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"All in all, that's the gist of it."
"Eh—!?"
After the Konoha higher-ups reached a decision regarding the 'World Chunin Exam,' the next step was naturally to relay this news to the aspiring Chunin.
Every graduate of the 42nd Ninja Academy class received this news.
However, currently sitting before Sawara were only a dozen or so of the most outstanding Genin from this class.
But contrary to the expected elation, Kakashi and the others, upon hearing this news, were not as excited as Naruto and his friends were in the original storyline. Instead, they all groaned.
"Damn it! I've just recently mastered 'Advanced Mathematics' and 'Essentials of Konoha History'!"
"Why didn't the news come sooner? The medical specialization exams are about to begin!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
The students below, with the fearlessness of young calves, shouted loudly, even in the presence of the legendary Sawara.
Even now, seven years into Konoha's educational reform, most of these Genin-level children were from Ninja clans or wealthy families, so they were already accustomed to seeing various Konoha higher-ups.
Sawara, standing on the platform, clapped his hands understandingly and explained:
"I know you've all been working hard preparing for the Ninja High School entrance exams lately. We just received news about this joint Chunin Exam."
"To compensate for your hard work during this period, the Jonin class has specifically decided to add bonus points to teams that perform well in this Chunin Exams, and also offer deferred testing for you—after passing the score line, there will also be the benefit of freely choosing your specialization and one-on-one guidance services."
"So, everyone, you must perform well in this joint Chunin Exam."
Upon hearing about the bonus points, the attitudes of the young Genin below immediately did a 180-degree turn.
"Yay—!"
This was the situation in Konoha now.
After the rank reform, where even Jonin were divided into five stages, the Chunin and Genin ranks had long become less valuable in Konoha.
Thanks to the over 15% annual resource allocation from the Central Konoha Treasury to the young Genin, even those from commoner backgrounds, as long as they weren't stupid and were willing to work hard, becoming a Jonin after graduating from Ninja High School was merely a matter of accumulating time.
This change did not come out of nowhere; it was achieved by Sawara and his group, who forcefully broke the knowledge and experience blockade unanimously imposed by various Ninja clans through violent and economic means, and then imparted this valuable content to these young ones at an almost free cost. This allowed Konoha, in just seven short years, to dramatically increase the proportion of Jonin within the total number of Konoha Ninja to nearly one-seventh.
Any student who could graduate from Ninja High School automatically obtained the 'Chunin' title.
As a result, even excluding the extreme case of Sawara, the average ability level of Konoha Ninja was significantly higher than that of other Villages.
For the Konoha of the past, this was an incredibly unbelievable thing.
One must know that during Sarutobi Hiruzen's era, every Jonin was considered a treasure of the Village, not only having temporary Anbu deployment authority but also the right to cast their valuable vote in the Hokage appointment assembly.
How could they be so 'worthless' now?
This was also one of Sawara's initial reform achievements.
However, unlike his companions, Kakashi, who had a more comprehensive growth compared to the original world line, sensed a subtle meaning from Sawara's serious attitude and the special timing of this 'Joint Chunin Exam,' and his brows furrowed.
He thought for a moment, then raised his hand to ask:
"Sawara."
"During the exam, will we be targeted by the other Villages acting together?"
Upon hearing this particular question, a flicker of surprise crossed Sawara's face. When he noticed that the questioner was Kakashi, he couldn't help but feel a bit relieved.
However, his answer caused the young Ninja's expressions to become serious.
"It's not 'will we,' but 'we definitely will.'"
Sawara paid no attention to the young Ninja's changing expressions and continued, "Since Iwagakure is the organizer of this exam, we currently do not know the contents of the exam."
"What I can tell everyone is that the results of this exam have a certain probability of influencing some topics at the Four Kage Summit after the exam ends."
"This also includes content related to 'war.'"
Upon hearing this, the young Ninja's expressions became even more solemn, their small faces tightening.
Although Senju Hashirama had said many beautiful words back then, even after the Hokage had changed to the Fourth, these young Ninja still bore the obligation of 'reserve soldiers.'
Even in the most basic Ninja Academy curriculum, a large amount of military and war-related content was added, including intelligence studies, which Nara Shikamaru would later master.
Although the young Ninja in front of Sawara were still children by age, they already possessed all the qualities of a qualified Ninja. As early as the time when Hidden Mist Village suffered devastating blows, many of them had already had some premonition of the Third Ninja World War's arrival.
Now, upon hearing Sawara's words, they naturally realized this point.
'If a war breaks out next, it will definitely be a confrontation between the other three nations and Konoha.'
'The intensity of the war will also reach an unprecedented level.'
Sawara looked at the serious expressions of these young Ninja and did not elaborate on this topic.
After discussing some more precautions for the Chunin Exam, he simply dismissed the meeting.
"Is it really that serious?! He's making that kind of face."
Looking at Kakashi beside him, who had a tense expression, Obito, with his hands behind his head, appeared nonchalant: "If they want to fight, then let them fight! They've fought before, haven't they? Have those bastards ever won even once?"
"What's more, now Konoha even has a monster like Sawara. He alone took down Hidden Mist Village, so what's there to be afraid of?!"
