The details of the Chunin Exam were quickly finalized—three stages in total, making it the toughest exam in history.
For the dignity of the Five Kage, they would command their subordinates to train their own Genin, but none would tolerate cheating or leaking of exam content.
After the discussions, each Kage returned to their own village. Among them, the Cloud, Konoha, and the Sand Federation needed to prepare their testing sites. Pakura also made a bold request—that the Uzumaki Trade Association be allowed to record and broadcast the entire process of the exams across the shinobi world.
The other Kage were reluctant to agree. It risked revealing classified information, and if their village's Genin performed poorly, it would shame their entire village.
However, Pakura was firm. Her stance made it clear: if they refused, the Sand Federation would withdraw entirely from the Chunin Exams.
Onoki, Mei, and A hesitated. They needed the Federation's participation to gather intel, but they also didn't want their Genin's failures captured on film. When neither side would yield, Tsunade finally spoke up and agreed, forcing the others to follow suit.
After Pakura left, the remaining four Kage secretly confirmed their war plans. They decided to launch an assault during the third stage of the Chunin Exam—when the Sand Federation's attention would be completely focused on the competition. The four great villages would strike from two directions at once.
As for the Genin stationed within the Federation, Raikage A insisted they remain behind to distract the Federation's upper ranks. Even if they were captured later, by that point the allied forces would have already breached the Federation's borders, allowing them to trade captured Federation ninja for their own.
After brief hesitation, both Onoki and Mei agreed. It was a ruthless plan, but also the most effective. Tsunade, who had no real intention of changing the outcome, simply nodded in agreement.
When things were settled, A turned to Tsunade. "Hokage, why did you agree to that broadcast? You realize the Uzumaki Trade Association might use it to steal intel."
"If we hadn't agreed, they would have declared war immediately. Which do you prefer?"
Tsunade's irritation was clear. She waved over Shizune and her ANBU guards and left without another word. Seeing her go, Onoki and Mei also departed—they each had work to handle in their own villages.
The journey from the Land of Hot Water back to the Sand Federation took less than two days. Once back, Pakura gathered her council to announce the decision.
Although the upper echelons had already anticipated the Chunin Exam, hearing about the three stages still made them draw a sharp breath.
Each stage was tougher than the last. Even the third stage's individual combat test ensured that only the best of the best would remain. It was closer to a Special Jonin selection than a normal Chunin Exam.
"According to the Fifth's arrangement, aside from sending our Genin participants, we only need to prepare one arena," said Elder Jie Kang during the meeting. "If we move the venue near the Original Oasis, it can hold about a thousand spectators. With some repairs, it'll be ready."
Pakura nodded. With that, their preparations were mostly complete. All that remained was to anticipate the other villages' underhanded tactics—and the inevitable war to come.
"Good. Then begin preparations," Pakura ordered. "Notify the Jonin leaders to register their squads according to their situation."
Within the Federation, the Puppet Corps alone had over a hundred apprentice Genin puppeteers. Individually, each was strong enough—with their puppets—to send an entire Chunin squad running.
The Federation was never short on talent. If they sent mechanized puppet users, even Genin could annihilate entire teams from other villages.
Once the meeting ended, all Jonin leaders received the message. However, since this was the first ever joint Chunin Exam of the Five Nations, some who felt their subordinates weren't ready chose not to register them.
Moreover, the Genin who graduated two years ago were already eligible for internal promotions within the Federation. Unless they wanted fame across the Five Nations, there was no need for them to participate.
Those who did plan to compete hurried to complete their current missions so they could return and prepare for training.
Both Uchiha Sasuke's and Naruto Uzumaki's teams decided to participate. Once a squad reached unanimous agreement and their Jonin approved, registration was easy. Naruto's strength had already reached Chunin level, so his instructor had no reason to stop him.
"Mother, please train me with even stricter methods," Sasuke said solemnly to Uchiha Mikoto. "If I don't push myself harder, I won't achieve a good rank in the Chunin Exam."
His determined expression startled Mikoto.
"Is this because of Naruto and Gaara, Sasuke?" she asked.
After a pause, Sasuke admitted, "Yes. I have to admit, without using Bloodline Tools, my power still falls short of theirs."
Mikoto understood his weakness well. His Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjutsu were all solid—but his chakra reserves and stamina couldn't compare to Naruto or Gaara. If his illusions or techniques couldn't end a fight quickly, he'd lose once it dragged on.
Sasuke's Genjutsu and Ninjutsu were superior, but only slightly. Meanwhile, both Naruto and Gaara had begun learning to harness their Tailed Beast chakra—an overwhelming advantage for Genin and even Chunin-level battles.
