Sunagakure was certainly treating this ninja examination with utmost seriousness, but its true intention wasn't to flaunt the strength of its younger generation.
Rasa was well aware that, for now, Sunagakure's youth lacked distinction. He held no illusions about their performance and wasn't expecting much in terms of results. Instead, Rasa had two clear goals in mind.
One was to meet the expectations of the daimyō. The other, and perhaps more crucial, was to breathe new life and energy into the village through this event.
And in that sense, Rasa had already succeeded. Even though these young participants might not seem impressive to experienced shinobi, to the average citizen, ninja were still mysterious and awe-inspiring. So the moment the exam officially began, it seized everyone's attention. On the massive screen set up for the audience, two commentators appeared, ready to explain the rules and landscape of the first round of the exam.
"The first trial begins at Lake Reto, and the destination is Sunagakure's restricted zone: Ryū no Rakuen, the Dragon's Oasis. The total distance is fifty kilometers."
As soon as those words were spoken, the screen shifted, displaying breathtaking aerial footage of Lake Reto and the lush expanse of the Dragon's Oasis. While everyone in Sunagakure was familiar with Lake Reto—especially the visiting shinobi who had entered the village by boat—not many knew anything about the Dragon's Oasis.
Inside the grand hall where the leaders and dignitaries had assembled to witness the exam's opening ceremony, eyes widened in surprise. The daimyō of the Land of Wind was particularly stunned, staring at the immense forest projected onto the screen.
"What's the meaning of this? Kazekage, how have I never heard of such a vast oasis near Sunagakure?"
All gazes shifted toward Rasa. The truth was, everyone present except for the Mizukage already knew about the existence of the Dragon's Oasis and shared the daimyō's astonishment.
Rasa remained calm as he responded.
"Daimyō-dono, we discovered this oasis just over a year ago. It was just as much of a surprise to us. We believe it to be a gift from the earth to Sunagakure. I designated it as a restricted zone to preserve its ecosystem."
"I see…"
Though no one truly believed Rasa's words, it no longer mattered. He had given an official explanation, and with Sunagakure's current strength, not even the daimyō could assert control over it.
"I'm very interested in this oasis. Would it be possible for me to visit sometime?"
"Of course. However, this oasis is extremely dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
The daimyō's expression stiffened with confusion, but before Rasa could elaborate, the screen answered in his place. A giant predatory bird suddenly descended from the sky, its sheer size resembling a small mountain. On the ground, massive centipedes and spiders crept through the underbrush, while beneath the lake's surface, monstrous crabs and octopuses moved ominously. Each creature appeared even more ferocious than the last.
And to reinforce the severity of the situation, Rasa spoke again, his voice steady.
"To keep these beasts under control, I stationed the One-Tail Jinchūriki there. Only then did it become manageable."
"Th-this…"
The daimyō, who had shown great interest only moments earlier, turned pale. Flustered, he muttered hastily.
"Perhaps I'll pass on that visit."
It wasn't only the high officials who were shaken. The villagers of Sunagakure, along with the foreign visitors, also turned pale as they watched the horrifying footage of the island's monstrous inhabitants. Meanwhile, the young children who were about to take part in the exam remained blissfully unaware of what lay ahead.
At the edge of Lake Reto, more than three to four thousand children stood in tightly packed lines, awaiting their instructions. As many had expected, there were no rules limiting the formation of teams, which meant that those who had prepared in advance and allied with competent partners now held a clear advantage.
While the exam's rules played on the external screens for the spectators, they were simultaneously being delivered directly to the participants on the ground. And since this marked Sunagakure's first time hosting such an event in front of all Five Great Nations, the village had chosen someone surprising, and exhilarating, at least to the children, to announce the rules.
Standing before them was none other than Pakura of the Scorch Style, the village's esteemed elder and famed wielder of Scorch Release.
Pakura addressed the children gently, her tone calm yet firm, as she outlined the rules of the first trial.
