24: The 10th Question: All or Nothing!
Suiren Uzumaki: The disclaimer: I do not own Naruto cause if I did then Sakura wouldn't be a useless fangirl in pre-shippuden, and Naruto would have his father's smarts while keeping his mother's personality and knows about seals and how to use to them. I do, however, own Ryurama Senju, Yuki Senju nee Miran, Raika Miran (Senju), & the White Tiger Summoning Contract (A/N: If there is already a White Tiger Summoning Contract…then please ignore the last part). Remember to Read and Review to let me know what you think. Also, if you don't like any twist that I might make then stop reading and find something else to read plus don't leave a review that's a flame or I will find a way to block you. Ja ne!
...My Line...
The sound of the clock ticking was heard before Ibiki smirked as he watched it.
'Now that we weeded out most of the hopeless cases,' the Morino thought. '15 minutes. Time for the main event.' "Alright! Listen up! Here the 10th and final question!"
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Naruto's grip on his pencil.
'Here we go,' the Uzumaki thought. 'Everything is slightly riding on this one, ya know.'
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'Man, this guy is full of himself,' the Uchiha thought.
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'Finally,' the Miran thought with a sigh. 'This is almost over.'
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'Hurry up, Kankuro,' Temari thought. 'What good is your cheat sheet if you're going to miss the 10th question?'
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"But, before I give you the question there are some more rules that you should be aware of," Ibiki informed them.
Just then the Puppeteer walked back into the room.
"Huh?"
"Ah, made it just in time," the Morino stated as the other teams all looked back at him. "I hope that you found your trip to the bathroom enlightening."
'He's seen through the Crow's disguise!' the Sand Ninja thought in shock. 'He's onto us.'
"Well, take your seat," Ibiki ordered him.
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Kankuro did as told, but as he passed his sister, he dropped something next to her before sitting down.
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'I can't believe that he thought that they wouldn't notice,' Raika thought as she looked out of the corner of her eyes. 'These guys don't fool around after all…' She looked at the man in front of them. 'Especially, Ibiki-Sensei. That guy has not a single funny bone in his entire body. Though what does one expect from the Head of the ANBU's Torture and Interrogation Department?'
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"These rules are unique to question 10," the Head of T&I stated. "Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you."
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"It's quite without the rookies around," the Hatake stated. "I almost miss them."
"Don't worry," Asuma Sarutobi informed them. "They'll be back sooner than you think."
"Why is that?"
"I've heard that their first examiner is Ibiki," the Sarutobi answered.
"Huh?" 'So, already their chances of passing look iffy.' "Greeeaaat. Sticking them with that sadist right off the bat."
"What sadist?" Kurenai Yuhi asked.
"I forgot that you're a new a Jonin, Kurenai," Asuma stated. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have to ask that."
"So, I'm ignorant," she deadpan. "Who is he?"
"He's what you might call a specialist," Kakashi answered.
"Yeah. In what?"
"Interrogation," the smoking Jonin answered. "Torture."
"Huh?"
"Oh, of course, he wouldn't be using physical torture during the test," she was informed. "He won't need to. That's not really his thing anyways. He works with people's minds. Not their bodies. He's famous for it. Everyone knows about the Head ANBU of the Torture and Interrogation unite. Ibiki Morino."
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'If even the rules are scary,' Naruto thought before he swallowed. 'What's the question like?'
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"Every well then," Ibiki spoke up. "Rule number 1: Each of you are free to choose not to be given the final question. It's your decision."
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"Huh?"
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'We're free to choose?' the Uchiha thought.
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'What's he playing at?' the greenette wondered in her mind.
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"Whoa!" Temari called out. "What's the catch?! Let's say we happen to decide that we wouldn't take it? What happens then?"
"If you chose not to take the 10th question regardless to your answers of the other 9, you'll get a 0," the Morino answered. "In other words...you fail. And that, of course, means that your teammates fail as well." The whole room spoke up at that at the same time at that. "Not so fast. You didn't let me finish."
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'Oh, joy,' Raika thought in annoyance 'More rules.' She rolled her eyes 'Enough already.'
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"If you do except the question, but answer it incorrectly then you'll not only fail...you will be barred from taking the Chunin Exams ever again!"
