The seconds ticked by, each one a hammer blow against Naruto's crumbling confidence. Soon, more than half an hour had passed, and a cold dread had settled in his stomach. The exam was nearly over, and his paper was still completely, hopelessly blank. At this rate, his dream of becoming a Chunin was about to go up in smoke.

Just as despair began to consume him, a soft, hesitant voice whispered from the side. "Naruto… Naruto, you can… you can copy mine."

Naruto turned to see Hinata Hyuga, her face a deep crimson as she looked at him. "Hinata? I… I barely noticed you there."

He let out a sigh of relief as she discreetly shifted her test paper, angling it just enough for him to see. The answers were all there, perfectly written.

"Wow! Thank you so much, Hina—!"

Naruto's joy was short-lived. He quickly started writing, preparing to copy the answers word for word, but for some reason, the atmosphere in the room felt… wrong. He could feel the piercing gazes of the proctors boring into him, their eyes never leaving his. He turned his head slightly and confirmed his suspicion. They were watching him like hawks, just waiting for him to make a move.

"Damn it…" Naruto lowered his head and cursed under his breath. He forced a smile and whispered back to Hinata, "It's alright, Hinata. A powerful ninja like me would never cheat!"

"And if I'm not careful," he added, trying to sound noble, "even you, who helped me, might be eliminated."

"Ah… this…" Hinata was stunned, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. "I'm sorry… I almost got you in trouble, Naruto."

Naruto flashed her a thumbs-up, his grin wide and handsome. "Hahaha, it's okay! Thanks for the offer, though!"

With that, Naruto turned his attention back to his own blank paper, his eyes fixed on the empty space at the very bottom. The mysterious tenth question. It would be announced forty-five minutes into the test. That was his only hope now. He had to bet everything on it. Naruto secretly made up his mind, his eyes fixed on the clock. It had to be almost time.

"Look up at me, you idiots."

Ibiki's sharp voice cut through the tense silence of the room. "Forty-five minutes have passed. Now… I will announce the tenth and final question."

Upon hearing this, Shiro, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them slightly. Finally, he thought, a faint smirk playing on his lips. It's about time. Two scarlet tomoe spun to life in his eyes, his gaze locking onto the head proctor on the stage. Genjutsu.

"!!!"

Ibiki, who had been speaking, suddenly fell silent. A strange, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of his scarred lips. He paused, as if gathering a new thought, and then spoke again, his voice carrying a new, chilling weight.

"The last question is this: What would you do if your family, your parents, your loved ones, and your comrades were endlessly exploited and humiliated by your village's leadership—to the point that they even threatened to wipe out your entire clan?"

"????"

When these words were spoken, the proctors stationed around the room were all stunned into silence. What's going on? they all thought. This isn't part of the plan! The final question was supposed to be a test of the candidates' willpower, a psychological trial. Why had he suddenly asked this? What had happened to Lord Ibiki?

The candidates were equally confused. Although they had no idea why the examiner had asked such a question, they knew they had to answer it to pass the exam. Just as they were about to pick up their pens, Ibiki's voice boomed once more.

"You will not write your answer on the paper. You will stand and state it orally."

"Remember," he said, his gaze sweeping over them, "I am not looking for a reasonable answer. I am looking for the most genuine decision in your heart."