The Lost Shinobi

#10: All or Nothing!

"Alright, here is the tenth question!" Ibiki shouted. I sensed Naruto tense up. He didn't answer a single question. "But before that, I'm going to add some rules for the last question." I looked at him.

Something's wrong, I heard someone say. "Let me explain," Ibiki spoke, his voice informative, "These are the hopeless rules." He looked at us in a serious way, "First, you guys will have to choose whether or not you will take this tenth question!"

"What if you choose not to take the tenth question?" I heard Temari ask. "If you choose not to take the exam, then your score will be zero. In other words, you fail! Of course, the same goes for the two others in the same group."

Everyone tensed up and thought that they were going to take the exam. "And...one more rule...If you chose to take it and are unable to answer it correctly, then you will have to...relinquish your right of taking the Chunin Exams forever."

"What kind of ridiculous rule is that?!" I heard Kiba howl, "Besides, there are plenty of people here who have taken the Chunin Exam many times!" Ibiki laughed.

"You're just unlucky. I make the rule this year. But I did give you the option to go back!" Kiba was shocked. "For those of you who are not confident, you can choose not too take it and take the exam next year or the year after that."

I gritted my teeth. The odds were against us. "Then, let's begin..." Ibiki ordered. "The tenth question...Those of you who will not be taking it, raise your hands! Once I confirm your number, I'll ask you to leave!" One person began to quit, soon others followed, I tightened my hand.

I was going to be a Chunin, no matter what!

I slammed my hand on my desk. I was both angry and terrified of what the next question was. Naruto and Sasuke weren't going to give up on their dream. I wasn't either.

"You think you can scare me away like that Proctor Morino?" I growled, my voice trembling with anger and fear. "You think that your rules matter against people's dreams?" I looked at him in the eye. "I'm not scared of this tenth question. If you're going to ask it, do it already. But I'm not going to run away, and I'm not giving in to your game. If I'm stuck a Genin forever, so what? I'm going to make sure that my teammates achieve their dreams in life!" I glared at him.

"And you're not going to stop me!"

Ibiki insisted that I change my mind. Naruto looked at me, as I said, "I'm not going back on my word, that's my Way of Ninja!"

"I like your determination! Then...For those of you who are still here...The first exam, you have passed it!" Ibiki announced.

I looked at him, this time I was surprised to see him smiling. 'Baka' I heard a female voice say. 'There was no tenth question.' I realized that the nine questions were just a way to gather information, individually.

I thought that the tenth question was supposed to be hard. Turns out that it didn't exist at all. I smiled, and saw that it was a decision to take something and risk losing any chance of entering the Exam, or giving up and trying next time.

Someone else came, dramatically, through the window, into the room. "You guys! This isn't the time to be celebrating!" I gulped and noticed her as a really scary person.

"I'm the proctor for the second exam! Anko Mitarashi! Let's move onto the next stage! Next! Follow me!" I was a little uncomfortable in the idea of following her. She sounded like Naruto and Sakura at the same time.

"I'm getting excited," I heard her say. Her face turned from a childish one to a serious. "I'll give you the details tomorrow. We'll be changing locations so get information from your Jounin about the location and time! That's it! You're dismissed!"

I slowly tried to process the name, Anko Mitarashi. It kept me thinking until I remembered Kabuto's Ninja Info Cards. It suddenly hit me. She was 'Scar's' Sensei! My eyes widened. That guy had to deal with her as a Sensei? Poor man.

The next day, I followed Anko to our location since Kakashi-Sensei had told Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, but not me. All the other students were there. "What is this place?" Naruto asked. "This is the location for the "second exam", the 44th Training Field, also know as...the Forest of Death."

The Forest of Death?