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'Say what?' Raika thought as she blinked in surprise. 'There's no way that he can do that. Okay, maybe for Konoha, but for the other villages...no way. The other Village's Leaders won't agree to that and even if the Hokage allows him to bar the Genin of Konoha from the exams. There is still another way to make Chunin for a Genin then taking the exams. There is still the field promotions. So, it's still a win for Konoha's Genins.'
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"Hey, that's bull man!" Kiba yelled as he shot up. "That's ridicules! What the heck kind of rule is that?! There's a lot of people here, who have taken the test before!"
Akamaru barked in agreement making Ibiki to laugh in dark amusement.
"I guess that you were just...unlucky," he stated. "I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course, if you don't want to take it then you don't have, too."
"Huh?"
"If you're not feeling confident then by all means skip it," the Morino told him. "You can come back and try again next year."
Ibiki laughed at their faces though the Miran was glaring at him.
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'That's great,' Raika thought with a sigh. 'Thanks a lot, Ibiki.' She felt let slamming her head on the desk. 'It's a lose-lose with this cause if any one of us chooses to skip then the rest of us will fail. Forget it. That's not going to happen. However, on the other hand, you'll get only one shot. Screw up and you'll never get another chance. It stinks either way. I hate this as it's so unfair. Why couldn't they have given us a normal test? I mean, is that too much to ask?'
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Naruto grind his teen together in anger.
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"Now if you're ready, the 10th and final question," Ibiki called out. "If you don't want to take it raise your hand? Your number will be recorded and then your free to go."
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'What could the question be?' Naruto thought. 'What if it's easy? What if it's not? If I get it wrong, then I'll be a Genin for the rest of my life and with the way things are going...I can't just skip because then we'll all fail. I can't do that the others.'
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'Aniki,' the Miran thought. 'It's alright to put your hand up if you don't feel ready to take this question. So, don't worry about us. There's always next year. Just think of yourself for once.'
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'This is different from my own Chunin Exams,' the masked Uchiha thought as he watched from a nearby tree. 'I wonder what Sensei's son will do?' He shook his head. 'Stupid question. Sensei's son is too much like his Mother while he also has the Uzumaki will and not going to back down attitude.'
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The Genin next to Naruto dropped his pencil and stood up with his hand in the air.
"Ah, I'm out," he stated. "That's it. I'm out. I just can't do it. I'm sorry."
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"Number 50...Fail!"
"Number 110 and number 130...that means that you're out, too."
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"Gini, Inoho," the quitting Genin spoke up. "I'm sorry guys." The guy's two teammates stood up. "I'm sorry."
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"That's it! I quit!"
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"Me, too, sir!"
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"Yeah."
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"I'm out."
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At that a good number of people started to raise their hands making Rin to narrow her eyes.
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'Come on, Naruto,' Raika thought as one by one the teams left. 'Just raise your hand, Aniki.'
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"Someday, I'm going to be Hokage, and you'll look up to me! My name is Naruto Uzumaki! Remember it! AH! Shut up! I'm willing to be Hokage no matter what it takes! To be the greatest Hokage that the village has ever seen and surpass all the Hokage's that come before."
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'It is Aniki's dream to one day be Hokage,' the greenette thought with a smile. 'He sure has a one-track mind and those dreams all he's got. After all, it would kill him to have it all taken away forever. However, he's too stubborn to raise his hand.' The Miran started to raise her hand. 'I can't let you do it to yourself, Aniki.'
Only to get the shock of a lifetime when the blonde raised his own hand.
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And she wasn't the only ones, who were shocked by it, both Hinata, and Sasuke could only stare with wide eyes.
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"You see, this guy, Ibiki," Asuma continued his explanation. "He's a master of interrogation because he understands how the human mind works. He knows just where to prod to uncover your weaknesses. The thing means that he's so good at his job that he doesn't use physical torture. He doesn't need to. He just messes up your head so bad that you just torture yourself."
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"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto yelled as he slammed his hand onto the desk. "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 get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life! I'll still be Hokage someday!"
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'He's completely clueless, but he's still going for it,' the Uchiha thought. 'The kid got guts. I'll give him that.'
