All the Genin flipped the paper over and grabbed the pencil. Kei looked and noticed that Kabuto was taking the test calmly. Kei shook her head as she stopped her thoughts from thinking about Kabuto's mysterious aura.

Getting that out of her thoughts, she started to read over the questions. She narrowed her eyes as she read over the questions. As she continued to read over them, she noticed that they seemed too advanced for a Genin.

She then shifted her attention to Kaito. His fake calmness dwindled as he kept reading the questions one by one. He rubbed a hand through his blue hair.

'That's not a good sign. Akira could probably answer a few of them but not all of them. Alright, clear your mind and focus. I need to think of the best way to help them.' Kei thought as she glanced back at her test and started answering the first three questions.

When she finished, she started thinking more about Ibiki's words.

'They give us advanced questions that you don't really get taught in the academy. Another thing is that the examiners. It's like they're assuming that we're going to cheat. Getting caught cheating was a two-point deduction. Generally, once you get caught cheating, you will be kicked out right away. So what the point of a two-point deduction?' Kei stared at Chunin, who were watching with an unfaltering gaze.

She then recalled Ibiki's words before the test had begun.'Those who cheat without thinking carefully will only hurt themselves. Show them what kind of Shinboi we can be.'

Kei's lips rose into a slight smirk as she stared at Ibiki, who was still standing at the front of the room watching the Genin with high expectations.

'Akira and Kaito, I hope you figure it out, but don't worry, I'll think of a way to help you two out.' She thought as she thought of a way to help her teammates.

Kei then put her hands under the table. She did hand signs as she decided to use a new justu abe been working on in private that helped her here.

"Glassscale Serpent!" Kei said in her head as she used her chakra to create a small-looking snake that looked a lot like glass, making it impossible to see from far away.

She then put a small note in the snake's mouth as she used chakra to direct the snake towards Kaito and then Akira.

'Alright, that should do it. My new justu for gathering information and delivering without being caught is coming in handy. Now they have the answers.'

A low bark was heard coming from Akamaru, who was on top of Kiba's head. He was barking the answers to Kiba.

She then looked back in front of her and noticed fast writing movements next to her. She shifted he ga, e slightly and saw Kabuto calmly answering the question without any hesitation. She then glanced to see if the grass ninja was doing quite well as well.

'That grass ninja is pretty intelligent. At least I'm not the only one here who stood a chance if answering the questions.' She thought, playing with her pencil while waiting for the tenth question.

A loud thud was heard, pulling Kei out of her thoughts. She turned her head to the source of the sound. There was a kunai pinning down a piece of paper on the table. The owner of the paper had jumped out of his skin and stared wide-eyed at the kunai with his mouth agape in shock. He was a Leaf Genin. Kei noticed that he was directly behind Hinata. The person next to her was Naruto.

The guy stood up and exclaimed angrily at the Chunin, who was the one who threw the kunai."What is the meaning of this?!"

"You screwed up five times. You fail," The Chunin replied. He pointed at the speechless Leaf Genin and called out."Teammates of his, get out of here. Right now."

Another two Leaf Genin stood up, responding to the Chunin's call. The two of them left their seats and headed to the door. One of them glared at the teammate that got caught cheating.

The three of them left the room while Chunin announced."Number 23, fail."

"Number 43 and 27 fail," Another Chunin followed suit.

Ten minutes later...

A sand genin slammed his right hand on the table and stood up straight from his chair. He scowled at the Chunin, who bandaged his hair, and his eyes bellowed. "Hey man, do you have proof that I cheated five times?! Are you all able to watch over this many people?!"

The next thing the Sand ninja was mercilessly pushed to the wall. The Chunin's left pressed his neck arm. He gritted his teeth in pain while smirking. The Chunin spoke coolly."Listen up. We are Chunin that we're chosen for this exam. Elites, so to speak. We won't miss a single thing you do. My strength is the proof."

