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"Aren't you here to participate too, Shikamaru?" Menma asked with a slight smile.
In the Hidden Leaf Village, there weren't many who didn't dislike Menma. Shikamaru was one of the few who not only didn't dislike him but even held a favorable impression. Whether it was Shikamaru's intelligence or his laid-back personality, it was hard to find reasons to dislike him. Normally, people would be happy to befriend someone like Shikamaru. But for Menma, who was determined not to follow Naruto's original path, making friends in the village felt like a luxury—perhaps even naive and foolish.
The bonds he sought were ones that could stand alongside him, not hold him back.
"Yeah, but it's more like I'm being forced into it," Shikamaru replied, shrugging with a helpless expression.
Naruto, standing nearby, patted Shikamaru on the shoulder with a grin. "It's great that you get to take the Chunin Exams, but you still look so miserable, Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru's expression became even more exasperated, while Sasuke merely nodded in acknowledgment of Shikamaru and Choji's presence, maintaining his usual cool demeanor. Anyone else might have thought Sasuke was being rude, but Shikamaru and Choji were already accustomed to his attitude.
"Menma-kun, did you change your outfit? Wow, you look way more attractive than before!" Ino exclaimed as she caught sight of Menma. Initially, her eyes had been focused on Sasuke, but Menma's new look quickly drew her attention, and she spoke with surprise.
"Yeah, Menma's looking pretty sharp," Choji agreed, nodding while munching on snacks.
"Thanks," Menma replied with a polite smile.
Ino then turned her attention to Sakura, a hint of jealousy in her voice. "Hey, Sakura, you're so lucky to be around these guys all the time."
Sakura, not one to pass up a chance to tease, smirked. "Heh, are you envious? Too bad, Ino, you won't get a chance like this."
"Oh, that wide forehead of yours really makes me mad!"
"Well, boar!"
"Broad forehead!"
Their usual bickering began, a familiar exchange that the boys had grown used to.
Meanwhile, the three members of Team 8—Kiba, Hinata, and Shino—also approached, joining the conversation. With everyone together, the atmosphere grew lively, drawing the attention of some of the other genin in the room. While the Leaf genin kept their thoughts to themselves, some of the other village genin weren't as reserved.
"Hey, kids, this isn't your playground. Keep it down, or I'll make you," growled a scar-faced ninja from Takigakure, stepping forward with a fierce expression.
Before he could finish his threat, Menma turned and took a step forward. A sudden burst of chakra flared from his body, far beyond what an average genin could muster. The air around him chilled as a faint, cold killing intent seeped into the room.
"Oh? And what exactly are you going to do?" Menma asked coldly, his eyes locked on the Takigakure ninja.
The scar-faced man's bravado quickly evaporated as sweat beaded on his forehead. His body began to tremble under the pressure of Menma's chakra.
"This guy…"
"I've killed before, and this chakra… He's no ordinary genin," the surrounding genin murmured, their eyes widening in surprise.
In the back of the room, Neji, Rock Lee, Gaara, Kabuto, and others observed Menma with various reactions, from curiosity to wariness. A timid-looking girl with bright red hair, similar to Menma's, also stared at him with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
Even Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji, and the others couldn't help but reevaluate Menma. In less than half a year, the top-ranked genin of this year had undergone a startling transformation.
The Takigakure ninja, completely cowed by Menma's aura, was trapped—unable to advance or retreat.
At that tense moment, the classroom door was suddenly flung open.
A group of Leaf Chunin, led by a fierce-looking man in a black coat, marched in. The man's cold gaze swept across the room, silencing the genin with just his presence.
"Quiet!" he commanded, his voice sharp and authoritative.
The Takigakure ninja quickly retreated to his comrades, while Menma turned his attention to the man on the podium—Morino Ibiki, Konoha's infamous interrogation expert.
"Hmph, I can see everyone's eager to get started," Ibiki began, his voice low and menacing. "But remember, this is the Chunin Exam, and I am your proctor for the first round. My name is Morino Ibiki. During the exam, you will follow my instructions to the letter. Any deviation, any unauthorized actions, and you will be immediately disqualified. Do I make myself clear?"
The room fell into a tense silence as Ibiki's cold words settled over the genin. Even the most unruly among them were forced to restrain themselves.
Satisfied with the silence, Ibiki continued, "Very good. Now, submit your application forms and find your assigned seat according to the number on your ticket. The first test will be a written exam."
"A written test? This should be a breeze," Sakura whispered with a small smile, visibly relieved.
For someone like her, who excelled in theory, a written test was hardly a challenge. Throughout her time at the Academy, Haruno Sakura had consistently ranked among the top in theoretical exams.
