Chapter 560: Konoha Hosts a Joint Chunin Exam
After Riori Uzumaki saw the list, she immediately forgot all about being "abandoned."
She ignored Neji's group of three and, without even saying goodbye to Ishiro, rushed out of the Tsuchikage's office.
The four people left in the room didn't need to guess; they all knew she was rushing to the Ninja Academy to find her three new disciples.
Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes and said to Ishiro, "Lord Tsuchikage, Yakumo and the other two haven't even graduated yet, have they?"
Ishiro said, "Alas, if even you could graduate early, Kurotsuchi-chan, what's to say about Sakura and the other two?"
"Sakura-chan became my disciple even earlier than Karin-chan, you know."
Kurotsuchi: "..."
Kurotsuchi shot Ishiro a glare, grit her teeth, and said, "I'm going to train."
With that, she also stormed off, just like Riori.
Neji-kun looked worried. "Ishiro-sensei, Yakumo's physical constitution is much weaker than a normal person's. Is it really okay to put her with Riori-neechan?"
Ishiro waved his hand. "Don't worry. Didn't the three of you survive her just fine?"
Neji-kun: "..."
Karin-chan: "..."
Neji-kun joined the ANBU as he wished.
Kurotsuchi, on the other hand, chose to become a regular squad leader. After a year of missions with Riori Uzumaki, she had gotten used to selecting missions and planning logistics. It also gave her a more flexible schedule for her own training.
Karin-chan wanted to go to the hospital, but Ishiro assigned her to the ANBU.
Although her combat power wasn't at the Jonin level, her medical ninjutsu and sensory skills were more than enough for her to be a member of an elite ANBU squad.
Ishiro didn't want her to end up as just a researcher in the medical department.
Less than an hour after Riori Uzumaki's "First Squad" was disbanded, her "Second Squad" was formed.
Sakura Haruno, Shion, and Yakumo Kurama were dragged out of the Ninja Academy by Riori Uzumaki, all three looking completely bewildered.
Before they even knew what was happening, Riori-sensei began teaching them the legendary "Fire Row Technique."
...
About a month after Sakura-chan's group graduated early, Ishiro received intel that Konoha's Uchiha survivor, Sasuke Uchiha, had also graduated early.
Sasuke graduating meant Naruto-kun had graduated at the same time.
In the original story, Naruto-kun's class was in the Academy for six years because Konoha, after more than a decade of peace, was not short on ninja.
But in this timeline, Konoha's situation was much worse, and they were clearly lacking in numbers.
Therefore, Konoha's Ninja Academy, just like Iwagakure's, now only ran for five years.
Factoring in graduating a year early, Naruto-kun and Sasuke were graduating two years younger than in the original story.
In any case, with the two saviors graduating early, the shinobi world was destined for turmoil.
Several days later. Tanzaku Quarters, Land of Fire.
The place where Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had their reunion in the original story.
In this life, Ishiro and Danzō were meeting here.
When they met, Ishiro first called his three disciples—Aono Shinichi, Shizuka Minamoto, and Rion—to his side.
Ishiro carefully inspected them. After confirming they had no cursed seals on their bodies, he said, "Alright, you've learned a lot following Hokage-dono for the past six months. It's time to come back to the village."
Hearing this, the three of them cheered.
Although their minds were more mature than their peers, they were still young. They had been tossed to the "Darkness of the Shinobi" right after graduation and had been with him for half a year. Forgetting about going home, just the thought of leaving Danzō was enough to make them ecstatic.
Danzō waited with rare patience. Only when Ishiro was finished did he speak. "Tsuchikage-dono, I am about to launch the plan. Are you certain Iwagakure will not participate?"
Ishiro waved his hand, creating the usual porcelain barrier between them, and closed his eyes.
Only then did he speak. "Hokage-dono, I've said it before, Iwagakure is a peace-loving village. This is Konoha's internal affair. I will not interfere.
"But I promise you: no matter the outcome, I will not use this as an excuse to declare war on Konoha. You have my word as Tsuchikage."
Ishiro said this, of course, to dispel any of Danzō's lingering doubts.
If Danzō thought Ishiro was just waiting in the wings as an oriole, he might abandon the Konoha Crush Plan. That would be bad.
As expected, Danzō, though disappointed, firmed his resolve.
Ishiro then changed the subject. "However, if you choose your timing well, I can help you tie down Kiri."
Danzō's eyes narrowed. "What timing are you referring to?"
Ishiro smiled. "For example... having Konoha host a Joint Chunin Exam."
"During the third round of the exams, in front of all the nobles and merchants... how about making your move then?"
"I can attend in person as the Tsuchikage. That way, even if I do nothing, Kakashi will be forced to pay attention to me. I can tie down at least one Kage for you... most likely the Mizukage."
