Just as Onoki was giving instructions to Deidara's team, far away in the Land of Fire, within Konoha Village, the atmosphere in the Hokage's office was even more grave and oppressive.
Inside the Hokage's office, smoke lingered.
Hiruzen sat behind the large Hokage's desk. He had not put down his smoking pipe for a long time, puffing out thick smoke one mouthful after another, as if trying to dispel the heaviness in his heart.
Spread open before him was an official scroll stamped with the seal of the Land of Fire's Daimyo's office.
The words on the scroll were not many, but each one struck his heart like a small shammer.
The door to the office was knocked on softly.
"Enter." Hiruzen's voice carried a hint of fatigue.
The door opened, and the three Konoha top advisors filed in.
Leading the way was Shimura Danzo, leaning on a cane, half his face and right arm wrapped in bandages, his eyes sinister and fierce.
Following behind him were Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, their faces equally etched with seriousness.
Last to enter was the head of the Jonin Team, and also the Hokage's strategist, Nara Shikaku.
"Hiruzen, you called us so urgently. Is there news from the Daimyo's office?" Homura pushed up his glasses and spoke first, his gaze falling on the opened scroll.
Hiruzen took a heavy drag on his pipe, then tapped it against the edge of the ashtray, even though the tobacco inside had long burned out.
He picked up the scroll, and instead of answering directly, he handed it to Shikaku, who was closest to him. "Shikaku, take a look first. Then pass it around."
Shikaku took the scroll and quickly browsed through it.
In just a few seconds, his brow deeply furrowed, his usual lazy demeanor swept away.
Without a word, he silently handed the scroll to Koharu beside him.
The scroll was passed around among the three advisors. The air in the office grew colder and more stagnant as they read further.
Finally, the scroll reached Danzo's hand.
His remaining left eye stared fixedly at the words on it. The veins on the back of the hand gripping his cane bulged slightly. His voice was hoarse and cold: "The Land of Stars... they couldn't sit still after all. Trying to probe our Konoha through the Chunin Exams?"
Hiruzen sighed, smoke slowly drifting from his mouth and nose: "It wasn't their initiative. It was the Daimyo... a direct order from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. The wording... is very forceful."
"It demands that we 'must' send formal invitations to the Land of Stars and Iwagakure to participate in the Joint Chunin Exams."
"There may be some... transactions behind this that we are not yet clear about."
A few days ago, the Kumogakure's envoy had just left, taking with them the invitation letters issued by Konoha, intended for probing and alliance.
The Third Hokage's intention to court Kumogakure, which had a blood feud with the Land of Stars, was no secret within the leadership and was considered a relatively steady move under the current circumstances.
However, no one expected that before the Land of Stars made a move, their own Daimyo would 'help' them issue the invitation first, and invite two at once!
Koharu's face turned ashen, her tone excited: "Hiruzen, you absolutely cannot agree! This is clearly a trap! They want to spy on our Konoha's strength, and may even cause trouble during the exam!"
Homura appeared relatively calmer, but his brow was also tightly furrowed. "What Koharu said makes sense. But... this is the Daimyo's direct order. The domestic situation is delicate right now... finances and public opinion are not very favorable to the village. If we openly defy the Daimyo's wishes, it might give those nobles and officials who are dissatisfied with Ninja privileges ammunition to attack us. Especially if the Land of Stars takes the opportunity to sow discord in front of the Daimyo..."
"Hmph! The Daimyo?" Danzo snorted coldly, striking the ground heavily with his cane. "Those nobles who only know how to scramble for power and profit and indulge in pleasure, what do they know about the true interests of Konoha and the Land of Fire? Cooperating with the enemy leads to self-destruction!"
"The Land of Stars participating in the Chunin Exams? Who knows what people they'll send? Will those Missing-Nin come? Their goal probably isn't the Genin competition at all, but the Kekkei Genkai and secret technique clans in the village! Or even gathering intelligence on the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki! I firmly oppose it!"
His words, like ice-cold daggers, pierced the already tense atmosphere in the office.
The Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, the sole surviving wielder of the Sharingan after the Uchiha Massacre, Uchiha Sasuke, the Hyuga main family...
These were Konoha's most important 'assets', and at the same time, the most easily coveted targets.
If the Land of Stars truly harbored ill intentions, the Chunin Exams, with its many people and prying eyes, would indeed be one of the best opportunities to make a move.
Hiruzen's brow furrowed even deeper.
Danzo's concerns were also his own.
But as Hokage, he had to consider more.
Refusing the Daimyo's order would worsen the already delicate relationship between Konoha and the Land of Fire's Daimyo's office. With powerful enemies watching from all sides, internal discord was a great taboo.
Allowing the Land of Stars to participate would be like inviting a wolf into the house, the risks incalculable.
He was between a rock and a hard place.
Just then, Shikaku, who had been silently pressing his temples, softly uttered "Hmm", attracting everyone's attention.
"Shikaku, do you have any ideas?" Hiruzen looked at his most relied-upon strategist, a glint of expectation in his eyes.
In such a complicated situation, the wisdom of the Nara Clan could often clear the clouds and reveal the sun.
Shikaku lowered his hand from his temples, his gaze particularly clear: "Hokage-sama, honored advisors, since the Daimyo's order cannot be openly defied, and the Land of Stars' participation makes us so wary... then why don't we make the Joint Chunin Exams even bigger?"
