#31 Divine Reward System.

Some relied on their unique abilities, while others took a more practical approach!

Like Sakura and Hinata.

Sakura had no special means of cheating, but her strong theoretical knowledge allowed her to at least answer some questions. Hinata, despite having the Byakugan, didn’t even need to use it—her academic skills were solid enough to handle the exam. It seemed like female ninjas, in general, were better prepared for the written portion.

Of course, there were exceptions. Take Temari and Ino, sitting just behind Tatsuya—both were completely stuck.

But Ino wasn’t worried!

Her [Mind Transfer Jutsu] was arguably the strongest cheating ability in the room, and even Shikamaru and Choji were relying on her to get through the test.

Meanwhile, Tenten had her own tricks!

She used a small reflective surface hidden in the ceiling to peek at answers from others—though no one knew how she had such good eyesight.

However, compared to Oto ninja [Dosu], who could hear the movement of others’ pencils and determine their answers, these methods seemed a bit basic.

But cheating always came with risks.

As time passed, more and more students were caught and eliminated.

One caught? All three teammates failed!

Because of this rule, the number of expelled candidates was climbing at an alarming rate.

Under this intense pressure, many were frozen in fear—unable to answer a single question. They didn’t know how to solve the problems, and they lacked the means to cheat effectively.

But no one was as composed as Tatsuya.

From the start of the exam, he just sat there, eyes closed, completely at ease.

His attitude didn’t go unnoticed. Hinata, Tenten, and the others couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with him.

Eventually, Hinata leaned over, her voice filled with concern. “T-Tatsuya… do you want to see my answers?”

“No need,” Tatsuya replied, calm as ever. “I got the tenth question.”

Tatsuya wasn’t just being blindly confident—he knew the real trick behind this test.

[Question 10: 45 minutes after the start of the exam, the examiner will announce this question. Please answer only after fully understanding it.]

“Uh…”

Hearing his response, Tenten frowned. “Tatsuya, are you seriously that confident about answering the tenth question?”

Logically, the last question had to be the hardest of them all.

If he couldn’t even attempt the first nine, why was he suddenly so sure he could handle the last one? What, was the examiner his distant relative or something?

“Exactly,” Sakura chimed in, skeptical. “Even if you do get the tenth question right, it’s worth just one point. That’ll tank your team’s total score. You could get your whole group eliminated.”

Tatsuya just smiled and said something cryptic.

“The first nine questions don’t matter.”

His words caught the attention of Temari and Ino, who were sitting behind him.

Ino blinked, intrigued. “Wait, Tatsuya… do you know something?”

“If you trust me, just don’t say anything when the time comes.”

“Stay quiet until the end of the exam, and I guarantee you’ll pass.”

With that, Tatsuya stopped talking altogether.

His confident words left the girls puzzled, and they couldn’t help but murmur among themselves.

Hinata, however, didn’t say a word—she believed in Tatsuya.

Sakura, Tenten, and Ino still had their doubts, but they knew Tatsuya wasn’t an idiot. After all, he had just earned the title of "Little Prince of Intelligence."

If anyone had a reason to be this confident, it was him.

Since his actions wouldn’t affect their groups, they decided to let him be.

But Temari wasn’t so easily convinced.

To her, Tatsuya was just arrogant, reckless, and full of himself—something she had already learned firsthand the day before.

Meanwhile, his bizarre behavior had also drawn the attention of the lead examiner, Morino Ibiki.

In a room full of nervous, struggling candidates, Tatsuya was the only one sitting there without a single answer on his test paper—yet he looked as if he had already passed.

Ibiki narrowed his eyes.

“That kid… what’s he up to?”

He assumed Tatsuya had some high-level cheating method, like perfectly copying an entire test sheet after someone else had filled it out.

Intrigued, he decided to keep a close eye on him.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, kid…”

As Ibiki pondered, the timer hit 45 minutes.

By now, anyone still in the room either had remarkable cheating abilities or sheer determination.

Most had successfully stolen enough answers to submit something, but there were exactly two blank test sheets left in the entire classroom.

One belonged to Tatsuya.

The other… belonged to Naruto.

Tatsuya sat with unwavering confidence, while Naruto—despite trusting him—was still a bundle of nerves.

The idea of passing with a blank test paper was ridiculous!

Even if he believed in Tatsuya, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Until the results were revealed, that tiny sliver of doubt was only natural.

Tatsuya, on the other hand, was completely at peace.

Because he already knew the outcome.

At that moment, Ibiki’s voice rang out.

“Time’s up. Now… it’s time to announce the tenth question.”

Some candidates immediately sat up straighter, hopeful that this last question might save them.

For those who couldn’t cheat or weren’t sure if their stolen answers were correct, this was their final chance.

Ibiki smirked and continued.

“For the tenth question, I need to introduce a few new rules.”

His sharp gaze swept across the room, scanning the examinees.

“First, you must choose. Will you [take the question] or [not take the question]?”

“If you choose [not to take the question], your previous nine answers will be invalidated, leaving you with zero points. And as I explained earlier, that means you and your entire team will be disqualified.”

“However, if you choose [to take the question] but fail to answer correctly, you and your team will be permanently banned from ever taking the Chunin Exams again.”

Ibiki’s twisted rules sent a wave of shock through the room.

Kiba was the first to stand up, slamming his hands on his desk.

“What the hell kind of rule is that?!”

“There have always been people who failed and retook the exam! How can you just ban someone for life?!”

Others nodded in agreement, their frustration boiling over.

But Ibiki remained unmoved, his expression cold and unreadable.

“Heh… well, that’s just your bad luck,” he said darkly. “Because this year, I make the rules.”

“Now, those of you who lack confidence should pick [not take the question] and just give up. That way, you’ll get another shot at the exam next year.”

With Ibiki’s ultimatum, the tension in the room skyrocketed.

The weight of his words pressed down on every candidate like a boulder.

Choosing to take the question came with unbearable consequences.

Ibiki had cornered them all, leaving only one seemingly safe choice: [Don’t take the test] and walk away.

After all, who could guarantee their entire team would answer correctly?

The pressure was immense—this wasn’t just an exam anymore.

It was a test of mental fortitude, willpower, and how a ninja responded to an impossible situation.