Inside the Hokage Tower's second-floor conference hall.
Molten golden light streamed in along the window frames, making the room feel slightly stuffy. Dust drifted through the columns of sunlight, swirling and scattering in the air.
Several hundred Konoha shinobi in military-green flak jackets stood below, watching as Hiruzen and Konome Taketori walked shoulder to shoulder onto the raised platform. A few ninja hiding toward the back could not help whispering among themselves.
In the past, Hiruzen rarely held meetings with an ANBU operative at his side. Even when he did, that person would stand half a step behind him, making the hierarchy unmistakably clear.
But this mysterious ANBU on the platform was standing beside the Hokage, even slightly closer to the center position.
That was highly unusual.
"Who is that masked ANBU?" the gaunt-faced shinobi asked again in a low voice.
"My nephew says that's an ANBU captain."
The man whose face had turned red earlier from being exposed for bragging quickly offered up a fresh lie he had just invented, clearly unable to break his old habit.
This time, however, no one argued.
Instead, everyone nodded with enlightened expressions.
That explanation sounded much more reasonable.
Hearing that, Genma Shiranui, Anko Mitarashi, Ibiki Morino, and the others who knew the truth all curled their lips in secret. The leader of Root held far more authority than some ANBU captain.
An ANBU captain might theoretically command the ANBU, but in truth had to consult the Hokage on everything, with no real autonomy at all. They were still only executors of orders.
Danzo, the former Root leader, on the other hand, had carried the titles of Elder Advisor and Hokage Assistant. He had belonged to Konoha's ruling class.
The difference in status was enormous. Even if the leadership had changed hands now, that gap would not vanish.
If anything, the opposite was true.
The fact that this new leader had been able to force out the Hokage's own assistant and even drive him from Konoha showed just how iron-fisted and extraordinary her position was.
"Ahem..."
When he heard the murmur spreading through the hall, Hiruzen pretended to clear his throat. The hushed buzzing from the rear immediately stopped.
Satisfied, he nodded, then looked toward the cold-faced Konome Taketori beside him, his expression deeply complicated.
Once, he had imagined that his disciple might one day surpass him.
He had never imagined it would happen so quickly.
He had not even had time to prepare himself before she had already thrown him far behind, beyond his ability to even follow.
Then again, perhaps that was for the best.
If Konoha were handed over to Konome Taketori, perhaps she might truly restore the village to the brilliance it once had.
Thinking back to Konoha under Hashirama Senju, when it had towered over all opposition, Hiruzen's gaze deepened as he sank briefly into memory.
"Yato, begin."
He stepped half a pace back, yielding the central position on the platform to Konome Taketori. As the chief proctor of the Chunin Exams, she was the true focus of this meeting.
The Yang Release split body nodded. Her gaze paused for a brief instant on Kakashi and Guy before moving away just as quickly. Then she looked down over the crowd and spoke in a clear voice.
"I am Yato, the chief proctor of this Chunin Exam. Under the Third Hokage's order, I am responsible for all matters related to this examination. This meeting will likewise be presided over by me."
A wave of noise spread below.
Terms like "Yato" and "proctor" rose one after another, and certain particularly well-informed shinobi even began bringing up stories about the warning line, Ao, the Byakugan, and more.
Kakashi and the others in the crowd quietly pricked up their ears to listen. When they learned that the forest-splitting, earth-rending spectacle outside the village had all been her doing, they finally understood why Asuma had been so wary. Even Kakashi's dead-fish eyes grew more serious when he looked up at her.
Only Guy scratched at his bowl-cut hair. He thought the voice sounded strangely familiar, yet for the moment could not place it.
After introducing herself, Konome Taketori paused briefly to give everyone time to digest it. Once the exchange below had settled down, she continued.
"Before this exam officially begins..."
"Wait!"
Before the meeting could truly start, someone interrupted.
Konome Taketori could not help frowning. She still preferred Root shinobi. They were efficient, obedient, and never wasted time.
The crowd parted automatically.
A handsome young man with long black hair stepped out from among them. His forehead was smooth and bare, and when he looked up at Konome Taketori, his pale white eyes gleamed.
"I heard that Proctor Yato killed Ao of Kirigakure and retrieved the Byakugan that the Hyuga clan lost. Is this true?"
At once, the eyes of everyone below began darting about.
They all understood perfectly well what he meant. He wanted Yato to return the Byakugan. Years ago, the Uchiha had done much the same thing over Kakashi's Sharingan.
Some of the more experienced shinobi even turned to glance at Kakashi's covered eye, as if waiting to see his reaction.
"Why is everyone looking at me?"
Noticing Asuma, Guy, and Kurenai all sneaking glances his way, Kakashi's mouth twitched slightly.
