Okay, so I went into this story with a fairly thorough outline of where I was going with this. And it's still very much there. But while I'm writing, the details just come to me and change things in way I never expected. But hey, I guess that happens when most people write, right?

With the commotion over, Ibiki gets started. "Alright, you baby-faced degenerates, pipe down and listen up!" Behind Ibiki are Izumo and Kotetsu. So that's why they're here… "It's time to begin. I am Ibiki Morino, your proctor, and from this moment, your worst enemy."

I smirk at him. Well, isn't he a scary one… I can see why Akito looks up to him. My teammate's admiration for the man is fairly obvious, probably because he can command respect and fear at the same time.

He claims to be our enemy, but I would label him more an opponent. After all, if he were really the enemy, I would probably be trying to stick a kunai in him right now. Along with half of my ninjutsu arsenal. And I have a feeling that I wouldn't be alone.

His eyes fall onto me, his lip curling a little, before they flick over towards the Sound ninja. "I'll say this once, so listen up. There will be no combat between candidates. No attacking each other without the permission of your proctor. And even then, the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited. Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately, got it?" The chunin behind him all start chuckling. "Now, if you're ready, we'll proceed to the first stage of the Chunin Exam. Hand over your paperwork. In return, you'll each be given a number. This number determines where you will sit. We'll start the written test once you are all seated."

I raise an eyebrow. "A written test?"

Hiro frowns. "Not what I expected… I though that we'd be doing something a little more on the practical side."

"What do you want to bet that there's a catch?" Akito grins. "Ibiki is from the interrogation division, he likes to play mind games with the people he's interrogating. What do you think would happen if you gave him a room filled with genin?"

I understand what he's getting at. "Lots of young ninja for him to mess with. It'd probably be hilarious to him. Best entertainment of the year and all that."

"Exactly." Akito pushes me forwards gently. "Come on, let's get our numbers and sit down."

Making our way to the front of the room, I approach Izumo, who has a box in hand, and Kotetsu, who is holding a pile of registration papers. I smirk at the two of them. "Well, this explains why you were harassing genin earlier."

Kotetsu chuckles. "I'll be keeping an eye on you."

That earns him an eye roll from me as I reach into the number box. "Just keep your eyes where I can see them, and we'll get along just fine." I pull out the number, and turn towards the back of the room, worming my way through the crowd to find my seat.

As I sit down and make myself comfortable, a familiar face sits beside me. I glance at him and raise an eyebrow, so he holds up his number. "I sit here."

"Alright." It still amuses me a little, though what distracts me is his constant staring. "What, is there something on my face?"

Sasuke shakes his head, which ruffles his raven hair. "No, it's nothing."

"Doesn't seem like it…" But I let it drop my eyes turning to the front. "Good luck."

"You too." Considering how silent he usually is, I'm guessing that he's at least a little nervous, or perhaps anxious. Either way, he's been talking a bit more than he usually does.

Ibiki taps the board with some chalk. "Everyone, eyes front. There are a few rules you need to be aware of." And here's the catch. "And I won't answer any questions, so you'd better pay attention the first time around!" He starts writing on the board. "Okay, rule number one is this. The written part of the exam is conducted on a point reduction system. Contrary to what some of you may be used to, you all begin the test with a perfect score of ten points. One point will be deducted for each answer you get wrong. So, if you miss three, your final score will be seven."

That's an intriguing way to start the test. So…if they're trying to weed us out and thin the crowd, what's to stop everyone from scoring enough to pass? This seems a little too easy…

"Rule number two. Teams will pass or fail based on the total scores of all three members." That gets a few reactions from the crowd. I'm not worried, though. Akito and Hiro are both pretty smart in their own right, and I'm sure that I can pull off at least a few questions, especially if there's anything on biology in there.

"What!?" Sakura nearly shrieks. "Wait a second! You're saying we all get scored as a team!?"

"Silence!" Ibiki is brooking no dissent here. "I have my reasons. So shut up and listen!" He moves on to the next rule. "Rule number three. The sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating. And for every incident they spot, they will subtract two points from the culprit's score."

I frown. Hold up…what now? They're taking points off if we get caught cheating? Are they really expecting us to be desperate enough to cheat? I glance down at the back of my test. And only two points, that's a whole four chances to get caught before dropping us to zero. It's like they're looking for… A pit opens up in my stomach. It's like they're looking for bad cheating.

