Konoha: The Honored One

"You guys cheated, that's all! Don't try to talk your way out of it. I am the rule here!" Morino Ibiki glared coldly at the group of candidates who had been called out.

Low-level cheating might be a common occurrence, but those using more… creative methods to bypass the exam were certainly raising the stakes. And the ones who'd managed to complete the entire test through near-perfect cheating? Well, they were almost guaranteed to pass the first round.

"A lot of people are cheating, so why are we the ones out?" one of the disqualified candidates shouted, clearly furious.

Morino Ibiki's face remained icy as he responded, "If you're not caught, you're fine. But if you get caught… you're cheating. Simple as that."

The examiners promptly grabbed the culprits and dragged them out, kicking and protesting, leaving the rest of the candidates to continue.

"Alright," Morino Ibiki continued, hands in his pockets, his voice cutting through the room like a knife, "Now, let's get to the fun part. You get to choose: Do you want to answer the tenth question?"

The candidates shifted uneasily, exchanging confused glances. "Wait, what do you mean, 'choose'?" Temari asked, her brow furrowed.

"If you don't choose the tenth question, you'll be given zero points," Morino Ibiki declared with chilling finality. "That means your entire team is disqualified. Done. Finished."

The entire room groaned at once. The stakes were higher than they'd anticipated, and now, even choosing the wrong question could cost them their place in the exam.

The tension thickened as Morino Ibiki added, "And there's one more rule."

Sakura's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "More rules?" She was beginning to regret ever stepping foot into this exam.

"If you choose the tenth question but fail to answer it correctly," Morino Ibiki's voice grew louder, "you will be permanently disqualified from the Chūnin exams. You'll be stuck as a Genin forever."

The room fell silent. The weight of those words hit everyone like a ton of bricks.

"You've got to be kidding!" Kiba Inuzuka slammed his hands on the table in frustration, standing up in protest. "How can there be such a stupid rule?! You're just making this up as you go!"

The candidates around him nodded in agreement, muttering angrily. It was bad enough that they were already fighting to stay in, and now they had to risk it all with this ridiculous new rule.

Morino Ibiki merely chuckled darkly, "Rules? You're so unlucky to be stuck with me today." He paused for a dramatic effect. "I am the rule for this exam."

He gave the candidates one last mocking look. "If you're not confident, you can always leave. Step out now and wait until next year. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Jin's two Otonin teammates exchanged uneasy glances. Abstain? No way. Orochimaru's missions didn't wait, and if they didn't complete this one, they'd be dead. The thought of that snake-faced man was enough to make their blood run cold.

Jin, however, wasn't so concerned. She gazed at her teammates with a knowing smirk, the corners of her mouth lifting in amusement.

Without missing a beat, she casually raised her hand. "I abstain."

The entire room froze in shock.

Wait… what? Jin, the Otonin ninja who'd been the first to finish the test, was opting out?

Was the tenth question that hard?

The whole room was left speechless. Even Jin's two teammates were left completely dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Jin, what the hell are you doing?" one of them asked, panic in his voice.

Jin shrugged nonchalantly, chewing on her lollipop. "What do a bunch of stinky men know? Men are so annoying," she muttered, rolling her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm a girl, you know. There's only so much I can do every month. Do you want me to fight while bleeding?"

With a dramatic flourish, she stood up and grabbed the collars of her two teammates. "C'mon, let's go. Let's abstain together and get it over with."

The two Otonin ninjas, still trying to process what had just happened, had no choice but to follow along, utterly confused.

The room watched in stunned silence as Jin practically dragged her teammates out of the exam room like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Morino Ibiki, his expression barely shifting, just shook his head. "Men are annoying, huh?" he muttered to himself, completely unaware of the irony of his situation.

But Jin wasn't done. As she passed Naruto, she gave him a sly glance. "If I remember correctly," she said, "Your teacher is the most handsome, strongest man, right? Even if you're stuck as a Genin forever, he can still train you to be strong, right?"

With that, she left the room, her two teammates trailing behind her, their brains short-circuiting from the absurdity of it all.

Back in the exam room, Naruto stared after Jin, his thoughts spinning. Was that… Gojo-sensei?

That… that was what he was supposed to be doing, wasn't it? Not giving up. Being strong.

A wave of determination swept over him, and he stood tall, pointing at Morino Ibiki with newfound resolve. "I'll take the tenth question! Even if I'm a Genin forever, I'll prove I have what it takes to become Hokage!"

Morino Ibiki frowned, the effect of Gojo's words clearly weighing on the room. It seemed the Seventh Squad had regained some of their confidence.

Ibiki sighed inwardly. This was getting out of hand. This was no longer a regular exam; it was turning into a showcase of Gojo's teaching style.

With a half-hearted grunt, he muttered, "Fine. I'll let it slide."