Chapter 49: The First Test and a Prelude to Death
Uzumaki Naruto's provocative shout echoed through the large classroom, cutting through the ambient noise and bringing an abrupt, heavy silence.
Every pair of eyes in the room locked onto him.
In the crowd, Kankuro tensed, ready to step forward and teach the loudmouth a lesson, but a single, sharp look from Gaara froze him in place.
"Wait," Gaara's voice was a low, chilling monotone. "Someone else will deal with them for us." His dead-eyed stare remained fixed on Uchiha Sasuke.
Kankuro reluctantly stood down.
From the Village of Sound... they're going to make a move, Kamikawa Hiraoka observed, sensing the hostile intent directed their way.
"You're looking for a beating, you little brat!" a man from the Sound Village, his face wrapped in bandages, yelled as he launched himself through the air.
Yakushi Kabuto swiftly moved to intercept, but before he could, another voice, thick with authority, boomed through the hall.
"Enough!"
At the front of the classroom, a dozen Konoha jonin examiners appeared in a puff of smoke. The leader was a stern-faced man with prominent facial scars.
"I am your examiner, Morino Ibiki," he announced, his deep voice leaving no room for argument. "Do not presume to act arrogantly in front of me, or I will disqualify you on the spot. Now, everyone, take your seats!" He held up a stack of exam papers, his expression grim.
He proceeded to explain the rules of the first exam. Kamikawa Hiraoka listened with only half an ear; he already knew the true purpose of this test wasn't the answers on the paper, but a test of their information-gathering and espionage skills.
As the exam timer ticked down, the room became a silent battlefield of covert techniques. Ninja used every trick—reflections, hidden eyes, puppet strings—to steal answers. Hiraoka, however, was an island of calm. Knowing he could pass with a zero score, he saw no point in the charade. His mind was already in the next stage—the Forest of Death.
"Cheating, examinee number 64! Fifth time. Disqualified!"
"Cheating, examinee number 52! Disqualified!"
One by one, examinees were escorted out.
Halfway through the exam, Ibiki dropped his final bombshell. "Now, for the tenth question. I will add a special rule." A cruel smirk played on his lips. "If you answer incorrectly, you will be forever barred from ever taking the Chunin Exams again. You will remain a genin for life."
A wave of palpable fear swept through the room. The prospect of permanent genin status was a nightmare.
"If you choose to give up now, you and your teammates may try again next time," Ibiki added, his voice dripping with feigned nonchalance.
A Konoha genin's hand shot up, trembling. "I... I withdraw!" he stammered, his eyes wide with terror. A chain reaction began as more and more teams chose to forfeit.
It was then that Uzumaki Naruto slammed his palm onto the desk with a resounding smack!
"Don't look down on me!" he yelled, his voice filled with fiery determination. "I'm not backing down! I'll take the tenth question! Even if I have to be a genin for the rest of my life, I'll become Hokage anyway!"
Ibiki looked at Naruto, and for the first time, a genuine, approving smile touched his lips. He then scanned the remaining examinees. "All of you who remain... pass the first exam!"
Huu— Hiraoka let out a quiet sigh of relief. Finally over.
CRASH!
The window at the side of the classroom shattered as a kunai embedded itself in the wall. A figure swung in on a rope, landing dramatically in the center of the room. It was a woman with vibrant purple hair, wearing a long coat.
"Now this is more like it," Hiraoka murmured to himself, a slow smile spreading across his face as he took in the new arrival.
"I am Mitarashi Anko! And I will be your proctor for the second exam!" she announced, her voice brimming with manic energy. Her lips curled into a wicked grin. "Well, well. It seems far too many of you passed the first round. Don't worry," she purred, "I'll make sure to fail at least half of you in my round!"
A collective shudder ran through the remaining genin at her ominous promise. Hiraoka's own interest sharpened. The Forest of Death. His mind immediately went to the most dangerous variable that would be waiting for them there.
…
Back at his home that evening, Hiraoka looked seriously at Ino and Hinata. "Listen to me," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You both must be extremely careful in the exam tomorrow. I will find you as soon as I get the chance, understood?"
Seeing the gravity in his expression, both girls nodded firmly.
…
The next day, the remaining teams assembled at the entrance to Training Ground 44—a vast area surrounded by a high, imposing iron fence.
As Anko explained the brutal rules of the survival exercise, Hiraoka's sharp eyes picked out a specific figure in the crowd: a man wearing a large bamboo hat and a distinctive purple rope belt around his waist.
Orochimaru, Hiraoka's mind supplied, his internal alarm bells ringing.
As if sensing the weight of his gaze, the figure turned slightly, and for a split second, Hiraoka met a pair of golden, serpentine eyes. A chilling, murderous intent washed over him, freezing the blood in his veins and making him feel as if he'd been plunged into an ice cellar.
As expected of one of Konoha's Sannin, he thought, forcing his composure back. A single glance is this terrifying.
"…and that's why you need to sign these!" Anko finished, holding up a stack of forms. "Consent forms. You don't get to play in my exam without signing your life away!"
A genin took one, his eyes scanning the text. "W-What? A death waiver?" he stammered, his voice cracking.
"Exactly!" Anko confirmed with a sadistic gleam in her eye. "Because in this exam… you can die! So if you're not prepared for that, get out now!"
Her words sent a fresh wave of fear through the applicants. The name "Forest of Death" was no longer just a name.
"I... I quit! I don't want to die!" one ninja cried out, his legs shaking as he fled the grounds.
"Coward," Anko spat disdainfully.
After that brief interlude, and with the waivers signed, Anko began assigning teams to the different gates surrounding the forest.
As his team approached their designated gate, Hiraoka paused, his eyes tracing the tall, rusted iron bars that separated them from the wilderness within.
Anko noticed his hesitation. "What's the matter, kid?" she taunted, walking over. "Getting cold feet now?"
Hiraoka turned his head, a slow, easy-going smile gracing his lips as he looked the attractive proctor up and down. "Not at all. I was just thinking, after this exam is over, perhaps you'd like to pick a time and come over to my place for a visit?"
Anko was taken aback for a moment, then she let out a short, sharp laugh, looking at him with newfound interest. "You've got some nerve, playing around at a time like this!"
"Then it's settled," Hiraoka said with a confident laugh before turning and walking through the gate into the forest.
Watching him disappear into the shadows of the trees, Anko chuckled to herself, a intrigued smile on her face. "That one's interesting. I like him more and more."