Ibiki continues. "Be warned, their eyes are extremely sharp. And if you're caught five times, you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored."

I clasp my hands together. Okay, you're a ninja, so think about this like it's a mission. On a mission, a single mistake can get you killed. On the other hand, it may take a few minor mistakes before you make a big one. And out in the field, it's not as though we're expected to fight fair. In fact, fighting fair goes against everything a ninja does. We're supposed to take every advantage we can get, turn the tables in our favor. An idea takes root inside me. Sneak around badly, and you'll get caught and ambushed. But sneak around well, and you'll be the one doing the ambushing. If we cheat badly, we get thrown out. But…if we don't get caught… It works with the principles that we were taught at the academy. This is a test to see who can cheat without getting caught.

Ibiki confirms my suspicions. "Anyone caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here. If you want to be considered shinobi, then show us what exceptional shinobi you can be." Now it's starting to come together. "One more thing. If any candidate should get a zero and fail the test, then the entire team fails."

Beside me, Sasuke looks panicked, and I think I know why. In these kinds of written tests, Naruto never does well. He never did well in any tests at the academy, but I think that it's because it was a more constrained environment. To bloom, he needs room to be creative and intuitive. He has to have the chance to think and react, and learn in the heat of battle. You never find any of that in a classroom at the academy.

Ibiki taps the board for attention again. "The final question won't be given out until fifteen minutes before the end of the testing period." That means that there's a catch to the tenth question as well. This guy really loves his mind games. "You'll have one hour total." The clock hits three thirty. "Begin!"

I flip my test over, and scan over the questions. Well, damn, that's a lot of math. These are definitely not the kinds of questions that we had on our tests back at the academy. I stare at the piece of paper, at a bit of a loss as to how to answer the questions. Well, at least Akito will be fine, he loves this stuff.

Then, there's a slight burning sensation in my stomach, and that ever so familiar voice rings in my head. I will do this.

I frown at my paper, trying to keep my emotions concealed. What are you talking about? You understand these questions?

I do. I have been watching humans for many years. I have picked up on much of their scientific knowledge. If you will allow me to control your limbs, I will write this test for you.

Considering how hard these questions are, it would be foolish of me to turn down his help. Okay, thank you.

Now, relax, as if you are about to go to sleep. His voice is low, calm, and soothing, making it easy for me to let go and relax my body. Good…

The warmth engulfs me, and a strange feeling creeps through every cell in my body. I can't move an inch, but there's no malice in this presence. Then, my hand moves without my direction, and pulls my headband down slightly, and ruffles my bangs in front of my eyes, letting them hang down around my nose and cheeks. What are you doing?

He hums a little. I would rather not tip anyone off to this change. By switching places, you now display my eyes, and certain markings around them. In the best case, it might arouses curiosity and suspicion, in the worst, it may cause some to panic or become frightened. Humans are often frightened by that which they do not understand.

I would nod, but right now, I can't move my body. Okay, I understand. Through his eyes, my eyes, I can see my hand, controlled by him, moving across the paper, filling in the first answer and decoding the message in the first question.

Minutes pass, and the little friend inside my brain, currently controlling my hands, fills in question after question. And I watch, learning a lot from how he's filling in the answers.

Then, comes the first disturbance, which Suzaku lets me look at out of the corner of my eye, right through a crack in my bangs. One of the sentinels throws a kunai at one of the other candidates, nailing his test paper to the desk. The guy stands up in a panic. "What the-? What was that all about?"

Kotetsu grins. "Five strikes and you're out. You just failed the test."

"What?" The guy is shaking. "It can't be."

Kotetsu points at him. "You and your teammates will leave the room immediately."

And just like that, the first team is eliminated. "Candidate number twenty-three, fail. Number twenty-seven and forty-three, fail."

After the first incident things start heating up. One by one, teams are eliminated, most of them putting up a fuss when they get kicked out. Though most of the fuss comes from the ones who stupidly allowed themselves to get caught. The teams eliminated are already in the double digits.

Suzaku puts down the pencil, all of the answers now present on the paper. It would seem that some of your peers have begun to use their wits to collect information. The one from the Sand…he has an artificial eye in the sky. And the Uchiha has activated his Sharingan. Be careful in the next exam…

His control recedes from my limbs, and when I regain complete control, I turn over my paper and sit back. Done. I'm going to pass the first part of the exam. I glance over to where my two teammates are located. Good luck, boys. Don't let me down.

