A Surge of Emotion

Ibiki Morino nodded in satisfaction as he observed the young genin below, their faces alight with newfound understanding. It was worth bending the rules to keep a few more of them in the game. They might have been played for fools, but there was still hope for redemption.

Glancing at the clock with the corner of his eye—it was exactly 4:30 PM—Ibiki was about to impart some final words when a shadow crashed through the window, shattering the glass. With what she deemed a stylish entrance, the exuberant Anko Mitarashi made her appearance.

Unfortunately, the weary examinees were far from being infected by the enthusiasm of the second stage's proctor. Instead, they looked on, bemused and puzzled by Anko's seemingly nonsensical performance.

Ibiki whispered a reminder to the newly arrived character:

"Mind the atmosphere, and you're early."

A bit embarrassed, Anko glanced around the room:

"Seventy-five people left? Isn't that a bit much? Did you go easy on them?"

"If I hadn't kept them, you might not have had a chance to make your entrance!"

"What do you mean? Nonsense..."

Anko laughed it off, saying,

"Leave it to me. For the second stage, we'll have to eliminate at least half, right? How exciting! We'll be changing locations for the second stage, but details will come tomorrow. As for the time and place, ask your Jounin instructors. That's all for today, you're dismissed!"

With that, the fiery proctor of the second stage left as swiftly as she'd arrived, leaving behind a crowd of dumbstruck genin.

Only then did Daimaru breathe a sigh of relief and stand up first.

"Yoru, Senza, let's go!"

The three Sand ninja, who had nearly stirred up trouble, thought it best to leave this place of contention as soon as possible.

Realizing they were free to go, other examinees began to stand as well.

"Hey, you puppeteer over there..."

Someone seemed to want to say something, but there were other puppeteers besides Daimaru, possibly referring to Kankuro or Lady Sayo.

Daimaru didn't respond, heading straight for the door without looking back.

"Want to pretend you didn't hear? Are we that insignificant to you?"

Neji Hyuga, clad in white, blocked Daimaru's path.

"Sorry, but who are you? I don't seem to recall your name. I thought you were referring to the young master of the Kazekage family or Lady Sayo over there."

"Playing dumb won't help. You've gone too far!"

"Is there a misunderstanding? I don't remember offending you..."

"Excuses? You can't hide anything from my Byakugan!"

Neji was relentless, showing no intention of letting Daimaru leave, flanked by the aggrieved Tenten and Rock Lee.

Many examinees who felt wronged surrounded them, demanding an explanation from Daimaru, with the Leaf ninja being the most animated.

"Is it going to be a fight? That's more straightforward. The dull written test was too boring..."

Lady Sayo, with her sister Sana and Shiro, began to voice support for Daimaru.

Regardless of past conflicts, it was time to set aside differences and present a united front.

Gaara, who had been sitting quietly, looked at the noisy crowd with dissatisfaction, itching to act but mindful of the numerous proctors nearby.

Kankuro unwound the bandages on his puppet, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

Temari, holding her fan, stood beside Daimaru and scornfully addressed Neji:

"Leaf ninja, thinking of bullying by numbers? A gathering of the incompetent is still trash! And you, boy, are you challenging the Sand ninja on behalf of those fools?"

"I didn't mean that..."

Daimaru pushed forward impatiently:

"I don't care what you mean. Don't bother me. I'm not in the mood for trouble right now!"

It wasn't just Daimaru who had acted. If not for Neji's interference, Yuno, Shishio, and Koji's team might not have been eliminated.

Seriously speaking, how many here were truly innocent?

Perhaps only Naruto Uzumaki, who stood stunned by the unfolding conflict, was completely uninvolved.

"Hey, you lot!"

Ibiki bellowed, and several young proctors rushed to disperse the troublemakers,

"The second stage of the Chunin Exam is tomorrow. Do you have time to be causing trouble here? Wasn't the second stage proctor clear enough?"

"Proctor, you saw it wasn't me looking for trouble. When trouble comes knocking, there's no escaping it!"

"The written test is over, I'm no longer your proctor!"

Ibiki stated,

"But, fighting is forbidden in Konoha outside of missions. Sparring is only permitted in the training fields. As a Leaf ninja, I have a duty to arrest those who break the rules. If any of you miss tomorrow's exam because of this, don't blame me!"

Ninja battles begin with the confrontation seal and end with the reconciliation seal. Private fights are discouraged, and large-scale brawls are strictly prohibited.

Of course, these were Konoha's rules; the practices of other villages remained unknown.

Ibiki's stern threat quieted the rowdy genin.

Neji, seeing that nothing would be resolved today, motioned for Tenten and Lee to leave:

"I hope to encounter you in the upcoming exam, to see if your strength matches your arrogance. By the way, I didn't tell you my name—it's Neji Hyuga!"

"I'm Rock Lee. Remember this name, for I shall avenge today's humiliation."

Lee, lacking ninjutsu and genjutsu skills, was undoubtedly one of those who had failed the written test. His resentment towards Daimaru was one of the strongest.

Tenten didn't make any threats, instead pulling Lee to follow Neji.

With the instigators gone, the remaining crowd gradually dispersed.

Daimaru, unconcerned by the threats, turned to Temari and said:

"Temari, I appreciate you speaking up for me, but some things, I need to handle myself."

"Who's helping you? I just didn't want the Sand's reputation tarnished. Don't get the wrong idea!"

"Is that so?"

Daimaru smiled and said no more.

Sayo grumbled:

"I backed you up too. Don't I even get a 'thank you'?"

"What are you talking about? I'm always grateful for Lady Sayo's help. If you need anything in the future, don't hesitate to ask!"

Soon, the examination hall was nearly empty. Daimaru glanced at Ino Yamanaka being supported by Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi, and at Kabuto Yakushi cozying up to Team 7, with Orochimaru's Sound ninja trio eyeing Sasuke Uchiha.

"Tomorrow, Orochimaru will come..."

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