Sasuke still wanted to say something, but Naruto had already trotted back. "Sasuke, let's go."
Sasuke asked, "Hmm, is Hinata alright?"
"They say she fainted because she was too excited."
Naruto scratched his head, "Was it because of the peace? I don't get it."
Satoshi's face darkened.
Naruto really was a bit slow in some aspects. If he had known, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, he should have put Hinata in Naruto and Sasuke's squad.
Imagine the scene: Naruto gets blasted off a cliff by Bee's Tailed Beast Ball, and Hinata instantly activates her Byakugan, unleashing Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists at full power.
Then she'd say, "I love Naruto the most!"
And Naruto would instantly power up. That scene would definitely make Bee deeply understand what cruelty was.
Hearing Naruto's peace theory, Sasuke's lips twitched.
Hinata was practically wearing a sign that said, "Naruto-kun, let's date," and you're still talking about Ninja World peace.
My foolish younger brother, I wonder how you got married in your Asura lifetime. Don't tell me some maiden forced herself on you, then you'd be... well.
"Alright, let's go."
Naruto waved at Satoshi. "We're off, sensei."
Satoshi said, "Hmm, if you cause any trouble out there, just drop my name."
"Got it."
The gates of Konoha slowly closed behind them, and Naruto and Sasuke, these deeply bonded best friends, leisurely embarked on their training journey.
After walking for a while, Naruto suddenly stopped. He scratched his head, and looked at Sasuke with a bewildered expression.
"Sasuke, which way should we go?"
Sasuke paused. He took out a map, drew a circle, and marked a few locations.
"Let's go in order. By the time we complete this circuit, about a year will have passed. Then, we'll go back and defeat that man."
He put away the map and looked in the direction of Konoha.
Naruto nodded.
That man must be their teacher, Satoshi.
He generally knew about the situation between Sasuke and Satoshi. Sasuke's brother became a rogue ninja, and his teacher killed him to protect his clan. This plunged Sasuke into anger.
Later, Naruto wanted to see Sasuke. Then, Sasuke fought him for a whole day in the training ground, almost smashing his head in.
As he grew older, Sasuke gradually stopped mentioning it, seemingly letting go of the hatred in his heart. But Naruto knew that Sasuke was still holding back, wanting to defeat their teacher.
This was probably one of his greatest desires in this life.
Now that they had gained the power of the Sage of Six Paths, Sasuke's inner desire must be even stronger.
He talked about saving up a big move and winning once in front of everyone after they returned.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have ignored the abundant resources of Konoha and insisted on dragging him along to wander outside.
But this was also good. He wasn't entirely at ease with Sasuke going alone.
What if Orochimaru kidnapped him? That guy was beyond despicable. All the forces in the Ninja World combined couldn't completely kill him.
—
As the two arrived at a river, Naruto stretched comfortably.
"Our training shall begin with fishing."
He took out a fishing rod, and handed one to Sasuke. "Come on."
Sasuke looked at the fishing rod in his hand, then at Naruto's enthusiastic expression, and his temple throbbed again.
"I should have come out by myself..."
...
Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.
When Naruto and Sasuke finished their travels and embarked on their return journey, Konoha was immersed in a grand and tense atmosphere.
The joint Chunin Exams of the Five Great Nations were about to begin there.
The last Chunin Exams, due to the despicable Orochimaru, caused Konoha to lose their Third Hokage. It left a psychological shadow on many people. It was also for this reason that Konoha was fully prepared this time.
The entire Konoha mobilized, formulating a detailed and meticulous plan, just to prevent any accidents.
As for the other Four Great Nations, after receiving the invitation, they didn't hesitate for a second before replying to Konoha, stating that they would definitely participate.
They were afraid that if they didn't go, Konoha's Hokage would come knocking on their door the next day.
Confirming participation was just the first step.
Immediately after, the Kages and elders of each village immediately held emergency meetings, with only one core topic.
What gifts should they bring to Konoha? How much?
Who should they send to show enough respect without losing too much face.
Also, Konoha said they would provide food and lodging, but should they also pay?
Their Hokage's mind was not small. It would be troublesome if he brought that up.
—
A few days later, the teams from the four great ninja villages arrived at the Konoha gate in a grand procession.
The scene was spectacular, ninjas in various costumes, carrying large bags of luggage and gifts, lined up in a long queue.
Inaho and Tekka of the Konoha Military Police Force stood at the Konoha gate directing traffic.
"For specialty gifts, please go straight down this road. At the end, there is a newly built dedicated warehouse. Please sort and store them according to the signs."
"Personnel should take the second path here. Food and lodging are uniformly arranged by Konoha. Of course, if your village insists on paying extra fees, we do not object. The registration desk is at the intersection."
The Kages present understood. See, what did they say? Konoha would not suffer any losses now.
They even built the warehouse in advance, just waiting for them to send things.
So, the Kages moved into the super luxurious seven-star hotel "Konoha Grand Hotel" personally built by Yamato, and then their subordinates immediately rushed to the payment window at the reception desk.
"Hello, where can I settle the fees for accommodation and meals?"
"Huh? Didn't we say? The fees are covered by Konoha."
"No, it's not easy to earn money these days. A person should get what they are due."
"No, this is Hokage-sama's order."
"I've already discussed it with Hokage-sama. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made this special trip. Please make an exception."
"Ah, alright then. This is an exception, not a precedent. The total is..."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work, I appreciate it. Here's a little something for tea. Please have some tea, everyone, you've worked hard."
"What are you doing? Are you testing Konoha's ninjas with this? We have rules."
"Just a small token of my appreciation. Please take it. We'll be troubling you often in the future."
"This time is an exception, but no more of this in the future."
"Alright. You're busy, so we'll be going now."
"Go ahead, Hokage-sama is waiting for you in the reception room. Next."
After enduring countless difficulties, the Kages finally met Satoshi, who made them grit their teeth in frustration.
After the Great Ninja War, there were some changes in their leaders.
Mizukage, Mei.
Raikage, Darui.
Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi.
Sunagakure's Kazekage was actually Temari, and her assistant was Kankuro. It seemed that the village truly had no one left.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Satoshi led a few people to the newly constructed Chunin examination grounds.
The venue was already filled with spectators eager to watch the show.
Genma came to the center.
"The Five Great Nations Joint Chunin Exams officially begin!"
"First match, Uzumaki Naruto versus Uchiha Sasuke!"
(End of Chapter)
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