For this joint Chūnin Exams with Kumo, Konoha dispatched a total of twenty-seven ninja. Among them, Yūgao Uzuki and Gekkō Hayate had been added personally by Tsunade, which meant several teams needed to be reshuffled.
That, however, was hardly an issue.
It was rare for squads to maintain their original lineups after graduation—especially over the past few turbulent years, when conflicts between ninja villages had been frequent and relentless.
Tsunade had added precisely two people for a reason. With them included, the roster neatly formed nine full teams. As for how to arrange them, Roshi gave it a brief thought. Spotting a few familiar names, he decisively grouped Iruka, Hayate, and Yūgao together into a new squad.
The three were roughly the same age, essentially from the same graduating class. Compatibility wouldn't be an issue, and integration would be smooth.
Once the basic team assignments were finalized, Roshi left the remaining coordination to Hayate and Yūgao, instructing them to find Iruka themselves and explain the situation.
There was no need for him to micromanage such details.
Leading the delegation to Kumo also conveniently fulfilled one of Roshi's personal objectives. He planned to take advantage of this extended mission outside the village to search for tree species with unique traits or research value.
The journey was expected to last nearly two months across the Land of Lightning and its neighboring regions. The generous schedule would allow ample time for surveys and sample collection along the way.
When Roshi returned to the Senju house to organize his belongings, Itachi paid him a visit.
"Captain."
Roshi paused what he was doing and turned toward him.
"I'm here about Enjin," Itachi explained. "Today, he submitted another request. He's asking to be temporarily detached from the squad so he can independently investigate further clues related to the disappearance of Fuwa and the others' Sharingan."
Roshi didn't hesitate. "At this point, any investigation would be meaningless. Too much time has passed."
Itachi nodded. Even within the Uchiha clan—who valued the Sharingan above all else—it was understood how difficult it was to uncover results from a cold case this old. Basic logic alone made that clear.
"Other than submitting requests," Roshi asked after a moment's thought, "has he had any unusual contact with anyone?"
Itachi shook his head. "Since his negligence led to the loss of his comrades' Sharingan, Enjin has been extremely withdrawn. He speaks little at clan gatherings and formal occasions."
"His daily interactions with other clan members have dropped sharply compared to before."
Roshi understood immediately.
Suspicion—his suspicion—had already spread within the clan. Even if most members didn't fully believe it, mere rumors were enough to deal a heavy blow to someone like Enjin, who regarded the honor of the Uchiha as sacred.
Whether it was incompetence leading to dereliction of duty or the shadow of ulterior motives, either was sufficient to erode his standing and silence his voice among his peers.
So this was his plan.
To restore his reputation and reclaim his place by producing results—through an external mission, beyond the village's walls.
—
Reconciling decades' worth of Village financial records alone, while simultaneously answering periodic inquiries from the Hokage Office regarding specific expenditures, was a form of torment Danzo had never anticipated.
He hadn't expected Tsunade to be so… creative.
She never explicitly placed him under house arrest. Instead, she buried him beneath an endless mountain of tedious yet "reasonable" paperwork, each task justified, each request procedurally flawless.
Citing confidentiality, she ensured he remained under constant Anbu surveillance without ever stating it outright.
It was a method so clean that even Koharu and Homura found no grounds to object. As a senior advisor—and someone deeply involved in many historical decisions and financial flows—it was entirely appropriate for Danzo to review old accounts.
The only questionable aspect was denying him any assistance. Even that, however, could be brushed aside with a single phrase:
"Confidentiality."
At first, Danzo didn't grasp Tsunade's true intent.
But he understood soon enough.
She had officially begun moving against Root.
After the initial surge of anger subsided, Danzo found himself surprisingly calm.
After all, he had already made preparations for this day.
When Danzo finally completed another batch of reconciled accounts and submitted the neatly organized documents, he calculated that Tsunade had, at last, exhausted this excuse for restricting his movements.
With that thought in mind, he awaited the next day.
What greeted him instead were several Anbu—along with a few more large boxes cradled in their arms.
Danzo's fingers twitched.
"What is this now?" he asked coldly, forcing the anger in his chest back down. "Does the Hokage have more 'issues' that require this old man's clarification?"
The Anbu captain replied without a change in expression.
"By Lady Tsunade's order, these are compiled case files from the past twenty years—missions where intelligence sources were unclear, records incomplete, or conclusions questionable."
"Given your familiarity with historical intelligence operations, you are specially requested to reorganize and review them, clarify the context, and submit a written report to the Hokage Office."
As before, citing the sensitivity of the material, the Anbu remained stationed at Danzo's side the moment the boxes were set down.
The pen in Danzo's hand snapped cleanly in two.
Ledgers first. Intelligence next.
And after that?
—
The Konoha delegation for the Chūnin Exams—twenty-eight people in total, Roshi included—quietly departed.
According to the planned route, the teams camped within the Land of Fire on the first day. On the second, Roshi deliberately chose Yugakure as their stopover.
The last time he had visited the Hot Water Village was the year before, when he had come in search of Tsunade, hoping to persuade her to return to Konoha and assume the mantle of Hokage.
Returning now, Yugakure felt like an entirely different place.
It had been two years since Konoha and Kumogakure formally ceased hostilities. After Kumogakure sent participants to last year's Chūnin Exams, all border outposts and forward forces had withdrawn fully back into their respective territories.
Yugakure—situated along a major transit route between the two countries—had benefited immensely from this.
Already transitioning into a spa town and recuperation hub, Yugakure accelerated its development this year. All ninja training grounds and mission facilities were relocated deeper into the Village's core, while the outer districts were redesigned as sightseeing and leisure zones for tourists and merchants.
As a result, even a Konoha jōnin leading over twenty genin through the streets only drew a few curious glances—no scrutiny, no inquiries.
Unlike Chūnin Exams hosted at home, cross-village participation was classified as a public-service mission. The village reimbursed a portion of travel expenses—typically food and lodging for genin.
As team leader, Roshi was, of course, fully covered.
Hayate, Yūgao, and their temporary teammate, Iruka, received the same treatment.
After settling everyone into the hot spring inn, Roshi found himself genuinely thankful to Kumogakure.
Official mission. Scenic environment. All expenses paid.
It almost felt absurd.
Was this really the Ninja World—the place where teenagers either bled on battlefields or stayed up all night buried in paperwork?
With accommodations arranged, Roshi intended to try the inn's famous open-air hot springs. On the way, he ran into Hayate and Iruka, both carrying wooden wash basins.
Naturally, the three went together.
As they walked, Roshi asked casually,
"By the way, Hayate—you have a Bloodline Limit, don't you?"
"Transparent Release, right?"
Iruka stopped dead, staring at Hayate in disbelief.
Hayate coughed into his sleeve. "Cough—cough—Captain… cough. Yūgao can sense it."
He glanced away weakly.
"Please don't… people might actually die."
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