"Obito! Kakashi is thinking about something very important!"
Nohara Rin whispered from the side, "No matter what, going to the battlefield is very dangerous."
Unlike the young Ninja who hadn't experienced much life and death, Nohara Rin, as a prospective medical Ninja, had already undergone a three-month training period at Konoha Hospital during her time at the Ninja Academy.
The impact of what she saw in the hospital was far more profound than what she read in textbooks.
Therefore, she could especially understand Kakashi's caution at this moment.
"Tch."
"I think he's just scared."
Obito's tone became a bit sour when he saw Nohara Rin also speaking up for Kakashi.
His 'white moonlight' had been completely stolen by his good brother.
"Obito!"
Nohara Rin called out, displeased.
"This exam, in all likelihood, will not be something that Genin, or even Chunin level, can solve."
However, Kakashi's first sentence made both of them beside him freeze.
Kakashi seemed to have completely ignored Obito's sour remark just now, and with a frown, he said:
"Since it will affect Konoha's foreign policy, the other nations will definitely try their best to demonstrate their suppressive power over Konoha's younger generation during the exam."
"If we infer from the usual three stages of foreign Chunin Exams, they will most likely try to eliminate the vast majority of Konoha's people before the second stage."
"Our trouble is probably not small."
"But what I don't understand is why Sawara and the others, despite clearly seeing this, are still so honest?"
He carefully chose his words.
Kakashi in this world line, because his father was still alive and he received complete family education and emotional care during his childhood, was far more mature in matters of human relations than in the original storyline. He could be described as having high emotional and intellectual intelligence.
In contrast, Obito and Nohara Rin's behaviors were not much different from the original.
"Are they going to cheat on the exam?!"
Obito's eyes widened at the words, his face full of disbelief.
Kakashi glanced at him calmly and said, "If I were a Konoha higher-up, I could secretly strip a few 'Chunin' with great futures of their titles, and let these young people, who at least have the strength of a Third-Class Jonin, participate in the Chunin Exams with us."
"This way, they could use Jonin-level strength to crush all other Genin."
"This is much simpler than any kind of cheating."
"Eh! That's too much!!"
Obito experienced the harshness of adult society for the first time.
"Precisely because of this, Sawara not doing so makes me feel strange…"
As Kakashi was thinking, he saw Mei Terumī's team of three pass by them. His eyes lit up, and he called out:
"Mei Terumī, did you get anything from…"
But before he could finish his sentence, Mei Terumī turned her head.
Even though she usually had a cold expression, Kakashi had never seen her look so heavy and complex before, and his voice involuntarily faltered.
"Sorry, I have something else to attend to."
Mei Terumī finished speaking in a steady voice and walked out of the conference room on her own.
Kakashi's expression involuntarily paused, his gaze somewhat puzzled.
Obito, who was nearby, immediately noticed the subtle change in his expression, and his face instantly stiffened as he quickly said, "What are you doing? You bastard, don't tell me you're falling for someone else!"
"Let me tell you, if you dare to cheat, I will absolutely not let you off, you bastard!"
"What are you even talking about…"
Kakashi turned his face to look at him, an expression of disdain on his face.
On the other side.
As soon as Mei Terumī and the others walked out of the conference room, they saw Sawara Kiri leaning against the doorway. All three of their expressions changed, appearing somewhat stiff.
Sawara Kiri, however, walked over as if he hadn't noticed anything, greeting Mei Terumī, who was at the front, with his usual gentle and kind tone:
"Mei, come with me for a moment."
"There's something I need to talk to you about."
Mei Terumī's cold expression involuntarily froze, and even her steps became somewhat stiff.
However, she still obediently followed behind Sawara Kiri, not saying a single word more.
Zabuza and Hozuki Mangetsu, who were behind her, both had complex expressions, not knowing what they were thinking.
Mei Terumī followed behind Sawara Kiri, step by step, onto the rooftop of the Hokage Building.
Ever since the period before the Hidden Mist Village incident began, Sawara Kiri had not met with them for a long time, and had even cut off their contact with the Village, almost as if he was deliberately avoiding them.
It wasn't until everything settled that these 'secret agents' finally received the shocking bad news.
Their mission wasn't even over, but their home was already gone.
And it was destroyed by their leader.
Who could accept that?
For a spy like Mei Terumī, who came from a prominent clan, was a Hidden Mist genius, and carried a secret, heavy responsibility, this was even more so.
Several times she thought about just dying, considering it a sacrifice for her country.
But after much deliberation, she still couldn't make that decision.
At this moment, the young woman looked at Sawara Kiri's back, her expression changing several times, showing entanglement, confusion, and even some hidden hatred.
However, after the two arrived at the edge of the rooftop, all these emotions ultimately turned into an unbearable sense of grievance.
"..."
"Lord Ren! Why on earth... why did you do such a thing?!"
Mei Terumī raised her head, vaguely unable to control her volume, even forgetting her identity as a spy—in reality, after the Village's destruction, this identity had indeed completely vanished.
