The Chunin Exam's written test was a nightmare of complicated questions, and Naruto sat at his desk, twirling his pencil with a loud groan. "This is so dumb!" he complained, earning glares from other genin. His grin was bright, but his eyes were sharp, scanning the room. The proctor, Ibiki Morino, explained the rules: answer the questions, but don't get caught cheating. Naruto's heart sank. He barely understood the test, let alone how to cheat without being seen. But he wasn't here to fail—he needed to pass, to get stronger, to get closer to the truth.He'd heard whispers about the exams being a test of more than knowledge—cunning, nerve, survival. Naruto didn't trust the proctors or his team, but he trusted his own stubbornness. He scribbled nonsense answers, keeping up his clueless act, but his mind raced. The other genin were cheating—Sasuke's Sharingan flicked to a neighbor's paper, Sakura's quick glances betrayed her smarts. Naruto couldn't rely on them. He had to rely on himself.As the test dragged on, Naruto noticed the real challenge: the tenth question, a high-stakes gamble where failure meant permanent disqualification. Ibiki's glare was intimidating, but Naruto's grin didn't waver. "I'm not quitting!" he shouted, slamming his fist on the desk. "I'm gonna be Hokage, and no test's stopping me!" His outburst drew laughs, but it was calculated—let them think he was a fool. Inside, he was steel. Quitting meant giving up on answers, on power, on proving the village wrong.His defiance paid off. Ibiki revealed the test was about courage under pressure, and Naruto's team passed, along with a handful of others. As they left, Naruto caught Sasuke's smirk and Sakura's relieved sigh, but he kept his distance. They were teammates, not friends. The exams were a chance to grow stronger, but also a reminder: everyone was a potential threat, hiding secrets just like the village. He'd keep his mask on, keep training, and use the Nine-Tails' power to claw his way forward.That night, he pushed his shadow clones to two hundred, their chaotic sparring shaking the forest. He reached for the Nine-Tails' chakra, feeling it burn hotter, but it slipped away again. "Not yet," he muttered, his grin returning as he headed home. The next stage—the Forest of Death—was coming, and he'd need every ounce of power to survive it.