The clocks keeps ticking, counting down the time until Ibiki gives us the final question. But there's got to be a catch, otherwise it would have been given at the same time as the other questions. Of course, there's always the chance that he just held it back to make us nervous about it, but from the look on his face, I doubt that he would leave it at that.

With one last tick, we're at the forty-five minute mark. Fifteen minutes left, and Ibiki opens his mouth. "Alright, listen up! Here's the tenth and final question! But, before I give you the question, there are some more rules that you need to be aware of." The door creaks open, and that Sand ninja, Kankuro comes back in. Ibiki smirks. "Ah, made it just in time. I hope you found your trip to the bathroom enlightening." I smirk. Looks like someone's been busted. "Well, take your seat."

Kankuro strides down the aisle, and I could swear that he drops something right next to his blond teammate. That must be some kind of cheat sheet…but there's not much time left, so she'll have to be fast if she wants to make any use of it.

Once Kankuro is seated, Ibiki strides forward. "These rules are unique to question ten. Listen carefully, and try not to let them frighten you."

I've heard Akito talk a bit about this guy before, so I know better than to let him get under my skin. However, the same can't be said for several of the others. They look like they're going to wet themselves under his gaze. I've also got a soothing presence in my mind to keep me from becoming anxious.

"Very well, then, rule number one…each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question. It's your decision." His words nearly make me choke. Hold on…what now? I narrow my eyes at him. And I wonder how fast he'll throw us out if we don't answer it…

The girl from the Sand bursts out in a panic. "Whoa, so what's the catch!? Let's say we decide we don't wanna do it. What happens then?"

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero. In other words, you fail. And of course, that meas both your teammates fail as well." That's quite the catch he's throwing at us. It means that this is the make or break question, and passing depends on answering it.

Sasuke shifts beside me, it almost looks like his nerves are fraying. So I nudge him a little. "You worried about Sakura and Naruto?"

He glances at me. "Naruto was at a disadvantage in this test from the start. I don't know if he'll be able to get this question right."

A smile curls my lips. "If I were you, I wouldn't be so quick to underestimate Naruto. He'll surprise you when you least expect it."

Ibiki shakes his head. "You didn't let me finish." Now, it sounds rather ominous. "If you do accept the tenth question, and answer it incorrectly, you will not only fail…you will be barred from taking the Chunin Exam ever again!"

The whole room is stunned, until Kiba stands up with an outburst. "Hey! That's bull, man, that's ridiculous! What kind of bogus rule is that!? There's lots of people here who've taken the test before!"

Ibiki laughs. "I guess you're just unlucky." His face is one that could haunt even my dreams. "I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course, if you don't wanna take it, you don't have to. If you're not feeling confident, then by all means, skip it. You can come back and try again next year."

I clasp my hands together. So, in order to pass, we have to answer the question right. Answer it wrong, and we'll never get another chance. Or, back out now and try again later. I muse over the choices, looking at it from the point of view of a shinobi on a mission.

Then, I glance over to Hiro and Akito, catching both of them in my line of sight. They return the glance, determination etched into the lines of their faces. Well, seems like they've made up their minds already. And it's not like it's the end of the world if we fail. Hiro already helps out at the academy, and Ibiki seems to be fond of Akito, so I doubt that he'll waste Akito's potential on the off-chance that he gets the question wrong. And of course, I could always appeal to Gramps if something happens. Low rank or not, I know that he won't want to waste my potential. And if there's really nothing that can be done, then I can just go on low level missions and spend the rest of my time working at the hospital.

It's a tough decision, but I think I've got my answer. This is the real world, and in the real world, there are no do-overs. We just have to do our best, stack the odds in our favor, and do whatever we can to survive. If this were a mission, there would be no backing out. Even if it kills us, you can't just up and quit in the middle, it's a fast way to get cut down from behind.

Ibiki stares out into the crowd. "Now then, if you're ready…the tenth and final question. Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded, and then you're free to go."

The first hand goes up, and a team is eliminated. After that, it's just one team after another, thinning out the herd even more. And while I'm glad to have less competition, I'm still a little worried about Naruto's nerves. I know that his dream is to be Hokage. But somehow, I feel like impossible isn't a word with him. So even if he fails the question, he'll never give up on that dream.

Then, surprisingly, Naruto raises his hand. I raise an eyebrow, and see Sasuke glance at me out of the corner of my eye. "Naruto…what are you doing?" I wasn't expecting him to actually throw in the towel. Maybe shake a little, but not give up.

