Uzumaki Minami spoke naturally, although she and Kushina were friends and from the same clan; however, Uchiha Yoichi was her support, and her stance was naturally to stand by Uchiha Yoichi.
"Is the consumption that large? Sorry Minami, I'm not sure either..."
Kushina sighed and said, feeling very upset at heart, seeing her only hope dashed, not knowing what to do next.
The chance to revive Minato was almost impossible, and seeking revenge for him through training seemed too far-fetched. It looked like her only option was to raise Naruto... but no matter how she thought about it, Kushina felt somewhat unwilling.
Kushina herself didn't even realize that the negative energy from the Nine-tailed Chakra had deeply embedded itself into her heart; even Naruto's heart couldn't avoid the darkness influenced by the Asura Chakra, let alone an Uzumaki clan member with somewhat special Chakra.
Without the influence of the Asura Chakra, the negative emotions from the Nine-tailed Chakra would soon take root and amplify in Kushina's heart.
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This Chunin Exam was mainly for the peaceful exchange and to showcase Konoha's strength to the ninjas from small countries, yet they displayed enough courtesy towards the participating Genins from the Hidden Sand Village.
By the time the third round individual matches started, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and several Daimyos from smaller countries arrived, along with quite a few nobles and merchants to watch the competition.
The ninja games' popularity made many civilians want to see the ninja matches, as these were real-life ninjas, not just characters from the games.
Moreover, Uchiha Yoichi arranged for two commentators, but they wouldn't explain the effects of ninja Secret Techniques; they would only delay a few seconds to announce the results they saw, thus neither disrupting the fight below nor confusing the audience about the situation on the field.
Though Uchiha Yoichi was the Hokage Assistant, he wasn't with the Daimyo but found a box to watch with Mikota and Minami.
In the box, there were three little ones: Uchiha Itachi, Shiro, and Kimimaro. Itachi, after watching the match on the field for a while, couldn't resist coming back to hold Sasuke; while holding Sasuke, he also picked up Karin who was beside him.
"Father, Mother, Auntie Minami, I'm letting Karin and Sasuke watch the match too."
"Mm, thank you, Itachi."
Uchiha Yoichi spoke up, mentioning that Karin was already over a year old and had begun to remember things; when she turned three, she could start training, learning, and practicing Taijutsu, usually beginning at age three.
The matches on the field went on one after another, displaying tremendous excitement.
But today, the strongest Genin had to be Yugito, even without utilizing the Two-tailed's power, she surpassed many Chunin.
Moreover, this was without Uchiha Yoichi providing Yugito with Hashirama Cells or Sage Curse Seal to enhance her strength; if these were used, Yugito's current prowess could easily compare to a Jonin.
Once the third round individual matches ended, the Chunin Exam concluded as well.
Yugito won first place, deservedly becoming a Chunin.
Among the sixteen participants in the third round individual matches, as many as twelve became Chunin, leaving the other four due to insufficient strength.
This competition made everyone watch with great satisfaction, especially the outside gambling houses, as Uchiha Yoichi instructed Yugito not to display too much prowess, making many not realize her true potential through several matches.
The betting houses let Uchiha Yoichi earn a fortune, and two small country Daimyos left Konoha cursing.
Finally, when escorting the Land of Fire Daimyo away, Uchiha Yoichi also went.
"Lord Sakumo, Yang Clan Leader, Konoha has become so prosperous in such a short time; your governance abilities truly surprise me..."
Upon hearing the Daimyo's words, Hatake Sakumo quickly shook his head and said, "Lord Daimyo, this has nothing to do with me; the village's political reforms are all handled by Mr. Yoichi..."
He was mostly in charge of distributing confidential missions, and if he weren't afraid of Uchiha Yoichi getting upset and quitting, he would have handed over the confidential missions matter completely.
"I just relied on the Uchiha Trading Association to gradually make Konoha prosperous, but Lord Daimyo, the upcoming plan regarding the Land of Wind still needs coordination from the Daimyo Mansion; I'm confident that within two or three years, the Hidden Sand Village can be integrated."
Uchiha Yoichi said to the Land of Fire Daimyo, and on the road outside Konoha Village, it was only their group, surrounded by the Daimyo Mansion and Konoha people, so they could discuss freely.
The Daimyo's eyes brightened: "Have we begun taking action?"
"Pakura has already pledged allegiance to us, next as long as we strongly support her reputation and prestige, Pakura will lead the people of the Hidden Sand Village to ally with us. By then, without the Hidden Sand Village, the Land of Wind will just be history."
Uchiha Yoichi smiled and continued, "But this requires the cooperation of the Daimyo Mansion; try to block the Land of Wind's procurement of supplies, letting Pakura establish prestige through this method."
"Understood, I will let Masaaki cooperate with you, Yang Clan Leader."
The Land of Fire Daimyo said with a smile, as there's no one who doesn't wish for their power to expand. Back then, his grandfather also saw the alliance between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara and proactively approached them, providing construction and funding for Konoha Village.
This allowed the Land of Fire to rapidly expand from a small country to one of the Five Great Countries.
But afterward, the other four countries quickly caught on and supported the establishment of ninja villages that gathered ninja forces.
Although back then, his grandfather felt Konoha Village could eliminate other ninja villages and let the Land of Fire continue to expand, Senju Hashirama didn't have that intention, even though the Land of Fire was willing to fully support Senju Hashirama, he still refused.
Afterward, neither the Second Generation Hokage nor the Third Generation Hokage had that plan; while wars were initiated, they ultimately ended similarly, signing peace agreements, wasting national strength, exchanging for a dozen years of peace.
Now, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire finally sees hope for expanding the nation's territory.
After parting, the Land of Fire Daimyo then took his entourage back to the Capital.
Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Yoichi also began walking towards the village, on the way back, Hatake Sakumo asked, "Mr. Yoichi, do you have confidence in dealing with the Hidden Sand?"
Uchiha Yoichi nodded and said, "Absolutely confident, the Hidden Sand's national power is too weak, so weak that domestically it can't provide supplies; smoothly speaking, it can be integrated within three or four years..."
"If that's the case, Mr. Yoichi, why don't you become Hokage?"
Hatake Sakumo finished speaking and sighed, continuing, "Mr. Yoichi, hear me out first; you clearly see, although I can handle governance, the position of Hokage really doesn't suit me, I don't know what the village should do next, and that's the reason I rejected becoming Hokage..."
"Senior Sakumo, don't make excuses, I can assist you alongside."
"....."
Hatake Sakumo's face darkened, his well-thought emotional plea was suddenly interrupted; but after a few seconds of silence, he continued, "Mr. Yoichi, now you're just a step away from being Hokage, everyone in the village with discerning eyes knows you are the most suitable for Hokage, so don't refuse."
Uchiha Yoichi scrutinized Hatake Sakumo, realizing he truly didn't want to be Hokage, then said, "A bit more still, let me earn one more achievement, like capturing members of the Akatsuki Organization back... Recently there's been no intelligence on the Akatsuki Organization?"
"None, the Anbu and Hidden Rain Village's ninjas have captured all the Akatsuki Organization members in hiding but no trace of Nagato or Konan, they're certainly hidden in other nations."
Hatake Sakumo's attention also shifted, continuing, "Possibly hidden in small countries with few ninjas, I've already dispatched Anbu and commissioned Ninja Squads to investigate. If there's news, you'll be the first to know."
"Speaking of which, Mr. Yoichi, recently Jiraiya has been taking on missions very frequently, and his task completion efficiency is high, you might not have noticed, so I'm informing you..."