The council chamber of the newly formed Konoha Alliance buzzed like a beehive before dawn. For the first time in history, seven clans had agreed to share power — and chaos followed, naturally.
The plan was simple in theory: every clan would contribute part of their mission requests to the Joint Ninja Council, which would then assign them to the wandering ninjas who'd joined the Alliance. That way, those drifters could earn money and status, while the clans got more hands for dirty work.
And if those wanderers wanted a steadier life, they could enlist in the new Guard Division or the Reserve Corps, the defense units managed collectively by the Seven Families.
It was genius on paper. In practice, it was a bureaucratic nightmare.
Raizen had built the system himself when the Alliance was still a half-baked idea, and now that it was official, every flaw returned to bite him. Dozens of clans sent messengers, merchants brought contracts, and every wannabe leader wanted his signature.
Between clan affairs and Alliance politics, Raizen's schedule looked like a death wish written in ink.
Still, when the day's orders went out, the cheers that erupted through the Konoha settlement were deafening. People understood what these reforms meant — protection, opportunity, and for the first time, rights.
Under that promise of stability, more would flock to the Alliance. And when that happened... dominance over the Fire Country was only a matter of time.
By nightfall, the valley fell quiet again. The celebration of the Alliance's founding was over, but the echoes of laughter still hung in the air. Far from the festivities, however, two brothers couldn't sleep.
In the Senju encampment, Senju Hashirama lay awake, staring at the wooden ceiling. Across from him, his younger brother turned restlessly.
"Big brother, you're still awake?" Tobirama's voice broke the silence.
"Yeah."
Tobirama frowned, his mind racing. "If that Konoha Alliance keeps growing like this… how far do you think it'll go?"
Hashirama didn't even hesitate. "Far enough to make everyone nervous."
He turned onto his side, eyes glinting faintly. "They're opening their gates to wanderers and small clans. Offering land, money, and protection. That's bait no one can resist. Once a few join, the rest will follow. The whole Fire Country could fall under their banner before anyone realizes it."
Tobirama went quiet, lips pressed thin. He understood too well. If Raizen's alliance truly worked, it could end the chaos of the Warring States—or start a new kind of war entirely.
"Don't brood too much," Hashirama murmured. "Get some sleep. I heard they're holding the first Genin exam tomorrow. I'm curious to see how they'll test kids into becoming real shinobi."
Tobirama gave a quiet nod. The room dimmed again, and for a moment, peace returned.
Tomorrow would change everything.
The Next Morning
The sun rose over Konoha like a slow fire, burning away the mist.
Hundreds gathered at the new Ninja Academy, where the First Genin Assessment would take place. For the spectators — clan envoys, wandering ninjas, even curious merchants — this was something entirely new. The idea that anyone could earn the right to become a ninja through an exam bordered on madness.
Above the training grounds, a massive crystal projection shimmered with chakra. Raizen had used a simple reflection technique to let the audience watch the exam unfold in real-time.
"Pretty clever, right?" he muttered under his breath. "Who needs television when you've got chakra and anxiety?"
Down below, dozens of young students filed into the examination hall — some nervous, some cocky, all unaware of the chaos about to unfold.
Among them were three familiar faces.
"Hey, hey! Why the hell am I stuck with you?" Amamiya Shinsuke hissed, glaring at the boy beside him.
"Ask the school," replied Hatake Hoshino, flat and expressionless. After a beat, he added, "They're balancing the teams by ability. I'm top of the class, so obviously…"
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to.
Shinsuke's expression twitched. "You bastard! You're saying I'm the weakest, aren't you?!"
Before he could lunge, a brown-haired girl with calm eyes — Nasha — stepped between them. "Both of you, stop it. We're a team now. Try acting like one."
Shinsuke exhaled through his nose, muttering, "Fine. But I'm not losing to that smug face."
The three settled into silence as the bell rang, marking the start of the first test.
The Written Exam
The first round tested information gathering — or, as Raizen had put it, "How to cheat without getting caught."
The questions weren't designed to be solved. They were traps. A real ninja's job wasn't just to know the answer — it was to steal it without dying.
As the room filled with scratching pens and nervous breaths, Shinsuke glanced down at his paper. His confidence died instantly.
"A ninja stands on a tree three meters high. An enemy charges at twenty meters per second from a distance of one hundred meters. Calculate the most efficient evasion path."
"You possess one explosive tag with a seven-second fuse. How close must the enemy be to ensure impact?"
"During a mission, Team A is surrounded. As captain, who should stay behind to ensure escape success?"
Shinsuke's eyes glazed over. His mind blanked.
He turned his paper sideways as if the answers might appear if viewed from a different angle. They didn't.
"I can't even understand one of these," he whispered, dead inside.
Somewhere in the observation room, Raizen smirked as he watched the crystal projection.
"Half of them will fail here," he muttered. "That's the point. Better they break now than on a battlefield."
And as the sun rose higher, the First Genin Exam of the Konoha Alliance began to carve its legend into history.