The exam continued without anyone realizing what she had done, but it allowed her team to relax and pass with ease.
Or so they thought, until Ibiki finally got around to the final question, the secret question.
"Before we get to it, I will explain the rules. This final question is worth more than all the rest combined, so even if you fail the first nine, you can still pass if you get this right. But if you get this one wrong, you will be barred from taking the exam ever again, so I will give you the option to leave right now. Those who wish to take the final question will remain, but once I reveal the question, you cannot change your mind. Those who want to leave, please raise your hand," Ibiki explained.
His words sent a wave of nervous murmurs through the hall; many were in disbelief at the sudden extra rule.
To take the question, which would decide their entire careers. If they got it wrong, they would never become Chūnin; if they left, they could take the exam again in half a year.
The price for failure was beyond brutal.
But Karin wasn't so easily tricked.
There was no way this random Konoha shinobi could bar anyone outside his own village from taking the exam again.
No matter how much he claimed the other villages had agreed when someone else raised the question.
He was just lying, trying to scare them, but it was working.
Many Genin couldn't handle the pressure because they were still teams.
If one person fucked it up, the entire team was done for.
So, not only did they have to consider themselves, but they also had to consider if their teammates could pass the test, if they could answer the question.
This test didn't just test their determination for facing dangers, for accepting risks; it also required them to trust their teammates.
This fit well with the nature of the Chūnin Exam; after all, one of the biggest differences between Genin and Chūnin was that the latter often had a leadership role.
To become a Chūnin, one had to demonstrate not only one's strength, but the virtues of a leader.
This naturally included being able to trust your team and judge if they were able to complete a mission before taking needless risks.
She couldn't help but wonder if there was some special mechanism for those who didn't stay, not because they themselves were afraid of failing, but because they were thinking about the rest of the team.
Though in the end, after half a dozen teams had left, and just before a dozen more broke under the pressure, someone stood up.
"Hey! What is this? How can you expect us to make this kind of choice? This test is stupid!" Naruto shouted, breaking the tension that had been building up in the room.
Ibiki grinned, having expected someone to crack, but he wasn't going to make it easy. "You don't like it? Well, I don't care. If you want to quit, you can do so; just raise your hand and leave," he challenged.
But Naruto wasn't backing down; he had his own idea of what was right and wrong, and this wasn't right.
He was the person who would become Hokage, so how could he allow this test to beat him? Even if he had been unable to answer a single question so far, he was willing to risk everything on this final question.
"I don't care what you say, I'm going to become Hokage, so this kind of test isn't going to stop me; I won't quit, even if my teammates do!" he stated proudly.
Only to look to his left and right, and find Sakura smiling at him.
"Yeah, I don't quit when I have someone like Naruto with me," she said.
And Sasuke was the same. "I won't lose to you, Naruto, or anyone else; I'm staying," he declared, and Naruto looked like he was about to explode with happiness.
Karin smiled as she saw this. "At least these Konoha shinobi have some good points, even if the rest of them are idiots," she mumbled to herself, earning a look from Naho.
"Those Konoha fools are only acting tough," she whispered back.
"Maybe, but that doesn't matter. They are showing that they can be brave when it matters. Even if they aren't good shinobi, they have some virtues. They are still better than those who quit without trying," Karin whispered back.
Naho didn't look happy about that, clearly still holding a grudge against Konoha.
But before they could argue any further, Ibiki spoke up.
"Fine, I accept your choice to stay, and for all those who remain, you pass!" he announced, causing a stir among the remaining Genin.
"What?!" a few of them shouted, but Ibiki didn't give them time to complain.
"The purpose of the exam was not to test your intelligence, but to see if you were able to take risks, to demonstrate your determination, and to show you can work as a team. If you had left, it would have shown that you failed in one of those areas, but by staying, you have proven yourselves. And so, you pass," he explained, causing more than a few shocked looks.
Seeing that many people still didn't understand, he decided to explain it in a bit more detail. He took off the bandana covering his bald head, and as he did, he showed off the countless horrible scars covering every inch of his head.
