Chapter 2: The Genin Qualification Examination
" I'm sure it was stated in your medical records somewhere that none of you are even remotely deaf, so I'm pretty sure you all heard what I said just now. Just to repeat myself: Only one of you from the three of you will pass this test," Shikamaru replied. " To be more specific, the maximum number of people passing this test will be one, so incidentally it is also possible that none of you can actually pass if none of you pass the prerequisite of the test."
" Hey, then what was the point in sending us in teams of three? Why not take this darn test altogether with everyone else?!" Sora demanded.
" This is my personal test. Each team allocated to their jounin senseis will have their own personal test that is totally different from mine. This is my test, and you will sit for it. The rules aren't that difficult to understand. Besides, whether you get the whole class here or not, the chance is still 33 percent, so it doesn't make any difference anyway," Shikamaru answered sternly.
" I'm going to fail…" Hiroshi mumbled.
Shikamaru gave them a smile. " Well, it sure is troublesome, isn't it?" he said. He tossed them a pencil each and an eraser, which they all caught deftly. " I'll allow you to read your paper in 10 minutes time. Please wait for the exam until then, and please refrain from talking."
Sora folded her hands and leaned back on the chair, grumbling. " Tch, I'm not failing, I'm not failing, I'm not failing, I'm not failing…" she mumbled over and over again.
Hiroshi figured it was the most antagonising 10 minute wait ever. He had conveniently seated himself at the back of the class, and he had a good view of Sora and Ryouta who were seated in front of him, Sora on his left and Ryouta on his right respectively. Only one of us is passing this exam…definitely not me!
" You may turn your paper over and read them now," Shikamaru said.
They all turned the paper over and started to read then at once. Hiroshi's eyes scanned the paper. It covered a wide array of topics: setting traps, ninjutsu, history and equipments, half of which he could not even answer. However, there were three things that caught his eye on this unusual test.
One of it was question 13 which said: On a first come first serve basis, you will be given twenty minutes from the entire time of the test to go to the large sakura tree located at the end of the market district of the village. Write down in the blank what you see there.
Next was a statement before question 18, which said: Questions 18 to 20 must be answered. Failure to do so will result it failure in the exam.
Lastly as the questions 18 to 20:
18.) State the names of both of your team mates' parents?
19.) State both of your team mates' favourite book.
20.) State both of your team mates' date of the last visit to the administration office.
Is this supposed to even make sense?! Ryouta thought to himself. There was no way he could answer the last three questions, unless he was real close with both of them, or he asked them personally, which wouldn't make sense, since only one person could pass. Also, would passing such information across the area would be dangerous, since it was considered cheating, not to mention it was one jounin watching three young genins. It would be obvious who was about to cheat.
" Gad darn it, God darn it, God darn it, God darn it…" Sora muttered over and over again. " Why did we get one crazy sensei?"
Hiroshi read the paper over and over again, making sure he wasn't mistaken. The questions were there, printed on the paper. He then attempted to think about it. There is some trick to this question…didn't he say he was confident we would all pass? But this was insane…
This is one funny test. To pass it would require us to help each other, yet we can't help each other due to the rules that have been set. Ryouta thought.
" You have one more minute before you start. Before that, I would like to announce another rule," Shikamaru suddenly piped up.
" Oh no…"
" The person who goes out first and second respectively to answer question 13 will have to only answer the last three questions about their team mate who exits the last," Shikamaru said all of a sudden. " Now, who is going out first?"
-
Hiroshi sighed, wondering what to do. Along the way to his destination, he looked at the paper again. He could answer a total of 5 questions, not including the 4 ambiguous questions Shikamaru had set. Even by some chance he could find the answer for the last three questions, there was no way he could even score enough points in the rest of them.
The sakura tree in question wasn't too hard to find, and it wasn't too far away from the academy anyway. Hiroshi walked up to the tree and looked around, wondering what he was supposed to actually find. It was to his amazement that he spotted a black chalkboard at the base of the tree, along with a single piece of chalk.
Is this what I'm supposed to see? Hiroshi thought to himself. Indeed, the chalkboard was out of place, but why a chalkboard?
Hiroshi wrote down on the words 'chalkboard with chalk' on his piece of paper and walked away. However, he stopped after taking a few steps. He walked back to the tree, squatting down and looking at the chalkboard. It was really irregular indeed, unless perhaps Shikamaru wanted him to write something down here.
" But write what?" he asked himself. If this board was left here for him to write something, what exactly was he supposed to write? He never specified anything. Wait, did that mean he could actually write anything? If so, what would he write?
Hiroshi was suddenly struck with something really brilliant. Yes, why not? After all, he figured he was about the fail anyway, so what was the point anyway in not writing? It wasn't as if he wanted any ill feelings to Sora or Hiroshi. After all, both of them will be coming here and seeing this board anyway. Grinning to himself, he picked up the piece of chalk and wrote on the board.
-
" I'm back," Hiroshi exclaimed as he entered the classroom 2 minutes before time.
" Take your seat and keep quiet. The test is still on," Shikamaru reminded him. Hiroshi nodded and went back quickly to his original seating place. Sora eyed him curiously. He looks pretty joyful. What did he actually see?
