C7 The Answer! the Rules of the Ninjas!

Ibiki's aura commanded immediate silence from everyone in the room.

In that moment, Neji swiftly took hold of Lee, and together with Tenten, they made their way into the exam hall.

"No cheating. Take your assigned seats, and those in the same group will be spaced far apart!"

Upon Ibiki's order, the genin quickly settled into their spots.

Tenten, looking around with concern, voiced her worries, "What now? I thought we could watch each other's backs during the written test, but..."

Neji smiled confidently, "Relax, I'm here."

"You?"

Doubt flickered in Tenten's eyes.

...

The written exam was the first challenge, and it was unbearably tedious.

For Neji, who wielded the Byakugan with ease, the answers were as good as his.

After effortlessly gathering the correct answers, Neji completed the nine major problems on his test paper.

He jotted down two sets of answers on scrap paper, crumpled them into balls, and discreetly placed them at the corner of his desk.

"Byakugan!"

With the Byakugan's vision, Neji's analytical skills were unmatched, enabling him to calculate distances and angles with precision.

"9 o'clock, 3.7 meters from me. And Lee... at 6 o'clock behind me, 6.6 meters."

"The distance is manageable," Neji whispered to himself, inhaling deeply.

He then shut his eyes, concentrating on refining his chakra.

Unleashing chakra was easy; the real skill was in extracting the exact quantity necessary...

"Revolve!"

The chakra was released in a trace amount, reducing the technique's power to the barest minimum, but the wind-natured chakra still propelled the paper balls...

After rotating halfway, they landed precisely on the desks of Lee and Tenten!

"Thinking of such a strategy, Neji's becoming smarter by the day!" Lee silently celebrated.

As time slipped by, most of the genin had managed to obtain the correct answers through various means.

"And the last major question?"

Finally, someone asked. The test instructions were explicit: the first round of the written test consisted of ten questions, worth a total of one hundred points.

"The final question?"

Ibiki rose to his feet, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Pay attention, here it comes."

"To answer this final question correctly, you all need to follow one rule: choose to stay, or choose to give up..."

"If you stay and anyone on your team answers incorrectly, the entire team is disqualified, and you'll all be relegated to being low-level ninjas for life! Answer correctly, and you'll advance. However, you can choose to give up now, and while your team will still be disqualified, you'll have the chance to try again next year..."

"Nani?"

"What kind of absurd rule is that?"

Amidst the grumbling, Ibiki slammed his hand down on the table. "I set the rules! If you can't pass this, you'll never reach the next ninja rank!"

"Sorry, I'm out."

Slowly, people began to exit.

"I..."

"I'm out too!"

As team after team departed, Neji observed closely.

This trend couldn't continue. The more participants that remained for the second round, the more opportunities Neji had to demonstrate his prowess. They were his stepping stones; the more, the merrier.

"Wait a minute!"

Neji stood up, sending Tenten and Lee into a flurry of concern. He couldn't possibly be quitting, could he?

They locked eyes, full of concern. Neither wanted Neji to be so self-doubting, especially Tenten, who exhaled deeply. In her eyes, a Genin of Neji's caliber shouldn't even be in the Chunin Exam.

Yet, as Neji rose, a faint smile played on his lips, and his eyes sparkled with self-assurance.

"Examiner, isn't this choice actually the answer to the tenth question? It's a test of our mindset, not a real rule, since it's presented as a question and isn't part of the written exam."

Neji's calm tone drew the attention of everyone in the room.

"Oh? And why do you think that?"

Ibiki tilted his head, never having encountered a candidate who dared to challenge him so openly.

Neji let out a soft laugh. "You're assessing our mental resilience! Claiming that only the weak can't progress is a provocation designed to scare off the faint-hearted. And by shifting that burden onto our teammates, you're sifting out those with poor psychological fortitude."

"In the world of the shinobi, comrades are vital. But sometimes, to complete a mission, we can't allow ourselves to be deceived by the enemy's diversions. Isn't that the real answer to this question?"

The room fell silent!

Neji's insight struck a chord, enlightening everyone around him.

"Did this guy sneak a look at the exam answers?"

Astonishment flashed in the eyes of the assistant examiners.

Answers? I had already peeked at the script!

Ibiki was caught off guard by the presence of such a person in the exam room. Upon closer examination, he recognized the man as an obscure member of the Hyuga Clan, a clan that hadn't produced any notable ninjas in recent years.

What truly caught Ibiki's attention, however, was that this man not only understood his intentions but also had the audacity to openly share the answers with everyone!

While others would prefer to lay low, hoping to eliminate some competition, this man...

"Remarkable. I admire your courage, not your strategy."

Ibiki finally rose to his feet, his gaze upon Neji still tinged with disdain.

"You speak of rules. Do you really understand the rules of the ninja world?"

Neji said nothing.

Then, Ibiki took off his hat, revealing a head covered in scars, dozens of them—a terrifying sight.

"Sometimes, a ninja must face even tougher choices."

"Sometimes, you have to abandon comrades or even sacrifice yourself to complete a mission. Will you have the resolve when that time comes?"

"Your answer is absolutely correct. But you've misunderstood the stakes, sharing the answer with those who could be your enemies. The brutal truth of the ninja world is that the mission comes first. Sharing the answer is like throwing the mission away!"

Ibiki continued to sneer at Neji: "As a ninja, if you can't take the most certain path, you must always have the courage to face the risks!"

Sure enough, things were moving in an unexpected direction.

But in that moment, a fierce flame ignited within Neji!

He lowered his chin slightly, his eyes now filled with steadfast determination.

"This is the first written test of the Chunin Exam, designed to gauge the courage and determination to accept a mission."

"The next round is practical combat, where your ability to complete the mission will be tested."

Neji's voice grew more forceful, his gaze steady and strong.

"And you, you've been asking us what to do if we fail to complete the mission. Isn't that a sign of fear before the battle has even started?"

The room was filled with a sense of awe at his words. How many of the lower-ranked shinobi present were there just to scrape by, hoping for the higher-paying missions that came with a promotion? Yet here was Neji, boldly challenging the chief examiner in a fierce exchange!

"And you," Neji boldly challenged, "keep asking us what to do if we can't complete the mission. Isn't that like admitting defeat before the battle has even begun?" The room buzzed with surprise at his words. Here was a Genin, displaying such insight, while many others were merely hoping to scrape through to Chunin for the sake of higher-paying missions. Yet here was Neji, already engaging in a spirited debate with the head examiner!

As Neji spoke with a confident chuckle, he declared, "You think I tipped off my enemies because I misjudged the situation and took a reckless gamble? On the contrary, I chose the path I was most certain of!" In that moment, Neji's piercing gaze seemed to dominate Ibiki, who staggered back with a faltering step!

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