Two days later, in the Hokage's office, Kageyama Kogetsu was handling administrative affairs when a knock suddenly sounded on the door.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, and Jiraiya and Tsunade entered.
"Haha, Kogetsu, long time no see!" Jiraiya laughed boisterously.
"Well, well, the two seniors are finally willing to come back?" Kageyama Kogetsu teased.
Jiraiya laughed, unconcerned. "Haha, with something as big as the nine-village joint Chūnin Exams happening, of course I had to come back and join the fun."
"I've been wandering outside for a while. I came back to take a look, and to congratulate you on becoming Hokage," Tsunade said, feigning indifference.
"Welcome, welcome. Please, have a seat."
Kageyama Kogetsu stood up and led the two to the guest area, personally boiling water and pouring tea.
"Kogetsu, this office of yours looks quite impressive," Jiraiya said after looking around.
"Just personal taste."
"You two have returned at just the right time. Konoha is quite busy right now. Care to share some of the burden?" Kageyama Kogetsu handed them two cups of tea.
"Unless it's a medical matter, forget it. It's too much trouble," Tsunade said, shaking her head, showing no interest.
"Like Tsunade, I've gotten used to being idle. Better not. Besides, I still have to teach Naruto," Jiraiya quickly added, shaking his head.
Kageyama Kogetsu didn't care about Jiraiya's desire to teach Naruto; he wasn't afraid of the so-called "Child of Prophecy."
"Alright then. Anyway, Lord Third knows you're back. He'll most likely give you something to do."
Hearing this, both of their faces soured. They secretly decided to avoid their teacher and only go to see him after most of the work was done.
"By the way, I'd like to recommend someone to you, Lady Tsunade. Whether you take her as your disciple is up to you."
"Her name is Haruno Sakura. She's teammates with Sasuke and Naruto. She's skilled in chakra control and pays attention to detail."
"Shizune can't inherit all of your skills, Lady Tsunade. Perhaps she can."
"After so many years of recuperation, the other villages are getting restless. Konoha needs more ninja who can stand on their own."
"If you have the time, Lady Tsunade, you could go and assess her."
Tsunade fell silent for a moment before nodding. "I understand."
She had been wandering freely for so many years, and the current Hokage spoke to her in a consultative tone, always showing respect. Moreover, this was for the sake of nurturing talent for Konoha.
It was a difficult request to refuse. Fine, if she was truly a promising talent, then she would accept her.
"Come to my house for dinner at eight tonight. Don't forget."
"My new home is next to the Police Force headquarters. You'll see it when you get there."
"Alright," Jiraiya and Tsunade nodded.
The three chatted for a few more minutes before Jiraiya and Tsunade tactfully took their leave.
...
The days passed one by one. The ninja participating in the Chūnin Exams set out from their respective villages towards Konoha.
Most of the teams had a smooth journey, except for Rasa's group of three.
Baki and the Suna ninja participating in the joint Chūnin Exams had departed a day earlier. Rasa stayed behind in Sunagakure to handle administrative affairs, only setting out when there were just three days left.
Rasa was quite diligent in his duties, but this diligence led to problems.
However, even if Rasa hadn't been diligent and had left with Baki and the others, Orochimaru would have found a way to separate them, as it would have interfered with Kageyama Kogetsu's plan.
On the border of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind, the vast desert gave way to a desolate Gobi. The weather was much more comfortable than in the desert, and one could occasionally see some greenery.
Confident in his own strength, Rasa traveled with only two Suna ANBU guards. The three of them ran and leaped quickly across the vast Gobi, their speed comparable to a high-speed car.
Suddenly, a hooded figure cloaked in a black robe appeared on a hill ahead, blocking their path.
One of the Suna ANBU ninja sped up, passed Rasa, and landed about thirty meters from the black-robed figure, his expression serious and cold.
"Who are you?"
The black-robed figure removed their hood and tore off the black robe, revealing their standard Sunagakure attire.
"Hehe, has it only been a few years, and the people of Sunagakure have already forgotten me?"
"Rasa, am I right?"
"Lady Pakura, weren't you killed in action?" the questioning Suna ninja asked blankly.
Evidently, this Suna ninja was unaware of past events and likely had no part in selling out Pakura back then.
"Impossible! Impossible!"
Rasa, wearing a white face covering that revealed only his eyes, stared wide-eyed, momentarily losing his composure.
But he was the Kazekage, after all. Rasa quickly recovered, his expression returning to normal as he hastily tried to salvage the situation.
"Pakura, since you weren't killed on the battlefield against Iwagakure, why haven't you returned to the village all these years?"
"Your students and everyone else have missed you very much."
Pakura's eyes were filled with hatred as she sneered, "Hehe... Rasa, there's no need to pretend. These two are your confidants. Why bother?"
"Back then, you sent me to deal with Iwagakure on the surface, but in reality, you sent me to reach a peace agreement with Kirigakure."
"However, I, the Hero of Sunagakure, had already been sold by you as a bargaining chip to Kirigakure."
"Not only could you eliminate me, a threat to your position as Kazekage, but you could also appease Kirigakure into signing a peace treaty, completely securing your political achievements and solidifying your position."
"What a brilliant scheme!"
"I was ambushed and killed by Kirigakure. If not for my husband's intervention, I would probably be a pile of white bones by now."
Hearing this, the two Suna ANBU ninja looked at Rasa in shock.
"Are you really Pakura?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about," Rasa said with a deep frown.
This was a clever move. He didn't argue with Pakura at all, but directly questioned her identity. As long as her identity was in question, everything else became questionable.
"Forget it. There's no point in a war of words. Today, only one of us will walk out of here alive."
Pakura formed hand seals, and a massive, orange-red fireball appeared above her head, like a small sun. The air distorted, and waves of heat rolled out.
At that moment, four figures emerged from the other three directions: Kakuzu, Orochimaru, Kimimaro, and Kabuto, each guarding one direction.
Rasa could fly using his sand platform, but like Gaara, he couldn't escape the attack range of a Kage-level expert's ninjutsu.
In other words, Rasa could not escape the attack range of the five of them.
"Lord Kazekage, enemies have appeared in the other three directions. Their chakra is more terrifying than the last."
"Two of them are on par with you, and the combined chakra of the other two is about the same as yours."
"The chakra signatures of three of them are very familiar. It's Orochimaru and his two followers from that day."
The sensor ninja beside Rasa quickly reported, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He felt that their chances were slim.
"Damn you, Orochimaru! How dare you plot against me!"
"Oh no, the Konoha Crush Plan was a front! The real purpose was to lure me into a trap!"
Rasa's heart suddenly sank. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his face changed drastically. Despite the hot day, he felt a chill run through his body.
"As expected of the Kazekage, a master of schemes and plots. Your reaction time is truly fast," Pakura said with a grin, holding the large orange-red fireball above her head, her tone mocking.
"Calm down! We still have a chance!"
"As long as we capture this questionable Pakura, we can still turn things around."
Rasa forced himself to calm down and quickly thought of a solution. He looked at Pakura with eyes full of killing intent.
"Right!" The two Suna ANBU ninja also calmed down.
"A good idea, but it's nothing more than a fool's dream."
Pakura threw her hands forward, and the giant orange-red fireball shot towards them at a considerable speed...
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