"Phew, that was close."
Amidst the sea of fire, Sakura hoisted Hayate onto her shoulder, preparing to jump out.
"Tell Hokage-sama... Orochi..."
Hayate tried to relay the intelligence he had obtained, but fell unconscious before he could finish.
The person who had attacked him earlier had no intention of letting him deliver the information.
"Konoha's cockroaches are so tenacious. Die!"
A figure without any identifying insignia suddenly materialized.
The short sword in their hand thrust directly towards Sakura, aiming to pierce both her and Hayate together.
"You said... who is a cockroach?"
A green haori with the character for 'Gamble' fluttered. Tsunade, her golden hair loose, had eyes blazing with crimson killing intent.
The attacker mechanically turned his head, only to see a fair fist surging with Chakra coming straight at him.
'-Her skin care is really good!'
That final thought flashed through his mind before the fist connected with his chin.
Tsunade's Chakra formed scalpels, swiftly severing all the neural connections between his neck and body.
The attacker was sent flying into the air, hit the barrier, and then plummeted back down.
The entire process was clean and efficient, without a single drop of blood spilled.
"Still as impressive as ever, Tsunade-nee."
Sakura handed over Hayate, whom she had given emergency treatment to, to the Medical-Nins who had arrived to take over.
"Now you know how amazing I am!"
Crossing her arms and lifting her impressive assets, Tsunade gave Sakura a proud look.
"Well then, the amazing Tsunade-nee, I'll leave the rest to you."
Sakura raised her hand in a wave, turned, and bid Tsunade farewell.
At that moment, Tsunade, realizing her disciple had just sold her out, stiffened.
She immediately raised her hand, intending to grab this ungrateful little brat and make her suffer this ordeal together.
Unfortunately...
Four or five Anbu's members with animal masks and silver armor knelt on one knee before her.
"The Third Hokage is waiting for you, Tsunade-sama."
"Damn it!!!"
Tsunade gritted her teeth so hard they nearly cracked, but she could only follow the Anbu to meet the person she didn't want to see.
…
After returning from the Hokage's office, Tsunade openly moved into Sakura's house.
The first thing she said every day upon seeing Sakura was, "Go, cook me a couple of dishes."
A week passed in a flash, and the final match of the Chunin Exams was finally about to begin officially.
As the gates of Konoha swung open, dignitaries and nobles from the Four Great Nations entered the village, heading directly to the exam venue.
The location for the third exam, a massive bowl-shaped stadium, was already packed after tens of thousands of Konoha's villagers poured in.
At the highest point of the stands, beneath a plaque inscribed with [The Greatest Under Heaven], four stone chairs were placed.
Hiruzen, wearing the Hokage's hat, sat in one of them.
Beside him, a Ninja in a green flak jacket was giving a report.
"Hokage-sama, Hayate needs rest, so we've temporarily replaced the proctor for this match."
"Also, based on the interrogation results from the assassin captured by Tsunade-sama, it seems Otogakure is Orochimaru's base. Should we disqualify them?"
Hiruzen closed his eyes, his finger tapping the armrest of the stone chair rhythmically.
"No need. The list has already been published. Changing it now would make it easy for others to criticize Konoha for using underhanded tactics."
"Besides this, is there anything else to report?"
The Ninja standing beside Hiruzen flipped a page on his clipboard and continued:
"Jonins, Kakashi and Guy have set out to investigate Otogakure. Also, Danz..."
The Ninja's report was cut off by Hiruzen's suddenly raised hand.
On the staircase to the high platform, several figures were slowly walking up.
The Tsuchikage of the Land of Earth, Onoki. The Kazekage of the Land of Wind, Rasa. And the newly arrived Raikage of the Land of Lightning, A!
"How was your rest, Tsuchikage-sama? I hope Konoha has been hospitable over the past month?"
Hiruzen looked calmly at the three, his expression showing no abnormality.
"Hmph, how could one be uncomfortable staying in a resource-rich place like Konoha?"
Onoki floated into a stone chair, his words barbed.
"Then why not join Konoha? You can enjoy such an environment every day from now on."
Hiruzen put his pipe in his mouth, retorting in kind.
"You two old fossils, stop yammering. Just fight if you're going to."
The Raikage leaned back in his chair in an extremely arrogant posture, crossing his legs.
"Hah, a brat who only knows how to use his muscles should just listen quietly."
The generational enmity between their villages meant Onoki couldn't give Raikage a pleasant look either.
"What did you say!"
Raikage's body leaked Chakra, electrical sparks crackling and lashing the ground.
"Honored Kage, we are here today to display the demeanor of great nations. Let's not harm..."
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, tried to mediate, but was cut off by both men speaking simultaneously.
"Sunagakure has no right to interfere!" x2
Rasa's fist instantly clenched. This was the greatest dilemma for Sunagakure, whose national power had declined to the point of nearly becoming Konoha's dependency.
That was why, before the tournament, he had agreed to Orochimaru's plan, which seemed almost like a fantasy.
"Hmph!"
Rasa snorted coldly and sat back down.
Even as a dependency of Konoha, Sunagakure had its pride!
Below the high platform.
Sakura was waving goodbye to her parents. Thanks to her status as a participant, her parents had obtained tickets to the match.
"Good luck, Sakura-chan! Dad is proud of you!"
Kizashi, who had taken the day off specifically to watch his daughter's match, spread his arms and gave Sakura a big hug.
"Do your best. Don't disappoint Tsunade-sama."
Mebuki also made a fist and gave Sakura a cheering gesture.
This housewife had been completely won over by Tsunade within just a week, becoming her devotee.
"Alright, that's enough fangirling!"
Sakura waved her hand in front of her mother's face, interrupting the spiel of this fanatical fans.
Then, she entered the center of the arena through the contestant passage in the stands.
Konoha, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure... The examinees from the four nations had all gathered.
A gust of wind swirled within the arena, gathering fallen leaves at its center.
Then the whirlwind exploded apart, revealing the main proctor, Shiranui Genma, holding a senbon in his mouth.
"Hokage-sama, all sixteen examinees are present!"
After checking the list and information, Genma reported to Hiruzen on the high platform.
Hiruzen set down his pipe, walked to the railing with his hands behind his back.
His gaze swept over the dignitaries from various nations, waved in greeting to the villagers of Konoha, and finally settled on the faces of the examinees standing in the arena. He spoke slowly:
"Honored guests, I express my sincere gratitude for your presence in Konoha to observe the selection of the Chunin Exams."
"Now, let us hand the stage over to these young people. Please, be sure to watch until the very end!"
Boom!
Fireworks bloomed in the sky, and cheers erupted from the spectators in the stands.
Amidst the heated atmosphere of thundering excitement, the Four Nations Joint Chunin Exam Tournament commenced!