Danzō thought for a moment, then asked, "And you have a way to make Kakashi host a Joint Chunin Exam?"
Ishiro smiled. "Of course not. As I said, I won't interfere in Konoha's internal affairs. But... I believe you have that ability, Hokage-dono. If you can't even manage that, then I don't think you should bother. You'd just be walking to your death."
Danzō snorted, annoyed at being underestimated.
"I will make them host it," Danzō said. "But no one is going to invite you."
Ishiro waved his hand. "That's fine. It doesn't matter if I'm not invited. I'll just show up unannounced."
Aono Shinichi-kun, Shizuka Minamoto-chan, and Rion-chan: ...
They had thought Danzō was shameless, but their own sensei was on another level. To be able to speak of "showing up unannounced" so naturally, and even with a hint of pride...
Danzō, however, didn't find it strange. For a politician, this was basic.
But he hadn't met Ishiro today just to confirm the timing.
He said, "Tsuchikage-dono, Iwa may not be participating in this operation, but you must still provide support."
His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
Ishiro fell silent. Danzō stood quietly.
They faced each other through the porcelain barrier. The pressure from the two of them, a Kage and a transcendent Kage, made the barrier itself tremble slightly.
Aono Shinichi and the others, feeling the pressure, swallowed and nervously scooted a few steps behind Ishiro.
Hearing them move, Ishiro glanced back, then relaxed his aura, closed his eyes, and said to Danzō, "Fine."
"I can provide a batch of explosive tags for your operation."
Danzō frowned, also relaxing his aura. He felt there was a catch, but explosive tags were a hard currency in the shinobi world.
Still, he asked, "Why do you always pay in explosive tags?"
Ishiro smiled. "Our Iwagakure's technology has advanced rapidly. Our production process for explosive tags has improved. We can produce them much faster and at a much lower cost. But the black market demand isn't high, so the village is stockpiled with them."
"If I gave you cash, my advisors would impeach me. But explosive tags? No one will object."
Danzō considered this. It made sense. And he had used Ishiro's tags before without issue. Furthermore, the idea of Iwa's high command being in disagreement... that, Danzō understood perfectly. Infighting was what a village's high command did.
He accepted the explanation.
However, he then expressed his dissatisfaction with the number of tags.
(Though he was inwardly stunned by Ishiro's generous offer, he still haggled.)
Ishiro "argued" but eventually "conceded."
In the end, Danzō received double the amount Ishiro had initially offered.
After settling the matter of the tags, Ishiro asked, "Hokage-dono, have you managed to recruit Orochimaru?"
"A word of advice. If he didn't agree, he will definitely act in the shadows against you."
Danzō said flatly, "He has already agreed."
Ishiro nodded. "Good. However, you may not know this, but I fought Orochimaru about half a year ago. He used Edo Tensei to summon six Kage-level shinobi."
Danzō's eyes hardened. "Six?"
He didn't quite believe it. He knew Edo Tensei wasn't about numbers. Controlling them was difficult. He could only handle two at a time; any more and his control would be sloppy.
And for Kage-level ninja, "sloppy" was a fatal opening.
Yet Orochimaru could summon six... It was clear Orochimaru's understanding of the jutsu far surpassed his own.
Sensing Danzō's shock, Ishiro said, "So... I was just thinking... if you got the chance, using Kotoamatsukami on Orochimaru would be a very good idea."
Danzō's eyes narrowed. The thought had crossed his mind the moment he heard "six Kage." But he was annoyed that Ishiro had read his mind.
He snorted, then, as if remembering something, asked, "Who won that fight?"
Ishiro just huffed, didn't answer, and turned to leave with his disciples.
He left only one parting shot: "Orochimaru very likely knows about Kotoamatsukami."
Long after the porcelain barrier fell, Danzō remained standing, frowning in thought.
On the way back to the village, Rion-chan asked, "Ishiro-sensei, did you lose that fight?"
Ishiro shook his head. "No, I won."
Rion-chan was confused. "Then... why did you act like that?"
Ishiro didn't answer. He just asked, "What do you three think?"
The three of them, all sharp, immediately realized what had happened.
Shizuka Minamoto-chan was the quickest. "Ishiro-sensei... you want Danzō to use his first Kotoamatsukami on Orochimaru?"
Ishiro nodded. "Correct. But your reactions were too slow. It's normal for Danzō to be fooled, he's in the thick of it. But you three, as observers, failed."
The three of them looked down, all thinking the same thing: Ishiro-sensei, your heart is truly the blackest.
Ishiro then asked, "So, what did you learn from following Danzō for half a year?"
Aono Shinichi-kun spoke first. "Danzō has already recruited many Konoha ninja. His targets are always precise. He's done his homework on every person, and he rarely fails."