" Who is up next?" Shikamaru asked.
-
" You can't be fucking serious?!" Sora yelled, making everyone in the vicinity turn around and look at who had suddenly exclaimed loudly all of a sudden. Sora couldn't believe her eyes. " How could he write this? Is he even aware of what this test is all about?!"
She scowled at what he wrote. " This is not going to help me at all, it's only going to help Ryouta. And why in the world should I help him? Hell, I want him to fail!" she exclaimed, mainly to herself. Then she sighed, sitting back down on the grassy floor that surrounded the tree.
" Hmm, perhaps I should just write it down at any rate…" Sora groaned, picking up the piece of chalk and scribbling something down on the chalkboard. " That bastard better buy me another dinner tonight…"
-
Sora returned to the classroom, looking a bit gloomy. She then proceeded to sit down on her seat and bury her head in her arms on her desk. Ryouta eyed her carefully, wondering what was up. He also noted that Hiroshi was acting strangely. He looked like he was done with the test. Ryouta figured that was impossible. There was one cryptographic question that he couldn't even answer, and if he himself had no ability to answer that question, there was no chance in hell Hiroshi could figure it out.
" You're up next, Ryouta," Shikamaru replied.
-
" What is this?" Ryouta asked himself, seeing the chalkboard which Hiroshi and Sora had written upon. He understood the words they had written down, and he understood what they meant very well. The only thing was he didn't understand why they wrote them down.
" Hahaha…" Ryouta said, laughing. " Fine, Sora, dinner will be on me tonight once more."
-
" Time's up. Drop your pencils and wait for me to collect your papers," Shikamaru said. The three of them dropped their pencils. Shikamaru walked around the room, taking their papers. Sora and Hiroshi immediately got up, ready to leave, but Shikamaru suddenly said " Hey, where in the world do you two think you are going?"
" Um, isn't the exam over?" Hiroshi asked.
" I haven't graded you yet," Shikamaru said.
" But I failed!"
" My, that was a quick response. Sit down. You can leave when I'm done grading you," Shikamaru said. Sora and Hiroshi looked at each other puzzled, wondering what was up. However, they both returned to their seats obediently.
Shikamaru went up to the desk and took a look at their answers. It merely took him 5 minutes. He then looked up at Ryouta, holding two pieces of papers.
" Now, Ryouta, I need you to answer me these questions, since I don't rightly know the answer. You don't have parents correct?" Shikamaru asked.
" Yes, I'm an orphan," Ryouta replied.
" Explains the blanks in their answers…now, you don't have a favourite book, do you?" Shikamaru asked.
Ryouta wondered what was going on here, then it hit him immediately. How should he answer the question then?
" Um…no?" he replied.
" Never been to the administration office before?" Shikamaru replied.
" Nope…"
" Well, congratulations," Shikamaru replied, tossing the two pieces of paper aside, and made a scene lighting his cigarette. Puffing out a large cloud of smoke, he then replied " You all passed the exam. You are now officially the genins of Team 3. Starting tomorrow, we will be starting our missions!"
" Hey, I thought you said 1 person could only pass!" Hiroshi replied.
" Well, that rule was set for the purpose of the test," Shikamaru said " Do any of you know what was the true purpose of the test was? Surely not intelligence. I will never measure a strength and ability of a shinobi by intelligence alone." From the blank looks of the three of them, he figured that they were not sure.
" The concept of this test was pride," Shikamaru answered.
" How'd that come about?" Sora asked, raising her eyebrows.
" With the rules I have set, if you had followed them strictly, meant that only one of you will pass. However, none of you will actually pass if you don't help each other. Of course, there comes the choice: whether to help your friends, or to merely drag them down with you. If none of you decided to share your personal information, all of you will fail anyway," Shikamaru answered.
" Hey, wait a minute, how'd you know we shared personal information with Ryouta?!" Hiroshi exclaimed.
" It doesn't need me to think too much on what exactly you two wrote on that board," Shikamaru replied.
" But, for the last three questions…" Ryouta started.
" It didn't really matter. I'm sure I just wrote down that all you need to do was 'answer' them. I'm sure I didn't specify anywhere that you had to 'answer them correctly'. My final questions directed to you were just a test to see whether you were willing to return the favour to your friends," Shikamaru answered.
" Sometimes, to do what is the best for everyone in general, we have to be willing to sacrifice what we deem in important to us. If you had adhered to the rules, there would be one genin among you three, and an extra shinobi would bolster our forces. You were all willing to at least give your team mate the ability to advance forward, even though it was disadvantageous to you. Sometimes moves like these must be played. I'm glad you guys know what was really important," Shikamau replied.
" Yes! Yes! Hahaha! I passed! I passed this God damned exam!" Hiroshi yelled at the top of his voice, rolling on the floor laughing.
" Hey now, my exam wasn't that bad," Shikamaru replied.
" Sensei, you lousy piece of shit!" Sora exclaimed, leaping at Shikamaru exclaimed, wanting to punch him. Nobody really knew whether she was doing it playfully or out of some spite, but Shikamaru wasn't going to test her.
" Hey, I bet you guys are hungry from me making you all nervous. How about a BBQ lunch? My treat, of course," Shikamaru replied, raising his hands in defence.