But, much quicker than his hand goes up, it comes right back down as he slams it on the desk and stands up. "Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want, you guys aren't going to scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life." He slams his other hand down as well. "I'll still be Hokage someday!"

As Naruto takes a breath, I start laughing my head off. Naruto turns in the direction of my voice, so I sit up straight and stare right at him. "Way to preach it, Naruto." I hold my fist towards him, and he grins back at me, holding his fist in the air as well. "Never give up and never give in. Because sometimes, there are things worth risking everything for."

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

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

Hearing him makes me smile, and it would seem that I'm not the only one. No more hands go up, and Hiro smirks. "Well, I think that this is settled. You're not scaring anyone else with that speech." His smirk widens and reaches his eyes. "Maybe Akito's given you a soft spot."

Ibiki's eyes flick to Hiro, then to Akito, then to me. "Well, isn't your team full of cheek."

"Of course, you'd get bored if we weren't." I stifle a laugh as I see Ibiki's eye twitch ever so slightly. Looks like this is going to be fun. "So, we gonna sit here all day, or wrap this up? Because Hiro's right, it looks like no one else is leaving."

He looks around the room, nodding to the sentinels, before turning back to us. "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…that you've all passed the first exam."

Everything in the room freezes for a moment, and I cover my mouth with my hand to keep in my laughter. Oh gods…it was a trick question! Of course it was a trick question! It makes so much sense, especially coming from an interrogator who specializes in mental torture.

Sakura gets to her feet. "Hold on, what just happened? What do you mean we passed!? Where's the tenth question!?"

A wide grin splits Ibiki's face, a very pleasant one, and he laughs. "There never was one, not a written one at least. Actually, your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

"Wait a second!" The girl from the Sand takes issue with that. "So the other nine questions you gave us were just a waste of time, is that what you're saying?"

"No, no, not at all." Ibiki's tone and disposition have become much lighter now. "Quite the opposite. The first nine questions had an important overriding purpose. To test your ability to surreptitiously gather intelligence under the most adverse circumstances."

"Oh…well that clears up everything." She sounds unconvinced, and there seems to be an implied eye roll in her tone.

Ibiki nods. "Let me explain. You see, my objective was not only to test you only as individuals, but as a team, and how well you function as a part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis. O you'd know that everything you did or failed to do would directly affect your teammates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure."

"Yeah, I figured it was something like that, that's why I kept my cool." Naruto acts like he had a clue what was going on, but honestly, I doubt it. I mean, I love Naruto to little bits and pieces, always have, and probably always will, though I'd rather keep my best friend in one piece, not many. But I have to admit that he's not always the sharpest tool in the shed. The chances of him actually having figured out what was really going on are slim. That said, I still had some faith that his instincts and emotions would lead him down the right path, and it would seem that I was correct.

"The first nine questions on the test were difficult. In fact, as you may have realized, too difficult for any genin to be expected to be able to solve. I imagine that most of you quickly came to that conclusion, that you'd have to cheat to have any chance of passing." And so his motives are revealed. "In fact, the test was designed to encourage cheating. It almost demanded it. Of course, it would have done you little good, unless you had someone to cheat from. So I disguised two chunin who already knew the answers, and had them sit in with you.

Naruto freaks out, then sits himself back down. "Oh, come on, I wasn't fooled for a second. You have to be a complete doofus not to see it."

I sweatdrop a little, and Sasuke shakes his head. "I don't understand how you can possibly be that idiot's best friend."

Sighing, I shake my head. "That…is a very long story. Needless to say, in our little pair, I'm definitely the brains, no contest." Then, I smile gently at my dumb blond. "But…he's got a kind heart, and a determination that's downright inspirational, as I'm sure you've seen."

"Hn." Sasuke turns away, focusing back on Ibiki.

"Those who were caught at it, failed. Better not to cheat, than to cheat clumsily." He removes his headband bandana, revealing a terribly scarred and mutilated scalp. Punctured, sliced, burned, and completely hairless. "Information, it can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather intelligence can determine whether the mission's a failure or success. There'll be times you have to risk your life to get it."

Sasuke cringes. "Man, what a mess…scars and puncture wounds…burn marks…what he must have endured…"

I stare for a moment, then drop my gaze. "And it looks like it took too long to treat him. Wounds like that can be healed without much scarring if treated right away…" It actually disgusts me. Not the scars, but the fact that no treatment could be given, or was given, to prevent them. The kind of pain involved in that, especially if the wounds festered, would have been immense, even for someone with a high pain threshold.