Rion-chan said, "He's ruthless, but his arguments when recruiting civilian-born ninja are very practical and persuasive."
Shizuka Minamoto-chan added, "He only ever took us to the 'successful' negotiations. I think... he's trying to give us the illusion that his prestige is high and that everyone in Konoha is answering his call. He's trying to increase his bargaining chips with us."
Ishiro listened as they flew, analyzing Danzō's personality, his recruitment numbers, and even comparing his forces to Kakashi's.
He nodded, satisfied. "Good. You've made some progress. As a commander of a ninja army, negotiation and scheming are necessary skills. I can't teach you much about that, but learning from Danzō is a good start."
"Alright, next, you'll continue your previous studies. When we get back to the village, I will demonstrate every ninjutsu I know. Your mission is to use these jutsu to create unconventional, 'weak-beats-strong' combat scenarios. You will each submit... twenty scenarios. I will have our ninja test them. If the 'weaker' side wins in over 80% of your scenarios, you pass."
"As for the time limit..." Ishiro added, "let's say three days, starting after I finish my demonstration."
"What? Only three days?!" the three exclaimed.
They knew it was useless to argue, so they immediately began discussing plans.
"Ishiro-sensei," Shizuka-chan asked, "can it be a team battle?"
"Of course," Ishiro smiled. "Team battles, one-on-one, you set the scene. As long as the weak side wins."
"Ishiro-sensei," Rion-chan asked, "what are the requirements for the 'strength gap'?"
Ishiro gave them a kindly smile. "No requirements. As long as I'm satisfied. As for what satisfies me... you'll have to guess!"
Rion: "..."
The three decided that talking to Ishiro-sensei was a waste of time and went back to their planning.
When they returned, Ishiro demonstrated all his jutsu for them, including his Kekkai Genkai and Kekkai Tōta, and even had them experience his genjutsu.
He then put them in a lab. They were too busy to even go home.
Ikura, who had arranged the lab, privately said to Ishiro, "They just got back after half a year. Isn't this too hard on them?"
Ishiro said, "That's the point. A battlefield commander must remain completely calm and focused, no matter the distraction. Even if their home is being invaded, they must be emotionless. If they can't do this, I will never give them real command."
Ikura sighed. "I understand... but they're just kids. They've only been genin for a year."
Ishiro looked at the sunset. "We're running out of time. If I had recruited them ten years ago, it wouldn't matter. But now... the peace won't last much longer."
Ikura rolled his eyes. "What are you scheming now?"
Ishiro smiled. "Konoha is about to host a Joint Chunin Exam. Get a few genin squads ready for me. I might need them."
Ikura was confused. "That's not right. Konoha's exam for this year is already over. It was around the same time as ours. Why would they host another one?"
"Not this year," Ishiro said. "Probably early next year. The exact time is still uncertain."
Ikura took a deep breath. "Something is going to happen at this exam, isn't it? And... it sounds like you're the one who pushed for it? And you're planning to go yourself?"
Ishiro didn't answer. "You just need to be ready."
Ikura dropped it.
Ishiro changed the subject. "Ikura, I need to get back to my five-nature fusion training. You'll be in charge of testing their scenarios. Be strict."
Ikura, though exasperated, nodded.
After a moment, he said, "Be careful with that fusion, Ishiro. Don't rush. I don't know where this sense of urgency is coming from, but know your limits."
Ishiro patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. I was in a bad state for a while, but I'm better now. I was worried I couldn't continue. But... every time Neji-kun has a 'quickening,' my Yin Release improves. I'm not worried for the time being."
Ikura just looked at him and said no more.
Not long after, somehow, Danzō pulled it off.
The Konoha high command announced they would host a Joint Chunin Exam in one month.
Invitations were sent to Kiri, Kumo, the Snake Pit Village, and other small, unaffiliated villages.
Kiri and Kumo, though confused by the timing, replied that as allies, they would attend.
Orochimaru, surprisingly, also accepted immediately.
The smaller nations, like the Land of Birds, Land of Grass, and Land of Fields, were prompted by Iwa and also agreed to attend.
Even the demoted Sunagakure said they would be there.
The strange thing was, not only did the other villages not understand why Konoha was doing this... Konoha didn't know why.
Kakashi, busy training, was clueless. But even Shikaku Nara and the other clan leaders, who were actually running the village, were completely baffled.
They only found out they had sent invitations after they started receiving RSVPs.
All of Konoha's high-level leaders—minus Kakashi—gathered, looking at each other in stunned silence.
Finally, Shinku Yūhi (Kurenai's father) said, "It was genjutsu. Someone here was controlled."
Inoichi Yamanaka added, "Worse than that. The enemy must have people inside, and many of them. Several departments must have been infiltrated."
They had all suspected this, but hearing it said aloud sent a chill down their spines.
(End of Chapter)
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