"Our position, Samui-san—you already sensed it the moment you saw the venue under construction outside the Village."
"At present, there are only three points that truly need to be settled: the arrangement of the venue, the distribution of profits, and the specific scope of participants."
That was all Roshi offered in response to her question. Without elaborating on any of the points, he smoothly shifted the conversation elsewhere.
"The details belong at the negotiating table. Konoha's scenery is quite different from Kumogakure's, and this season has its own charm."
As she followed Roshi deeper toward the forest, Samui quietly turned over the three points he had raised.
The venue.
The message was clear—Konoha had no intention of allowing future exchange activities to be permanently anchored to Kumogakure's venue alone.
Profit distribution.
This was where negotiations would truly become difficult. With Kumogakure already possessing a completed arena and operational experience, Konoha would inevitably demand a share that reflected both its investment and standing.
In truth, these two issues circled the same core.
Profit.
And that was precisely the point on which neither side would easily yield.
As for the third matter…
Samui's gaze settled on Roshi's back as she spoke again.
"Roshi, does Konoha have any more concrete considerations regarding the scope of participants?"
This was a foundational issue—and likely the first point where consensus could be reached.
Roshi didn't slow his pace.
"Chūnin."
He turned his head slightly, adding calmly, "Chūnin should be the upper limit."
The answer was entirely within Samui's expectations.
Jōnin represented a village's high-end combat power—future Kage candidates. Their intelligence was too valuable to risk exposure, and it would be inappropriate to place them in a setting that resembled an arena spectacle.
After that, their conversation drifted naturally. They spoke occasionally about the scenery along the road, or small details of daily life in Konoha. The atmosphere remained relaxed, and neither brought up negotiations again.
It wasn't until Roshi escorted Samui back near the inn—and they passed once more by the alley lined with artisan shops—that he stopped.
"Please wait a moment," he said.
He turned and entered the mask shop they had visited earlier.
When he returned, he was holding the fox mask Samui had examined so carefully before.
"Consider this a small token of Konoha's goodwill," Roshi said, offering it to her.
Entertainment expenses like this could be reimbursed according to regulations—and after all, he had received protein powder from the Raikage. It was only proper to reciprocate.
He made that point explicit.
"When I was in Kumogakure, I received a gift from Raikage-sama. Please take this as a return gesture."
Samui looked at the fox mask for a moment, then accepted it.
"Thank you," she said simply. "I'll take good care of it."
"You're welcome," Roshi replied with a nod. "I'll meet your delegation tomorrow morning and accompany you for the next part of the tour."
With that, the day's task was complete. Time to head home—and continue planting trees.
As Roshi disappeared around the corner, Samui lifted the white fox mask in her hands, studying it.
"…It does look pretty cool."
—
While Kumogakure and Konoha continued their negotiations over the new exchange framework, Sunagakure finally abandoned its wait-and-see stance.
Watching the relationship between Konoha and Kumogakure grow steadily closer, the Hidden Sand Village chose to act.
This time, the envoy wasn't Elder Chiyo.
It was Baki.
Yet even his arrival was overshadowed by another delegation that reached Konoha almost simultaneously.
"Zabuza Momochi…" Homura murmured as he read the report, a trace of emotion slipping into his voice. "The 'Demon of the Hidden Mist' has come as well."
"With this," he added quietly, "four of the Five Great Shinobi Villages have now openly expressed their intention to participate in the joint Chūnin Exams."
The quiet game unfolding beneath the surface was no longer subtle.
At this moment, the Advisors—along with the long-retired Hiruzen Sarutobi—were all gathered in Tsunade's office.
The unexpected arrival of the Hidden Mist delegation had pushed an already delicate situation into even more complicated territory.
"How is Kakashi's progress on integrating Root?" Koharu asked. "Even if the main venue for September's Chūnin Exams is outside the Village, the sheer number of foreign shinobi—especially those from the other three Great Shinobi Villages—will inevitably increase internal security pressure. Our routine vigilance and defensive forces must be reinforced. There can be no gaps."
Her implication was clear.
If Kakashi's manpower proved insufficient, or if the integration was progressing too slowly, perhaps Danzo—though officially retired—could be temporarily brought back to oversee certain security operations. After all, Root had been his domain for decades.
Hiruzen took a slow draw from his pipe, his voice steady and low.
"I trust Kakashi. With Anbu coordinating, safeguarding the village won't be an issue."
"If it comes to that," he added, "I will personally join Anbu patrols."
Tsunade stood by the window, arms crossed, gazing out at the bustling streets of Konoha below. She didn't speak right away.
In theory, there was no reason for concern.
Last year's joint Chūnin Exams—hosted with three villages—had concluded without incident. This year merely added the Hidden Mist to the list. By all logic, they had more experience and more thorough preparations.
