Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Bathing in Blood
16. Countless
Like the fire at the end of Time
Which burns all in the last day,
I see thy vast mouths and thy terrible teeth.
Where am I? Where is my shelter?
-The Bhagavad Gita
Kakashi stared vacantly up at the ceiling from his poorly-padded chair. He couldn't believe it. He simply couldn't. Was Morino Ibiki really the one conducting this exam?
That was a worthless question to ask himself, he was all too aware. There was no reason to think Asuma was lying...but there was! Morino Ibiki, of the Konoha Black Ops, the infamously sadistic leader of the torture and interrogation unit...as the chief proctor? This had to be some cruel joke. Taken at face value, it was overkill. Dangerously so.
Morino Ibiki.
The silver-haired teacher closed his eyes, almost reflectively. He could barely recall his own passage through the Chuunin Exams, remembering only the fear that went with it. Fear, childish fear, fear that he'd since learned could be used to an enemy's advantage. He rarely felt that fear anymore; blocked it out of pure necessity. And so he opened his eyes again. He had to. It was better for his health, to brood over the misfortunes of others in place of his own.
Morino Ibiki.
He relayed the name back and forth, over and over through his thoughts, begging it to be a lie, pleading sense from a mangled mess of chaos. The worst thing was, his students were in that classroom at this very moment, with a torture expert whose mere name could strike fear into the hearts of hardened criminals. Whose powers of questioning, reading between the lines, and manipulation had remained unmatched for years.
Oh, maybe Sasuke and Naruto could handle it. Certainly they could. Sakura, though...she'd been through so much lately. How much more could she stand without snapping? Kakashi shuddered, goosebumps rising under his sleeves. He glanced worriedly at the clock above a forest of potted plastic plants.
The forty-five minutes were almost up.
With a ragged sigh, he slouched deeper in his seat. The lounge was so quiet. So empty. From across the wide expanse, the clock's second-hand scolded him loudly, its sharp reproachful ticks echoing with eerie reproach. He'd spent so much energy on protecting his delicate cherry-blossom, and he still couldn't do the job. Still couldn't keep her safe, eyes shielded from all the unpleasant things in life.
It was better for her to think, and live with the illusion, that nobody died without a reason. Nobody had to get hurt, nobody had to be sad and nobody was mean. That cruelty was a trait belonging to storybook villains, who were always punished within fifty pages.
Kakashi knew this was no way to raise a ninja. It was an instinctual thing. He knew that the weak died and the strong survived, but what was wrong with prolonging what life the weak did have? By doing that, he felt that, somehow, his sins had been forgiven.
Ibiki raised his head slowly, molding his eyes into spherical icicles. It was time.
"Get ready for the tenth question." His voice rumbled like an earthquake through the ocean of genin. They reacted in the usual manner, trembling and nervous, unconsciously attempting to huddle a few centimeters closer to their frightened peers. Without the slightest thought, they entrusted their welfare to the ingrained concept of 'safety in numbers'. That was a deadly mistake in Leaf shinobi, which could be exploited to its full extent by the enemy. But let's see them squirm a little more.
"However, before I tell you the question itself, I'd like to add another new rule." Yes, it was quite satisfying to see the scared-to-death looks resurface on so many wide-eyed faces. And amusing as well, to observe the subtle posture changes rippling coherently through the throng of little brats. Except for a puzzlingly troublesome few, his psychological attacks were wreaking discreet havoc upon the entire herd.
"Allow me to explain," he continued. "This rule is absolute." He strode easily, kinglike, up and down the front of the classroom. "First, you must choose whether or not you'll accept this tenth question. " Countless fearful eyes gazed dumbly back at him without meeting his gaze, cowed clueless. One girl dared to inquire further.
"Choose? What do you mean, 'choose'? What if someone decides to reject the tenth question!" Her words were scrunched together in anxious bursts. Ibiki raised an indifferent eyebrow, though inside his head he was entertained. It was ever a boost to his ego, to view the results of his careful work. He was only too happy to answer.
"By rejecting this question without even attempting to answer it, you will immediately lose all of your points. In other words, you'll fail, as will both of your teammates."
Now there were more outbursts, cries of surprise from a mob emboldened by outrage.
"What the hell are you talking about!"
"Excuse me!"
"Why would anyone reject it, then!"
The man in the black trench-coat wore a viciously bored expression. Make them think they are stupid. Humiliation will work well here.
"Because of the other rule, of course," he said, in the condescending way of someone talking to a simpleton. Yes, dear, the sky is blue. It always has been. Isn't it fun to learn new things? "If you accept this question and get it wrong, you will never be permitted to apply for the Chuunin Exams again. You'll remain a rookie for the rest of your career."
A boy in a fur-lined parka pointed a finger in accusing disbelief. "You can't be serious! There are ninja in here who've sat through these exams more than once! We know there are!" Ibiki interrupted the tirade with a gruesome, know-it-all chuckle.
"Just your luck, then. I wasn't making the rules for the past exams. I am now. You can take a failing grade now, you know, and then try again later." That patronizing tone again. "Reject this tenth question and reapply next year. And the year after that." Sarcasm laced his words like arsenic.
"Are you ready? If so, let us begin. Those who choose not to accept, please raise your hands and exit the classroom."
A hush descended like a mantle of snow upon the multitude. This exam had become a contest, a test of who had the strongest will. Who could take the pressure, and who could not. At long last, one boy raised a quivering, timid hand.
"I...I quit! I'm sorry! I-It's just not worth it!" he shouted tearfully to an uncaring audience. Grumbling, his teammates stood and followed him as he stumbled through the door. They were followed by another, and another, and then a few more, until it seemed that an endless line was marching dejectedly between the benches. Team members nudged and snarled at each other, though they knew it wouldn't do much good.
Reapply next year. Try again later. Next year. And the year after that.
The pink-haired girl snorted in disgust. Cowards. Did 'rank' even matter, in real life? A Chuunin title would no more make one stronger than if one was labeled as a 'rookie' for life.
Apparently, she was the only one to realize that.
The room had fallen silent once again. No more hands were raised. "I'll ask you one last time." Ibiki's words bloomed suddenly into the stillness, enhanced with malignant persuasion. "This decision will affect the rest of your careers. Quit, and quit now, while you still have the chance."
There was no response. Of course there isn't, the torture expert berated himself. These children aren't like adults. Why is that so easy to forget? When children are threatened to a certain extent, they shut down. They are unresponsive. I was too obvious, even if they don't realize it themselves. He nodded to the others sitting against the wall. Might as well move on.
"To everyone still here...you have passed the first part of the exam."
Sakura smirked pityingly. The examiner had finally realized his mistake. She shook her head, disappointed. This was just a waste of time.
