Among Konoha's new generation of ninjas, Nara Shikamaru's intelligence was in a class of its own. He had already planned his path to victory, a shortcut most people wouldn't even consider.
For Shikamaru, achieving his goal in the simplest way possible was enough. Unlike the other rookies, he wasn't chasing glory in the spotlight. He just wanted to satisfy the expectations of his teachers and family while living his preferred lazy life.
Compared to the others, a certain young man who spent his days in the forest catching insects seemed a bit pitiful, especially since his teammates and teacher were of no help to him.
Fortunately, he still had relatives.
In the dense bushes, a young man in a trench coat was crouched down, carefully extending a finger to coax a bug from a blade of grass onto his hand. As the small insect crawled into his palm, his expression gradually relaxed. "My lucky day..."
"Shino, you can't realistically win the Chunin Exams with just these forest insects..."
A man wearing an eyepatch suddenly leaped down from a large tree and appeared beside him, tossing two small, cylindrical cages. "Look at these. I caught them by the sea. Are you satisfied?"
"Huh?"
Shino Aburame quickly put away the cages, looking up at the man who had appeared so suddenly. He asked with some confusion, "Brother Torune, is the ANBU on vacation?"
"You could say that. I'm on leave."
This man, wearing an eyepatch and completely covered from head to toe, was Shino Aburame's cousin, Torune Aburame. They had also been childhood friends. However, Torune's body contained nano-sized poisonous insects, meaning he couldn't have any physical contact with others without instantly poisoning them.
The department Torune had actually joined wasn't the ANBU. He belonged to Root, under the command of Danzo Shimura.
Due to Danzo's recent series of blunders—two failed attempts against Team 7, the second of which was even detected by Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Sannin—things had changed. Jiraiya brought these matters before the Third Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi, being soft-hearted, didn't deliver a killing blow, but he did place Danzo under house arrest, forbidding anyone from visiting.
As Danzo's subordinate, Torune Aburame suddenly had a rather long vacation.
He leaned against a tree and started a conversation. "I heard a lot of powerful rookies have emerged in this Chunin Exam..."
"Yes," Shino admitted without hesitation. "Some of them are so powerful it's suffocating."
For example, the great battle between the red-haired Sand ninja and Naruto Uzumaki was a scene that they, the other rookies, couldn't even imagine.
"Shino is also very strong," Torune said softly, watching his cousin put away the insects. "To be able to make it to the main tournament of the third exam..."
"I wouldn't say that," Shino replied, shaking his head. "To be honest, I don't think I can defeat my opponent in the second round. I can only take it one step at a time."
"That's normal," Torune said, unbothered by his cousin's discouragement. "Even I have heard of Naruto Uzumaki's achievements. That little guy's strength is indeed very strong."
Extremely strong, more like it, Torune thought. He had access to a lot of intel and knew that Root had suffered heavy losses—more than half of their special jonin and jonin had become casualties, all because of Naruto.
Shino shook his head with some hesitation. "From what I know of you, you don't usually say these things."
"Perhaps it's because I'm worried," Torune said softly, crossing his arms. "I can't go watch the main tournament, nor can I help you train..."
His body was full of deadly poison. Even Shino's own insects could be poisoned to death. Training together could easily cause heavy losses for Shino.
"No, I'm already very happy that you came." Shino took a deep breath and waved the small cage in his hand. "And you've already helped me."
They hadn't seen each other in a long time, not since they were separated many years ago.
Torune couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. Since joining Root, a smile had become a rare luxury for him.
After a moment, Torune's expression shifted, and he asked softly, "Shino, what is your relationship with Naruto Uzumaki?"
"...It's alright, I guess?" Shino recalled his time in the ninja academy. His relationship with Naruto was just okay. At times, they were even partners in rule-breaking.
After all, Naruto had helped Shino understand that the insects he raised in his body had other uses... like scaring girls.
-----
Time passed quickly.
The feudal lord and officials from the Land of Fire, along with leaders of other small ninja villages, arrived one after another. The most important figure among them was Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage of the Sand Village. His appearance signified the strong alliance between the Sand Village and Konoha.
The Fourth Kazekage arrived in Konoha on the eve of the Chunin Exams, earlier than expected. This was likely due to the recent incident involving the One-Tail, Shukaku, rampaging inside Gaara.
In the Hokage's office, the Konoha high council believed the Fourth Kazekage's visit was a symbol of peace.
When they mentioned the specifics of the Chunin Exams, the Fourth Kazekage's face even showed some apology. "We admit that our One-Tail Jinchuriki may lose control. Fortunately, someone defeated Gaara in the preliminaries, saving us from losing face in front of our feudal lord..."
"It's alright," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied magnanimously. "As an ally, we will provide the Sand Village with any help we can."
"We are deeply grateful," Rasa said, nodding humbly before changing the subject. "But as far as I know, the one who defeated Gaara is also Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, correct?"
Hiruzen picked up his pipe but didn't answer. Naruto's identity wasn't a secret; any well-informed ninja in the world knew about it, and the Fourth Kazekage was no exception. The problem was that the Sand Village, supposedly an affiliate of Konoha, had investigated Naruto's situation so thoroughly. The alliance between their villages was still active. At this critical moment, what was the Sand Village's purpose in bringing up the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?
Hiruzen tapped his pipe and continued in a deep voice, "Please speak your mind, Lord Kazekage. Our main goal is to ensure the Chunin Exams can be held safely."
"I believe the final tournament should prohibit the appearance of Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..." The Fourth Kazekage's words sounded strangely prophetic. He scanned everyone present and said softly, "To ensure the safety of the feudal lords and village leaders, we must prepare in advance to avoid a Tailed Beast rampage."
"Lord Kazekage," Hiruzen interrupted him, his voice firm. "I must remind you of one thing. Naruto Uzumaki defeated the Sand Village's One-Tail Jinchuriki head-on. The seal on his body has always been flawless..."
"Let's be direct!" The Fourth Kazekage tapped his teacup. "I'm not afraid of you laughing at us. We are just worried that if something goes wrong, it will affect our missions for the new year..."
"Hmm?" Hiruzen looked at Rasa in surprise. "Since the end of the Great Ninja War, does the Sand Village still receive missions?"
If he remembered correctly, ever since the Sand Village was defeated at the Battle of Kikyo Pass in the Third Great Ninja War, the Land of Wind's feudal lord had been giving all large-scale missions to Konoha...
The Fourth Kazekage couldn't help but give an awkward laugh. "..."
-----
Bonus:
Fourth Kazekage: We must ban the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
Hiruzen Sarutobi: Give me a reason...
Fourth Kazekage: It's too dangerous. If the feudal lord or officials get hurt, our Sand Village's finances and mission volume for the new year will be in trouble...
Hiruzen Sarutobi: Hmm? Your village still gets missions?
Fourth Kazekage: ...
Hiruzen Sarutobi: Lord Kazekage, is something troubling you? Did we hit a sore spot?
Fourth Kazekage (thinking):This has nothing to do with me, I'm just a fake. The Sand Village is really trash, hasn't changed at all after all these years!