He had indeed had a little friction with the Uchiha back then, but Minato had still been alive, and the Uchiha clan head's wife had also been close friends with his sensei's wife. In the end, the other side had chosen to let the matter slide out of respect for that relationship.
There had not actually been as much drama as the outside world liked to imagine.
Unaware of Kakashi's private annoyance, Konome Taketori narrowed her eyes as she looked at the smooth forehead of the young man below and the Konoha forehead protector deliberately wrapped around his arm. A sharp chill flickered at the edge of her gaze.
"It is true. What of it?"
Apparently failing to notice the frost in her voice, Hyuga Akira maintained a mild smile.
"I would not dare call it instruction. Since Proctor Yato helped our Hyuga clan recover the Byakugan, I, on behalf of the Hyuga main family, offer you our sincerest gratitude."
With that, he clasped his fists together in front of his chest and bowed.
As expected of the Hyuga.
They really did know how to dress up their words. The courtesy was impeccable, impossible to criticize. More than a few shinobi in the hall silently admired it.
Hyuga Akira had not come out swinging and demanding the eye back.
Instead, he had used softness to hide steel, subtly turning Yato's spoils of war into an act of "recovering" what belonged to the Hyuga.
As the saying went, you could not slap a smiling face. The Hyuga had arrived all smiles and perfect manners, assuming the moral high ground. If Yato responded harshly, she would become the one in the wrong. At that point, whether the Hyuga chose words or force, they would have plenty of justification.
On the stage, Hiruzen's eyes were deeply lined, but he said nothing.
Since he had already decided that the village would be hers one day, if she could not handle even such a small trick as this, then... well... even so, he would still have to hand it to her. There was only one new God of Shinobi in the entire world. If he did not let her become Hokage, what if she simply left for another village?
"Ha."
Looking at the polished false smile on Hyuga Akira's face, Konome Taketori let out a light laugh.
The Hyuga main family's Gentle Fist was mediocre, but this sort of empty social maneuvering had clearly been polished to perfection. No wonder the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki had all produced top-tier monsters, while the Hyuga only ever hovered in that awkward middle ground.
Hearing the laugh from the platform, Hyuga Akira's carefully maintained smile stiffened.
"What do you mean by that, Proctor Yato?"
So that was all it took for the mask to crack.
Konome Taketori shook her head. It seemed even all this polished performance art had never truly mastered its own craft.
"You do not represent the Hyuga. If the Hyuga want the Byakugan back, let Hyuga Hiashi come to me himself."
"You...!"
Hyuga Akira's eyes turned sharp and his handsome features darkened.
Ever since the Uchiha massacre, the Hyuga had become Konoha's undisputed number one clan. As a member of the exalted main family, he lived every day above others, both outside and within the clan itself. This was the first time he had ever met a shinobi who was this utterly unreasonable.
But remembering where he was, he did not explode. Instead he flicked his sleeve and said in a cold voice, "Then I will certainly pass those words along. But where, exactly, should he come to find you?"
The sharp tone was thick with gunpowder. It sounded less like a polite inquiry and more like a warning that he intended to come back with reinforcements.
Water. Fire. Oil.
All three.
Below the stage, the audience of Konoha shinobi were tense. To the many ordinary shinobi who believed in the Will of Fire, Konome Taketori's behavior felt overly severe.
Only Hiruzen remained silent, his face unreadable.
Since he had chosen her, he would let her handle it.
"Tell Hiashi this," Konome Taketori said coolly. "I'll be waiting in the ANBU Training Department."
"I will deliver the message."
Hyuga Akira did not know what the ANBU Training Department really was, but it hardly sounded like some forbidden abyss. He offered a stiff salute with a cold expression, then turned and retreated into the crowd.
Many jōnin and elite jōnin in the room began looking at him strangely.
ANBU Training Department?
That was Root.
Had he really agreed to that so quickly without even asking Hiashi first?
Kakashi privately thought Hyuga Akira had just sold out his clan head. Most people had only heard of Root, but Kakashi knew perfectly well what sort of lunatics inhabited that place.
They had experimented on Hashirama's corpse. They had even attempted to assassinate the Third Hokage. If the Hyuga main family really dared to step into Root, they might very well come out missing a Byakugan.
Genma and Anko were even more amused. They had no particular grudge against the Hyuga, but who would not enjoy watching someone else fall into the same pit they themselves had once stumbled into?
The little episode with Hyuga Akira quickly ended.
"Then, before the Chunin selection exam officially begins, let all those responsible for the new genin step forward."
At once, the elite jōnin clustered in the back moved to the front as one.
Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi stood in a line.
"Do you have any candidates to recommend for this exam? You know the requirements, I assume. Only shinobi who have completed at least eight missions may enter."
