Chapter 62: Ibiki's Day of Torment - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

### Chapter 62: Ibiki's Day of Torment After a brief uproar, Ibiki Morino made an entrance with a group of Chunin overseers. "You bunch of fools, quiet down!" Ibiki's arrival was imposing, emanating a murderous intent befitting a Jonin that silenced the room. His expression was cruel as he coldly declared, "Imbeciles! Getting impatient, aren't we? My name is Ibiki Morino, and I am the proctor for the first part of the Chunin Selection Exam." "Alright! We’ll begin the first part of the exam immediately. Submit your application forms in order, take your number tags, and find your designated seats." "The test papers will be distributed shortly..." Hearing the word "test", Naruto was stunned. Aside from basic literacy, the knowledge taught in the ninja school had long been forgotten by him. Upon receiving her number tag, Hinata was somewhat surprised. In the original story, she recalled sitting next to Naruto, intending to help him cheat. But why am I in the front row now? Is it because teammates can’t sit together? What will poor Naruto do now? Turning in a blank sheet can get you through the first part, but without enough points in total, you can't become a Chunin anyway. Looks like I need to give them a hint so at least Sasuke and Naruto can figure out the true nature of this test quickly. If it weren’t for the fear of arousing suspicion due to her foresight, Hinata would have told them about it days ago. Once all the candidates were seated, Ibiki continued, "Next, I'll write the rules of the exam on the blackboard and explain them... No questions are allowed, so listen carefully!" Ibiki took his time to finally explain the rules of the exam. Especially the part where he said, "If there's any misconduct like cheating, or something perceived as cheating, marks will be deducted by two points for each incident observed by the proctors." This practically told everyone to cheat like a ninja! It was akin to the difference between the Third Hokage and Jiraiya. Why is the Third Hokage the leader and not Jiraiya? Because his ninjutsu wasn’t outstanding enough! If Jiraiya had a crystal ball, he might have stayed in Konoha as the Hokage. Thus began the cheating contest that was the first part of the Chunin Exam. Ibiki finally announced, "The exam duration is one hour. Now… begin!" Upon hearing this, Hinata knew she needed to quickly signal Naruto and Sasuke about the truth of the exam. Otherwise, once the papers were distributed, talking would be inappropriate. So Hinata shouted aloud, "Byakugan, activate!" "Swoosh" Ibiki was flabbergasted. Damn it, though this exam encouraged cheating, did you have to be so obvious about it? If you had secretly activated your Byakugan, I might have ignored it. If you whispered, I could have pretended not to hear. But why did you have to shout so the entire room heard it? Should I stop you or just turn a blind eye? Stopping Hinata would clearly mean no using ninja techniques to cheat. But if I don't stop her, all candidates might realize they need to use ninjutsu to cheat. This first exam is much more than just an intelligence war. It primarily tests the candidates' analytical skills, figuring out the truth of the exam from Ibiki's words. Next is intelligence gathering and aiding teammates in cheating. And the tenth question is a test of mental fortitude and will. But Hinata's actions laid out the truth for everyone. Ibiki glared harshly at Hinata; this was Kakashi’s most troublesome student? With a cold gaze, Ibiki addressed Hinata, "You… cannot use Byakugan!" What now? Hinata was baffled, but as a ninja, she possessed basic analytical abilities. Only I can't use Byakugan? Hinata protested, "Teacher, you’re singling me out!" I’ll make sure to jot down your name in my notebook when I get home. Ibiki was a bit troubled but remained unfazed, and sternly replied, "I am the proctor. Here, I am the law." Hinata snatched the test paper from Ibiki's hand with defiance. Hmph! Who needs Byakugan anyway? Didn't I graduate as the top student from ninja school? The first question was a code-breaking one... Really? That simple! Hinata quickly wrote down her answers, finishing in less than ten minutes. With half an hour left before the tenth question would be revealed, Hinata obediently raised her hand. Ibiki eyed Hinata and asked, "What is it?" Hinata replied, "Teacher, I've finished. Can I submit my paper now and come back when the tenth question is announced?" "No early submissions!" "Oh!" After three seconds of silence, Hinata raised her hand again. Ibiki's brow twitched as he inquired, "What is it now?" Hinata timidly asked, "Teacher, I'm hungry. Could you get me something to eat?" "No eating during the exam." "Oh!" After three more seconds of silence, Hinata raised her hand again. Ibiki felt his patience nearing its limit, "What do you want now?" Hinata, like a curious kitten, asked, "Teacher, how old are you? Are you married? Is your house mortgaged or fully paid off?" "Silence!" "Oh!" After another three-second silence, Hinata raised her hand once more. Ibiki, suppressing his anger, coldly remarked, "Utter nonsense again and you're out!" Pouting, Hinata shrugged, "I just wanted to test your limits. Hmph, a Jonin isn’t that impressive!" Ibiki: "..." Three seconds passed, and Hinata raised her hand again. Ibiki ignored her, so Hinata kept her hand up, holding it high, maintaining eye contact with Ibiki. The standoff lasted ten minutes before Ibiki finally relented, "One last question!" Hinata nodded obediently, asking, "Teacher, do you think I'm cute?" Ibiki: "..." Three seconds later, Hinata raised her hand once more. Ibiki, glaring coldly at her, warned, "One last question. If you raise your hand again, you'll be shown the door, and it's an automatic fail!" Bewildered, Hinata replied, "I have no questions. I just wanted to stretch." ... "Well, it’s oddly relaxing without subordinates around." In the Jonin's lounge, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai were gathered, sipping tea and chatting leisurely. Asuma remarked nonchalantly, "That peace won’t last much longer." Curious, Kakashi asked, "What do you mean?" Asuma explained, "The proctor for the first exam is Ibiki Morino." "Didn’t expect it to be that sadist." Kakashi scratched his head. Why did he have a bad feeling about this? Hinata won’t be causing any issues, will she? Hopefully, Ibiki doesn’t provoke Hinata, or else the exam might not proceed smoothly...