The game continued slowly, the number of ninja dwindled more and more, although it had become much harder to guess who had which symbol, since most of them were using transformation.
The groups in the lead were running as fast as possible to avoid being disqualified because someone took their path, thus, the ninjas in the lead were either the most confident or the idiots who decided to run down the first path they found to try their luck.
The first team to pass was actually Sakura and Choji's team.
Ino's messages were always indirect, but they always made it clear that they were from her, words and phrases like "Chubby", "Last Chip", "Boar, deer and butterfly" made it easy for Choji to figure out that they had been left by Ino.
Sakura also had her own share, such as "Shannaro", the symbol of the Haruno family, or a drawing of aconite, Ino's favorite flower, something only Sakura would remember.
In the end, Ino was very good at it.
The second team to arrive was Karin and Suigetsu's, thanks to Ranmaru, the messages he left were always easily understood by the pair. But they weren't the only ones, Team Gai and Team Kurenai arrived soon after.
Ironically, most of the teams that arrived were from Konoha, a place where friendship is the foundation of most teams.
Even so, many were still eliminated in the process, even from Sound, due to the short time they had spent together, they didn't know much about each other yet.
Neji and Lee also managed to arrive safely. Ironically, a team from Sunagakure tried to use the word "Taijutsu" to disqualify Shira, Yome and Sen, but unfortunately for them, Tenten was the one who delivered that message, leading to their elimination.
In the end, out of 51 teams, only 26 managed to pass the preliminary exam.
In each of the 26 rooms, a door opened as soon as the game ended, a door leading directly downstairs.
The ninjas exchanged glances and slowly descended, searching for traps.
But nothing was found in the end, after descending almost a hundred meters underground, they finally arrived at a large artificial cave.
There stood Jirobo with his arms crossed and his usual expressionless face.
-Hey, you guys made it this far, not bad.- Jirobo nodded slightly. -The first exam is about to begin.
He pointed to a table where some Sound Ninjas were already prepared. -Go over there and hand in your registrations.
The ninjas exchanged glances and quickly formed a line in front of the table.
Ino, Sakura and Choji were the first ones.
-Ino! I still haven't forgiven you for calling me chubby!- Choji said angrily.
-It was just to pass the exam.- Ino stuck her tongue out, seeing Sakura and Choji's annoyed faces. -It worked, didn't it?
-Ino pig!- Sakura said quietly, but loud enough for Ino to hear.
A vein burst in Ino's head and she screamed. -What did you say, Broad-Forehead!- Ino retorted.
Sakura became irritated, causing Choji to sigh, but his irritation eventually subsided as he separated them.
-Please hand over your applications.- A Sound Ninja requested calmly, unconcerned by the noise they were making.
The group stopped, quickly apologizing, embarrassed and handing in their registration forms.
After checking, the ninja nodded and pulled out 3 plates with the number 1 printed on them, two of the plates were white and one was black.
-What is this?- Sakura asked, picking up a white sign.
-The examiner will explain, please keep them ready.- The ninja explained, before shouting. -Next!
It took some time, but soon all 26 teams, 78 people, were holding up black and white signs, looking at them with curiosity.
Jirobo kept a serious face until the end and when he finally finished, he cleared his throat loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
-Well, this exam is pretty simple to understand. We're going to run to the finish line, which is also the next exam location. The teams that arrive on the other side pass.- Jirobo spoke calmly, his arms crossed in an indifferent attitude.
-But what are these plates for?- A ninja from Konoha asked, holding up a black plate marked with the number 13.
Jirobo looked at him and continued. -I was getting there, the path ahead must be trodden on your own two feet, without jutsus, only pure chakra can be used, but there's a catch... your chakra will be continuously drained as you travel the path.
-What?!
-How is that possible?!
...
Jirobo ignored the excited teams and continued. - The plates you have in your hands must be attached to a visible part of your body and cannot be removed after the start of the exam. If they are removed, it is considered a failure. Furthermore, for those with a white plate, only a small amount of chakra will be drained, but for those with a black plate, their chakra will be drained at three times the speed of the white plate.
The group stopped, their eyes shocked, staring at the plates. Some groups frowned, others became angry and began shouting even louder, especially those with black plates.
Jirobo lifted one foot and stomped hard on the ground, the entire tunnel trembled violently, but did not collapse. Even so, everyone stared at Jirobo with wide eyes, remaining silent.
-As I was saying, each team must choose for themselves who gets the black plate. The decision of two team members is sufficient. Any fighting before or during the exam is strictly prohibited, including with members of your own team. Apart from that, you can decide for yourselves.- Jirobo opened his arms and shrugged, not really caring.
Many wanted to protest, but seeing Jirobo's stern face, they ultimately remained silent.
-Furthermore.- He added. -if another member of the group touches the one holding the black card, both will receive the effect of both cards at the same time. That is, if the value of a white card is 1 and the value of a black card is 3, the two cards together would be 4.
The group swallowed hard as Jirobo finished. -Finally, a genjutsu will be placed on you. You will only see your own team, that is, those who carry the same plates as you and me, your examiner. Everyone else will appear as blurry figures to you. You can decide now. The race starts in half an hour. At that moment, anyone who doesn't have plates attached to their body in a visible location will be disqualified. If you want to give up, you can simply remove the plate, the chakra absorption effect will stop, avoiding the risk of death.
As soon as Jirobo finished speaking, a digital clock attached to the ceiling lit up in red lines, marking exactly 30 minutes and starting to run.
Jirobo smiled slightly, but the smile seemed utterly sinister to them.