Fifteen days later, the Chunin Exam officially started.
Nobles from various nations gathered inside the arena, ready to witness an extraordinary battle that only came once in a thousand years.
The talented Genin from the five great ninja villages, after enduring three tough trials, had finally been narrowed down to the true geniuses who would compete today to decide the winner.
But the match that drew the most attention was between Sasuke Uchiha—the last bloodline of the Uchiha clan—and Gaara of the Sand Village, a rare genius who appeared only once in a century.
Of course, besides them, the biggest VIPs invited to watch in Konoha were the Five Kage themselves!
The Five Kage almost never met in formal settings.
The only exceptions were decades ago when the First Hokage pressured the village leaders to meet and set the rules for the ninja villages.
Apart from wars, this was the only other occasion for such a gathering.
As the organizer of this grand event, the Third Hokage led Konoha's elite Jonin outside the village with a warm smile to welcome the guests.
This was partly to show sincerity and partly to signal to the other Four Kage that Konoha had no hostile intentions.
After all, each Kage was the leader of their village.
If anything went wrong, it could spark the Third Great Ninja War. So everyone had to be extremely cautious.
Soon, at the end of the road, several figures appeared.
A tall, strong man wearing a yellow straw hat marked with the kanji for "Thunder." He wore an open robe, his skin was bronze, and his muscles were rock-hard.
Even from a hundred meters away, his fierce aura was unmistakable.
This was the Fourth Raikage, A.
Over a decade ago, during the Third Great Ninja War, he led the plan to invade Konoha, almost destroying the entire village.
To this day, many Konoha ninja saw the Raikage as an unforgivable enemy.
Walking beside the Raikage was the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, a veteran who had been around since Konoha's founding. He mastered the powerful Dust Release—a kekkei tōta that surpassed normal Kekkei Genkai.
During the Third Ninja World War, Iwagakure, under the leadership of Ōnoki of Both Scales, suffered the least losses among the ninja villages and gained the greatest benefits after the war.
"Welcome, both of you," the Third Hokage said kindly as he stepped forward, showing his goodwill.
"Spare me the formalities," the Fourth Raikage replied. He had always disliked Konoha, and the only reason he agreed to come was to contain the growth of Amegakure.
After all, the ninja world was only so big. If a new powerful village appeared, it would mean fewer benefits for the others.
So, for their mutual interests, the Five Great Ninja Villages had to stand united.
"Oh, Hiruzen. Long time no see," Ōnoki floated in mid-air, arms crossed arrogantly. "I didn't expect Konoha to still have you as Hokage after all these years."
His tone was dripping with sarcasm—implying that anyone who became Hokage had a short lifespan.
The surrounding shinobi caught his meaning and showed anger, but the Third Hokage raised a hand to stop them, smiling warmly.
"Yes, I didn't expect it either. Even after all this time, Iwagakure still has an old man like you as its leader. I wonder if you can even keep up."
Ōnoki's expression darkened slightly, and he snorted coldly. "None of your concern."
As their conversation continued, the last two Kage finally arrived.
The Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, and the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure.
The Fifth Mizukage was rumored to have come to power through a bloody coup, crushing the powerful clans of Kirigakure with an iron fist to secure her position.
Her identity was shrouded in mystery.
No one expected the bloodthirsty Mizukage to be a woman!
Even the Raikage and Tsuchikage were shocked.
The Fifth Mizukage looked no older than twenty. She had long, wavy chestnut hair like pine needles, wore a blue strapless dress, and her skin was pale and smooth like jade.
Her youthful charm made it impossible to imagine she had crushed the clans with such brutality.
This was the Fifth Mizukage's first appearance before the other Four Kage — and her arrival truly shocked everyone.
Standing beside her as bodyguards were two men: one had a head full of white hair and a scroll strapped to his waist.
The other… looked exaggeratedly strange — like an incomplete evolution of a fish-man.
He even had visible gills on the sides of his face and three distinct markings at the corners of his eyes. He stood silently, saying nothing.
"Hello everyone, I'm Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage."
Her voice was crisp and pleasant, like the song of a canary. She gestured to her side as she introduced the two figures.
"This is Mangetsu Hozuki, and next to him is Kisame Hoshigaki — both members of my guard unit."
"Welcome to Konoha."
The Third Hokage nodded with a smile. "Since everyone is here, please follow me into the village to observe this year's Chūnin Exams."
"I'll make it clear beforehand — when it comes to the Rain Village issue, Kumogakure wants forty percent!"
The Fourth Raikage spoke boldly, his tone firm and filled with pride.
"Forty percent? What a big mouth."
The Tsuchikage sneered from the side, clearly mocking him. "With the strength Kumogakure has right now, do you really have the stomach to swallow that much?"
"Want to try me?!"
The Fourth Raikage was like a powder keg — ready to explode at the slightest spark. His eyes narrowed sharply at the Tsuchikage.
"Sure, I'd actually like to see just how capable this generation's Raikage really is."
Despite his age, Ōnoki of the Both Scales showed no fear. Instead, a cold smile crept onto his face.
"Indeed, the Raikage is asking for far too much."
The Kazekage, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up. He too disapproved of the proposed division.
"Besides, the Rain Village is closest to us. It only makes sense for us to take over. That's the most practical option."
"Kazekage, don't be shameless."
The Raikage bristled like a hedgehog, hostile to everyone. "If your Sand Village hadn't been so weak and let the Rain Village grow unchecked, none of this would've happened in the first place!"
"In my opinion, we should just kick Sunagakure out of the equation altogether — and just return the land they lost. That's more than fair."
"Raikage, don't go too far!"
Kazekage's face darkened with anger, a chilling killing intent spreading through the air.
"Thinking of making a move? Just what I wanted!"
Raikage cracked his knuckles, lightning crackling violently around his body, his face twisted in a fierce grin.
As the fight seemed inevitable and was about to erupt right in front of Konoha's gates, the Third Hokage finally rose from his seat. His presence surged like a tsunami, instantly suppressing the building tension.
"I invited you all here to discuss how to contain Amegakure," he said calmly, though his voice carried a weight that pressed into everyone's hearts.
"As for how to divide the benefits—that comes later. But before that, why don't we set aside our grudges? Just like the First Hokage once did, let's sit down and talk this through. What do you say?"
The tense atmosphere that had gripped even the jōnin escorts—ready to react at a moment's notice—began to ease. Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage all relaxed slightly.
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