The Tenth Question…!!

Rather than state the tenth question outright, Ibiki lays down its terms first. Any candidate who answers it incorrectly is not just knocked out of this exam but barred from ever attempting the Chūnin Exams again. Anyone unwilling to gamble on that may withdraw, though pulling out drags an entire team down with them.

Sakura frets over Naruto, certain he will botch the answer yet too stubborn to bow out, since quitting would spare her and Sasuke while trapping him as a genin for good. She is on the verge of surrendering on his behalf when Naruto plants his feet and swears he will stay in the game even if failure is guaranteed. His nerve steadies the room, and with no further dropouts Ibiki clears every remaining candidate to advance to the second stage.

Ibiki reveals the harsh stakes tied to the last question, warning that a wrong answer means permanent exclusion from future exams. Several teams give up under the pressure. Naruto silences his own doubts and Sakura's by vowing to press on regardless of the outcome, and his defiance persuades everyone else to remain seated. Ibiki then passes the entire surviving pool through to the following phase.

The installment belongs to the Chūnin Exams arc and ran as chapter 43 in the fifth collected volume. Its focus rests entirely on the mind games of the written test rather than combat, using the threat of the tenth question as a filter for candidates who lack conviction.