Kumogakure, the Raikage's building.
Looking at his son standing before him, the Third Raikage asked, "Your injuries have all healed, right?"
"I've fully recovered, but..." A recalled the humiliation of that day, his eyes filled with resentment and anger. "The shame that man left me with, I will never forget it!"
The Third Raikage said gravely, "Knowing shame is a good thing, but don't forget your status. You are the future Raikage, bearing the future of Kumogakure on your shoulders. Don't always think about solving problems with brute force. Learn to use strategy. What does defeating one Konoha's Genin amount to? How to defeat the entire Konoha is what you should be thinking about."
A's mouth twitched upon hearing this, 'Dad, doesn't your conscience hurt saying that?'
'You're the one who charges to the front every time we go to war, forgetting everything once the fight starts. And now you have the nerve to say I get carried away in fights?'
But considering he only survived this time thanks to his father's rescue, he couldn't really argue.
Seeing that A didn't talk back, the Third Raikage nodded with satisfaction, then looked to the side. "Dodai, tell him the information you've gathered on Chiaki Setsuna."
The one-eyed man's expression was very serious, "We haven't collected much information. We only know he is currently 14 years old. Just a year ago, he was even a repeater at the Ninja Academy, unknown and mocked by others. It was the Third Hokage who discovered him. In the following year, Chiaki Setsuna only performed various missions, none exceeding C-Rank. Before this incident, probably even Konoha itself had very few people who knew he possessed such formidable strength."
Hearing Dodai's report stop abruptly, A asked urgently, "That's it?"
Dodai said sheepishly, "We truly couldn't collect any more intelligence."
"Don't pressure Dodai. Is it hard to accept? Being defeated by an unknown Genin," The Third Raikage said coldly.
A shook his head slightly. "His name resonating throughout the Ninja World is only a matter of time. I just didn't expect someone as arrogant as him could endure such obscurity."
"His mental fortitude is indeed very strong," The Third Raikage nodded. "There's another piece of news. Sunagakure has invited us to participate in a joint Chunin Exams. What do you think?"
A's facial muscles twitched. "Chiaki Setsuna will most likely participate in this exam. I don't think anyone from our Kumogakure can stop him."
"I think so too," The Third Raikage asked again, "Do you think we should inform Iwagakure or Kirigakure?"
"Inform them of what? Actively help build Chiaki Setsuna's reputation?" A sneered. "We stumbled over Chiaki Setsuna. They should stumble even harder."
"But this might be an opportunity to eliminate him," The Third Raikage pondered.
"Eliminate? That's for geniuses who haven't fully grown yet," A said solemnly. "He has long since transcended the category of a genius… he is a true powerhouse in the real sense. Killing him would be far too difficult."
After saying this, A added, "If you really want to try, Father, there's no need for us to do it ourselves."
The Third Raikage understood his meaning and nodded. "I'll have someone post a bounty at the underground exchange, let those desperadoes test the waters for us."
Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside, accompanied by a roar that seemed to come from ancient times.
"That sound... Not good, it's the Eight-Tails!" The Third Raikage's expression changed drastically. "Something's wrong with Blue B's body!"
Sure enough, a Ninja rushed in to report: "Raikage, it's terrible! Blue B-sama has completely lost control!"
...
Meanwhile, in Iwagakure, the Tsuchikage Building.
Onoki looked at the three people hidden in cloaks before him and asked, "Have the three of you decided? As long as you temporarily disguise yourselves as Iwagakure's Ninjas and secure first place in this Chunin Exams, I will agree to your request and form an alliance between the Land of Earth and the Land of Rain."
He had already learned the exam format from Sunagakure. The final official matches would determine the rankings.
The leader of the three was silent for a moment before asking, "Is securing first place in this Chunin Exams really all that's required?"
Onoki gave his promise: "Indeed, as long as you can accomplish that."
"Good, we accept this commission," The lead Ninja said with full confidence.
"Excellent. For now, you will stay in Iwagakure. It's a good opportunity to experience the customs of your ally nation in advance," Onoki said with a smile.
After the three left the Tsuchikage Building, the lead Ninja was very excited. "I never thought the Tsuchikage would be so easy to talk to. Konan, Nagato, we've finally taken the first step towards realizing our dream."
Konan hesitated, "But Hanzo has been unwilling to meet us. Without his approval, a unilaterally formed alliance is useless."
Yahiko smiled, "After all, we are just nobodies. It's normal for Hanzo not to want to meet us. That's why we need to achieve results, to let him see our efforts. He is the leader of the Land of Rain, so he must also hope to achieve true peace with a great nation."
Konan nodded, "I understand."
Yahiko noticed the red-haired boy with his eyes covered, Nagato, seemed worried. "Nagato, are you worried about something?"
The red-haired boy was somewhat shy. "I'm just worried, can we really get first place in this joint Chunin Exams? After all, the opponents we'll face are all talented Ninja from great nations."
Yahiko laughed, "True geniuses wouldn't wait until our age to take the Chunin Exams. That means the ones we'll deal with are either mediocre peers or younger geniuses. Either way, the advantage is ours. Besides, we still have you, don't we?"
Nagato clenched his fist tightly. "I will definitely do my best."
Inside the Tsuchikage Building, Kitsuchi, standing behind Onoki, couldn't help but ask, "Father, why are we hiring these three youngsters to represent Iwagakure in the exam?"
Onoki said irritably, "Isn't it because you all are so unimpressive? Sunagakure has Sasori, Kumogakure has A, Konoha has Namikaze Minato, Kirigakure has Yagura. These are all geniuses who have risen to prominence in recent years from the major villages. Only our Iwagakure doesn't have a single presentable genius. At this critical moment, we absolutely cannot let others, especially the Daimyo of our Land of Earth, see our weakness."
Kitsuchi lowered his head in shame. Their Iwagakure was indeed experiencing a gap in talent. "But those three youngsters are from the Land of Rain after all. Can a place like that really produce true geniuses?"
Onoki smiled. "Don't underestimate them. Anyone who can make Hanzo wary is definitely not simple."
Kitsuchi said in surprise, "Hanzo? The [Demigod] of the Ninja World?"
Although the Ninja World had always been the stage for these great nations, he had to admit that Hanzo had earned the right to dance on that stage.
Onoki sighed. "If they were from Iwagakure, I would definitely nurture them vigorously. It's a pity they are from Amegakure. Hanzo doesn't have my breadth of vision. The more outstanding they are, the closer they are to destruction."