[Chūnin Exam Hall — Two Weeks Later]
A wide hall stretched before them — bright lights casting long shadows on the polished stone.
The air was thick — tension woven through it like steel threads.
Shinobi clustered in wary groups.Low conversations hummed beneath a brittle silence.
Predators. Prey. Rivals.Each sizing the others like weapons in a dark forge.
Teams from Konoha stood in small knots.Sandaled feet of Suna-nin moved like whispers across stone — pale cloaks, colder eyes.
Smaller groups dotted the edges — Kusagakure, Amegakure, Takigakure.Sharp gazes. Hungry smiles.
The weak here would be devoured.
[Entrance]
The door creaked open.
Naruto stepped through alone.
No teammates flanking him.No formation.
Only a charcoal-grey cloak trailing behind him — his stride measured, posture steady.
Eyes turned.
A flicker of recognition swept the Konoha ranks:
"He doesn't have a team?""That's Uzumaki Naruto?""Why is he here alone?"
He ignored it all.
Across the room, Shikako Nara caught sight of him.
She broke from a small knot of genin, moving with her usual calculated laziness.But her eyes were sharp — weighing him.
She stopped nearby. Arms folded, voice low:
"You think you can handle this alone?"
Her tone wasn't mocking. It was an honest question.
Naruto met her gaze — calm.
"I'll manage."
For a moment, something flickered at the corner of her lips — not a smile.A reluctant acknowledgment.
"…Tch. Don't die."
She stepped back without further words.
Naruto's gaze swept the room again.
There — standing apart.
A red-haired boy from Suna.The same one he had passed weeks ago, returning from the Land of Waves.
"You're just like me."
The memory of those words echoed, cold and unblinking.
Now — he could feel it.
A killing intent — thin as a blade — sliced beneath the crowded air.
Naruto's brow furrowed slightly.
"So it wasn't just words."
He didn't know the boy's name.
But that bloodlust? It was real. Focused.
Nearby, Nejire Hyūga observed in silence.
Pale eyes narrowed.She said nothing, but her gaze lingered on Naruto — then flicked toward the redhead from Suna.
She hadn't missed it — the blade of intent aimed directly at him.
[Across the Room — Orochimaru's POV]
In the shadows near the rear, a lone Kusa-nin leaned against the far wall.
Cloaked. Hooded.A face masked in borrowed flesh.
Orochimaru.
Golden eyes half-lidded.A faint hiss beneath the breath:
"So many little leaves gathered in one place…"
The gaze drifted across the Konoha teams.
Aburame — dull.Inuzuka — crude.Hyūga — promising, but predictable.
Then—
Uchiha Sasuke.
A flicker.Pupils slit further — anticipation coiling like a serpent.
"Fascinating… The Sharingan blooms already."
But then — another flicker.
Unexpected.
Uzumaki Naruto. Alone.
No team.No noise.A sword sealed within him — Orochimaru could sense the faint hum of seal woven into the boy's chakra.
"Hmm… how intriguing."
Eyes gleamed sharper — amusement, but something darker stirred.
"Another puzzle. But first… the Uchiha brat."
[Naruto's Mindset]
Near the back, Naruto stood alone.
Back straight. Arms loose.Mind clear.
He felt the shifting gazes.
The redhead — bloodlust pulsing in a steady rhythm.The strange chakra nearby — Kusa-nin, faint but unsettling.
But he did not tense.
He was aware of the chokutō sealed in his right-hand woven seal — a comforting presence, the blade ready to call with a single thought.
His gaze flicked once toward Sasuke — unreadable.Then forward — as Ibiki Morino took the floor.
Another trial. Another chance to sharpen the edge.
He would face it on his own terms.
[Chūnin Exam Hall — Moments Later]
The murmurs faded.
At the front of the room, a scarred man in a long black coat stepped forward.
Ibiki Morino.Head of the Torture and Interrogation Corps.
His presence seemed to pull the oxygen from the air.Even Naruto — calm as he was — felt it.
Not fear.But the weight of experience.
Like standing beneath a mountain.
Ibiki's voice cut through the silence:
"I am Morino Ibiki. Your proctor for this first test."
His gaze swept the room — cold, precise.
"The Chūnin Exams are not for the weak of will. Not for those who fight with fists alone. Today, we test your judgment, your discipline… your resilience."
A pause.A faint twist of his scarred lips:
"Today, we test your ability to endure uncertainty… and pressure."
The air thickened further.
Ibiki gestured.
Chūnin assistants began distributing numbered slips.
"You will be seated according to your number. Sit. The test will begin shortly."
Shinobi shuffled — wary eyes flicking around as they moved.
Naruto found his seat — rear left corner, by the window.The best place for control. Vision. Options.
He sat without hesitation.Cloak draped across the chair.Body loose. Breath even.
[Rules Announcement]
Once the final seat was filled, Ibiki's voice rang out again:
"Now — the rules."
Each word landed heavy as stone.
"This test consists of ten questions. You will have forty-five minutes."
A faint, knowing grin:
"Each question is worth one point. Simple enough. Except…"
He leaned forward.
"… you are permitted to cheat."
A ripple of whispers — cut short by Ibiki's glare.
"However. You will be observed. If you are caught cheating more than five times — you and your team are disqualified."
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
A test of discipline… and how far they'll go.
Ibiki continued:
"Do not ask for clarification. Do not attempt to leave. Do not draw attention."