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'That's my Aniki,' the green hair pre-teen thought with a soft smile. 'Always going against what others think he should do.'
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'Yup, Naruto Uzumaki is most diffidently the son of Minato-Sensei and Kushina-nee,' Obito thought with a smirk. 'As stubborn, annoying, and gunho as Kushina-nee and at times as easy going and thoughtful as Minato-Sensei.'
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"This decision is one that can change your life," the Morino stated. "If for any reason that you whether quit now's your last chance."
"No way, I never go back on my word," Naruto told him. "That's the way of the Ninja."
The Head of T&I looked around the rest of the Genin.
'Remarkable,' he thought in surprise. 'That little outburst has given the others a little back bone. He's inspired them into staying. 78 left. More than I expected, but I can't see anyone wavering. I think that's it.' He looked around and when his eyes meet those of the Chunin sitting around the room they all nodded their heads. "Well, then I admire your determination if nothing else. For those of you remaining there's only thing left to do and that's for me to tell you...that you all passed the First Exam!"
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"Huh?"
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'Say what?'
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The green hair Genin blinked in surprise at that.
"Whoa!" Raika yelled as she got to her feet. "Hold up! What just happened here? What do you mean we passed? What happened to the 10th question?"
Ibiki laughed before smiling at them.
"There never was one," he informed them. "Not a written one at least. Actually, your decision to stay was the answer to the 10th question."
"Huh?"
"Wait a second!?" Temari yelled. "The other 9 questions that you just gave us were a waste of time! Is that what you saying?"
"Oh, no," Ibiki answered. "Not at all. Quite the opposite actually. The first 9 question has an important overwriting purpose."
"What do you mean, Ibiki-Sensei?" Raika asked as she raised her hand.
"To test your ability to serve and statistically gather intelligence under the most influid circumstances," the Head of T&I answered.
"Oh, well, that clears up everything," the Sand Kunoichi said sarcastically.
"Can you explain in more detail, Sensei?" the greenette asked feeling even more confused than before.
"Very well," the Morino agreed. "My objective was not only to test you as individuals, but also as a team and how well you function as a part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team bases. So, that way you know that everything you did or failed to do will affect your teammates. I wanted to see how well you handled the pressure."
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"I figure it was something like that," Naruto said with a smile. "That's why I kept my cool."
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'Whatever helps you sleep at night, Naruto,' the Miran deadpan.
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Hinata on the other hand giggled quietly.
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"The first 9 questions on the test were difficult," Ibiki stated. "In fact, as you might have realized they were too difficult for any Genin to solve." Raika narrowed her eyes at that. "I imagine that most of you came to that conclusion. That you will have to cheat if you have any chance of passing. The fact is that the test was design to encourage cheating. It almost demanded it. Of course, it would have done you all little good if you didn't have someone to cheat from. So, I had two Chunins, who already knew the answers, disguise themselves and have them set in with you."
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'NO!' Naruto yelled. 'I had the answers in front of me the whole time!'
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"What is that kid's problem?"
"Man, I don't know."
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"Come on," Naruto said. "I wasn't fouled for a complete second. You have to be a complete doofus not see it. Isn't that right, Hinata?"
The Hyuuga girl giggled.
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Raika sunk down in her seat with an embarrassed blush on her face.
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'Incredible,' the Uchiha thought. 'All this time and he never knew.' He glanced at the greenette. 'I actually feel sorry for Raika.'
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"Better not to cheat then to cheat clumsily," Ibiki told them as he goes to remove his forehead protector. "Information it can be the most invaluable weapon in battle." The Genins could only stare in shock and horror at the sight before. "How well you gather information will determined if the mission is a success or a failure."
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Raika was in complete horror at the state of Ibiki's head with had burn scars and holes.
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"There will be times that you will have to risk your life to get it," he informed them.
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"Man, what a mess?" Sasuke said in shock. "Scars, puncture wounds, and burns marks. What he must have endured."
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"Of course, you must also consider the source of your information," Ibiki stated as he put his bandana back on. "Information from your enemy isn't always accurate. Always bare this in mind. Disinformation can be as worse as no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades or even the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate information. Cheat in order to survive. And that's why that those, who weren't good enough at it, were weeded out. Leaving the rest of you."
