When Luffy, Naruto, and Sasuke left the Ichiraku Ramen shop, they happened to run into Kakashi, who had come looking for them.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Seeing Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke were somewhat uncomfortable.
After all, theoretically, this outstanding elite Jonin, a master of cultivation, should be their teacher.
But these two young ninjas had been training with Luffy for over a week now...
"Hmm." Clearly, Kakashi didn't care about these things.
For himself... or rather, for Naruto and Sasuke, who should have been his two disciples, being able to learn newer things from Luffy was better.
To be honest, he was also happy for his two students.
It was just that Kakashi wasn't very good at expressing such intense emotions.
"Mr. Luffy." When facing Luffy, Kakashi was extremely polite.
He was the first Konoha ninja to meet Luffy. Of course, he was also the first person to know how powerful Luffy was.
The second one... was that guy Danzō.
Speaking of Danzō, Kakashi noticed in the Anbu that this guy seemed to have quite a few different ideas from the various proposals the old Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi put forward.
Although they were once comrades in arms and classmates, time, after all, passes. As time changes, so do things, and feelings too.
The relationship between Danzō and the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was no longer as pure and simple as it was when they were classmates and comrades in arms.
Kakashi had always kept a close eye on this guy, Danzō.
However, for such a long time, or rather, at least before anything happened to the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Danzō, hidden in the shadows of Konoha, shouldn't have made any unusual moves.
Until Luffy appeared... Luffy's appearance, for some unknown reason, actually provoked Danzō, sparking his desire to test this outsider.
Regardless of the reason, regardless of what Danzō was truly scheming.
In short, the last time he made a move against Luffy in broad daylight, he had already exposed some of his own secrets.
It was believed that at this moment, whether it was Lord Hokage or other high-ranking Konoha officials, they had probably already taken notice.
Danzō seemed somewhat different from the ninja they knew him to be in the past...
Luffy, who had lured Danzō out to expose his fox's tail, was also an outsider who had previously shown great strength and held back. He had gained Kakashi's respect, even to a certain extent.
"Mr. Luffy..." Kakashi continued:
"This time, I received Lord Hokage's order to specifically invite you..."
"Do you have any thoughts on serving as a safety officer for this Chunin Exam?"
"Huh?!"
The first to react was not Luffy, but Naruto, who stood beside him. He widened his eyes and excitedly grabbed Luffy's hand:
"Mr. Luffy! You can participate in the Chunin Exam!"
"It can't really be considered participating in the Chunin Exam..." Kakashi said, correcting him sternly:
"This is actually just to use Mr. Luffy's immense strength to ensure that our young genin won't actually suffer fatal injuries during the exam."
"Okay, okay!" Luffy, whether he understood or not, decisively agreed.
Perhaps it was just as Naruto understood it.
Luffy seemed to think that his casual agreement had earned him the qualification to participate in the Chunin Exam...
Of course, that's not actually the case.
...
"Konoha has changed a lot. Compared to before, it's even more prosperous."
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was actually considered a conservative ruler.
Compared to the Third Kazekage, who could bear the titles of "genius" and "strongest Kazekage," the Fourth Kazekage Rasa actually had nothing particularly remarkable about him.
However, under his reign and management, although the Third Kazekage suddenly disappeared unexpectedly, the Hidden Sand Village in the Land of Wind did not suffer much turmoil or upheaval as a result.
It still maintained a relatively stable development trend, and remained one of the five strongest ninja villages!
"Heh heh... No way! Konoha now! It's nowhere near as good as it used to be!"
Old Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, this was not entirely modesty either.
He had personally experienced the period when the First and Second Hokage were active—a very small part, though.
At that time, Senju Hashirama was truly the strongest ninja in the world.
The First Hokage was even known as the "God of Shinobi" in the ninja world!
In fact, what the Fourth Kazekage Rasa saw at this time was the main Konoha street that had just been repaired.
Having just been repaired, of course, it looked brand new.
But how could he have known that this main street, not long ago, had been destroyed and laid waste by someone?
In fact, according to the old Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's idea, it wasn't even worth repairing this main Konoha street.
But fate was just so coincidental!
The battle between Luffy and Danzō had completely ruined this essential path, the main street, beyond recognition.
Was he to let all the ninjas participating in the Chunin Exam, and guests from other villages, personally walk through that broken and tattered street?
Repairing this main street naturally became a necessary task.
"...The Chunin Exam officially begins in the afternoon... The duration, hmm, will depend on the specific performance of Konoha's young ninjas."
The old Hokage led the way, with the Fourth Kazekage Rasa following behind. The two Kage would naturally not appear directly at the Chunin Exam venue.
They would be seated in the center, truly coordinating the overall situation and holding the entire Chunin Exam in their hands.
As for the specific content of each stage of the Chunin Exam, it would be coordinated by each Konoha Jonin assigned to the task.
Apart from the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, who personally attended.
All Konoha ninjas participating in the Chunin Exam, including ninjas from other villages, also gathered in Konoha Village.
Luffy (the King's) was specifically named by the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi to be one of the safety officers for this Chunin Exam.
So he also came with Kakashi to the place where the two Kage were, seemingly for the final briefing before the exam.
Besides Luffy and Kakashi, all the Konoha Jonin examiners sent by Konoha for this Chunin Exam were also present.
Everyone was very serious, preparing to listen to the Hokage's arrangements for this Chunin Exam, after all, Konoha Village was the host this time.
Of course, among all the serious Jonin examiners, Luffy was certainly not included.
He wasn't serious, nor was he a Jonin... Wasn't it him who was jumping on the table and dozing off with all his might?
"...That's roughly the situation."
"I hope all of you can effectively fulfill your duties and not cause any disruption during the exam."
The old Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly.
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