blogombal Chapter 94: The Written Exam Begins – The Choice Between Taking it and Not Taking it
Chapter 94: The Written Exam Begins – The Choice Between Taking it and Not Taking it
"What? A written test??"
"There's even a written test? This is terrible..."
Immediately, Ibiki Morino's words caused a huge stir, leaving many genin looking at each other in bewilderment and lamenting their predicament.
Only Ishikawa Neji and Yakushi Kabuto remained calm, with Ishikawa even secretly grimacing as he stared at the examiners.
This lineup of examiners is utterly pathetic compared to next year's Chunin Exams! The prestigious Chunin Exams only have five examiners, including Ibiki—who do they think they are...?
"Alright, now I'll announce the rules for the written test. You all need to listen carefully, no questions allowed, no opinions allowed!" Ibiki looked around, hands in his pockets, exuding an imposing aura.
Instantly, except for a few individuals, all the candidates felt a pang of anxiety as they listened nervously to Ibixi announcing the rules.
Almost exactly like the exam rules for Naruto and Sasuke, the examinees' faces grew increasingly grim as Ibiki continued to speak.
"Alright, let's begin the exam. The exam lasts one hour, and I will reveal the content of question ten in the last ten minutes..."
With Ibiki's command, all 48 people buried their heads in their exam papers, including Ishikawa!
[As expected, even I only know one or two of these questions! This is only because I benefited from practicing the Palm Healing Technique and reading sealing technique materials at Kakashi's house; otherwise, I wouldn't know a single one.]
Ishikawa quickly flipped through the exam paper, sighing inwardly, before immediately straining his ears to listen to what was coming from all directions.
Instantly, the rustling sound of writing reached his ears; it was the sound of the Chunin examiners hidden among the candidates.
To be promoted to Chunin, one must be fully prepared. Submitting a blank paper is out of the question; that would make the examiners think it's a gamble! A qualified Chunin captain would never risk their life so carelessly.
After muttering another internal complaint, Ishikawa finished answering the questions he knew, then lay down on the table and pretended to doze off without using his red eyes.
With Neji around, he didn't want the other party to discover his red-eye ability yet. Besides, that wasn't his method of gathering intelligence openly.
【Then, the time has come to show the results of your training!】After confirming that the examiner had stopped writing, Ishikawa's gaze sharpened and his hands formed a hand seal.
'Spiritualization Technique...'
With a buzz, a blue-white fluorescent light appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The whole process took less than half a moment, and a small chameleon fell from Ishikawa's arms to the ground.
Even so, ordinary chameleons are still physically invisible, unlike the Pain chameleon which becomes completely transparent!
Naturally, the constantly moving chameleon was spotted by the examiners seated on either side. However, all four examiners seemed oblivious, completely ignoring the chameleon that had climbed to the corner of the hidden examiner's table.
Since it's essentially intelligence gathering, they tacitly condone it as long as it's not a shameful act of cheating.
Otherwise, even if you catch the chameleon, how can you prove its relationship with Ishikawa and declare it cheating?
[As expected, as long as I use ninjutsu, they won't think I'm cheating!] Ishikawa, possessing the chameleon, chuckled to himself and immediately memorized the two high-scoring answers he didn't know.
Then it turned around again and crawled back into its pocket to dispel the spiritification spell!
[A perfect score isn't necessary; as long as I demonstrate my information gathering abilities and pass smoothly, there won't be any problems.] Ishikawa thought to himself as he quickly answered the questions.
He then wrote the answers to all four questions on two separate pieces of paper, crumpled them up, and stuffed them into his pocket.
In less than two seconds, the chameleon, holding two crumpled pieces of paper, set off again towards Tarojiro's feet.
[So he figured out the true meaning of the exam so quickly? And he even gathered information to share with his teammates, using that ninjutsu! Interesting kid...] On the podium, Ibiki stared intently at the chameleon and nodded secretly.
Then, his gaze shifted to his younger brother, Idaten, who was scratching his head, and he couldn't help but sigh at the difference between people!
Even his own brother wouldn't be able to help someone who doesn't understand the essence of an exam pass.
This is also a responsibility to his younger brother and Konoha. An unqualified Chunin is a disaster for the team members!
While Ibiki was secretly reflecting on his situation, Tarojiro received Ishikawa's answer.
They already knew about Ishikawa's ability to possess chameleons from the previous Black Hawk Explosion. They just didn't know what kind of ninjutsu it was, assuming it could only possess animals.
Unlike the troubles Ishikawa faced, Neji simply activated his Byakugan and started copying everything down! Meanwhile, Lee, with Tenten's help, used a mirror to get the answer.
Others realized what was happening and used their own methods, while many others, not understanding the situation, ultimately pinned their hopes on the unreleased tenth question.
Among all the examinees, a white-gray ponytail-wearing man with glasses glanced at Neji with Byakugan without making a sound.
[The Hyuga clan's Byakugan, this year's top genius student. It's a pity he's from a branch family, otherwise he could have become Orochimaru's backup vessel.]
[But perhaps this is your good fortune; at least you won't be targeted by powerful figures and become their pawns! Geniuses like you and me, whether or not we're caged birds, have no real freedom anymore...]
The bespectacled man, his eyes gleaming with attraction to Neji, was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Ishikawa's sneaky antics.
"Alright, now I'll explain the final, tenth question." As time passed, Ibiki glanced at the time and suddenly announced in a cold voice.
Instantly, his speech drew everyone's attention!
"It's here, it's here, it's finally here, the long-awaited tenth question."
"Whether I pass the exam or not depends on this one; I'm already prepared for it!"
Listening to the discussions among the other examinees, Ibiki's lips curled slightly, his gaze turning sinister.
"The so-called tenth question is a competition question among the three people in the same group."
"Of the three, one will definitely be eliminated. And the one who is eliminated will be permanently disqualified from participating in the Chunin Exams and will be relegated to the genin for life."
"Now tell me if you want to continue the exam? By the way, if even one person leaves the group, everyone loses their eligibility to take the exam!"
"Therefore, the tenth question is the choice between taking the exam or not!"
As Ibixi continued to speak, all the candidates felt as if they had been struck by lightning, as if the sky had collapsed!
Only Taro and Jiro looked at each other blankly as they listened to the increasingly familiar exam questions!
Isn't this a repeat of their Class 7 bell-stealing battle? Then, the real answer is...
"What the hell?! Are you kidding me? Choosing to quit means everyone's elimination, and you'll be resented by your two teammates. Choosing to continue means one of you will be eliminated, and you'll be banned from the Chunin Exams forever! What kind of ridiculous exam is this?!"
"Yes, I protest! This kind of question is a complete dilemma. Anyone who chooses to be eliminated will be blamed. It's just trying to sow discord!"
"Exactly, taking the exam is one thing, not taking it is another. Should everyone just give up and skip the exam? But then what's the point of the exam?"
Faced with the condemnation from the examinees, especially his younger brother Idaten, Ibiki's face turned cold and his gaze sharpened like a knife.
"I'm sorry, but I'm the examiner you've been assigned this time. If you don't want to be burdened with resentment or hatred, perhaps choosing to abstain is a good option!"
"At least that way you'll still have a chance to pin your hopes on the next Chunin Exams."