And yet…
Nearly all of the Five Great Ninja Villages would now be gathered in one place.
That sheer concentration of power made even Tsunade uneasy.
"Send word to Jiraiya," she said at last. "Have him return as soon as possible. This isn't the time for him to be wandering around aimlessly."
—
What had initially been a straightforward assignment quickly became something else entirely.
Roshi, who had originally been tasked only with entertaining the Kumogakure delegation, found his workload spike sharply with the successive arrivals of envoys from the Hidden Sand and the Hidden Mist.
Since the Kumogakure incident two years ago, Roshi had already been responsible for Konoha's primary diplomatic contact with Sunagakure.
The Hidden Mist was much the same.
To ease the mounting pressure, Tsunade reassigned Izumo and Kotetsu to assist him. Together with Anko—freshly returned from leave—they formed a small team to handle the daily reception and coordination duties for the various delegations.
Formal negotiations with figures like Dodai were still led by Advisors Koharu and Homura. However, Roshi received detailed records and summaries immediately after each meeting.
For the most critical issues, he would then submit written analyses and recommendations to Tsunade and the Advisors, drawing on his own planning and long-term perspective.
At the same time, he used informal settings to convey Konoha's expectations—or quietly test the other side's limits—through private conversations with Samui.
After meeting a younger Zabuza—who had yet to claim the Kubikiribōchō—and completing the initial courtesy exchange, Roshi began delegating some of the day-to-day responsibilities related to the Hidden Mist delegation.
Those tasks were handed over to Izumo and Kotetsu.
Requests from the Hidden Mist to inspect the still-incomplete venue and to gain a deeper understanding of the Chūnin Exams' procedures and rules were well within the scope of Izumo and Kotetsu's experience, having participated in last year's exams themselves.
As for Anko, she was more than capable of assisting with miscellaneous duties—and kept the atmosphere from becoming too stiff.
With these arrangements in place, Roshi finally freed up a stretch of uninterrupted time.
Time he would need to deal properly with Baki—the envoy from the Hidden Sand Village.
And that, he knew, would be a negotiation of an entirely different nature.
—
Hokage Building—Conference Room
Baki sat rigidly in the guest chair, his back straight.
Across from him, Roshi appeared far more at ease, posture relaxed, expression unhurried.
"It's been two years since we last met, Baki-san," Roshi said pleasantly.
"Indeed," Baki replied carefully. "Jōnin Roshi, your responsibilities seem far heavier than before."
"And Elder Ebizō and Elder Chiyo?" Roshi asked. "Are they well?"
"Thank you for your concern," Baki answered patiently. "Both elders remain in good health."
He endured Roshi's polite—but clearly inconsequential—pleasantries for a while. Only when it became obvious that Roshi was perfectly content to let the small talk consume the allotted meeting time did Baki finally move to redirect the conversation.
"Regarding the upcoming joint Chūnin Exams and related matters," he said, his tone measured, "Sunagakure has some new considerations we hope to discuss openly with Konoha—our ally."
Roshi nodded slightly.
"Last year, Elder Chiyo indicated that Sunagakure would participate unconditionally in the joint Chūnin Exams hosted by Konoha for three years," he said lightly. "This is only the second."
Baki's expression grew solemn.
"Though it may seem shameless to raise this now, for the sake of our village's future, Sunagakure hopes to renegotiate certain terms with Konoha."
He paused briefly, then laid out his first point.
"By long-standing convention in the ninja world, joint Chūnin Exams are not meant to be held so frequently. The current pace exceeds what is normally required for inter-village exchange."
Roshi replied calmly, "Conventions are conventions. But the agreement reached last year—whether written or spoken—did not explicitly restrict how often the exams could be held."
Baki immediately followed, his tone easing.
"Precisely. That's why Sunagakure has no intention of accusing Konoha of violating the agreement."
"After all," he continued, "the Chūnin Exams have clearly evolved into a major event—one that brings both prestige and tangible profit."
"Even if Konoha were to leverage the agreement and host the exams three or four times a year, as long as they possess the capability, such actions fall within a reasonable scope. We have no grounds to object."
Then, at last, he revealed his real leverage.
"However, the treaty does not stipulate a minimum number of participants Sunagakure must dispatch each time—nor does it restrict our right to host our own Chūnin Exams."
"Sunagakure also has the facilities and capability to organize independent exams. Even if we cannot attract crowds on Konoha's scale, whether three hundred or five hundred visitors, it would still generate some profit."
He met Roshi's gaze squarely.
"Compared to rigidly honoring an agreement that no longer offers future benefit, Sunagakure has no choice but to pursue a path with greater value."
The words were polite.
The implication was anything but.
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