𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐉𝐀 - naruto various 𝐱 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐨𝐜

二十三 | 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐎𝐁𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒.

'...'

'Okay, it's fine! Forget I asked..' Maniko thought.

The tealette sighed quietly, slumping back into his chair. He guessed that Gaara did not want to help him after all.

Why would he?

Helping a Genin from another village..?

A competitor..?

Tch.

The more Maniko thought of it, the more stupid he felt for thinking it would actually work.

'Sorry guys. I guess I let you down..' Maniko thought, closing his eyes to take a nap. There wasn't much he could do now.

...Until he felt something soft slowly wrap its way around his hand. Maniko bit back a gasp when he opened his eyes, to see a thin layer of sand around his hand.

And as if that wasn't enough surprises for Maniko today, the sand started moving his hand, making him write on the paper. Gaara was helping him!

The tealette had to force himself not to smile, or look at Gaara to give themselves away.

More sand flowed onto the paper, spelling out four words.

Don't make it obvious.

And just from this gesture alone, Maniko knew he owed Gaara big time.

Once 'Maniko' finished his test, the sand that wrapped around his hand slowly slithered back into Gaara's gourd. And as if on cue, it was time for the main event.

"Alright! Listen up. This is the tenth and final question." Ibiki stated.

"But before I give you this question, there are some more rules that you need to be aware of.." He started.

"These rules are unique. Listen carefully, and try not to let them frighten you." He ordered, the dark tone of his voice making Maniko gulp.

"Rule number one: Each of you is free to chose not to be given the final question. It's your decision." Ibiki stated.

Maniko furrowed his eyebrows at this. 'We're.. Free to choose..?'

"So, what's the catch?" Gaara's blond teammate, Temari asked. "If we decide we don't what to do it, what happens then?!"

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine.. You fail. Along with your teammates." Ibiki answered.

"If you do answer the tenth question, and end up answering it incorrectly.. You will not only fail, but you will never take the Chunin exams ever again!" He finished, earning gasps from everyone in the room.

Maniko's eye twitched. He could've saved himself the stress and embarrassment for a whole fourty five minutes if he had just known the tenth question was all that mattered to begin with...

But now he had to stress for yet another fifteen, knowing that it all came down to this moment.

"Now then, if you're ready.." The scarred man started. "If you do not wish to take the tenth and final question, raise your hand."

After a couple moments of hesitation and silence, hands slowly started to arise. And Genin started to give up and flee like flies.

Maniko looked at Sasuke, then to Sakura, and then to Naruto. The latter, of course, the most stressed out of the group.

The tealette bit the insides of his cheeks when he watched Naruto's hand slowly begin to rise.

'Don't do it Naruto. We've got this. We either try the question and all pass together, or we try the question and all fail together. But we're not giving up like this.' Maniko encouraged.