Naruto’s grin faltered, and for a brief moment, his shoulders sagged in a way that no one had seen before. The cocky, indomitable spirit that had always defined him seemed to shrink in the wake of Ibiki’s words. He scratched the back of his head nervously, a sheepish ugh esg him. The weight of Ibiki’s advice settled heavily on his chest, and for the first time in a long while, he couldn’t brush it off with sheer force of will.

  It was a rare moment of vulnerability, a cra the armor of his brash fidence. Despite his bravado, Naruto khat Ibiki was right. Guts alone wouldn’t be enough to carry him forward. To truly succeed, he would need more than that—he would he intellect, the strategy, the discipline, and the uanding that every decision he made could mean life or death.

  Ibiki’s gaze lingered for a moment longer, watg the shift in Naruto’s expression. It was subtle, but he could see the young ninja process the weight of his words. There was o press further. Ibiki khat lessons like these had to be lived, not just taught. The exam had been a test of more than their knowledge—it had been a test of their character, their resolve. And Naruto, despite the brief moment of doubt, had passed it.

  The room remaiill, as though suspended iermath of Ibiki’s final words. Some of the partits seemed deep in thought, others still processing the gravity of the challenge ahead. But ohing was certain: they had all just taken a step closer to uanding what it truly meant to be a ninja. They were no longer just hopeful students. They were warriors, and the path ahead would demand everything they had—and then some.

  Naruto, despite the momentary falter, was already boung back, his griurning as he threw a quice at his friends. This was his path now, and nothing—not even the harsh reality of Ibiki’s words—would deter him from it. He would prove that his guts, coupled with the lessons learoday, would be enough. And someday, he would make them all see it.

  ---

  As Ibiki tio expin the meics of the test, Kuro's thoughts wandered, his sharp mind already processing the intricacies of the exam from a perspective that transded the immediate tension of the room. The words spilled from Ibiki’s mouth like a distant echo, each sentenother reiteration of what the test had truly been about. But Kuro wasn’t focused on the specifics. He had sees like this before, though never with such high stakes.

  In his world, tests were meant to measure knowledge—facts, figures, strategies—but he ce to act when it mattered most. Knowledge, in that sense, was a cold, impersonal thing, something to be learned and applied in sterile enviros. But here, in this world of ninjas, ce was the true currency. *Knowledge is useless if you’re too scared to a it,* he thought, his mind wandering to the implications of Ibiki’s words. Knowledge may have been valuable, but without the vi to stand firm in the face of danger, it would crumble to nothing.

  His gaze flicked to Xero, sitting a few rows ahead, his eyes twinkling with a knowing smirk. Xero was the type to thrive under pressure, never oo back down from a challenge, always reading the room with the kind of instinctive sharphat most others cked. He was already trying to suppress his grin, as though he’d known all along how things would py out. Xero was fident, yes, but there was something more—an uanding of how this world worked. His smirk only deepened when Ibiki’s eyes swept the room, as if firming some sile he’d pced.

  Then, Kuro’s attention moved to Reika, sitting oher side of the room. Her posture erfect, posed and steady, her expression sere focused. She had been the embodiment of calm throughout the entire exam, never wavering evehe pressure seemed to suffocate everyone else. Her quiet satisfa told Kuro everything he o know about her. She hadn’t just been pying the game—she had been pying it with the kind of subtle mastery that made her a formidable oppo, even if she didn’t yet realize it herself.

  *They’ve got potential,* Kuro mused, a small smile pying at the ers of his lips. *But they’ve still got a long way to go.* Potential alone wouldn’t be enough. Potential had to be hoested, refihis was the first step of a long journey, aher Xero nor Reika had reached the peak yet. They o unlock Zaraki and Rias.

  A soft chuckle rumbled behind him, pulling Kuro out of his thoughts. His gaze drifted to the proctor standing at the front of the room, his eyes narrowing slightly. Ibiki eaking with a quiet iy now, his words less for the students and more for himself, as if sharing a secret that only the most seasoned ninjas could uand. The room, for all its tension, was now quiet enough to hear the low murmur of his versation with a fellow proctor—a shadow of the weighty discussions Kuro had witnessed in his own world.

  Ibiki’s tone had softened, but only by the smallest fra, as he muttered something about “ensuring the survival of the stro.” There was a sharpness in his words, a knowledge that had been fed in battles Kuro could only imagine.

  Kuro couldn’t resist the urge to speak up. “So, what is it really, Ibiki?” he asked, his voice low but carrying an unmistakable edge of curiosity. “You’ve been running these tests for how long now? And you still get a thrill from watg them squirm?”

  Ibiki’s eyes flicked to him with an unreadable expression. His gaze held a moment lohan necessary before he answered, the slight twitch of his lips the only clue to his amusement. “You think this is about thrills, Kuro?” Ibiki’s voice was measured, calcuted. “It’s not about enjoyment. It’s about survival. These kids,” he gestured to the remaining partits with a nod, “think they’re ready. But they don’t know what they’ll face they leave the walls of this exam room.”

  Kuro’s lips curled into a smile that was more rueful than anything else. “No, I don’t think they’re ready. But they’re certainly eager. That ts for something.”