Ibiki Morino kicked open the door with enough killing intent that half the genin supposed that the door would have slit its own throat had it had a throat. And hands. And something sharp. Actually, those didn't seem like terrible obstacles in the goal of the door slitting its own throat, since it seemed to be bleeding.
The genin were freaked out.
Ibiki made a note to ask Anko about the bleeding door later. "Listen up, maggots!" he roared. "You're here to take the Chunin Exam, not get into a girlie slapfight!"
Naruto and Kin stopped and pulled apart slowly. Kin was then soundly bonked on the head by a teammate.
"You held back," Sasuke murmured.
"Secrets, remember?" Naruto whispered back.
"Good," Ibiki said more calmly. Somehow he seemed even more menacing for it. "Now if you will come in here, we will begin the exam. Oh, and mind the door."
As if on cue, the dying door slipped off its hinges and crashed to the floor. A genin from Cloud threw up.
Ibiki really had to talk to Anko about that door.
Naruto kept his disdtance from the door's corpse and looked up from where he was walking only after he had negotiated his way around it. What he saw were chunin. Holding stacks of paper. And desks. With pencils. "A written test!?" he shrieked.
Sakura giggled to herself as Naruto had to be led to his seat, still in shock. Naruto was such a loser. Oh, the scores were averaged? Well…she was the best scorer and Sasuke was Sasuke. They could carry
"…and if one genin fails, the entire team fails!" Ibiki continued.
Naruto winced at the addition of killing intent from Sasuke and Sakura. This was…this was very bad. Huh, what was he saying about the tenth question? Aaah what was he thinking, he couldn't worry about that he had to get one question! Just one! And if he tried to cheat it would be three! He was doomed! And Sasuke would kill him!
Breathe, Naruto. Focus on your breathing. Right. You just need one answer. You can do that. The test started a minute ago. I ALREADY WASTED A MINUTE!?
Naruto flipped his paper over and grabbed his pencil so hard it became a collection of splinters and carbon dust in his hand.
The proctors stared and tried to figure out if that was cheating or panicing. One of them gave Naruto a new pencil and a spike of menace.
Naruto flinched and took the pencil. "Thanks," he whimpered.
Oh man they were making cheat marks already. And the first question didn't make sense! Or the second! Or the…aaahhh!!
Naruto grabbed his head and stared, shaking, at the test. He could feel the hands on the clock moving it was so tense. The air was heavy with the glee of proctors finding cheaters and…and…
And no one had left the room yet. Wait, what was the rule about cheating? Right, two points off. That…that actually was pretty nice.
"You!" a proctor yelled. Naruto nearly came out of his chair.
"What!?" another genin asked indignantly.
"That's five. You're done."
"You're crazy!" the genin yelled. "I haven't…eek."
The genin was dragged out by a proctor loudly going on about how the chunin saw everything.
Naruto looked back at his test. Right, no cheating. Cheating was bad. It wasn't like anything he could do wouldn't be seen anyway. Not like Hinata. Naruto could smell her quiet confidence. No sweat, no stress. She had to have used her byakugan. So she had a full set of answers.
That's it! He could make a mirror like Haku did! Wait, that was only slightly MASSIVELY OBVIOUS.
Oo! He could freeze the top of the desk and turn that into a mirror. And then…the reflection off Hinata's protector! Yes he could look at Hinata's test by using the desk and her protector as mirrors! That would work!
…
He didn't have any good ideas, did he? He grabbed his head again and decided that the time to panic was upon him.
"It is now time for the tenth question!" Ibiki called quietly.
Naruto's trip to the far side of sanity was stalled by a ray of hope. A tenth question? Right, there was something about that. He still had a chance!
"You must decide if you will take the question," Ibiki declared. "If you don't take it, you and your team fails here and now."
"Then of course we'll take it!" a nameless genin in the background yelled.
"But if you take it and fail, you will be a genin forever," Ibiki finished. He ramped up the killing intent and grinned cruelly.
Naruto choked. "What?!" another genin yelled.
"Silence!" Ibiki bellowed. "This is my test! If you are so unsure of yourselves quit now, have a few more months as genin, and try again!"
Naruto was tempted. A second chance was precious, after all. But…he was taking the exam, wasn't he? He couldn't just give up in front of-
"I give," a genin called. "I'm sorry! A life as a genin, I can't risk that!"
"You may leave," Ibiki said coolly, but without menace. Without criticism.
The floodgates opened. Genin after genin raised their hands. Team after team left.
Naruto considered his hand. Just put it in the air like this and…that was Hinata's hand on his shoulder.
He looked up in shock and found himself eye to eye with a girl that was so red she was going to faint at any moment. He didn't get that at all, but he knew what he had to do.
His hand slammed down on the desk. "Like hell, dattebayo!" he yelled at Ibiki. "It doesn't matter! Genin or not, pass or not, I'm going to be Hokage someday! It doesn't matter what happens! My teammates are with me! My friends are with me! Bring on your question!"
Hinata smiled slightly and slumped as the blood left her head. She didn't collapse only because a chunk of ice had mysteriously bonded her to the back of the chair.
Sakura stared at Naruto. Yeah, I guess you do want to risk it all. That's your way. Fine, I guess I'm all in too.
Sasuke closed his eyes and smiled. "Loud idiot," he muttered.
Ibiki looked around and saw way too many smiles. Kid had ruined the mood. "Anyone else?" he asked, knowing he'd have no more takers. "Very well. You pass!"
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(Posted Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:03)
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