"Even bigger?" Utatane Koharu looked at him quizzically.
"Exactly." Shikaku nodded and slowly said, "Since the Land of Stars can come, and Iwagakure can come... then why not invite a few more 'guests'? For example... Kirigakure."
"Kirigakure?" Homura was stunned.
A glint of insight flashed in Hiruzen's eyes, as if he had caught the key point in Shikaku's words.
Shikaku continued his unhurried analysis: "Kirigakure has been in a state of isolation. Although it seems to be reforming in the past two years, it has little contact with the outside world, and intelligence is vague. But after all, it is one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, its strength not to be underestimated. If we take the initiative to invite Kirigakure, they would likely accept. This is a good opportunity for them to reintegrate into the Ninja World, demonstrate strength, and gather intelligence."
"And once Kirigakure participates..." The corner of Shikaku's mouth curled into a meaningful smile. "This Chunin Exams will truly become the first time the new generation Ninja from all the Great Ninja Villages compete on the same stage. The situation will become extremely complex, but precisely because of that complexity, the difficulty for any party, including the Land of Stars, to make small moves will increase exponentially."
"Everyone's eyes will be on each other, checking each other. As the host, Konoha will naturally face enormous pressure, but we will also have the most home-field advantage and intelligence initiative. More importantly..."
He paused and looked at Hiruzen. "This will not only demonstrate Konoha's openness and confidence as the strongest Ninja Village, meeting the Daimyo's demands, but also disperse the uncontrollable risks among multiple mutually checking forces."
"At the same time, observing the various villages and understanding the strength of their new generations will also benefit our future strategy."
After Shikaku finished speaking, the office fell into a brief silence.
Danzo's gloomy face showed no expression, but his hand gripping the cane relaxed slightly.
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances, both seeing contemplation and a hint of agreement in each other's eyes.
If the Daimyo's order cannot be refused, then perhaps complicating the situation, thereby finding opportunities and balance in the chaos, is a seemingly risky yet possibly more steady approach to the current quandary.
Hiruzen slowly exhaled a long cloud of smoke, the smoke swirling and rising in the light.
He put down his pipe and swept his gaze over the advisors.
Konoha, the center of this storm, how would it respond?
"Shikaku." Hiruzen's voice sounded deep and firm through the smoke. "In the name of the Hokage, formally draft the invitation letter to Kirigakure. At the same time, reply to the Daimyo's office that Konoha will comply with the Daimyo's will, broadly inviting talents from the Ninja World to hold an unprecedented, grand Joint Chunin Exams."
…
In the forest outside Konoha, the afternoon sunlight sprinkled through the layered branches and leaves onto the earth. The air was filled with the fresh scents of soil, decaying leaves, and summer vegetation steaming. The sounds of insects and birds occasionally sounded, creating a peaceful and serene scene.
However, this tranquility was abruptly torn apart in the next instant.
The space above the clearing twisted violently without warning. Then, a dazzling white light exploded, and two figures appeared out of thin air, falling hard onto the leaf-covered ground!
"Uwaah—!"
A cry of pain rang out.
The first to land was a youth who looked about twelve or thirteen. He had striking, spiky, short blonde hair, styled like a sunflower pointing upwards, and deep blue pupils. He wore a light-colored inner shirt with a dark-colored coat over it.
He had clearly landed very hastily, his chin hitting the ground hard, making him grimace in pain. He rubbed his sore chin while pushing himself up to sit: "That hurts!"
Landing right after him was a young man with a tall, slender figure and a calm, cool, steady temperament.
He had neat, short-medium black hair, with bangs on the right naturally falling to cover a small part of his face. On the left side, a longer strand of hair covered his left eye.
He wore a black robe and carried a Ninja Sword on his back. What stood out the most was his empty left sleeve.
The moment he landed, using astonishing body control, he knelt on one knee to cushion the impact, but his right knee still dug a shallow pit in the soft fallen leaves.
Then, his only intact right hand quickly covered his left eye, which was hidden by his hair. Between his fingers, a trickle of dark red blood slowly seeped out, sliding down his pale cheek.
"Sasuke-sensei! Are you alright?" The blonde-haired youth, forgetting the pain in his own chin, rushed to the side of the young man he called 'sensei', his youthful face full of worry and anxiety.
The young man, Uchiha Sasuke, took a deep breath, forcefully enduring the burning, tearing pain in his left eye and the feeling of emptiness, of being almost drained, within his body.
He lowered his hand from his left eye. The blood on the back of his hand looked somewhat glaring in the sunlight.
He shook his head, his voice slightly hoarse from pain and fatigue, but still steady: "I'm fine, Boruto. Just used up too much Chakra. I need some time to recover."
He pushed himself up from his knees, slowly standing. His one-armed silhouette appeared upright yet somehow lonely in the dappled light and shadow.
His sharp right eye, like an eagle's, quickly scanned the surrounding environment: the dense broadleaf forest, the familiar vegetation of the Land of Fire, the concentration of Chakra in the air...
This was indeed still near Konoha.
But that lingering, subtle sense of 'displacement', and the violent jolts and chaos in that strange spatial passage just now, set off alarm bells in his mind.