The plan for a full-scale deployment was finalized. The next step was to select the participants for the Chūnin Exams. After all, in order to lower Danzo's guard, the necessary formalities had to be observed.
"Kurotsuchi, Suigetsu, and Karin, you three will represent Amegakure as our seed team this time," Deidara announced, looking at the trio before him.
This Chūnin Exam, occurring a year earlier than in the original timeline, meant that at most they would encounter Neji, Tenten, and Lee.
With Naruto and Sasuke—the chosen children of destiny—absent, and with Sunagakure destroyed, leaving no trace of Rasa's "family team," the trio before him should have no problem.
"Really? I can't wait to cut down the Konoha ninjas!" Suigetsu exclaimed, swinging his large blade. He had a particular obsession with "cutting," which explained his preference for decapitating-style swords.
"Alright then, that's settled. Take this time to prepare yourselves," Deidara instructed. He didn't offer any special training because, frankly, apart from his clay techniques, he didn't know how to teach anything else.
"Let's go. Today, I'm treating you all to barbecue!" Deidara said, leading the group to a barbecue restaurant they frequented. Kurotsuchi clung affectionately to Deidara's side, a sight that made Suigetsu feel restless.
He really wanted to separate that pair! But if he actually tried, he'd probably get beaten up. Kurotsuchi wasn't like Karin; if she used her Lava Release, even his Hydrification Technique might not help him escape.
While Suigetsu was lost in thought, Deidara's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Suigetsu, how are things going with Haku?"
Suigetsu's face twisted into an expression of constipation. "Deidara-senpai, can we not talk about this?"
"What's this? Giving up so easily? That's not like you," Deidara teased.
"It's not about giving up or not. Haku is a guy! You knew that, Deidara-senpai, yet you still tricked me into pursuing him!" Suigetsu said bitterly. If he weren't no match for Deidara, he'd make him understand why flowers are red.
"And how do you know Haku is a guy?" Deidara countered.
Faced with such blatant mockery and intellectual teasing, Suigetsu felt like he was about to lose it. "He said so himself! You were there, Deidara-senpai. You heard it loud and clear!"
"Tsk tsk, so young," Deidara sighed.
"Do you just believe whatever people tell you?"
"Kurotsuchi, are you a boy or a girl?" Deidara turned to Kurotsuchi.
Kurotsuchi immediately caught on and, mimicking Haku's tone, replied, "I'm a boy, of course."
Deidara popped two pieces of grilled meat into his mouth, wiped the grease off his hands, and said, "See? Now Kurotsuchi says she's a boy. Do you think she's telling the truth?"
Suigetsu felt his head spinning. "But Haku is different."
"How is he different?"
"Look at Haku's clothes, his appearance, his demeanor—none of it looks like a guy!"
"Maybe he just used that as an excuse to reject you. After all, compared to Zabuza, you probably mean nothing to him."
"Is that so?" Suigetsu felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint what.
"Of course it is," Karin quickly chimed in, nodding.
Bang!
Suigetsu slammed his fist on the table. "Damn you, Zabuza! You took my sword, and now you want to take my woman too!"
"No way! I, Suigetsu Hōzuki, will not admit defeat!"
Deidara nodded approvingly. "That's the spirit, Suigetsu! That's exactly the attitude you need!"
"I believe you'll succeed!"
"And then you'll have a child with Haku who inherits both the Hōzuki Clan's Hydrification Technique and the Yuki Clan's Ice Release Kekkei Genkai."
...
Konoha Village
Two figures in green jumpsuits were running upside down, their hands on the ground. The passersby gave them a wide berth but didn't react much; they were already used to this sight.
"Alright! Morning training is complete!"
"One hundred laps around the village while upside down, mission accomplished!" Might Guy stopped at a training ground, giving a thumbs-up with an impassioned tone.
"This is youth, Guy-sensei!" Lee mimicked his mentor, giving a thumbs-up as well. The scene suddenly took on a bizarre atmosphere.
"Huh? Where's Tenten?" After basking in their shared enthusiasm for a moment, Guy finally noticed one of his students was missing.
"No idea," Neji, with his Byakugan, shook his head.
"Tenten's been disappearing more frequently lately. Is she facing some kind of problem?" Guy mused, troubled.
In his hands were three registration forms. He had planned to discuss the Chūnin Exams with his three students today.
"If that's the case, let's go directly to Tenten's house," Guy decided. Normally, he wouldn't mind if Tenten skipped training, but the Chūnin Exam registration was important and needed to be settled quickly.
"Alright! Guy-sensei, let's race to Tenten's house! The loser has to run 500 laps around the village!" Lee enthusiastically proposed.
"Alright, Lee! Let's have a youthful showdown!" Guy shouted in agreement.
Watching the master and student dash off like a whirlwind, Neji shook his head helplessly. He could hardly stand his team leader's eccentric style.
But then again, Guy's strength was top-notch. As one of the rare ninjas specializing in taijutsu, his skills were unparalleled. In fact, Neji's uncle had to pull some strings to get Neji assigned to Guy's team.
The three soon arrived at Tenten's residence—or rather, her estate.
Tenten's father, being one of Konoha's top weapons merchants, didn't have a strong family background but was still part of Konoha's upper class. Building a luxurious estate was no issue.
However, the once-flourishing estate now appeared desolate and rundown. The cheerful atmosphere was gone, replaced by unease and fear.
Even the gatekeepers were nowhere to be seen.
The three entered the estate and wandered for a while before finally finding someone in the main hall.
"Tenten, what's going on?" Guy asked, puzzled.
"Guy-sensei, please save my father!" Tenten's face was tear-streaked, her eyes red. Seeing Guy seemed to give her a glimmer of hope.
"What happened to your father?"
"He was arrested by the village's Security Division. They're demanding 20 million ryō for bail, but we don't have that kind of money!" Tenten cried.
"20 million? Did your father commit some serious crime?" Lee asked bluntly, his lack of emotional intelligence evident.
"No! The Security Division is just extorting money from us!"
"They've been coming every month recently, but this time they're asking for an outrageous amount. We can't possibly afford it."
"When we couldn't pay, they arrested my father and demanded we bring money to bail him out," Tenten explained, both angry and heartbroken.
Neji nodded from the back. Coming from a higher-status family, he was more aware of such issues.
"It's not just the Security Division. Even the Anbu frequently extort money from wealthy merchants and small families."
"How could this happen?" Guy frowned. Was this still the Konoha he knew?
"I'm going to see the Hokage!" he declared.
"Guy-sensei, please save my husband!" At that moment, Tenten's mother, a graceful woman, stepped forward and pleaded.
Guy was now their only hope.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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