Naruto: Chakra System

As other Genin complained, Kiba also rose from his seat and yelled at Ibiki. "Don't bullshit us! There are other ninja here who've sat for the Chūnin Exam more than once already!"

Ibiki tilted his head slightly, a small chuckle escaping him. He then looked up, his gaze sweeping over the room. "Hehe, silence, maggots! Your little brains can't understand. But I have all the power 'here'. It's just your rotten luck that I wasn't an examiner in past years, but I am now. Anyone who still doubts me can reject the tenth question now, come back next year, and the year after that."

The tension in the air grew thick, heavy enough to make several Genin tremble with horrified expressions.

Ibiki smirked. "Alright, then let's begin. Those who choose not to accept can raise their hands, take your teammates, and leave the room."

A quiet murmur spread across the Genin. Many looked around to see who would take the initiative. Gulping sounds filled the almost silent classroom, making each passing second even more tense.

Sakura was also tense. 'If even one member rejects, the whole team will fail for this year,' she thought. 'But... if anyone accepts and can't answer, the whole team will be stuck as Genin for the rest of their lives! Either we win together for once or lose together for life!'

She glanced at Sasuke behind her, who had his gaze fixed on Naruto on the first seat. He wasn't tense; he was surprised. Sakura's gaze landed on Naruto, who had his head on his arms, once again taking a nap.

A few moments ago, when Ibiki finished speaking, Naruto had crossed his arms, tense for a moment. 'This... seems important. I'm not sure if I can answer it, but what if, because of me, even Sakura and Sasuke suffer for my lack of guts!'

He ran his hands through his blonde hair, his mind racing. Then, Kakashi's words echoed in his head. "If any of you don't understand what to do during the first phase of the exam, you can just sleep. Don't worry about anything. But don't just use Wave Transmission Technique!"

Naruto nodded and thought, 'Sensei, I'm trusting you.'

Sakura let out a dry chuckle, seeing that Sasuke had done the same. They both smiled at Naruto, who was sleeping through the exam.

A few more minutes of silence passed, and a Genin finally got up, trembling. "I-I quit! I'm rejecting the question! Gennai and Inaho, I'm sorry, but I can't take it!"

Ibiki smirked, and the examiner at the side spoke. "Number 50 failed, number 130 and 111, you fail right along with him."

Then another kunoichi got up, looking at her teammates. "I'm sorry, but I can't be stuck as a Genin. I can't take this question!"

"M-Me too!!"

"I quit too!!"

"I-I'm sorry guys!!"

Ibiki grinned as he saw several teams leave. The classroom was now noticeably empty. He barked, "Haha, it seems all the trash has failed."

Meanwhile, Sakura put her hand on the table, closed her eyes, and used Wave Transmission Technique to talk to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, w-what should we do?"

From his seat, Sasuke looked at her and also used Wave Transmission Technique. "Hey, didn't Kakashi-sensei say not to use this Jutsu in this Exam? And about what you're asking, just stay silent. We can answer the tenth question, and if needed, then can we use the Wave Transmission Technique!"

———

Meanwhile, in the observation room, Guy let out a hearty laugh. "Haha, Ibiki is really cruel! This is youth!"

Kakashi sighed. "This is anything but youth, and Ibiki is not being cruel."

Asuma said, "Whatever you say, Ibiki has put a lot of pressure on these young Genin. See, only 12 teams remain here!"

Kurenai nodded. "But at least our rookies are still here. And... Naruto is yet again asleep. What did you even tell him, huh, Kakashi?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Nothing much, but... how many teams were present from each village?"

Asuma replied, "87 from Konoha, 30 from Sunagakure, 21 from Amegakure, six from Kusagakure, six from Takigakure, three from Otogakure, and one from Tsukigakure. But why did you ask for the numbers?"

Kakashi just shrugged. "Just for being sure. So, currently, seven teams from Konoha, two from Amegakure, and one from Sunagakure, Otogakure, and Takigakure are left. All of Kusagakure's teams have been eliminated!"

He quickly turned around and saw a slim ninja from Kusagakure. "That team with Genin named Shigeri, Satei, and Karin is yours, right? When are you leaving?"

The Jōnin from Kusagakure heard Kakashi and felt mocked. He snorted. "Humph! We will leave whenever we like, and don't get so full of yourself. Konoha had 87 teams participate, and we only had six!"

With that, the Jōnin left the room, along with many others whose Genin had been eliminated. Kakashi felt his way of asking might have been a problem and just sighed.

Asuma put a hand on his shoulder. "Why are you so curious about these things? You should be thinking about how to spend the next few days at the Tower of the Forest of Death during the second phase of the Chūnin Exam."

Kakashi nodded and sighed heavily, thinking about the duty Hiruzen had placed on him. Kurenai then said, "Hey, by the way, out of these 12 teams, I guess there are chances of more eliminations, especially from other villages."

Baki, Elite Jōnin from Sunagakure, sat behind with the other Jōnin from his village. He overheard Kurenai and said, "No chance. My team wouldn't give up, even if others might!"

Kurenai, Asuma, and Guy momentarily looked at Baki but didn't say anything. Kakashi's visible eye was fixed on him for a few seconds.

Puff!

Then, with a huge puff of smoke, the figure of Kakashi vanished. "WOW!!" This surprise caught everyone off guard.

Asuma was the first to speak. "Hey, were we only talking to a Shadow Clone of Kakashi all this time?"

Kurenai was equally surprised. "Yeah, right! How did we not notice until now!"

Might Guy was also surprised, then laughed. "Hahaha! That's my Rival. No wonder Hokage-sama chose him as his successor. Kakashi has really become even stronger!"

Baki, along with the other Jōnin present in the room, had his eyes widened in even more shock than the others. 'Kakashi is just an Elite Jōnin, right? I'm not a Sensor-nin, but Kakashi's chakra reserves didn't seem any lower than a normal Jōnin's! But how can he still fool all of us here? I should speak about this with Kazekage-sama and...'

———

Back in Room 301, a similar shock was going through the Genin, this time because of Ibiki. Ibiki scanned the remaining teams and asked in a deep voice, "I'll ask you remaining one last time. This is a decision that could affect your career for the rest of your life. Quit now, while you have the chance."

He nodded when he saw none of the remaining Genin teams move. He then passed everyone who stayed, explaining the true nature of the tenth question.

Many Genin were pissed off, riled up, and snorted at the shocking point that there was no tenth question. But they were taken aback again when Ibiki removed his bandana, showing his skull filled with burn marks, scars, and holes that were truly horrifying to many.

Ibiki then covered his head and, with a genuine smile, said, "You've passed the first hurdle of the Chūnin Exam."

The remaining Genin cheered. Even Naruto got up and cheered loudly. "Yaho! I passed just like that! Thank you, Sensei!"

Bang!

Ibiki smiled, but suddenly, he turned his head to his right. A speedy dark figure smashed through the window, raining glass across the classroom. The figure unravelled into a dark banner with white letters. It was Anko Mitarashi.

She glanced at the Genin with narrowed eyes and yelled, "Stop cheering! None of you are in a position to celebrate anything! I am Anko Mitarashi, the proctor of the second stage. Now, Follow me, brats!"