As she spoke the lines that normally would have belonged to Hiruzen, Konome Taketori looked at Kakashi's solemn face and nearly laughed again.
Her original body had lived with him day in and day out for five years. Those memories were synced into her as well.
She knew him too well.
She could find every single one of the little orange books he had hidden in the rafters, under the bed, beneath the pillow, inside drawers. Even the little secret cash stash he kept tucked away in the ceiling beams could not escape her eyes.
Now every time she saw him trying to look serious, all she could picture was Kakashi's utterly unreliable side. It was hard not to crack.
"We'll start with Jōnin Kakashi."
Suppressing the urge to smile, she tilted her chin toward him.
In the crowd, Iruka swallowed nervously.
Though the Chunin Exam rules technically required only eight missions, genin usually needed far more practical experience before participating. And on top of that, this year's exam was clearly going to be monstrous. Aside from Konome Taketori, probably no one else should be entering, right?
Kakashi had already discussed it with Hiruzen. He had even filled out the application forms in advance.
"Kakashi's Team Seven. Konome Taketori. Uchiha Sasuke. Uzumaki Naruto. I, Hatake Kakashi, formally recommend these three to participate in the Chunin Selection Exam."
The moment he finished, Kurenai and Asuma followed immediately.
"Team Eight. Hyuga Hinata. Aburame Shino. Inuzuka Kiba. I, Yūhi Kurenai, recommend them for the Chunin Exam."
"Team Ten. Nara Shikamaru. Akimichi Choji. Yamanaka Ino. I, Sarutobi Asuma, recommend them for the exam."
At those declarations, the shinobi in the back immediately widened their eyes.
"All three teams?"
"New genin in the Chunin Exam. That hasn't happened in five years."
"Well, isn't it normal for Konome Taketori to participate? If not her, then who exactly is supposed to fight all those foreign shinobi?"
The crowd buzzed again. None of them had the slightest idea that the one they were discussing was standing right there on the platform, acting as Hokage representative and chief proctor all at once.
Behind them, Hiruzen looked entirely at ease.
No one understood the Chunin Exam better than he did. First place was already effectively decided. Since everyone else was going to be there anyway, they might as well gain some experience. With Konome Taketori present, what danger could possibly befall those children?
If the chief proctor cooperated with a little cheating, the top ten might all be Konoha's.
"Wait, Proctor Yato!"
Iruka could no longer hold back. He hurried forward.
"Perhaps I'm meddling where I shouldn't, but all nine of those examinees are my students. They are all talented, yes, but isn't it too early for them to take the exam now? They should be accumulating more practical experience first..."
"When I took the Chunin Exam, I was five years younger than they are now."
Kakashi's casual humblebrag made it sound even worse as he turned and started arguing with Iruka.
Drive out Danzo. Surpass Sarutobi-sensei.
And now here was Iruka-sensei, still arguing over whether she should be allowed to take the Chunin Exam.
Konome Taketori was suddenly speechless.
"All right. Don't waste everyone's time. Let them decide for themselves whether they want to register."
Hearing the order from the chief proctor, Iruka had no choice but to retreat back into the crowd, frustrated.
"Jōnin Shiranui, has the total number of examinees been compiled yet?"
Having settled her own registration matter, Konome Taketori finally moved on to the real point of the meeting.
Genma Shiranui, who was really just supposed to be a referee, clenched the senbon between his teeth and patted the crow-haired man standing beside him.
Yama-shiro Aoba adjusted his dark glasses, lifted his notebook, and read out loud.
"Report, Lady Yato. The count is complete. Including the nine new genin, Konoha has 87 participants. Sunagakure, 30. Kumogakure, 36. Iwagakure, 51. Kirigakure, 12. Amegakure, 21. Kusagakure, 12. Takigakure, 6. Yugakure, 12. Takumigakure, 6. Hoshigakure, 3. Otogakure, 10. Total: 286 participants."
A Chunin Exam with nearly three hundred participants.
Hearing such an absurd number, the gathered shinobi finally grasped just how insane this Five Nations Joint Exam truly was.
Iruka grew even more worried, already thinking that once the meeting ended, he would go back and try again to persuade Yato.
Only Konome Taketori let out a soft sigh.
Among those three hundred, there was her, a true super-kage. At the bottom were freshly graduated genin. In between were Kage-level monsters, jinchūriki, and elite jōnin in abundance. Taken together, the examinees could practically form a super-village of their own.
This was going to be fun.
"The exam will consist of two stages. The first stage, the written test, will be divided into three examination halls and will focus primarily on intelligence gathering..."
She stood on the stage, speaking fluently and steadily, while the various responsible personnel below rapidly took notes.
One after another, the rules, timing, and procedures for the exam were finalized in the meeting.
The written exam would begin the morning after tomorrow, at eight o'clock sharp.