The last Chūnin Exams had been disrupted by Orochimaru, preventing them from being completed properly. In the end, only Shikamaru was promoted to chūnin.
Now, the Chūnin Exams were set to begin again. Tsunade had decided to host another joint Chūnin Exam in Konoha. After all, the last one had been ruined because of Orochimaru, so holding it again in Konoha was a way of standing back up at the very place they had fallen.
Pakura sat across from Tsunade. Her gaze lingered briefly on Kiyosuke, standing behind Tsunade, before settling back on the Hokage.
"Hokage-sama, I'm guessing you have other motives as well, don't you?"
Tsunade didn't bother denying it.
"That's right. I do have other motives. First, I want to see how the five great villages—who've been unusually quiet lately—will react. Their response to the joint Chūnin Exam will reveal their true intentions."
Whether they chose to attend or not would show whether they were willing to stand against Konoha.
"And in the process, I also want to probe Akatsuki's movements."
In recent years, Akatsuki hadn't been particularly active. While intelligence had trickled in, most of their activity still revolved around mercenary work. Their hunts for jinchūriki had been carried out in secret, rather than brazenly.
At present, Konoha still held the most information about Akatsuki, but even the intel Itachi sent back was limited.
"You're planning to use the Chūnin Exams to bait the Akatsuki? Deliberately leaving an opening to draw them out?" Kankurō caught on quickly, voicing his suspicion.
"Exactly. The joint Chūnin Exams present Akatsuki with a perfect chance to infiltrate the village. I doubt they'll be able to hold back. They'll either sneak into Konoha during the exams or use the distraction to move elsewhere. Either way, they're bound to slip up."
"That's too risky."
Kankurō frowned. After all, Sunagakure still had Gaara, their One-Tails jinchūriki, to worry about.
"No, Kankurō. I think it's possible."
Gaara, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"I want to use this Chūnin Exam as an opportunity to announce my succession as the Sixth Kazekage. Fifth-sama and I both agreed—we'd like this Chūnin Exam to be held in Sunagakure."
"No way!"
Konoha's two stubborn elders, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, immediately shot it down.
"That's impossible. This Chūnin Exam is meant to make up for the one ruined last time. If Konoha isn't the host, it won't make sense."
Off to the side, the retired Sarutobi Hiruzen leisurely puffed on his pipe. He didn't voice any opinion, simply watching the debate unfold.
Pakura, however, refused to back down.
"I insist the Chūnin Exam be held in Sunagakure. Not for any other reason—only so I can root out the traitors hiding in my village."
"What do you mean by that?"
Tsunade frowned.
"I won't hide it from you. I want to use this exam to clear the obstacles out of Gaara's path."
She had been leading Sunagakure for some time, putting her focus into reforming the harsh Land of Wind environment. Years of effort had brought improvements to both the village and its surrounding lands.
While the upper echelons supported her leadership, they did not support Gaara. Pakura had chosen him because he had the qualities needed to be Kazekage.
But his status as a jinchūriki made many of the elders fearful. Even though the Land of Wind's daimyō had already appointed Gaara as the Sixth Kazekage, opposition persisted—and among those voices, traitors had begun to surface.
So Pakura and Gaara decided to use the Chūnin Exam as an opportunity to flush them out. It would serve as both a purge and a warning to others.
Once the resistance to Gaara's succession was dealt with, things would become much smoother.
"How about this?"
Kiyosuke suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
"What if Konoha and Sunagakure co-hosted the exam?"
"Co-hosted?"
"Yes. The first round—the written test—would take place in Konoha. The second round—the survival test—would be in Sunagakure. After all, the Forest of Death is already too well-known as an exam site. A new location would work just as well.
"As for the third round, it can be held in whichever village has more candidates left standing."
It was a compromise. Both Konoha and Sunagakure wanted the exam to begin in their own village. Splitting the rounds gave them both that chance.
The final round would simply depend on whose genin performed better.
After some thought, everyone agreed.
"That's acceptable," Pakura nodded. As long as part of the exam was held in Sunagakure, the rest could be managed.
Tsunade agreed as well.
"Very well. The Chūnin Exam will be jointly hosted by Konoha and Sunagakure. We'll send out invitations in both our names to the other villages. Whether they attend or not is their decision."
This would also test the other three great villages' stance toward Konoha.
Kiyosuke didn't add anything more. While Tsunade and Pakura began discussing the details of the exam, he quietly slipped away.
...
An hour later, the meeting ended. Everyone left the conference room.
Pakura found Kiyosuke strolling through the streets and smiled.
"Walk with me."
"Alright."
He didn't refuse. The two of them walked side by side. Ever since she became Kazekage, Pakura had stopped wearing Sunagakure's forehead protector. She wore her hair loose now, her figure carrying a more mature allure. Beautiful and striking, she turned heads as she walked with Kiyosuke.
She smiled.
"Looks like everyone's surprised."
"Maybe."
Kiyosuke's influence in the village rivaled that of the Hokage. Combined with his handsome face, he was the dream of countless girls. Seeing him walk with a stunning woman at his side broke more than a few hearts.
Of course, others smiled knowingly, as if relieved he might finally have solved his "lifelong problem."
"I remember I still owe you a date," Pakura said softly.
"That was just a joke back then," Kiyosuke chuckled. "But if you really want to, I don't mind."
Pakura laughed.
"You really want to go on a date with me? That's fine... but I can't promise what might happen."
Her delicate hand brushed across her chest, feeling her quickened heartbeat.
"Kiyosuke... are you truly ready?"
Their eyes met. Kiyosuke could see the anticipation in her gaze.
"Sorry," he said quietly.
"Instead, let me show you around Konoha."
Pakura casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Alright. It's been a long time since I last walked these streets. I wonder how much has changed.
"Let's go, Kiyosuke. Just spend this day with me."
"Mm."
He followed her, and together they enjoyed themselves through the entire day.
The next morning, Pakura departed Konoha with Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō.