Ten days later, Konoha's dispatched 'Exam Delegation' successfully arrived in Sunagakure.
The information about their arrival was immediately delivered to Sunagakure's higher-ups.
Inside the Kazekage Building, Rasa looked at the Genin before him, a youth who, despite his young age, had a rather weathered appearance, and said, "Baki, this joint Chunin Exam is hosted by us. As the host, we must display Sunagakure's strength. Do you understand?"
Baki nodded heavily.
Rasa continued, "Konoha's team has already arrived. Are you confident you can defeat them?"
Baki was brimming with confidence. "I am ninety, no, one hundred percent confident."
Rasa nodded slightly. "Confidence is good, but you must not underestimate the enemy. Among Konoha's registered Genin is the son of the Third Hokage himself."
Baki said solemnly, "I know him. Konoha's genius Ninja, Sarutobi Asuma. He is indeed a formidable opponent. But I am two years older than him. A two-year experience gap isn't so easily bridged."
Rasa added, "Besides Sarutobi Asuma, there's another Genin from Konoha worth noting. He is suspected to have defeated Sarutobi Asuma about a year ago."
Baki was puzzled. "Suspected?"
Rasa nodded. "The information we gathered from Konoha suggests Sarutobi Asuma narrowly lost. Perhaps the Third Hokage didn't want too many people knowing about his son's defeat, so it's only a suspicion. But regardless, you should also pay attention to that Genin named Chiaki Setsuna. He's even a year older than you."
Hearing that the other was a year older than him, Baki's serious expression quickly relaxed. He had deliberately not been promoted to Chunin.
Someone a year older than him, still a Genin at 14... while he couldn't be called trash, he certainly couldn't be considered a genius either.
Baki felt a surge of excitement. "Rasa-sama, I will not fail the expectations of you and the Kazekage-sama. I will definitely lead Sunagakure to first place!"
Hearing Baki mention the Kazekage, Rasa's smile stiffened slightly, "Very good. You may return and prepare now."
After Baki left, Rasa entered the office behind him.
The office that should have belonged to the Kazekage was currently occupied by the siblings Chiyo and Ebizo.
Seeing Rasa, Ebizo asked, "Still no news about Kazekage-sama?"
Rasa shook his head silently. After a moment, he said, "It's becoming increasingly difficult to keep the news about Kazekage-sama under wraps. We must use this Chunin Exam to regain the Daimyo's trust and secure the military funding. Otherwise, once the news of Kazekage-sama's disappearance spreads, the Daimyo might further cut our funds."
Ebizo frowned. "And we're relying on Baki for that? Although Baki is considered a talent within Sunagakure, he isn't an outstanding one. Relying on him to overpower the geniuses from other villages seems unrealistic to me."
Rasa said seriously, "That is precisely why I invited you both here."
Chiyo frowned. "Are you suggesting we have Sasori take action?"
Rasa nodded. "Sasori is a true genius. With him participating, securing first place would be effortless."
Chiyo didn't deny it. Her grandson's talent with puppets surpassed even her own. Participating in the Chunin Exams would be sheer overkill.
"But Sasori is a year older than Baki. He became a Chunin seven years ago. How could he participate in the Chunin Exams again?" Chiyo shook her head.
Rasa smiled. "We can fabricate an identity. With Sasori's skills, he can easily operate from within a puppet."
Chiyo pondered. "I can ask him for you, but Sasori will most likely refuse. The Chunin Exams would be a complete waste of time for him."
"I understand. Geniuses are proud. But please try to persuade him. Sunagakure cannot withstand more turmoil," Rasa sighed. "Even a cheating victory is a victory. We need a morale boost to make Sunagakure great again."
Chiyo nodded and asked, "Which villages are participating in this exam?"
Rasa listed them off. "Among the Five Great Nations, Kumogakure and Kirigakure have explicitly refused to participate. Konoha sent 63 participants. Iwagakure sent 45. The Land of Rain sent 21. The Land of Grass sent 6. The Land of Waterfalls sent 9. The Land of Rivers sent 6. The Land of Bears sent 3."
Chiyo automatically ignored the small villages, "Between Konoha and Iwagakure, which side do you intend to choose?"
Rasa shook his head. "My insight is shallow. That's why I wanted to ask you two advisors for your perspective."
Ebizo asked gravely, "Have you truly decided to proactively reveal Kazekage-sama's disappearance during the final stage of the Chunin Exams?"
Rasa took a deep breath. "We have no other choice. We can't keep Kazekage-sama's disappearance secret much longer. Once the news leaks, both Konoha and Iwagakure might take advantage of our shaken morale to invade."
"Therefore, we must turn this disadvantage into a moral high ground, directing the spearhead of war towards either the Tsuchikage or the Hokage. This will unite Sunagakure in a common cause against the enemy, while also prompting the other great Ninja Village to add insult to injury, preventing the two great Ninja Villages from joining forces."
"But the risk is great. We still don't know who harmed Kazekage-sama. What if we ally with one side, only to discover later that it was that very side who harmed the Kazekage-sama? The nature of everything we do would change. We might even be suspected of conspiring with an outside village to harm Kazekage-sama," Ebizo analyzed rationally.
Rasa nodded. "That is precisely my concern. I would like to ask you two advisors to discuss and determine who is the most likely perpetrator behind the Kazekage-sama's... incident."
Chiyo analyzed, "There aren't many in the Ninja World with the capability to harm the Kazekage-sama. Onoki of the Two Scales and Sarutobi Hiruzen certainly have the ability. But to assassinate Kazekage-sama within the heavily guarded Sunagakure... Onoki is the more likely candidate. His Dust Release is practically a guaranteed kill upon contact."
Rasa hesitated. "So you mean we should ally with Konoha?"
Chiyo shook her head. "Although Onoki has the capability, he is traditionally conservative. Without significant benefit, it's unlikely he would take such a great risk and put himself in danger."
"Then is it the Raikage or the Mizukage?" Rasa asked again.
Chiyo said, "First, rule out the Raikage. Given his fighting style, he would only charge into Sunagakure by force. He couldn't pull off an assassination of this difficulty."
Rasa nodded, 'That made sense. The Raikage was famous for losing his head in a fight. Assassination didn't suit his style at all.'
Chiyo continued, "As for the Mizukage, he hasn't left Kirigakure for many years. He seems completely uninterested in the outside world. There's no reason for him to cross half the Ninja World to assassinate Kazekage-sama."
"Then who could it be? It can't be someone from Sunagakure itself, can it?" Rasa said self-deprecatingly.
Chiyo said, "There's no need to focus solely on the Kage of each village. I'll mention one person: Shimura Danzo."
"Danzo Shimura? Konoha's [Darkness of the Ninja World]?"
Chiyo nodded. "This man is sinister and ruthless, notorious throughout the Ninja World. We can propose to the Third Hokage that Konoha hand Danzo over to us for interrogation. If it's proven that Danzo is innocent, Sunagakure is willing to apologize and make amends."
Rasa clapped his hands. "I understand! Given the [Darkness of the Ninja World's] methods, he must have many unsavory secrets. The Hokage would absolutely not dare to hand him over to us. And as long as the Hokage refuses, we can focus the blame on Konoha. Even if it's later discovered that someone else harmed Kazekage-sama, it would be because the Hokage refused to cooperate. It has nothing to do with us."
Chiyo nodded approvingly, 'This boy was teachable.'
Rasa looked at Chiyo with admiration, 'The older one is indeed wiser.'
Ebizo smiled and said, "After the Tsuchikage arrives, we can send someone to contact him privately and sound him out."