Outside Konoha Village—near the main road at the village entrance
A massive construction project was already well underway.
The ground had been firmly compacted, and a sturdy steel framework outlined the unmistakable silhouette of a colossal circular stadium.
Within the construction zone, workers and shinobi proficient in Earth Release moved in coordinated rhythm.
Against this backdrop of controlled bustle, the Kumogakure's envoy entered Konoha.
At the head of the group was Dodai.
The moment his eyes fell upon the stadium taking shape beyond the village gates, he understood Konoha's position without a single word being exchanged.
Samui and Darui were also among the delegation.
Reception duties fell to the two Advisors—Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado.
For them, the rapid pace of recent developments was frankly overwhelming.
The last time relations with the Hidden Cloud had been this close felt like a distant era—back when the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, personally led his disciples to Kumogakure to negotiate an alliance with the Second Raikage.
That attempt had ended disastrously. Both villages lost their Kage, and whatever trust had existed was completely shattered.
Who could have imagined that, by Tsunade's generation, relations would thaw so abruptly—and through something as unexpected as the commercialization of joint Chūnin Exams?
Mutual participation. Shared hosting. Even the ability to temporarily set Sunagakure aside because of it.
To some extent, it was the Hidden Cloud's early recognition—and successful execution—of Chūnin Exam commercialization that cleared away many internal obstacles within Konoha, allowing its reform plan to move forward at unprecedented speed.
Senju House
Roshi crouched low, staring at the small patch of blackened ash before him.
Another failure.
After several days of careful cultivation using Wood Release, the selected Lightning-nature tree saplings had grown remarkably well.
Only then did he attempt to introduce a trace amount of Four-Tails chakra.
At first, the plant held.
Thirty seconds later, the Lava Release chakra erupted.
The internal heat ignited the sapling from within. Its slender trunk carbonized, fractured, and collapsed in a matter of seconds—leaving behind nothing but a small pile of ashes.
This was already the smallest quantity of Tailed Beast chakra he could control precisely.
Was the sapling still too young to withstand even that minimal external force?
But if he waited until it grew larger… it might already be too late.
Clearing away the remains, Roshi selected another sapling in a similar state—this time attempting to introduce Five-Tails chakra.
The outcome differed only in form.
Almost instantly, the Boil Release chakra's heat and pressure tore through the plant's internal structure. Its veins ruptured, flesh dissolving into a soft, bubbling paste.
After several consecutive failures, Roshi finally stopped.
Both Lava Release and Boil Release chakra were simply too violent—too destructive by nature.
Perhaps he needed to change direction.
Find a different Tailed Beast chakra that is more suitable.
As he traced potential alternatives in his notebook, deep in thought, a sudden call broke his concentration. Grandma Momoka's voice carried from the direction of the house.
Roshi stood, brushed the dirt from his hands, and headed back.
An Anbu wearing an animal mask waited silently by the door.
"Jōnin Roshi," the voice came calmly from behind the mask, "Hokage-sama requests your immediate presence at the Hokage Office."
Hokage Office
Tsunade wasted no time explaining why she had summoned him.
"The Hidden Cloud delegation has arrived," she said. "Dodai is leading them. They've already seen the situation outside the village."
"No objections so far. Their reaction was… calm."
"During the initial talks with Advisors Utatane and Mitokado, they were also very cooperative. Everything's proceeding smoothly."
Roshi raised an eyebrow slightly.
Before he left Kumogakure, Samui had been notably anxious about normalizing joint exams between the two villages.
Had the Hidden Cloud truly refrained from pushing for more long-term concessions?
"If their real objective isn't the Chūnin Exams," Roshi said thoughtfully, "then I assume they've come with something more concrete this time."
Tsunade nodded.
"After confirming this year's exam arrangements, Dodai presented a new proposal on behalf of the Hidden Cloud."
"They want to establish an additional exchange mechanism—one focused on practical combat."
"The proposal is for an annual event lasting roughly a month, where both sides send selected Chūnin and elite Genin for sparring and combat exchange."
