Bully Lord In the Chunin Exam (NarutoVerse)

Naruto stayed still, fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug painfully into his palms. He didn't care. The sting only sharpened his focus. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears like a war drum, a steady rhythm driving him forward. *I'm not leaving. I'm not giving up. I don't care what happens next.* 

Beside him, Sakura trembled. Her face was pale, her pencil shaking slightly between her fingers. She turned to Naruto, her voice soft, barely a whisper, as though afraid to disturb the fragile silence hanging in the room. "Naruto, maybe we should think this through. What if the final question is impossible? What if—" 

"I'm not leaving," Naruto said, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. He didn't even look at her, his gaze fixed ahead, as unyielding as stone. His words were steady, sharp with determination, and so final that Sakura fell silent. 

Kuro glanced toward him from a few seats over, a faint smirk curling at the edge of his mouth. Naruto's sheer defiance was as predictable as it was impressive. The blond ninja didn't need strategy or finesse to keep his seat—he was a force of nature, all stubborn willpower and raw determination. *Classic Naruto.* 

Others weren't so resolute. A boy a few rows down looked to his teammates, sweat dripping down his temples. One by one, they shook their heads, their fear clear. After a long pause, he stood, his chair scraping loudly against the floor, and walked to the door with heavy steps. He didn't look back. 

Another girl rose shakily to her feet, her eyes welling with tears as she gripped the edge of her test paper like it might save her. She cast one last glance toward Ibiki, hoping for mercy, but his cold, unreadable stare offered none. Her face crumbled, and she rushed from the room. 

Kuro's eyes darted around, observing the breaking points of the people around him. *Pressure,* he mused. *That's what this is all about. The weak fold under it. The strong endure.* 

Ibiki stood at the front, unmovable as a mountain. His scarred face betrayed no satisfaction, no pity—just silent judgment. He watched each departure like a hunter assessing prey, ensuring those who left understood the weight of their choice. 

"You're all here for the same reason," he finally said, his gravelly voice breaking the silence. "You want to be Chunin. You want to prove yourselves as leaders, as shinobi who can be trusted with the lives of others. But leadership isn't just about strength. It's about *resolve.*" 

Naruto's grip tightened further, his arms trembling slightly under the strain. *Resolve.* That was all he had, wasn't it? No answers. No tricks. Just sheer, unwavering determination. 

More chairs scraped, the exodus continuing in a slow trickle. The room, once packed with hopeful candidates, now had glaring holes where participants used to sit. But Naruto didn't flinch. 

Ibiki's gaze finally landed on Naruto, and for a fleeting moment, the two locked eyes. Naruto's fiery determination was met with the interrogator's steel gaze, and while Ibiki's expression gave nothing away, there was something there—something that looked like recognition. 

"Still sitting there, huh?" Ibiki muttered just loud enough for the boy to hear. 

Naruto didn't respond, but the faintest hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. 

Sakura watched him nervously, torn between admiration and exasperation. She wanted to tell him he was being reckless. She wanted to remind him that one wrong move could destroy his dreams forever. But there was something about the way he sat, unmoving, unshaken, that silenced her. 

The room had gone still again, the silence heavier than before. Naruto could feel the eyes of the remaining competitors on him—some curious, others bewildered, and a few who shared his determination, their expressions resolute and fierce. 

Kuro sat back in his chair, tilting it on its hind legs as he muttered under his breath, "You're setting the pace, Naruto. Whether you know it or not." 

The last of the quitters disappeared through the door, leaving the room cold and tense, like the calm before a storm. 

Ibiki stepped forward, his shadow stretching across the room. "The final question remains," he said, his voice low but carrying enough weight to shake their confidence. "And for those of you still sitting here…" 

The corner of his mouth curled into the faintest of smiles, though it looked more like a predator baring its teeth. 

"… I'll give you credit for guts." 

Naruto straightened his spine, his breath steady, his hands finally relaxing on the desk. Whatever came next didn't matter. He'd face it head-on. That's what it meant to be a ninja. That's what it meant to chase a dream. 

And if they thought he'd crumble now, they didn't know Naruto Uzumaki at all. 

---

"Interesting tactic," he murmured under his breath, more to himself than anyone else. "Eliminate the weak without lifting a finger." 

Reika, sharp as ever, turned her head just enough to shoot him a sideways glance. Her brow was furrowed slightly, her eyes steady. "You think the next question will be that bad?" 

Kuro didn't answer right away. Instead, he tilted his chair back just a little, balancing it on its hind legs as he studied Ibiki, who stood silently at the front of the room, as still and cold as a statue. There was no telling what the man was about to unleash, but Kuro had been around long enough to understand the game. 

He smirked faintly, the expression carrying no joy, only insight. "It's not about the question. It's about fear." 

Reika frowned. "Fear?" 

Kuro's smirk faded slightly as he met her gaze, his expression growing uncharacteristically serious. "He's testing their nerve, not their knowledge. Anyone can train their body. Anyone can memorize answers. But this…" He gestured subtly to the room, where students sat still and silent, their eyes fixed anxiously on Ibiki. "This is about whether they'll *break* before they even get to the real fight."