"Over the next fifty kilometers, you'll rely entirely on your own judgment to gather intel, navigate terrain, and adapt to unpredictable conditions. The deadline is 10 AM tomorrow. Anyone who fails to arrive by then will be considered disqualified."
Then her expression sharpened, and her tone turned cold.
"There is only one rule in this trial: don't die. Do you understand?"
Her piercing gaze sent shivers down the spines of many children, and a chilling silence followed. The tension in the air was palpable, stiffening every breath. But among them, a few quick thinkers realized what this rule actually meant, if survival was the only requirement, then everything else was permitted.
"Since you understand... I hereby declare the first trial of the exam officially begun."
---
To the general public, the Five Nations Summit was primarily an affair of trade, spectacle, and tourism. But what truly held their attention was the large-scale ninja examination playing out on the big screens. For the five Kage, however, the focus was elsewhere, specifically, on Kazekage Rasa's audacious proposal to cap the number of active shinobi.
Initially, the idea received broad support. But things quickly became tense once the conversation shifted to concrete numbers. Unsurprisingly, the five daimyō were the most forceful, their greatest fear was an army of powerful shinobi they couldn't control. They proposed a hard limit of 8,000 across all five villages, a number the Kage immediately rejected as unreasonable.
The Kage countered by arguing that different nations faced different conditions, variations in landmass, geography, and security risks meant the number of shinobi allowed per village had to be scaled accordingly.
At the heart of the debate was, naturally, Konohagakure. And Minato Namikaze had no intention of accepting a system that would place disproportionate restrictions on Konoha.
Thus, the summit entered a new phase of negotiations, centered solely on how many ninjas each village would be permitted to retain.
This kind of meticulous policy negotiation didn't require the Kage to be present in person. So, all five of them made the decision to temporarily return to their own villages. There was still a full month left before the final treaty needed to be signed, and with shinobi mobility, a round trip to and from Sunagakure took no more than two days.
Rasa, too, departed, but unlike the others, he didn't go back to his office or even remain in the Land of Wind.
Instead, he stepped once more into the future timeline.
---
Uzushiogakure – Future Timeline
Lush forests had reclaimed the land, but the devastation remained evident. The ruins of the once-proud Uzumaki Clan's village stood in solemn silence, a graveyard of broken stone and fading seals. Amid the overgrowth, Rasa and Orochimaru walked side by side without a word.
Soon, they arrived at a secluded, half-collapsed shrine.
"This is it, right? Orochimaru, I've already handed over the soul fragment of your sealed arm. Now, where's what I asked for?"
Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed with twisted satisfaction as he looked toward the wall, where several grim-looking masks of the Death God were carefully displayed. He didn't doubt Rasa's sincerity for even a second. Without hesitation, he gagged and expelled a scroll from his mouth, flinging it toward Rasa.
Rasa didn't touch it directly. Instead, his gold sand rose smoothly into the air, caught the scroll mid-flight, and unfurled it without a sound.
"Here are the flesh samples you requested, Ginkaku, Kinkaku, and the previous Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. With this, Kazekage-dono, you now possess both Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails chakra."
Satisfied, Rasa nodded and sealed the scroll again before casually tossing it back to Orochimaru.
"You're the only one I'd trust with this. Once you've fully restored your soul and regained your power, Edo Tensei will be yours to command."
Orochimaru didn't object. In fact, he grinned widely, his pale face stretching with eagerness. But he wasn't done yet.
"I heard you killed Danzo. I'm not trying to overstep, but if you still have that arm of his, the one enhanced by Hashirama's cells... a regular body won't be enough to withstand this much tailed beast chakra."
Without blinking, Rasa casually threw the arm toward him, the very one embedded with multiple Sharingan that he'd taken from Danzo.
Orochimaru caught it with unhidden glee, eyes sparkling.
"Work quickly. I don't have time to waste."
"No problem, no problem~."
"Also..." Rasa narrowed his gaze.
"I want everything you know about that subordinate of yours... the one named Jūgo."