"This is what happens when you get caught; for every failed mission, for every piece of information that you fail to get, you will suffer. And there will be times when you have to choose, to get the information at any cost. If you are not willing to do that, you will never become a Chūnin. And a shinobi who doesn't have the courage to face death head-on is useless," he stated, as he put his bandana back on. "And that concludes the first test. You all pass."
His story clearly hit some people far harder than others, his fellow Konoha shinobi in particular, but many others just nodded, fully understanding what he was saying.
Just as everyone was coming to terms with the fact that the entire exam came down to just staying, that even if they had slept through the entire thing, they could have passed.
That all their efforts so far were all for nothing.
The window suddenly exploded as a person jumped in. "Hello, sorry to be late, but I'm here now! Everyone, I'm Mitarashi Anko, your next proctor! And I'm going to lead you to the next location of the exam!" she said cheerfully.
She was giving off a very different energy from Ibiki, who was all scars and fear; this woman, well, she wore little more than mesh under her open jacket.
Thankfully, she also wore a miniskirt.
But Karin could see her nipples poke through the mesh!
And she wasn't the only one; half the boys in the room were either transfixed at the sight or too embarrassed to look.
Even Karin was shocked.
"Anko! You're early!" Ibiki cursed as he walked over to her.
"I know, but I couldn't wait to start! I've been so bored, I just had to get this going early. Right, you guys?" she asked, looking at the Genin.
Who were a little too shocked to answer right away.
"Ah... right!" one of the Konoha boys finally answered.
Anko ignored him and instead just looked at the number of people left in the room. "What's this, Ibiki-chan? So many are still left? Have you gone soft?" she teased the man.
He glared at her, clearly annoyed. "They were just above average this year, that's all," he answered, though she didn't seem convinced.
And indeed, the only reason so many remained was Naruto; after his little speech, anyone who had been about to admit defeat stayed, leaving far more teams remaining than otherwise would have.
"Whatever you say. Once I'm done with you all, less than half will remain," she said, causing a wave of fear to pass through the room, as everyone was nervous about how hard the next exam would be, if less than half would pass.
But honestly, Anko was a beautiful kunoichi, and when you combined that with her outfit, it really took away from the whole scary aspect.
"Anyway, the next exam will take place in the Forty-Fourth Training Ground, also known as the Forest of Death, a lovely place. The exam will last five days and start tomorrow at seven, so be sure to arrive prepared," she told them with a smile, as she handed everyone a form.
Karin took hers and looked it over, quickly realizing that it was nothing more than a map, allowing the outsiders like herself to find the training ground.
She had half expected that finding it would be part of the test, but clearly that wasn't the case. Konoha was playing a little bit fair.
"Now then, I expect you all to be there on time, and remember, prepare properly. Dismissed!" Anko announced, and with that, the first exam was over.
Once they were out of the room, they found their sensei waiting for them.
"Congratulations on passing the first exam," Shigure said, as the three ran up to him.
"Thank you, Shigure-sensei. Tōji and I couldn't have done it without Karin-sama's help," Naho praised, making Karin embarrassed at the sudden praise.
"You don't have to thank me; you two did well as well, though the next exam is going to be a lot harder, so we will need to prepare," Karin tried to get them to focus on what was coming up next.
"Indeed, the Forest of Death is known as the ultimate training ground, and has all manner of dangerous beasts inside, not to mention that it is very large; it's going to be a survival battle royale. So the biggest threat is the other teams. Thankfully, thanks to Karin, we have an advantage, but don't let your guards down, and don't trust anyone. The only people you can count on are your teammates. Remember that," Shigure warned them.
"Of course, Sensei!" they answered.
"Now, let's head back and rest; we have a big day tomorrow."
And so, they quickly made their way back to their place.
Once inside, they quickly began to prepare.
Karin had brought a good amount of food pills with her, enough to keep her going for a few weeks without eating anything, but that wasn't all.
She had all kinds of medicine to deal with poison and wounds, and even antidotes to all kinds of venoms.
Kaguya had made sure she was fully prepared for every possible situation.
But she also ensured she had plenty of normal food and snacks. While she wasn't overly fond of spending time camping inside a forest, she was no stranger to it.
And given her own sensory abilities and her strength, she wasn't afraid of being ambushed, so there was no need to worry about starting fires, meaning they wouldn't suffer much discomfort.
(End of chapter)
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