Another period of time passed.
For some reason, since the beginning of spring, not only around Konohagakure but in many regions of the Land of Fire as well, there had been successive incidents of bears attacking human settlements. It was as if the entire nation were in the midst of a "bear calamity."
These wild beasts were not only cunning by nature and highly vengeful; more troublesome still, in this world where chakra existed, some bears had undergone abnormal growth in size. They had become thick-skinned and incredibly strong, and a few individuals even possessed chakra. Ordinary soldiers and hunters found them difficult to handle.
Local authorities everywhere were thrown into chaos by these "flashy notorieties," their security forces running themselves ragged with little effect. In the end, they had no choice but to submit urgent assistance requests to Konohagakure.
For a time, the mission assignment office was piled high with requests to subdue or drive off giant bears. Subjugation missions were generally classified as C-rank, while a small number deemed especially dangerous—those concerning bears that possessed chakra, were enormous in size, and could serve as ninja beasts or summoning beasts—had even reached B-rank.
Beyond their regular duties, Konohagakure's shinobi were also frequently dispatched into the mountains and forests.
On this day, Shinichi and Kōsuke once again accepted one such commission.
After leaving the village, the two moved swiftly along the forest road.
Along the way, as if suddenly recalling something, Kōsuke broke the silence. "About what you asked me last time regarding the Chūnin Exams—I inquired about it over the past couple of days and heard a bit of news."
Generally speaking, during peacetime, there were two main paths for a genin to be promoted to chūnin. One was to accumulate sufficient mission experience and merit, then be recommended by one's directly assigned jōnin instructor and undergo internal review. The other was to participate in the Chūnin Selection Exams jointly organized by the major hidden villages or held independently.
Shinichi did not know what considerations the Third Hokage had in mind when he graduated. No dedicated jōnin instructor had been assigned to him, and even his teammate roster consisted solely of Maruboshi Kōsuke. Although this "eternal genin" had long surpassed ordinary jōnin in both strength and experience and in practice fulfilled the role of instructor, the arrangement was unusual.
Perhaps the Third Hokage had deeper calculations behind it, but it also meant that the first promotion pathway was essentially closed to Shinichi.
Thus, he had already asked Kōsuke earlier about news concerning the Chūnin Exams.
"The Chūnin Exams will indeed be held this year," Kōsuke continued. "However, the host will not be Konohagakure, but our ally—Sunagakure."
Sunagakure?
Hearing this, Shinichi's heart paused slightly.
He knew clearly that in the predetermined future, the spark that ignited the Third Great Ninja War was precisely Sunagakure using the disappearance of the Third Kazekage as a pretext to launch a surprise attack on Konohagakure, after which the flames of war spread like wildfire and swept across the entire shinobi world.
This so-called "ally" had never been a well-behaved neighbor.
Looking back across the previous ninja world wars, perhaps out of covetousness for the fertile lands of the Land of Fire, Sunagakure had almost every time listed Konohagakure as its primary target.
It was practically the Italy of the shinobi world!
No!
Worse than Italy!
As an ally, Italy might have dithered and hesitated at the beginning of a war, and after joining the fighting it performed feebly, but at least it only switched sides when the situation turned unfavorable—whereas Sunagakure was accustomed to stabbing its partners in the back right from the start.
However, because the Land of Wind was covered in seas of sand and its land was barren, it lacked any real value of occupation for Konohagakure. Moreover, in every great war there were multiple forces watching on all sides. So even when Konohagakure defeated Sunagakure, it often only forced it to sign a superficial "alliance treaty"—in essence nothing more than an armistice agreement.
Afterward, Konohagakure would have no choice but to turn around and deal with pressure from the other hidden villages. This repeatedly tug-of-war cycle of history left the relationship between the two countries in a state of fragile and twisted alliance.
So when it came to going to Sunagakure to participate in the Chūnin Exams, he hesitated. It meant voluntarily stepping into the place that in the future might be the first to ignite the flames of war, and that was the least trustworthy toward Konohagakure.