Ibiki ties his bandana back on his head. "Of course, you must always consider the source of your information. Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not necessarily accurate. Always bear this in mind. Disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades, or the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate intelligence, cheat in order to survive. And that's why those who weren't good enough at it were weeded out, leaving the rest of you."

"Okay…? But I'm still not getting what the tenth question thing was about." I suppose that I shouldn't hold it against the Sand girl to not know how things work with Ibiki. Even I've only heard a few stories from Akito about the man.

"You're not?" Ibiki frowns. "The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam. Surely you see that."

Sakura looks up. "Sure, but explain it anyway."

Ibiki sighs. "AS I said before, the gal was not only to test you as individuals, but as part of a final question gave you two choices, both difficult. You could choose to play it safe and skip the question, though it meant both you and your teammates would be failed. Or, you could try and answer it, knowing if you got it wrong, you would lose your chance at ever being chunin. It was a no-win situation. But, just the sort chunin have to face almost every single day. For example, let me give you a hypothetical mission. To steal a document from an enemy stronghold. You have no idea how many ninja the enemy has, or how heavily armed they are. Furthermore, you have reason to believe the enemy expects you, that you might very well be walking blindly into a trap."

That's quite the hypothetical situation. And for some reason, I get the feeling that this was an actual mission that he himself remembers. The way he talks about it is so fluid and cohesive, that it seems very real.

"Now, do you have the option of taking a pass on this insane mission, of saying 'My comrades and I would rather live to fight another say'? Can you choose to avoid danger?" These are all rhetorical questions. "No. There will be many missions that seem almost suicidal , if you think about it. But you do not think about it. You think only of the goal, and of achieving it through courage and discipline. These are the qualities required of a chunin squad leader. Those who choose the safer of two paths, those whose determination falters in the face of adversity, those who would put their comrades' lives in jeopardy by worrying about their own, those who would save their own necks at the price of sacred honor will never be able to call themselves chunin. At least, as long as I'm here." Now, everything he's done makes so much more sense. "As for the rest of you, you have successfully answered the ten questions I put to you. You have earned the right to continue on to the next step. You have passed through the first gate. I hereby declare this part of the Chunin Selection Exam completed. There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck."

As Naruto starts celebrating, I turn to Sasuke with a smug grin. "Well, it looks like Naruto's attitude is what carried him through this, along with many others, huh?"

Sasuke smirks wryly. "Yeah…guess the idiot is good for something."

I roll my eyes. "He's good for a lot more than just that, and you know it."

The moment Sasuke moves to retort, something catches my eye out the window, and as my eyes narrow, Sasuke looks over as well. "What's that?"

"Dunno…" I squint a little, then my eyes widen. "Oh shit."

The window shatters, and a woman flies inside, pinning a tarp to the ceiling with a pair of kunai, obscuring Ibiki from view. "Heads up, boys and girls, this is no time to be celebrating! I'll be your next proctor, Anko Mitarashi! Ready for the second test?" She pumps her fist into the air. "Good! Let's go! Follow me!" She's very…flamboyant, or maybe just loud. She kind of reminds me of Naruto, just less smiley, and with more flair for dramatic entrances.

I groan lightly. "And you guys thought that our entrance in the fight with Zabuza was bad…"

Sasuke sweatdrops. "No kidding…who is she?"

Ibiki appears around the corner of the tarp. "You're early, again."

It only takes those few words to put her fire right out. Then, she gets a good look at us. "How many are there? Ibiki, you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy, you must be getting soft."

Ibiki is unperturbed. "Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year."

"Hm…they sure don't look it." Her eyes flick over the crowd. "Trust me, before I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated. This is gonna be fun…" Then, she puts her stern face back on. "Alright, you maggots have had it easy so far, but things are gonna be different starting first thing in the morning. I'll let your squad leaders know where to meet me." She smiles slightly. "Dismissed."

My eye twitches a little at this new proctor. "If this is Gramps' idea of a joke, it's not funny. At this rate, we're all going to be offed by some weird proctor."

"Hn…" Sasuke glances at me once, his eyes narrowing in suspicion for a brief moment. Then, he stands up and walks over towards Naruto and Sakura.

It looks like this exam really is going to be pretty interesting…