Chapter 38:
"It's unreliable compared to the old days. But hasn't every generation of ninja been criticized like this? We just need to focus on doing what we're supposed to do before retirement. As for the future, we'll leave it to the next generation of ninja."
"Alright, that's enough about the otherworldly matter. There's another issue we need to discuss."
"Recently, a mysterious organization has appeared in the ninja world. Their first known activity was during the Shin Uchiha incident, where they were after the Sharingan and its replication technology."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is composed of two parts: the Avengers and the Justice League."
"The Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., codenamed Husky, specializes in the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"Flaming Cloud Evil God belongs to the Avengers unit under S.H.I.E.L.D. and possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"SpongeBob, a strange sponge-like being, also specializes in the Flying Thunder God Technique and has powerful sealing techniques capable of sealing tailed beasts."
"Patrick Star, a strange starfish-like being, is skilled in sealing techniques as well—his techniques can even restrict my movements."
"This is all the intel Konoha has on S.H.I.E.L.D. They also made an appearance during a recent Konoha student field trip to Kirigakure. Not only did they attack our students, but they also kidnapped one of them."
Just when everyone thought the meeting was over, Naruto continued speaking, prompting bitter smiles to appear on everyone's faces.
Not only had an enemy feared by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki emerged, but now a mysterious organization was active in the ninja world as well.
"Whether it's S.H.I.E.L.D. or the otherworld, we have far too little intel on either," said Kurotsuchi, rubbing her chin.
"This Five Kage Summit is mainly to give everyone a heads-up," Naruto said. "We might not be able to take initiative with the otherworldly matters, but S.H.I.E.L.D. is hiding right here in the ninja world. I hope you all can treat them as a serious threat to your villages starting now."
"What we can do now is try our best to reduce the problems our future ninja will face."
The other village leaders nodded in agreement with Naruto's suggestion, and he continued, "By the way, since everyone's concerned about the new generation's strength, why don't we hold a joint Chūnin Exams between the five villages?"
"In times like these, we can't afford to leave our villages," Darui objected. After all, no one could guarantee that S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't launch an attack the moment a Kage stepped out of their village.
"No worries. We can still observe the exams from our own villages. Besides, Sasuke will be staying in the village for a while. He'll be in charge of escorting your genin to Konoha."
Naruto was still trying his best to improve the other villages' impressions of Sasuke.
"I'm in," Gaara was the first to agree. The other village leaders were left speechless. Everyone knew Gaara and the Hokage were sworn brothers. Back during a previous Chūnin Exam, Gaara, half-tailed at the time, had his butt poked by Naruto—not with a weapon, but with his hand. A poke was a poke, whether it was with a hand or anything else.
From that point on, Gaara had become the textbook example of someone who lived in Suna but whose heart was in Konoha. At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if the two shared a pair of pants. He hadn't even married yet...
At that thought, the other Kage were quietly alarmed. Their gazes toward Gaara shifted subtly.
With Gaara taking the lead, the others also agreed.
While nothing was explicitly stated, it was clear that Naruto was regarded as the "big brother" among the Five Kage.
Even if that big brother had a good temper, the respect he deserved still had to be given.
"Great. Then let's schedule the Chūnin Exams for three months after the graduation exams at the Ninja Academy..."
Naruto didn't mention the possibility that Flaming Cloud Evil God, SpongeBob, and Patrick Star might be undercover agents. The fewer people who knew about that, the better. Besides, Naruto wasn't the least bit worried that any of the village leaders could injure those three—anyone capable of going toe-to-toe with him wasn't so easily taken down.
…
Recently, the Ninja Academy had launched a new initiative called the "Three-Way Conference." In simple terms, it was a meeting between teachers, students, and the students' parents to discuss future development plans for the children.
This kind of thing was unthinkable in the old days of the academy. Back during wartime, half the students in the academy were orphans.
Ninja Academy.
Three-Way Conference Classroom.
"Although Shuyu is a transfer student, he's shown excellent performance in every area—he has no weaknesses. His attitude in class is also very serious," Shino said, reviewing Shuyu's academic records. "However, it seems his relationship with his classmates isn't very warm. He rarely interacts with them voluntarily."
"Well, that's just how we Uchiha are."
Shunhi could somewhat understand how Uchiha Itachi felt—after all, he himself was currently on a crucial undercover mission within S.H.I.E.L.D. It wasn't like he had time to play childish games with other kids.
"In any case, from the current perspective, graduating from the academy and becoming a genin should be easy for Shuyu. But becoming a genin means he'll need to team up with others, so I still hope he can form some friendships."
"But that aside—Shuyu, what kind of ninja do you want to become in the future?"
Shino turned to look at Uchiha Itachi, who had remained completely calm since entering the room, as if this entire conference had nothing to do with him.
"…An excellent ninja."
After a brief pause, Uchiha Itachi finally spoke.
It was a completely vague answer.
"…Alright then."
The three-way conference ended quickly.
As he watched Shunhi and Shuyu leave, Shino let out a sigh. For a teacher, even obedient and high-performing students could be a headache—precisely because they were so good and so compliant, he didn't want to see them go astray.
Teachers' Office.
"Thanks for your hard work on the conferences today."
Fatty Anko walked up to Shino, who looked visibly tired.
"Anko-sensei."
Back during Shino's own Chūnin Exams, Anko had been the proctor for the second round. Now the two were colleagues.
"Did the conferences yield anything useful?"
With her seniority, Anko was practically second only to the principal, Iruka, in the academy's hierarchy.
"Yes. We found quite a few problem children. Most students aren't even interested in becoming ninja."
"And then there's Shuyu. He's very good and very obedient, but his relationships with classmates are rather distant. You know, some trials can't be passed on strength alone."
These days, Konoha's Ninja Academy emphasized teamwork and camaraderie more than raw strength.
Besides—
If Shunhi had been present, he would've simply laughed at Shino.
Sorry, but when you've got strength, you can do whatever you want.
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