The Dragon of the Sand

First Stage Pt. 2

After forty-five minutes, Ibiki interrupted the test. He explained that it was time for the tenth question and that we would have fifteen minutes to answer it. 

Glancing around the room, I realized just how many teams had already failed. Ibiki then cleared his throat. He explained that, should we answer the tenth question wrong, we would fail. Our entire team would fail and none of us would be able to ever become Chuunin. However, we once again had the option to leave the exam now and be able to participate the next time it was held. The room sat in silence as people began to make their decisions. Ibiki was doing whatever he could to frighten the examinees and convince them to leave and wait until next time. 

What if there isn't a catch this time..? What if it's an actual question that we're expected to know and it'll actually test our ability to be Chuunin? But.. That wouldn't make much sense, besides, we could still just cheat.. Unless maybe it's an open-ended question that there are multiple answers to. Maybe an opinion based answer that starts with our decision making skills? They'd have to look over all of the exams once it was over and determine if it was a plausible answer though... I too started to contemplate leaving the exam for the sake of my team. Biting my lip, I looked to them. 

We all made eye contact once again. Takumi mouthed the words "Don't do it." towards us. We all stared at each other. I became more confident in our abilities and firmly nodded at my team. We'll make it through this. The boys nodded back and Kenta let a grin slip across his features. Our attention was then drawn back towards the front as people started to raise their hands.

They were directed towards the exit along with their teammates. I then saw a hand with an orange sleeve rise into the air. It was Naruto, the kid on Sasuke's team with yellow hair. Oh, he can't be serious.. 

I saw Sasuke and Sakura holding their breath as they watched their partner raise his hand. He kept it suspended in the air for a short while, his face looked as though he were preparing to say something. Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the desk and opened his eyes, determination clearly written across his face. 

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run!" Naruto shouted. 

"Oh, what the hell is this?" I murmured as I watched the kid.

"You can act tough all you want, you guys aren't gonna scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life!" He then stood up, placing his hands on the desk. "I'll still be Hokage someday!" 

Naruto sat back down and crossed his arms. There seemed to be a different feeling in the room. A feeling of confidence. Seems like he might be inspiring everyone to stick through the test.. I smirked. Hn, I like it. 

"This decision is one that could change your life. If for any reason you would rather quit, nows your last chance. " Ibiki stated.

"No way, I never go back on my word. That's the way of the ninja." Naruto replied. 

The way of the ninja, huh? Hmph, what an interesting, and kind of stupid, guy. I laughed to myself as I watched him. I like him, he has guts. 

No one else raised their hands. Ibiki looked around the room, recieving nods from the other examiners. 

"Well then, I admire your determination, if nothing else. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do. And that's for me to tell you," Ibiki paused, "that you've all passed the first exam."

There wasn't time for us to relax and revel in our victory. A large mass suddenly came crashing through the window on Ibiki's right. The mass unfurled as kunai stuck some kind of fabric into the ceiling.