After hearing this, Roshi couldn't help but laugh softly.
"So the exchange will be held at that venue outside Kumogakure, then?"
They weren't even pretending anymore—dropping the Chūnin Exam façade entirely and moving straight toward organized ninja combat competitions.
"Yes," Tsunade replied, rubbing her temple. "If we accept this, the nature of the cooperation changes completely."
"These 'matches' are essentially an arena."
"They're nothing like the Chūnin Exams."
And that, Roshi knew, was exactly the point.
"The proposal from the Hidden Cloud Village isn't entirely unworkable," Roshi said after a moment of thought.
He met Tsunade's gaze and began laying out his reasoning. "The key is not to overcomplicate things at the outset. We can start with a more flexible approach."
"A relatively stable option is to frame this practical exchange as a village-commissioned mission."
Handled that way, the selection and deployment of participants' guarantees and post-mission pensions would all fall neatly within Konoha's existing administrative system.
Working within established rules would spare the Village from scrambling to invent new frameworks, and it would also make the arrangement easier for our shinobi to understand and accept.
"That said," Roshi continued, "the question of where this exchange is held is still open."
"Based on Kumogakure's previous experience—and our own projections—once this activity matures, it could easily generate hundreds of millions in revenue."
"Even after accounting for various deductions, that's not a sum we can casually relinquish. If we allow Kumogakure to monopolize the venue long-term, we'd be handing over what could become the single largest source of profit. That doesn't align with Konoha's interests."
He paused, then summarized his position.
"My recommendation is to tentatively agree to Kumogakure's proposal, while making venue arrangements and profit distribution the core points of negotiation."
"There are also several details that must be clearly defined."
"Konoha shinobi participating in these exchanges would not be operating under the Chūnin Exams framework, nor would their performance factor into rank promotions."
"As such, the Village would need to pay mission rewards in accordance with standard dispatch procedures. That alone represents a substantial fixed cost."
"In addition, real combat exchanges will inevitably incur medical expenses—and in extreme cases, even long-term pensions. These risks must be accounted for in the total cost and clarified before any discussion of profit-sharing."
Konoha could not shoulder the manpower costs and operational risks, only to watch the majority of the profits flow to the Hidden Cloud by virtue of venue control.
Beyond economics, another point in Kumogakure's proposal deserved careful scrutiny: the phrase "dispatching a certain number of good shinobi and elite genin."
The term good shinobi was deliberately vague.
In theory, it usually referred to Chūnin. Strictly speaking, however, Special Jōnin also fell under that category. The scope needed to be clearly defined to avoid future disputes.
There were many such details still to be hammered out.
For a semi-public, semi-performance combat exchange between two Great Ninja Villages, the stakes went far beyond simple accounting. It involved external influence, implicit evaluations of each other's rising generation, and even clashes between different training philosophies and combat styles.
Naturally, such matters could only be settled gradually at the formal negotiating table.
"Kumogakure's proposal is valuable," Tsunade said at last.
She stood by the window, her eyes resting on the distant Hokage Rock.
"If this succeeds, it could create a new kind of bond between Konoha and Kumogakure—one that goes beyond ordinary mission cooperation."
"Long-term, stable exchanges like this may allow our relationship to develop in a much steadier direction."
She then turned to Roshi, her expression decisive.
"You represented Konoha in the Hidden Cloud previously and were well received. By protocol, the reception and liaison work for the Kumogakure delegation during their stay will fall to you."
"You've seen firsthand how they ran their Chūnin Exams, and you understand their operational thinking better than anyone else in the Village."
"Your presence will also convey our sincerity."
While Advisors Utatane and Mitokado were undoubtedly experienced, this was their first time dealing with the full commercialization of ninja combat. Roshi—armed with both planning experience and firsthand observation—was the natural bridge between the two sides.
"I understand," Roshi replied.
Leaving the Hokage Office behind, he stepped into the corridor and walked out, already turning the coming negotiations over in his mind.
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