𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐆𝐀 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍

Professor Ibiki Morino Explains

Last time:

"Don't underestimate me!" he yells, pointing at Ibiki "I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want, you don't scare me! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin all my life! I'll still be Hokage someday!"

"This decision is one that could change your life. If for any reason, you want to quit, this is your last chance." Ibiki warns.

"No way! I never go back on my word!" Naruto exclaims.

"Well then, I admire your determination if nothing else," Ibiki responds, "For those of you remaining here, there's only one thing left for me to do. That is, telling you that you've passed!"

Now:

"Hold up!" Sakura exclaimed, "What do you mean we passed? Where's the tenth question?"

Ibiki laughed, "There never was one. Not a written one, at least. Your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

"Wait! So then you're saying the other nine questions were a waste of time?" Temari asked accusingly.

"No, no, not at all. In fact, the first nine questions had an important overriding purpose- to test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances," Ibiki answered.

'I knew it!'

"Oh. Well that clears up everything," Temari sat down.

Ibiki obviously saw someone's (*cough* Naruto *cough*) confused face because he said, "Let me explain. You see, my objective was not only to test you as individuals but as a team and how well you function as a part of that team. That's why I scored you as a part of a team."

'Well, Team 10 is one of the best with teamwork,' Hanara smirked, 'And we have a Yamanaka on this team too. Your mind games won't work with us. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji probably saw this coming from a mile away.'

"I wanted to see how well you'd hold up under the pressure. The first nine questions were difficult as you might have figured, too difficult for any Genin to be expected to solve. I imagine many of you realized that you would have to cheat to have any hope of passing. The test was designed to encourage cheating. It almost demanded it. Of course, it would do you little good if you didn't have anyone to cheat from so I hid two Chunins into this exam."

They waved at everyone and Naruto almost facepalmed at the fact that one was right in front of him. Sakura however, didn't hold back.

Naruto laughed and said, "Oh come on! I wasn't fooled for a second! You had to be an idiot to not see it, right Hinata?"

Hinata let out a giggle, and Hanara couldn't help it.

"In other words, we had to be you, Naruto, isn't that right?" she asked.

"Hey!"

"Kidding, kidding, don't get yourself so worked up," Hanara sighed.

Neji shot her a look.

"What? It was so obvious that he didn't see it, I couldn't help it!" she whispered.

He sighed and motioned towards Ibiki, who had started talking again.

"Those who were caught at it failed," Ibiki continued, "Better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily."

Ibiki takes off his headband and shows his scarred, burnt, and bald head, "Information. It can be one of the most valuable assets in a battle. How well you gather intelligence can determine a mission's failure or success. Sometimes, you'll have to put your life on the line to get it."

'And don't I know it. There are so many times that we finished a D rank faster because Shikamaru got lazy and gave us a faster solution or when we beat Asuma sensei in spars because Shikamaru outsmarted him. He only did that when it was getting late and he didn't want his "troublesome mother" to yell at him'

"Of course, you have to consider the source. Information from the enemy will not always be accurate. Disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades and even the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position to gather accurate intelligence. Cheat in order to survive. And that's why those who weren't good enough were weeded out, leaving you."

"Okay, but I'm still not getting this whole tenth question business," Temari called out.

"You're not? The tenth question was the most important one in the exam! Surely you realize that!" Ibiki exclaimed.

"Sure, but explain it anyway," Sakura backed up.

Ibiki sighed, "As I said before, the goal was to test you not only as individuals but as members of a squad. The final question gave you two choices, both difficult. You could choose to play it safe, forcing your squad members to fail with you, or you could choose to answer the question, knowing that if you got it wrong, you would never again be able to become a Chunin. It was a no-win situation, but it was also just the sort of situation Chunin go up against every day. For example, let me give you a hypothetical mission: to steal a document from an enemy stronghold. You have no idea how many ninjas the enemy has or how heavily armed they are. Furthermore, you have reason to suspect that the enemy may be expecting you and you are walking into a trap. Now, do you have the option to say that you would rather pass on this insane mission or say that my comrades and I would rather live to fight another day? Can you choose to avoid danger? No! Many missions can seem almost suicidal if you think about it. But you don't think about it, you think about only the goal and achieving it through courage and discipline. These are the qualities required in a Chunin leader. Those who choose the safer of the two paths, those whose determination falters in the face of danger, those who would put their comrades' lives in jeopardy by worrying about their own, those who would save their necks at the price of sacred honour... will never become Chunin, at least, as long as I'm here. As for the rest of you, you have successfully answered the ten questions I put to you. You have earned the right to move on to the next step. You have passed the first gate. I hereby declare the first stage of the Chunin Exam complete. There is nothing left but to wish you all good luck."

"Congratulations Neji," Hanara said quietly.

"Congratulations Hana," Neji replied.

Then there was the sound of breaking glass.