Naruto : Struggle Of Childhood

Games and Players

Someone else raised their hand, and a few other people got up and left, all of them looking discouraged and angry. One group was sending rather murderous looks over at Ibiki, but Naruto doubted that the man noticed or cared all that much. This was his job, and he looked like he liked it.

Ibiki looked around, there were still about thirty or so Genin left.

"You lot are looking pretty confident," his eyes fell on Naruto, "What about you, tattoo-face, are you sure that you can handle the question?"

If Ibiki was looking for someone to freak out, he had come to the wrong person. Naruto's eyes narrowed. He wasn't going to shout around like an infant, but he sure wasn't going to be bullied either.

"If I can't go forwards, even if I'm taking a risk, I'm not ready to be a Chuunin," Naruto said, "this time, it's my career, next time it'll be my life. Besides, even if I fail, I'll become the world's most dangerous Genin, and then it really won't matter what rank I'm at, I'll still get assigned the tough missions. Besides, I never thought I'd do well with little kids anyway."

Ibiki smirked, "You sure are confident," was all that he said, he looked around, rounding on another person. One of the girls from Suna, Matsuri was looking like she would have very much loved to raise her hand, but one look at Temari, who gave her a look that said plainly 'If you do it, you're dead' changed her mind. She sat, looking very pale and completely terrified that she was going to stay a Genin forever. Naruto felt sort of sorry for her, but his sympathy was tempered by the fact that if she was going to survive, she had to learn to take risks and have a little bit of confidence. If not, she was going to have to deal with Temari and Kankuro being on her case until the team split up.

Several people left, some of them were even Konoha nin, but Sora's team, Team Ten, and Team Seven didn't move. Sora was looking annoyingly confident and Naruto found himself hoping that he failed, just so Naruto could see that smirk wiped off his face and gloat a little.

Finally, when the room was much emptier than it was when the Exams began and Naruto was starting to wonder if speaking could produce an echo, and Ibiki looked around again, taking in the remaining participants.

"So, you're the only ones left are you?" Ibiki said, "Well then...you're a really confident group you know that? Alright, those of you who stayed...pass."

It took a few seconds for this statement to sink in.

"...But what about the tenth question?" Ino managed out amongst the startled stutters of about five other people whose brains had rebooted faster than the rest.

"That was the tenth question," Ibiki told her, "I am here to test if you have the mental state necessary to be Chuunin. Power is not the only thing that matters. You have to be able to face missions that you may die from, and face chances that you will be tortured for information."

Slowly, and deliberately, Ibiki took off his hat. Naruto's stomach clenched a little. Ibiki's head was covered in knotting scars that ran all along it. Ibiki looked around the room, noting with apparent satisfaction the looks of horror.

"You have to bear that torture," Ibiki continued, "all of you withstood a high amount of mental torture, now we'll see just how well you do with physical tests..."

There was a loud boom and crashing noise, and Ibiki was suddenly blocked off from view by a very large purple banner reading: Introducing Mitarashi Anko: Beautiful proctor for the second Exam. A young woman walked out from behind the banner and grinned at the Genin waving a little and winking at a few of them that she seemed to think were good looking. It was one of the members of Kinen, the woman with the short, purple hair and the carefully designed outfit that Naruto had noticed. She surveyed the Genin and grinned at Ibiki as he came out. Not looking the least bit fazed by the sudden entrance.