"I understand," Mikoto said softly. "If you're not afraid of hardship, I'll find someone more suitable to train you."
She found it difficult to push Sasuke too harshly herself, but she couldn't ignore his determination either. So, she decided to visit the Uchiha compound.
Though she had moved out two years ago, she still carried the clan's name and prestige. If she personally requested it, most of the clan's three-tomoe Sharingan users—especially those in the Police Force—would agree to help train Sasuke.
The joint Chunin Exam of the Five Nations was also the perfect opportunity for the Uchiha clan to regain recognition. Those veterans' experience and strength would be far better suited to guide Sasuke than her own.
As for Sasuke's chakra issue, Mikoto had no solution herself. She would have to ask Hyuga Mirai for help—he was the only one she believed capable of addressing it.
Every Genin who knew about and confirmed their participation in the Chunin Exam was training relentlessly, refusing even a moment's rest.
When Naruto returned home, he barely stayed long enough to pack his things before heading to a forest oasis with his Jonin for training.
The same happened across all the villages—intense training, new techniques, and every possible method to strengthen their ninja were being used. Only a few small villages remained inactive.
Those minor villages had received the exam notice much later than the great nations. Their limited time and resources meant training wouldn't help much. Instead, they relied on older, more experienced Genin—or newly promoted Chunin with little exposure—to fill the ranks. Otherwise, they would just serve as background decorations in the competition.
Before the Chunin Exam began, the Uzumaki Trade Association sent representatives to both the Land of Lightning and Konoha to coordinate the recording setup.
Kumogakure initially tried to make things difficult for them, but the Uzumaki representatives ignored the hostility as if they'd already received orders to do so.
As long as the Cloud agreed to install the recording devices, that was enough. The Cloud's technicians inspected the equipment repeatedly and even tested it themselves. Convinced that the cameras only captured limited footage, they finally reported to the Raikage and allowed the installation.
What they didn't realize was that these were 360-degree panoramic cameras—the rotation function had merely been locked. They could be remotely controlled, but the Cloud had never seen such devices before. It was the first time the Uzumaki Trade Association unveiled this technology.
Once installed, the Association effectively gained surveillance over roughly a quarter of the route between the Land of Hot Water's border and Kumogakure.
Some sharp-minded Cloud ninja even tried to buy a few cameras for personal use. The Uzumaki representatives didn't outright refuse but acted reluctant, saying they'd need to "report back first."
By keeping them waiting, they increased the perceived value of the devices—after all, precious things shouldn't be too easily obtained.
Amidst the Chunin Exam's growing excitement, the major villages secretly began military preparations. With the support of their respective Daimyo, Onoki, A, and the others had no funding issues. In fact, they used this opportunity to request two to three times the usual wartime budget.
What they didn't know was that around twenty percent of the shuriken and kunai sold across the ninja world came from the Sand Federation through the ninja cat trade network.
And recently, those weapons had been deliberately degraded—seven or eight out of every ten were mixed with impurities or scrap metal, making them brittle. Compared to standard weapons, they could snap after just a few clashes.
One ton of iron could be used to forge three tons of these defective kunai and shuriken, sold for six or seven times the normal profit. The Sand Federation then used that money to buy other supplies from the Lands of Earth and Lightning. By the time war actually broke out, both those nations' economies had already been drained.
Back in the Hidden Mist, Mei Terumi summoned Yagura's former advisor, Genshō, and the upper council to announce the Chunin Exam arrangements.
After handling a few administrative matters, she dismissed the others, keeping only Genshō and her close aides.
"Genshō, what about Kado Shipping?" she asked.
"Fifth Mizukage," he replied, "there's no spy among them. In fact, the idea to buy materials from the Land of Lightning was mine. I'd only discussed it with two others before your message arrived…"
Genshō sighed. "It's clear the Federation has anticipated all our possible moves. If we refuse their conditions, then war is inevitable. But be cautious—their countermeasures will be ready. If we can't secure enough supplies before the war starts, then the Mist…"
Mei frowned. She understood what he was implying. Direct conflict would be disastrous under these conditions. After a long silence, she rubbed her temples and sighed. "I'll arrange something."
"Let the ANBU handle it," Genshō suggested. "Once the mission is complete, transfer them into the Secret Department and assign replacements to ANBU. That way, even if the Daimyo's officials investigate, we can blame everything on Kado Shipping."
It wouldn't hold up forever—once Kado Shipping resumed supplying materials, the Daimyo's office would surely grow suspicious.
But without such measures, the Mist wouldn't even have enough military supplies to fight. Being an island nation, their survival depended on imports. Without external materials, even ninja would struggle to live comfortably.
(End of Chapter)