Lucien could only rub his temple as he glanced again at Kusuo's paper through his Sharingan.
"The three ninjas of Konoha are… Sarutobi Hiruzen, Senju Hashirama, and Hatake Saku."
Lucien nearly fell off his chair. How in the world do you mistake Jiraiya for your own father?!
He let out a silent sigh. So this idiot wasn't just being modest about doing badly earlier… he really is this hopeless. Even with all my strength, I can't protect us from Kusuo's stupidity if he sinks us here.
The scratching of pens filled the air while the exam clock ticked steadily forward. Some Genin breezed through the simple questions, others sweated as though decoding forbidden scrolls. But every single one grew anxious as the weight of the ninth question loomed over them like a guillotine.
Then—swish!
A kunai slammed into the desk of a Genin who had been shifting his glance too often.
The examiner's voice thundered. "Cheater. Disqualified. Permanently."
"I—I didn't!" the boy cried, but the Chunin nearest blurred forward in a flash. His collar was seized, his paper ripped, and he was hurled out of the room with brutal efficiency. His teammates slumped into silent misery as they were forced to leave with him.
The shock rippled across the room. Even those planning small tricks froze, fear coursing through them.
Lucien's lips quirked faintly. So that's how Shikaku plays it. Fear and pressure greater than the test itself.
But his gut knotted tighter when he rechecked Kusuo's script. Out of eight questions—only four correct.
Forty points.
Not enough to pass.
He needs the ninth question. Otherwise, our whole team is finished.
The written content itself was laughably easy: the Sannin, Konoha's founders, history every shinobi child knew. But hidden beneath, Lucien realized, was the real test: nerves, teamwork, and willpower.
Shikaku's calm voice echoed. "Time is nearly up. You have completed the eight questions. Now, the most important decision: Question Nine."
Every ear perked in the silence.
"If you intend to answer," Shikaku said, "write YES beneath question eight. If you will not, write NO. In five minutes, my deputy examiners will confirm. Those who choose will be given the final question."
His voice hardened, chilling enough to freeze the blood of weaker Genin. "But I remind you: choose wrong, and not only you—but your entire team—are eliminated. Those who give up now still have a chance at the exam next year. Choose rashly... and you may throw everything away."
More groups buckled. One by one, candidates quit outright, choosing safety. The plants Shikaku had arranged to stir panic were especially obvious to Lucien's eyes, but to others, they seemed like desperate peers giving up.
Shigure chuckled inwardly. Shikaku... clever. You're thinning the herd by fooling the weak. Anyone so easily shaken can't be a Chunin.
Without hesitation, he wrote YES.
Hongdie, trusting his earlier words, also pressed her pen gently and wrote YES too.
All that remained was Kusuo.
For a terrifying moment, Lucien saw sweat bead down his teammate's forehead. He trembled, pen wavering. Then, at last, with a deep breath, he etched: YES.
Lucien's eyes softened. Good. Even an idiot can be strong when needed.
The minutes drained away. Chunin moved through the rows methodically. Those who had written YES received small red cards emblazoned with the character (Nin).
Lucien turned his over in his palm. Thin chakra pulsed across its surface, an elegant barrier.
The ninth question... hidden inside this?
The room roiled with whispers before Shikaku raised his hand in the seal of silence.
"Open," he commanded.
The cards shimmered with chakra. Slowly, the ink 忍 dissolved to reveal crisp green numbers.
Lucien's read: 100.
Gasps erupted across the exam hall.
"What... a score?!"
"One hundred...? Perfect...?"
Lucien frowned slightly, though his lips curved. So that's it. The ninth question wasn't a question at all. It was choice. Resolve itself was the exam.
Shikaku's voice snapped the air taut:
"Listen well! Those holding Shinobi Cards with green numbers—congratulations. You've passed."
He turned his gaze to the many that sat empty-handed, mouths agape. "Those without cards... or those whose numbers shine red? Unfortunately, you are eliminated. Your team will leave immediately."
The cries of shock, despair, even anger filled the hall.
But Lucien only sat calmly in his chair as the green glow burned steady in his hand.
His team... had passed.
--
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