As she glanced at the exam paper, Sakura felt a surge of confidence. *No matter how difficult these questions are, as long as they're logical, I'll ace this test,* she thought.
Nearby, Menma, Sasuke, Ino, Hinata, Shino, and even Shikamaru seemed composed, showing no signs of stress. But Choji, Naruto, and Kiba looked like they'd been struck by lightning.
"A... written test? Seriously?" Naruto stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Naruto, who usually charged into danger without hesitation, was genuinely terrified of written exams. They were his Achilles' heel. Kiba and Choji weren't much better off; while they were slightly better than Naruto academically, it wasn't by much.
The three of them exchanged worried glances, already dreading the thought of failing in the first round.
But there was no turning back now. The exam had begun.
Naruto, Kiba, and Choji could only grit their teeth and resign themselves to their fate. With heavy hearts, they followed their teams, handed in their application forms, received their numbered tags, and took their assigned seats.
Menma, on the other hand, felt indifferent about the first test. If it weren't for the prospect of entering the Forest of Death and encountering Orochimaru, he wouldn't have cared about the Chunin Exams at all. To him, this was merely a formality.
Ibiki Morino continued explaining the rules of the exam.
When he revealed that each team's overall score would be based on the average of its members, it sent shockwaves through most of the Genin. Sakura, Naruto, and the others couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety, but Menma remained composed.
"The final question will be revealed after 45 minutes," Ibiki announced. "Now, let the exam begin!"
With that, the sound of scribbling filled the room.
The true nature of the first test wasn't about how much theoretical knowledge one had. If you could answer all the questions correctly based on what you knew, that was fine. But the exam was designed to assess a Genin's ability to gather intelligence and make quick decisions under pressure.
Ibiki's cryptic remarks—"Don't get caught cheating carelessly" and "A shinobi should act like a shinobi"—were loaded with hidden meaning.
*Find a way to gather the answers, but don't get caught,* was the unspoken challenge.
In essence, as long as your cheating method was discreet enough, even if the proctors noticed, they wouldn't call you out. But if you got caught blatantly? You were done.
And sure enough, within ten minutes of the test starting...
"Second row, third seat!"
"Fifth row, first seat!"
"Back row, fifth seat!"
The proctors' voices echoed through the room as one candidate after another was caught and expelled. Their ruthless efficiency struck fear into the hearts of those who lacked confidence.
Ibiki was a master of psychological warfare, and he knew how to apply pressure. Even without his usual interrogation tools, he turned the exam room into a battlefield of nerves. The candidates were subjected to relentless mental stress.
Under this constant pressure, some of the weaker-willed candidates began to sweat profusely, their resolve crumbling. The sight of their fellow Genin being dragged out only heightened the tension for the rest of them. The rule that the team's score was averaged? It weighed heavily on everyone's minds.
As the minutes ticked by, the number of candidates dwindled.
By the time the exam was halfway through, nearly a third of the original 100 Genin had been eliminated.
Ibiki glanced at the clock, judging the time to be right. It was time to deliver the final blow.
With a voice as cold as steel, he said, "Now, it's time to make your choice!"
His words hung in the air like a death sentence, sending chills down the spines of many candidates.
Those who were already teetering on the edge of collapse could no longer bear the strain.
"No. 25 has given up. His team is disqualified."
"No. 79 has given up. Her team is disqualified."
"No. 104 has given up..."
One after another, the candidates stood up mechanically, forfeiting their chances. Ibiki watched them leave without a hint of emotion. In his mind, those who couldn't handle this level of pressure had no business becoming Chunin.
The room grew quieter as more candidates left. The remaining Genin, including Sakura, Ino, Choji, and the others, gritted their teeth and held onto their determination. Even Naruto, who usually acted on impulse, resolved to stay strong.
In the silence that followed, no one else stood up.
Ibiki surveyed the room with a nod of approval. *They're ready.*
Then, with a sudden smile, he waved his hand.
"Very well. It seems you've all made your decision. Congratulations—you've all passed the first exam!"
A chorus of confused gasps filled the room.
"What?!"
"Eh?"
"Huh?"
The dramatic shift in the atmosphere was palpable. Even Menma, who knew how things would play out, couldn't help but feel the change in mood. For most of the Genin, the sudden reversal was mind-boggling.
Ibiki's demeanor softened slightly as he observed the bewildered expressions of the candidates.
"Remember," he said, "a Chunin must be able to make difficult decisions under pressure. You've all shown that you can handle that. But the real test is far from over."
And with that, the first round of the Chunin Exams came to a close.
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