After sending the rebellious Sand genin and his teammates outside the classroom, Kei looked down to see her glass snake return and undid her justu as she put her hand under the table.

She smiled slightly, knowing her team would pass the first stage of the Chunin Exams. She was also glad she had a justu sneaky enough not to get caught by the Chunin. Now all that was left was to wait for the last question.

"Number 59 fail."

"Number 33 and 9 fail."

She glanced to Kabuto, watching closely as once again another team was dismissed, making it now the thirteenth team to be dismissed.

'He sure pays close attention to the teams, even ones who had failed.' Kei thought as she looked at Kabuto's serious expression.

Kei placed her pencil down and looked back down at her paper as more and more people continued to fail.

"Excuse me," A voice said. Kei glanced over to see Kankuro had his hand up.

"What is it?" a Chunin asked.

Kankuro smiled at the Chunin and found that smile saying he was up to something."I need to use the bathroom," He said.

Kei looked away as a Chunin handcuffed him and led him out of the room. As she turned her attention back to the clock to see, there were 46 minutes left before the tenth question was given.

***

"Alright!" Ibiki's booming voice finally said after a few minutes of thick silence.

Those who still remained in the classroom looked up and paid full attention to Ibiki.

"I will now give the 10th question!" He declared.

"Yes, but before that, Ibiki said." There is one thing I must say."There will be one special rule for this last question."

The door in the back of the room was pushed open, creating high-pitched noise as it opened wide, revealing Kankuro and the same Chunin who accomplish him to the bathroom. Kankuro looked mildly surprised to see the atmosphere in the room.

"Ah, made it just in time. I hope you found our trip to the bathroom enlightening," Ibiki said, smiling smugly.

Kei then turned her attention back to the front as Ibiki spoke up again.

"Well, sit down," Ibiki said to Kankuro as she stood near the door. He then stepped forward as he continued."These rules are unique to question 10. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you."

'Frighten me? What kind of rules are they?' Kei questioned in her head.

Ibiki continued."First, you will all choose if you wish to take the tenth question or not."

Kei narrowed her eyes as she heard the first rule.

"Woah, what the catch? What happens if we decide not to do it?" Temari asked.

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, you get a zero. In other words, you will fail, and your teammates will fail along with you," Ibiki explained.

Kei brought a hand up to her face thinking about Ibiki's words.

"What is the meaning of that?"

"Of course, we're going to choose to take it!"

"Teammates also failing that dumb!"

"And what will happen if we choose to take it?" Kei asked, looking up at Ibiki.

"If you choose to take it and answer it correctly, you may pass the exam, but if you get it wrong, you will lose the privilege to take the Chunin Exam forever!" Ibiki replied solemnly.

Kei clenched her fist, hearing his words and seeing the proctor wasn't really making this exam put them to the test as he gave these rules.

"What kind of dumb rule is that?! There are lots of people here who've taken the test before!" Kiba shouted angrily, pointing his finger at Ibiki.

"Woof, woof!" Akamaru barked as he agreed with Kiba but failed to sound angry as his master sounded.

Ibiki started to laugh out of the blue. His laughter then increased in volume. His expression changed to a sinister one. He then smirked."You were unlucky. This year I'm making the rules. Those who are not confident can choose not to take and take the exam next year or the year after."

'So, in other words, if one of us decided not to do it. All three of us will fail. If someone chooses to take it but fails to answer correctly, there is a Genin forever. An average person wouldn't be able to choose, but I feel there is something more to this, just like the cheating rule.' Kei thought, resting a fist against her cheek.

"Let's begin. Those who will not be taking this tenth question, raise your hand. After we confirm your numbers, you may leave," Ibiki announced.

"Number 50 fail."

"Number 130 and 111 fail along with him."

A guy behind Naruto stood up and looked down, ashamed."I'm sorry, Gennai, Inaho."

