kakashi Hatake: "Hmph, victors and losers? In the end, aren't you just a pitiful worm who was deceived? Still dreaming your beautiful dream?"
Kakashi Hatake: "Why don't you ask Rin what you look like now?"
Ahhh—!!!
Obito smashed everything in the secret room.
Uchiha Obito: "Kakashi!"
Uchiha Obito: "Do you want to test if my Kamui is sharp enough?!"
Kakashi Hatake: "My Kamui isn't exactly dull either!"
Your Kamui?
Damn it!
Obito's composure completely shattered as he glared at Kakashi's ID through gritted teeth.
Obito was enraged, but he could only vent his anger on the ground.
The black-framed large screen continued:
[Before long, more than half of the time had passed.]
[The end of the first exam was drawing nearer and nearer.]
[At this time.]
[A candidate raised their head.]
[And happened to lock eyes with Ibiki.]
[After waiting for a moment.]
[Ibiki looked away.]
["I have a question!"]
[The moment Ibiki looked away, the candidate seemed to receive some kind of signal and immediately raised their hand to ask.]
["Speak," Ibiki replied indifferently after glancing coldly at him.]
["I want to ask... are there any restrictions on this exam... for example, bottom-tier elimination... or are there no restrictions?"]
[As soon as these words were spoken.]
[Almost all the candidates stopped what they were doing.]
[They all looked toward the fierce-looking Morino Ibiki on the podium.]
[A slight smirk played on Ibiki's lips.]
[It was a chilling sight to behold.]
["So what if you know?"]
["So what if you don't?"]
["Do you want to quit the exam?"]
["I'm very sorry!" That 'candidate' instantly backed down.]
[Now, the atmosphere in the examination hall became even more oppressive.]
[And under excessive pressure, mistakes are bound to happen.]
[Thus, the bottom-tier elimination began.]
[Those whose cheating methods were too obvious were directly singled out by the Proctors.]
[All at once.]
[The oppressive atmosphere completely erupted as candidates continued to leave.]
[Ring, ring, ring—!!!]
[Just as many were about to break.]
[Finally, the one-hour exam period came to an end.]
[Hearing the sound of the end, many breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.]
["Alright."]
["Time is just about up."]
["I believe you've all seen the blank Tenth Question."]
["Now, I will announce the content of the Tenth Question."]
[Ibiki dropped his previous intimidating posture, his voice indifferent.]
[But the candidates, who had just relaxed slightly, immediately became tense again.]
["Regarding the Tenth Question, I have a few additional rules to add."]
[Heh... heh...]
[Finally, some candidates couldn't take it anymore.]
[With faces flushed and necks bulging, they glared at Ibiki with murderous looks.]
[However, regarding those murderous gazes.]
[Not only did Ibiki not feel uncomfortable, he actually felt as refreshed as if he were bathed in a spring breeze.]
[He really is a dark fellow.]
[The pressure was already high, and now temporary rules were being added.]
[This was like adding fuel to the fire.]
[Ibiki once again brought up the rule where the fate of the team was tied together.]
[The candidates' nerves immediately tightened.]
[And so.]
[Someone broke down.]
[They dejectedly lowered their head and then stood up.]
[Silently leaving the examination hall.]
[And their teammates could only watch them leave in silence.]
[There was no other way.]
[To avoid dragging down their teammates.]
[Those who weren't confident had to leave of their own accord.]
[No matter how good their relationship was usually, in the face of their future...]
[Ibiki took in the sight of everyone.]
[His gaze lingered on the faces of The Rookie 9 for a moment.]
[One couldn't say the mental pressure was ineffective... it was non-existent.]
[Ibiki's brow twitched, and then, after seeing the faint, knowing smile on Naruto's lips, he couldn't help but chuckle.]
[No one stood up.]
[So, these Genin began to leave one after another.]
[Influenced by those who left, it soon seemed that choosing to voluntarily give up their exam eligibility wasn't that difficult a decision after all.]
[After a small wave of Genin left quickly, most of the remaining Genin were those with firm resolve.]
["Hurry up!" Sasuke huffed, feeling that a lot of time had been wasted.]
[However, as soon as Sasuke spoke up, it immediately caused a small commotion.]
["If I die, I die!"]
["Leaving now is the same as being a deserter... and a deserter is a Rogue Ninja... if I die, so be it! Who's afraid of whom!"]
["Stop wasting time!"]
["Chief Proctor, hurry up and announce the content of the Tenth Question!"]
["..."]
[Clearly, under this invisible and long-lasting mental torture, these Genin also completely erupted because of Sasuke's single sentence.]
[It looked like things were about to spiral out of control.]
[Ibiki, however, didn't panic in the slightest.]
[His lips twitched, and then he shook his head with a smile.]
["It seems the time is about right."]
[So, after sharing a brief look with the other Proctors.]
[He said with a thin smile:]
["Very good."]
["Regarding the content of the Tenth Question..."]
[Ibiki deliberately dragged it out for a moment.]
[Gulp—]
[The sounds of people swallowing hard continued to ring out.]
[The pressure that had just begun to dissipate returned once more.]
[However.]
[Just as many people were showing signs of impatience again.]
[Ibiki finally continued:]
["Well then... the content of the Tenth Question..."]
["...is that there is no content."]
["Alright, congratulations everyone, you have successfully passed the first exam!"]
[Silence—]
[Instantly.]
[It was as if even the air had gone silent.]
[Congratulations?]
[Passed?]
[The Tenth Question... doesn't exist?]
[Are you kidding me?!]
[The group of Genin were all dumbfounded.]
[However, before they could get angry.]
[Ibiki began to explain the core content of the first exam.]
[He had quite an air of pretension about him, leaving the candidates feeling angry but unable to speak out.]
["What's with all this rambling?!"]