"Okay," Temari said. "But, I'm still not getting what the 10th question is all about."
"You're not?" Ibiki asked. "The 10th question was the whole point of the exam. Surely you see that?"
"Sure," Ino answered. "But, explain it anyway?"
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The green hair hidden Senju felt like banging her head on the table in front of her at the female blonde's statement.
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"As I said before the goal was to test you not only as individual and as part of a squad," Ibiki informed them. "The final question gave you two choices. Both difficult. You can chose to play it safe by skipping the question, but that would mean that your teammates and you would be failed. Or you could try to answer it knowing that if you got it wrong then you lose the chance of ever being Chunin. It was a no win situation. But, just the sort that Chunin have to face every day. Like for an example; let me give you a hypothetical mission? To steal a message from an enemy stronghold. You have no idea how many Ninjas that the enemy have or how heavy armed they are. Furthermore, you have reason to believe that they enemy expects you that you might very well be walking blindly into a trap. Now do you have the option of taking a pass on this insane mission by saying that I would whether my comrades and I live to see another day. Can you chose to avoid danger? No." Raika narrowed her eyes as she listened. "There will always be missions that would seem suicidal once you think about it, but you do not think about it. You think of only the goal. Of, achieving it through courage and determination. These are the quality of a Chunin. Those, who choice the safer of two paths. Those whose determination falter in the face of adversity. Those, who would put the lives of their comrades in danger by worrying about their own. Those, who would save their own necks at the sake of precious honor. Will never be able to call themselves Chunin…" He retied his hitai-eta. "At least as long as I'm here. As for the rest of you…you have successfully answered the 10 questions that I put in front of you. You have earned the right to continue on to the next step. You have passed the first gate, so I hereby declare this part of the Chunin Selection Exam…Complete." The Morino smirked at them. "There is nothing left for me to do expect to wish you good luck."
"ALRIGHT!" Naruto yelled. "WE DID IT! THAT'S ONE DOWN! YEAH! YEAH!"
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Raika slid down in her set with a bright red face that made her look like a tomato while everyone looked at her best friend with weird out looks.
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'He's a funny one,' Ibiki thought with amused. 'That kid.'
Just then he looked off to his side when an object crashed into the window only to unravel to show a banner.
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"Is this part of the test?" Naruto asked.
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Rin sat up straight.
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'Jumped the gun as usual,' Ibiki thought with a sigh.
"Heads up boys and girls," a female voice called. "This is no time to be celebrating! I will be your next exam proctor. Anko Mitarashi." Raika had stars in her eyes which made both Sasuke and Naruto to shuddered. "Are you ready for the second test? Good! Then follow me!"
"Your early again," Ibiki stated as he looked around the banner to see Anko.
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'Great,' the Yamanaka thought. 'A screaming nutcase. She reminds me of Naruto.'
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"How many are there?" Anko asked as she turned to glare at him. "Ibiki, you let all of these guys pass? You test has to have been too easy. You must be getting soft."
"Or it could be a strong crop of candidates this year," Ibiki stated.
"Hmm…they certainly don't seem like it," the Mitarashi said. "Before I'm done with them, more than half of them will be eliminated."
"Huh? More than half? Really?"
"Ha, this is going to be fun," she laughed. "Alright, you maggots have had it safe so far, but things are going to be different first thing in the morning. I'm going to let your squad leaders know where you are to meet me. Dismissed."
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The greenette just then narrowed her eyes as she started to plan for anything that the woman in front of her could throw at them.
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Ibiki walked through the classroom collecting the test papers when he came upon Naruto's own paper and the note that Raika had snuck to him.
'I let someone, who needed his honorary sister's help, to pass,' the Morino thought with a laugh. 'Naruto Uzumaki. He's a funny one alright.'
…My Line…
The group of Genin all standing outside of a heavily fenced off area.
"Wow," Naruto said. "Nice please. What is it?"
"This is the location for phase of the Chunin Exams," Anko informed them. "It's the Forty Fourth battle training zone, but we call it the Forest of Death."
The group all stared at her in shock while the Miran narrowed her eyes.