His two teammates stood up and stood up and left. More hands were rose into the air with the sound of chairs being pulled away as those who gave up stood from their chairs and walked off together. Chunin ceaselessly announced the Genin numbers, which were confirmed as no more people rose their hands up.

Kei looked back at Kaito, who was sitting with his eyes closed, shaking slightly, having an inner conflict in his mind. He opened his eyes and looked directly into Kei's eyes as she sent him a soft smile telling him to do what felt right.

'Kaito, I won't be mad if you don't think you can do it that okay. However, I also know you are not one to give up easily.'

Suddenly Kei saw a familiar head rise into the air.

"Naruto?" She questioned softly.

Naruto then slammed his hand loudly on the table, making Kei flinch slightly.

"Don't underestimate me! I'm not going to run away! I'll take this problem! Even if I become a Genin for the rest of my life. I'm going to be Hokage no matter what. Believe it!" He shouted.

He then plopped into his seat crossing his arms defiantly. Kei smiled slightly and even saw that Kaito was more confident now.

"I will ask one more time," Ibiki said. "This is the choice that will impact your life. If you want to quit, now is the chance."

Naruto replied back, exuding confidence and courage into the air, "I'm not going to take back my words. That's my "Way of the ninja."

Kei noticed that nearly everyone in the room smiled warmly at Naruto. It seemed that he had wiped everyone's uncertainties off of our chests. And all he did was by using his words and the bold tone in his voice.

Ibiki then stepped closer to us. His eyes traced over everyone in the room. After a few more seconds of silence, he spoke up, "Nice determination. Then, for the first exam, everyone here..."

'So here we go, the tenth question.' Kei thought, focusing her attention on Ibiki.

Ibiki flashed a genuine smile at us, "...passes."

The silence was so thick I could hear the faint noise of a wooden pencil falling on the table.

"W-wait!" this time, Sakura stood up angrily, "what's the meaning of that?! We pass already?! What about the tenth question?!"

All sinister look on Ibiki's face vanished immediately. His face, which had two large scars that ran across his face, showed a glimpse of pride and contentment. He was grinning at us enthusiastically. He laughed in a lighter tone, "There was no such thing, to begin with. Or you can call the two-choice question the tenth question."

"Wait!" Temari emitted a loud, disbelieving voice, "So what were those previous nine problems?! It was all a waste!"

"No, not at all," responded Ibiki, "The nine problems accomplished their purpose - the purpose of testing each individual's information-gathering skills. First, this test's purpose lies in the first rule. Your pass-fail decision is based on your three-person team. By giving that idea, we have given you an unprecedented amount of pressure to try and not be a nuisance to your team."

Kei could see Naruto nodding his head with his arms crossed, "Un, un! I was kind of sensing that in this test."

Kei shook her head, knowing Naruto was lying.

Ibiki resumed talking, "But you genins cannot solve these test problems. So, most of the people here must have concluded, "I have to cheat to get points." In other words, this exam assumed that everyone was going to cheat. So, we snuck in two chunin who knew the answers to be targets of cheating."

"Hahaha!" Naruto laughed, acting like he knew everything, "It was so obvious. It would be weird not to notice it. Right, Hinata?"

Kei could see from Naruto's lousy acting that he was lying.

"But those who just cheated like a fool failed, of course. Why?" he paused as he began to untie his headband that was covering his head and forehead, "Information can have greater value than life at times and in missions and battlefields." I'm continuing.

Kei's eyes widened slightly at the sight. There were hideous, painful-looking scars carved on top of Ibiki's bald head. Burnt marks, screw holes, cut marks. She knew from that moment that he went through a lot. He went through a lot and deserved lots of respect as a shinboi. Those scars were deep as well, and looking at them was painful.

"Information is contested with the lives of people!" Ibiki added.

Ibiki tied the black headband onto his head, "The information that an enemy gets after being noticed by a third person will not necessarily be accurate. Remember this. Getting incorrect information can cause great damage to your teammates and village. So, we made you all gather information in the form of cheating. We kicked out those who were lacking in that field. That's what went on."

