Chapter 30 (Patreon)

Time passed as the candidates began using their various abilities.

Forty-five minutes of the one-hour exam quickly went by.

More than a dozen teams had already disappeared from the once-crowded classroom. Dozens of candidates had been eliminated because of careless attempts at cheating.

By now, many of the remaining candidates had found answers to the first nine questions.

A grim smile appeared on Morino Ibiki’s scarred face.

“That’s enough. Pencils down.”

His voice and intimidating presence made several nervous candidates swallow uneasily.

Ibiki looked across the silent classroom.

“It’s time for the tenth question.”

Mihawk rested his chin on one hand and watched as Ibiki continued using words and pressure to break the candidates’ confidence.

Since he already knew how the first exam worked, he waited calmly for it to end.

Ibiki was the head of Konoha’s Torture and Interrogation Force. He understood how fear affected people and knew exactly what to say to make uncertain candidates doubt themselves.

He soon announced the rules for the final question.

Each candidate had to choose whether to accept the tenth question.

Anyone who refused would fail along with both of their teammates, but they would still be allowed to take the Chūnin Exams again in the future.

However, anyone who accepted the question and answered incorrectly would lose the right to take the Chūnin Exams ever again.

The rule immediately placed enormous pressure on the room.

Some candidates had barely managed to copy the answers to the first nine questions. They had no confidence that they could answer the final one on their own.

Those with weak resolve began withdrawing.

Whenever one person raised a hand, their entire team was forced to leave with them.

The number of candidates in the classroom began falling again.

As more teams withdrew, even some who had originally been confident started to hesitate.

The fear of losing their chance to ever become chūnin began affecting them.

Then Naruto raised his hand.

For a moment, it looked as though he was going to quit.

Instead, he slammed his hand onto the desk.

“I’m not running away!”

Everyone turned toward him.

“Even if I’m stuck as a genin forever, I’ll still become Hokage! I don’t care what kind of question you give me!”

Naruto’s declaration echoed through the classroom.

The candidates who had been wavering slowly regained their confidence.

The heavy atmosphere changed at once.

Ibiki stared at Naruto with new interest.

Mihawk was impressed as well.

Naruto had always possessed an unusual ability to affect the people around him.

As the reincarnation of Asura in this generation, he could make others believe in him through nothing more than his determination. It was the same ability that would one day inspire shinobi from every nation to stand beside him during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Once it became clear that the remaining candidates would not withdraw, Ibiki ended the test.

“You all pass.”

The candidates stared at him in shock.

They had prepared themselves for an impossible final question, only to learn that there was no tenth written question at all.

For several moments, many of them could not understand what had happened.

Naruto alone reacted with open excitement.

Hinata, who was sitting near him, looked at him with rare surprise.

She had been close enough to see his answer sheet.

Aside from his name, it was completely blank.

Yet he had still passed the exam.

Hinata could not help wondering whether Naruto had somehow known the answer to the tenth question from the beginning.

Ibiki then explained the true purpose of the first exam.

The test was designed to measure their ability to gather information without being discovered, while the tenth question tested whether they had the courage to continue a mission despite the risks.

The first stage of the Chūnin Exams officially ended shortly afterward.

Before the candidates could relax, a figure came crashing through the classroom window.

A large banner spread across the front of the room as Mitarashi Anko made her entrance.

“I’m the proctor for the second exam, Mitarashi Anko!”

She pointed toward the candidates.

“Follow me! It’s time for the next stage!”

Her dramatic arrival brought the first exam to an abrupt end.

On the way out of the Academy, Hinata told Mihawk and Shino what she had noticed about Naruto.

“His test paper was completely blank except for his name,” she said softly. “But he still passed.”

Mihawk smiled slightly.

Shino adjusted his sunglasses.

“Uzumaki Naruto is unusual.”

He paused before continuing.

“I observed him several times while we were at the Academy. He is an orphan, and most of the villagers seem to dislike him.”

Shino’s tone remained calm, but there was a trace of confusion behind his words.

“I still don’t know why.”

Mihawk knew the reason, but he said nothing.

After leaving the Ninja Academy, the members of Team 8 did not separate.

Each of them had received a message from Kurenai asking them to meet her at the clearing where they had once taken their survival test.

When they arrived, Kurenai first asked how they felt about the written exam.

After listening to their answers, she told them what she knew about the second stage.

“The next exam will take place in Training Ground Forty-Four,” she said. “It’s better known as the Forest of Death.”

The Forest of Death was a large circular training ground surrounded by a tall fence.

There were forty-four locked entrances positioned around its outer edge.

Inside were thick forests, rivers, wild animals, poisonous plants, and many other dangers used for survival training.

A tower stood at the center of the training ground.

The distance from each gate to the tower was roughly ten kilometers.

After giving them the information, Kurenai dismissed the team.

As they walked back toward the village, Shino began considering what the next exam might involve.

“Ten kilometers is not especially far for a shinobi,” he said. “Even with rivers and forests blocking the way, simply reaching the tower would be too easy.”

He adjusted his sunglasses.

“The second exam cannot be a simple race.”

Shino thought for another moment.

“My guess is that we’ll be required to protect something, collect certain items, or take an object from another team before reaching the tower.”

Mihawk glanced at him with approval.

Shino had nearly guessed the entire structure of the second exam.

“We’ll find out tomorrow,” Mihawk replied calmly.

The three separated after reaching the village streets.

Since it was still early, Mihawk and Hinata returned to their usual routine.

One of them went home to wash the rice and begin preparing it, while the other stopped at the market to buy vegetables and other ingredients.

Before long, the two were standing side by side in Mihawk’s kitchen, preparing dinner while talking about the written exam.

There was plenty for them to discuss.

They talked about the questions, laughed about some of the more obvious attempts at cheating, and wondered how the candidates who withdrew would react if they learned that the tenth question had never existed.

Mihawk’s playful comments repeatedly made Hinata cover her smile with one hand.

Her pale eyes curved with happiness whenever she laughed.

Around other people, Mihawk usually remained quiet and distant.

With Hinata, he was far more relaxed and talkative.

He knew she struggled to begin conversations herself, so he always gave her something to respond to.

While Hinata stood at the stove and stirred the food, Mihawk quietly approached her from behind.

Before she could turn around, he wrapped his arms around her and stole a quick kiss.

“M-Mihawk-kun…”

Hinata’s face immediately turned red.

Even though similar moments had become part of their daily life, she still reacted as though each one were the first.

Mihawk smiled and released her before the food could burn.

These small moments never seemed to lose their effect.

Instead, they made being together feel more and more natural.