"You were clearly the Village's pride, having infiltrated for over a decade for the Village, truly the strongest, and also a member of the Kaguya Clan…"
"A strong person like you…"
"Why did you wield a butcher's knife against the people of the Village?!"
By the end of her words, tears were uncontrollably sparkling in the young woman's eyes.
Sawara Kiri leaned on the railing, gazing into the distance. Even when faced with the young woman's sharp questioning beside him, his expression remained unchanged, and his voice was so gentle that it felt somewhat ethereal:
"So, in your heart, am I a 'person' composed of these elements?"
"Mei."
"You are a Ninja with Mizukage-level thinking."
"Then, why don't you consider, from the Village's perspective, what kind of role I truly played?"
"..."
Mei Terumī's faint sob involuntarily paused, and she subconsciously obeyed Sawara Kiri's words.
It was fine when she hadn't considered this unfamiliar perspective, but now, merely by examining the layers of aura around Sawara Kiri from the perspective of a 'Mizukage', an uncontrollable sense of dread arose within her.
Unknown, powerful, loosely controlled, distant, burdened with heavy responsibilities, possessing many secrets, manipulating multiple channels, inversely guiding Village policies…
One after another, any one of these could make someone in the Mizukage's position helpless.
Mei Terumī seemed to suddenly realize something, her voice growing colder:
"So, you chose this path because you hated the Village's attitude towards you?"
"Hate?"
Sawara Kiri chewed on the word and chuckled, "Sorry, Hidden Mist alone isn't enough to make me feel such an emotion."
"They don't have that capability."
Mei Terumī couldn't help but be stunned. That was Hidden Mist, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages! No capability?
However, when those words came from Sawara Kiri's mouth, they seemed so self-evident.
The young woman grew even more perplexed, and even her feelings of grievance and hatred were suppressed by this incomprehensible thought.
"From the very beginning, I never intended for 'Hidden Mist' to continue existing."
"Or rather, not just Hidden Mist, but any other military organization with war potential is the same to me."
"The reason I chose Konoha to help me accomplish this is simply because Konoha possesses this 'potential'."
"The potential to unify the Ninja World."
Mei Terumī's heart was severely stimulated by his calm words. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes widened into ovals, and her entire body tensed, as if instinctively raising her voice in disbelief:
"Just, just for such an impossible reason?!"
"Kaguya Ren!"
"Although your identity is not known to ordinary people, but... but those Ninja on the intelligence front, they all looked up to you as if you were a god—!!"
Sawara Kiri suddenly turned his head to look at her.
In his eyes, as brilliant and blue as the cosmos, reflected the young woman's hysterical expression and the tears streaming down her cheeks.
He suddenly smiled gently and said, "This is a good opportunity, there's something you'd best remember, Mei."
"Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding."
"..."
Mei Terumī stared at him blankly, also understanding the meaning behind his words.
What seemed like an impossible dream to her was, in Sawara Kiri's eyes, proceeding systematically, exactly as he had planned.
Unifying the Ninja World?
Is this what this man wanted to achieve, even at the cost of slaughtering his own clan, destroying the Village he came from, and abandoning all his former identities?
Could such a thing truly be done?
"What do you think Mei was called away for?"
After Mei Terumī was called away, Zabuza and Hozuki Mangetsu strolled along Konoha's bustling streets, chatting idly.
Since their trio arrived in Konoha, due to the pressure of their mission and identities, many things they kept bottled up could only be discussed with these two.
As a result, the representatives of the commoners and Ninja clans, who were clearly at odds in Hidden Mist Village, could, on some level, be considered 'good friends' who talked about everything.
Although one of these friends could occasionally be a bit foul-mouthed.
At least, Zabuza, who came from the commoner faction, likely due to living in Konoha for a long time, had practically no estrangement from Hozuki Mangetsu and Mei Terumī in terms of identity.
However, Hozuki Mangetsu today did not curse at him as usual; instead, he was unusually silent.
"Hey, Mangetsu?"
Zabuza called out again, somewhat strangely.
Hozuki Mangetsu finally came back to his senses and said indifferently, "I have something else to do today. You go back first."
As his voice fell, without waiting for Zabuza's response, he slipped into an alleyway on his own.
Zabuza looked at him in astonishment, a bewildered expression on his face.
This simple-minded giant from a commoner background was probably the one among the three of them who felt the least impact from the 'Hidden Mist Incident'.
It was unclear whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Hozuki Mangetsu didn't have time to think; he had his own business.
He first slipped into an alley, navigating the familiar Konoha streets with twists and turns, then turned his entire body into water and moved through the extensive sewer network for a while, finally appearing in a hidden underground room near Konoha's city walls.
Seeing that it was him, the sensory Ninja behind the underground room's door cautiously observed for a moment before letting him in.
Hozuki Mangetsu walked calmly into the underground room. What greeted his eyes was a tall man with half of his body wrapped in bandages, leaning on a broad sword as wide as a door panel.
His gaze lingered on the blade for only a moment before he calmly spoke:
"The conditions you promised earlier should still be valid, right?"
Hearing his straightforward words, Biwa Jūzō curled his lips, revealing a mouth full of sharp, shark-like teeth:
"Of course."
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