The next day.
The weather was unexpectedly fine and sunny.
Hiruzen Sarutobi in Hokage Hokage's robes, exuded an aura of authority.
This made Hagoromo, who was standing to the side, turn her head in surprise. After all, how long had it been since she had seen her old man like this?
Besides Shisui and Kakashi, only Hagoromo accompanied Hiruzen Sarutobi into the arena this time.
The three of them formed a temporary Shadow Guard Unit, which was quite a good setup.
It's worth noting that the Kazekage only has one face that's somewhat familiar: Baki. The other two are barely at the Jonin level.
As for the Genin who participated in the elimination rounds, they had already set off long ago.
Walking along the boardwalk towards the venue, just as we were about to arrive.
Thump thump--
Countless aerial salutes were fired into the sky, and colorful confetti flew everywhere.
"Kumogakure is invincible!"
"Long live the Raikage!"
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted, but Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, who were about to enter, ignored it.
It's their home turf, so anything goes.
Halfway up the mountain, there are several stone chairs with the names of major film studios written on them in large characters.
As for the members of the small ninja village, they were located at the bottom, and at most, they would sit with high-ranking officials and nobles.
"Haha, isn't this our Hokage? How's your health?"
Hearing the sound, the Raikage, who had been there for a while, turned around and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group, and spoke loudly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi completely ignored the Fourth Raikage's words and walked over with a smile.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had no interest in joking around with someone who was known for his reckless behavior in the Shinobi World.
I don't care if someone takes advantage of this, but it still bothers me.
"This is your disciple, Hokage?"
The Fourth Raikage A, didn't care about Hiruzen Sarutobi's lack of response. Instead, he looked at Hagoromo on Hiruzen Sarutobi's left.
The tall figure walked slowly, exuding an imposing aura, while Kakashi and Shisui stood guard.
On the contrary, Hagoromo, who was directly confronted by the Raikage's aura, remained unfazed.
His eyes curiously surveyed the Fourth Raikage before him, who stood like an iron tower; he was truly tall.
The Fourth Raikage seemed oblivious to Kakashi and Shisui's increasingly wary attitude, focusing instead on Hagoromo.
For a long time···
"Haha, not bad, Hokage, you've taken on an extraordinary disciple."
The Fourth Raikage A, turned and spoke to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Oh? Hokage, you still have the energy to train disciples?"
A frail voice rang out from the side, Ōnoki, being carried on his son Kitsuchi's shoulders, walked slowly over.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been interrupted, glanced at Ōnoki and said calmly:
"He's still better off than Tsuchikage; at least he can still move."
The Tsuchikage, Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, darkened slightly and patted the Kitsuchi to signal him to stop.
With a leap, Ōnoki hovered steadily in mid-air.
The fact that he was retaliating against Hiruzen Sarutobi in this manner shows that he wasn't truly too old to move.
The Fourth Raikage looked at the scene before him without saying a word, instead turning his gaze towards the entrance.
Rasa appeared here with his Shadow Guard Unit.
Seeing that the other three figures had already arrived, he quickly said, "Sorry I'm late."
"You still know you're late? These younger generations really don't know what's good for them."
Ōnoki Rasa without hesitation.
The Shadow Guard Unit behind Rasa immediately assumed attack stances, while Ōnoki watched with amusement.
He said, "What? Still thinking about a fight?"
Rasa waved his hand, signaling Baki and the others not to act rashly, but his eyes were filled with a gloomy look as he looked at the old man Third Tsuchikage.
"Ōnoki, a senior should have the magnanimity of a senior."
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled lightly and said calmly.
He then ignored it and walked towards his seat.
It wasn't that Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to help Rasa out of a predicament, but rather that Konoha and Sunagakure were still allies.
Saying a few words like that won't cost you anything.
Rasa quickly walked past Ōnoki, completely ignoring Ōnoki who was staring at him.
If it weren't for the fact that it's not advisable to antagonize Iwagakure right now, he might actually want to build a tomb for that old geezer.
The Fourth Raikage ignored everything in the hall, and seeing that there was no more drama to watch, turned around and returned to his seat.
Standing behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hagoromo couldn't help but sigh that the Shinobi World was just a huge makeshift operation.
His words were laced with barbs; who knows, we might have to fight if things got heated.
Um?
Feeling the gaze from the side, Hagoromo couldn't help but turn her head to look.
Samui, standing behind the Raikage, was looking at Hagoromo, her expression still utterly indifferent.
Hagoromo simply nodded in acknowledgment and then ignored him. Let him look if he wants; it won't hurt him.
It should be said that right now, almost everyone's eyes are on Hagoromo, not just those of Kumogakure, but also those of Ōnoki.
Only Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others didn't care, since they had already made preparations for this before coming.
The main thing now is to take a look.
What exactly is the Kumogakure Sect doing, or what are they planning to do?
However, in the next instant, the entire venue, built halfway up the mountain, erupted with a tremendous roar.
The reason is that the screen built inside the venue is showing a Genin from Kumogakure) directly defeats a ninja from Sunagakure).
On the other end of the digital screen, one team was eliminated from the list of candidates for the Sunagakure exam.
"Ha, still young indeed."
Ōnoki sneered, taking the opportunity to mock Rasa.
Rasa, sitting in his seat, seemed not to hear anything, and drank tea with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The next moment, the Iwagakure's reference team also lost one member.
The screen next to it was replaying the battle footage.
A man and a beast were seen holding Genin the Iwagakure, while their teammates used Fire Style to seal them off.
Finally, a swarm of insects rushed directly towards the Iwagakure) Genin.
After the insects dispersed, the Iwagakure who had been revealed collapsed unconscious on the ground, Genin lost Chakra.
"Lord Hokage, it seems the teaching at the Konoha Ninja Academy is quite good. I may need to visit your Konoha to learn from them in the future."
Rasa spoke up from the side.
He completely ignored Ōnoki, whose face was growing increasingly dark, even though they were several seats apart.
"No problem, the gates of Konoha are always open."
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and said, "The teams that have come out to participate this time are all disciples of the Genin from various clans."
Some of them may have graduated several years ago, but they just haven't participated in the Chunin Ninja Exams yet.
Cheers echoed throughout the venue.
At the beginning, the villagers of Kumogakure were probably more concerned about the matches of their own Genin, but watching the dazzling Ninjutsu and battles on the screen...
One by one, they offered applause and cheers; after all, this was a thrilling elimination match in itself.
Even if he's Genin from an enemy village, it has to be said that his strength is indeed up to par.
The uneven skill levels made the knockout stage a quagmire.
On the digital screen, the number of teams from each village had decreased.
The Sunagakure and Iwagakure were the fastest, until only one Sunagakure team remained.
The resounding bell rang, signaling the end of the elimination rounds!