"What, don't want to go to Sunagakure?" Kōsuke glanced at him. As if he had noticed that hesitation, he revealed a smile.
He more or less understood the Third Hokage's considerations. How fast this child advanced in rank was not the top priority; in the future, he would most likely still be placed into a squad with peers of the same age to build bonds.
On his side, it was more like a transitional period and an instructor—someone who could let a sapling take root solidly.
But since Shinichi had asked proactively, he could not make the decision on his own. He therefore sought instructions from the Third Hokage, and only then learned the news that Sunagakure had invited Konohagakure to participate in this year's Chūnin Exams.
"Senpai, who is the village's leader this time?" Shinichi did not directly answer whether he would go or not; instead, he asked a key question.
"I asked around. It's Jiraiya, one of the Sannin."
Jiraiya?
Hearing that name, Shinichi's heart truly settled quite a bit.
Although Jiraiya spent most of the year traveling outside, every time he returned to Konohagakure, the Third Hokage often entrusted him with some important or special missions.
With a Sannin of renowned strength and experience, famed throughout the shinobi world, leading the team, the safety margin and the ability to handle unforeseen variables would naturally rise by a great deal.
"With him leading the team, it really does put one's mind at ease." Shinichi nodded as he spoke.
Kōsuke looked at him and spoke in a steady tone. "If you decide you want to go, then this time, this old man can serve as your teammate and accompany you on the trip."
"Senpai?" Shinichi looked at him in some surprise. "You don't plan to continue maintaining the status of genin?"
"Just participating in the exam as a teammate doesn't mean I have to compete for that chūnin title. With these old bones of mine, I can still accompany you on a trip to Sunagakure." Kōsuke smiled, his expression calm.
Shinichi understood inwardly. This was the senior escorting him in his own way. He nodded solemnly. "Thank you, senpai. With you there, I truly feel much more at ease."
"You need not worry excessively either." Kōsuke gazed into the distance, his voice steady. "Although Sunagakure has long been fickle and has broken faith more than once, the launching of a war is never a spur-of-the-moment decision. Before a great war, there are often many signs to observe—for example, abnormal surges in military expenditures, the secret stockpiling of strategic materials, large-scale forging and procurement of equipment, sudden expansions of ninja rosters, and even subtle changes in the frequency and scale of border patrols. To conceal all of these movements entirely from the eyes and ears of the nations is not easy."
Hearing this, Shinichi suddenly felt enlightened, as if many scattered clues had been instantly strung together.
Why was it that, in his memory, most students of their cohort were uniformly arranged to graduate early at the age of nine?
Presumably, by this time next year, the ninja world war would not yet have broken out, but various ominous signs would surely have already been quietly gathering like dark clouds, allowing Konohagakure's upper leadership to keenly sense that the storm of a new war was brewing.
Thus, the leadership made a prompt decision to initiate the graduation process ahead of schedule. The objective was clear:
To allow this batch of children to familiarize themselves with the procedures of ninja missions as early as possible and accumulate basic experience. Once war truly erupted and the majority of the backbone forces were dispatched to the front lines, manpower within the village to maintain operations and handle various domestic missions would inevitably become scarce.
At that time, this group of preconditioned genin would be able to quickly fill the gaps and become an effective force supporting the village's rear.
Even if the war situation continued to deteriorate and troop strength grew tight, this batch of genin who had graduated early—no longer considered purely new recruits—would be deployed more quickly to the fringes of the battlefield or to second-line missions.
"However, to participate in the Chūnin Exams, a three-person team is usually required, along with a leading captain whose rank is at least Special Jōnin," Kōsuke reminded him. "I count as one teammate. As for the remaining teammate and the team captain, you will have to find a solution yourself."
Teammate… team captain…
Shinichi thought for a moment. After a short while, two names appeared in his mind.
If those two were willing to participate, then for this trip to Sunagakure, he would truly be completely at ease.
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