"But I still don't agree with the last question," Temari mused.

"Oh, but the tenth question was the main question of this first exam," Ibiki said.

Some of the Genins we're baffled about his final words.

"What do you mean?" Kaito asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Let me explain," replied Ibiki, "The tenth question was a "take or not take" choice. Needless to say, it was a painful two-choice problem. Those who did not take it failed with their teams. If you chose to take it, and could not answer it, your right to take the exam would have been taken away forever. It was a very insincere problem."

Ibiki took a few steps to his right, "How about this two-choice problem... Let's assume that you have become a Chunin. Your mission is to capture a secret document. The number of enemy ninja, their abilities, and armaments are unknown. And there may be traps that the enemy ninja have set up. Now, will you accept this mission or not? Just because your life and your teammates' lives may be in danger, are you able to avoid dangerous missions? The answer is... no."

The whole room remained silent except for Ibiki, who explained, "There are missions that carry serious risks but cannot be avoided. The ability to show your courage to your teammates when needed and the ability to get through a bad situation. That is what we look for in a chuunin, a squad leader. Those who cannot bet their fate in a critical situation... those who give up when given a chance because there is next year, and let their minds sway over an uncertain future. Fools who only carry a light determination like that have no right to become a Chunin. That is what I believe. I am saying that you here who have chosen to take it gave the right answer for the difficult tenth question. You can deal with the difficulties you will face. You have broken through the entrance. The First Exam of the Chunin Exam ends now. I wish you luck."

"Alright!" Naruto suddenly stood up from his seat, grinning madly. He cheerfully punched the air repeatedly, "All right! All right! Yeah! Yeah!"

Kei quietly chuckled when suddenly a giant black ball crashed into the window next to Ibiki. Shattered glasses flew across the room, passing through Ibiki, who did not even blink his eyes once. His expression did not change, unlike the genins who were shocked at the sudden interruption.

Kei watched as two kunais that were attached to a giant black flag were pinned to the ceiling. The flag had hidden Ibiki away from our gazes. Kei's eyes widened, seeing a familiar tall female who stood in front of the flag, "Everybody, there's no time to be happy!"

I should have known why Anko hadn't been around a lot lately except when I left for the exam.' Kei thought as she saw the kunai attached to the black flag were pinned to the ceiling hiding Ibiki from the Genin gaze.

"Everyone, there is no time to be happy!" Anko exclaimed.

Kei shook her head at Anko's scene of the entrance, and knowing her; she was exceptionally early.

"I am Anko Mitarashi! Let's go to the next exam!" She paused to punch her fist in the air."Follow me!"

The room was left speechless, and Kei wasn't sure if it was from being overwhelmed by her appearance or just confusion at her energy. Kei saw Ibiki come out from the flag halfway.

"Your early again, Ibiki commented.

Anko blushed as her pose with rigid, realizing she had made her entrance at the wrong time.

'I knew she was early.'

Anko's eyes traced over everyone in the room."How many are there? Ibiki, you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy. You must be getting soft."

"Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year," Ibiki said smiling.

"Hm. They don't look like it" Anko glanced around."Trust me, when I'm done with them, less than half will be eliminated," She chuckled.

'You know, I don't doubt Anko is quite extreme.'

"This is going to be fun," Anko chuckled."Alright, you maggots have had it easy so far, but things will be different starting first thing in the morning. I'll let your squad leaders know where you're to meet me dismissed."

Everyone hurried off as Kei stood up and walked over to her teammates. She heard Naruto cheering loudly, happy he passed. Kei couldn't help but smile at his behavior as she left the exam room.

💖💖💖

Hey lovely readers!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Don't hesitate to let me know what you think.

Also, don't forget to vote and comment.

Q: What are you looking forward to in the Forest Death?

Q: What do you think of Kei justu used to cheat?

Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 3310