The proctor—whose name slipped your mind in the nerves of the moment—announced the infamous tenth question. His words cut through the silence like a blade, but before he even revealed what it was, his voice carried a cruel weight: "If you want to leave now, you can. But if you choose to stay and answer incorrectly, your entire team will be disqualified."

A tense hush fell over the room, heavy with fear and second-guessing. You tried your best to focus, to listen, to remain calm, but something—something far stronger than nerves—began to gnaw at you.

It started as a prickle at the back of your neck, almost like heat from a candle flame brushing against your skin. Then it grew—searing, suffocating—like someone had pressed burning coals against your skull. Your chest tightened. The air felt sharp, scorching with each breath, and though no one touched you, you swore fire licked along your spine.

It wasn't just heat. It was hatred. Malice so concentrated it felt alive, crawling into your very bones. You could feel it stabbing into the back of your head as though unseen eyes were drilling through you, peeling back your thoughts and laying them bare. You shifted uncomfortably, shoulders tense, hands curling into fists beneath the desk. No matter how you tried to steady yourself, that suffocating presence burned hotter and hotter, as if daring you to flinch.

Around you, murmurs rose. Naruto's stubborn voice broke the tension as he stood, fire in his eyes, swearing that he would never back down. Temari followed, her voice sharp and steady. Their words should have pulled you back, reassured you—but the oppressive heat would not relent. It clung to you like chains made of flame, smothering every other sound. 

Familiar.. almost.

And then—just as suddenly as it had come—the proctor's reveal shattered the silence. The tenth question... was nothing but a test of resolve. Relief swept through the room like a cool wind, but the sigh that slipped from your lips wasn't for the question at all.

It was because the fire was gone. That suffocating, hateful burn that had wrapped around you so mercilessly had finally vanished, leaving your skin chilled in its absence.

You didn't need to look around to know someone had been watching you. And whoever it was, their hatred had teeth.

(462 𝘞𝘖𝘙𝘋𝘚)