Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

As Naruto finished his ramen, the exam's extraordinary showcase of various cheating techniques was also nearing its end.

By now, either the Genin who couldn't successfully cheat had been dismissed, or they were nervously making wild guesses to answer the questions.

The initially packed room had visibly thinned out.

"Looks like the dead weight has been cleared out!"

Ibiki remarked with a chilling grin, "It's been forty-five minutes. Now, let's proceed to the tenth question!"

Many Genin who hadn't managed to cheat looked both expectant and visibly nervous.

They had to pin their hopes on this question, otherwise, they will inevitably be eliminated with zero points.

Crack!

At that moment, the classroom door creaked open, and Kankuro returned, leading his disguised puppet, Karasu, who was masquerading as a proctor.

"Consider yourself lucky."

Ibiki scoffed, "It's not a waste of effort to play with those dolls."

Hearing this, Kankuro's expression shifted. He thought he'd executed his plan flawlessly, but he didn't expect that he had been seen through long ago.

Naruto, who is sitting nearby, was slightly annoyed, 'If Ibiki could tell Kankuro was cheating, why didn't he just disqualify him?'

'Could it be that there's some shady deal going on between Kankuro and Ibiki?'

'Oh shit, this is outrageous, absurd, absolutely mind-boggling!'

"Now, before I reveal the tenth question, let me add a little twist, a rule to truly test your resolve!"

Ibiki put his hands behind his back and announced, "First, you'll have to decide if you even want to answer the tenth question."

"You want us to choose? What if we choose not to answer?" Temari couldn't help but ask.

"Those who don't choose to answer will be instantly scored with zero points and automatically disqualified, along with both of their teammates."

As soon as Ibiki said this, the Genin below couldn't help but complain.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"If that's the case, we definitely have to answer the tenth question."

"This is ridiculous, forcing us to be disqualified together."

Ignoring the chatter, Ibiki continued, "Also, here's another rule: if you choose to answer but get it wrong, you'll be barred from ever taking the Chunin Exams again!"

Bang!

Kiba slammed his fist on the desk and accused, "What kind of stupid rule is this? There are people here who have taken the Chunin Exams multiple times."

Akamaru, perched on his head, barked a few times to show his agreement.

"Heh!"

Ibiki sneered, "You all just have bad luck. This year, I am the rule! And didn't I give you a way out? For those who don't have confidence, simply skip the question and take the test next year!"

After hearing this, everyone in the room started to get nervous, with Naruto remaining the only one unaffected by the pressure.

After all, he knew how the plot was going to develop, so he wasn't panicked at all.

'But now that I think about it carefully, if we don't answer the question, then three people will be eliminated. But if we can't answer the question, we will also be eliminated, and we can only be a Genin for the rest of our life.'

'If I didn't know how the plot was going to develop, maybe I would also be panicked right now.'

'The psychological pressure Ibiki was creating was really on another level!'

'This old guy was devilishly cunning!'

"Well, let's get started. Those who choose not to answer, raise your hands! After verifying your number, you may exit!" Ibiki's voice cut through the room.

As Ibiki's stern gaze scanned the room, the atmosphere grew unbearably intense. Many, unable to withstand the pressure, raised their hands.

Even the young man on Naruto's left, who looked more like a grizzled veteran with his goatee, decided to throw in the towel at this time.

In response, Naruto didn't say much, but turned to reassure Hinata, "With me here, the tenth question won't be a problem. Just trust me."

Just now, when he was pulling Hinata to eat ramen, he was worried that Hinata couldn't bear the pressure.

But to his surprise, Hinata looked calm, and she said confidently, "I'm fine."

Naruto noticed, with amazement, that Hinata had answered the previous nine questions without a hitch.

'Wow, she managed to eat and still answer all the questions. That's some impressive multitasking.'

Naruto was astonished and couldn't help but re-evaluate Hinata, 'Now that I think about it, in the original work, Hinata did not use her Byakugan to cheat. It seems Hinata's theoretical knowledge is already quite strong.'

'It seems that I really underestimated her.'

Rustle, rustle!

The sound of footsteps echoed as waves of sighs followed. Without Naruto's typical outbursts or his 'Talk no Jutsu' boosting morale, many Genin couldn't withstand the mental pressure and opted for the safest choice… to drop out and protect their future.

It must be known that in the original work, there are seventy-eight people who passed the first test, but now, there are only a little more than fifty people left, which is twenty less than the original.

"I'll say it again: this is a choice that stakes your entire future!"

Ibiki announced with a somber tone, walking directly over to Naruto, "Kid, you haven't answered a single question. If you're going to quit, now's the time!"

"Uh…"

Naruto felt a bit speechless.

'I hadn't even tried to stand out or draw attention this time, yet this old man seemed dead set on pestering me. Was he really trying to force me into making a dramatic speech?'

'Alas...'

With a resigned shake of his head, Naruto stood up and stretched.

But before Ibiki could say anything, he sat down again.

'Talk no Jutsu?'

'Show my true skills?'

'I won't do it!'

Even with Ibiki's gaze locked on him, Naruto chose silence, rendering Ibiki helpless.

Any form of expression would reveal his thoughts and personality, but by staying silent, Naruto left Ibiki with no clues to go on.

'I already saw through your intentions, old man. You are clearly trying to use me as an example to intimidate others into leaving. You wanted me to crack, so those on the verge of quitting would finally give up.'

'Well… I wouldn't let you succeed!'

Looking at the other party with a mischievous glint, Naruto shot Ibiki a meaningful grin.

'Are you the only one who can exert pressure? Are you the only one who can control the mind?'

'Well, I can turn that right back on you!'

'The harder you push, the more I will relax.'

As the saying goes, a little effort can move a great weight. Who doesn't know how to practice Tai Chi?

Seeing Naruto's unyielding, almost playful defiance, Ibiki didn't get angry. Instead, he returned Naruto's grin with a look of amusement.

"You're handling this quite well. You'd be a fine fit for the Interrogation Department."

He mused aloud.

As soon as these words came out, Naruto jumped up and could no longer remain calm and composed.

After all, the Interrogation Department was no joke, and it's filled with seasoned experts in prying secrets out of anyone. If he got transferred there, it would be a nightmare.

'It seemed ignoring him entirely wasn't an option.'

After thinking for a while, Naruto quickly waved his hand and said, "You're too kind, Sensei. I'm just a clueless fool, completely unfit for interrogation work. I mean, I can't even answer these nine questions."

"With your composure, I don't believe that. The Interrogation Department needs talent exactly like yours." Ibiki's smile widened, turning ever more devilish.

Naruto was no match for this old man, and was so scared that he quickly explained: "Big misunderstanding! I just have a habit of counting. When I counted earlier, I noticed the number of examinees wasn't a multiple of three, meaning some participants weren't in three-man teams."

"And with questions as tough as these, it's obvious there are people you planted here to leak the answers. You want us to 'take this test like Shinobi', meaning you want us to find the undercover agents and use our techniques to cheat, right?"

"But that's where my idiocy comes in… I don't know any cheating techniques. Surely, the Interrogation Department doesn't need a fool like me."

"I even noticed while I was eating. Over there, there's the group using bugs, dogs, and heightened hearing, and on the ceiling, the ones with Ninja Tools and Puppet Techniques, or those with secret technique or Kekkei Genkai allowing them to see through and copy answers. If you're really looking to recruit talent, there are plenty of experts here. Don't you agree?"

In order to avoid being targeted by Ibiki, Naruto ratted out every single cheater he'd observed, even down to their methods.