Chunin Exam Preparations...

After leaving the izakaya, Itachi was taken away by Izumi, who had arrived at the scene.

Shi Shisui touched his swollen belly, unsure whether it was from the barbecue skewers and ice-cold beer or from the dog food.

"Sigh! When will I ever find a partner?!"

Shisui sighed, looked at the setting sun on the horizon, stood at the entrance of the izakaya, looked around, the long street was bustling with people, but he didn't know where to go for a moment!

He lives alone, and it's very lonely and boring for him to go back home.

However, he had just finished his task today and didn't have any other work to do. The little ones he had taken with him had all gone home, so he didn't need to worry about them.

As for his friends, they all have their own things to do, just like Itachi, and most of them are related to their girlfriends.

"Is cultivation the only option?"

Scratching his head, Shisui felt a little sad. He was a complete and utter single dog. No, you can't say that too definitively; he still had a flock of crows for company.

Dragging his heavy steps, Shisui walked towards a training ground he frequented nearby.

There are people in the training field.

With long black hair casually draped over his shoulders, the handsome young man was throwing Shuriken in the arena. If it weren't for his prominent Adam's apple, nine out of ten people would probably mistake him for a girl.

Shisui got to know this handsome young man.

This person was Kimimaro's classmate, and together with Kimimaro, they became two rising stars of the Ninja Academy at the time, attracting much attention, just like he and Itachi had been before.

Yuki Haku, the most outstanding genius boy in the Yuki family.

"Hey, Bai, it's rare to see you at training!"

Shisui walked over slowly, waving Teuchi.

Bai, holding three Shuriken in his hand, paused Shuriken throwing motion and turned to look at Shisui.

"Isn't it because you, Senior Shisui, are always out on missions?"

Bai's soft, ethereal voice is captivating; anyone unaware of her true nature would likely be instantly charmed by her.

"Haha! You're right!"

Shisui gave a slightly embarrassed smile, but his face didn't even turn red; Shisui's skin wasn't that thin.

"But Bai, why are you cultivating here at this time? Shouldn't you be going to Konoha Hospital?"

Haku's teacher is Tsunade. He usually helps Tsunade at the hospital, and even now, close to dinner time, the hospital is still incredibly busy.

"Tsunade- sensei went home to rest today, so I don't need to go to the hospital to help... Besides, Shisui- senpai, didn't you come here too?"

Bai asked in a soft voice.

Shisui shrugged and fell silent. He seemed to have heard that Bai's mother had died in a mission, and his father, an ordinary man, had also passed away from illness not long after his mother's death, leaving them both alone, just like him...

We are both wanderers in this world!

Moreover, this genius from the Yuki family only began learning Medical Ninjutsu because of the death of his parents, and as a result of his outstanding talent, he was taken in by Tsunade.

"Senior Shisui, I heard you're going to Kumogakure, is that right?"

"Duoduo!!"

With his back to the wooden stake, Bai threw Shuriken that landed precisely in the center of the circle drawn on the stake.

"Where did you hear that? The news hasn't spread that far, has it?"

Shisui was a little puzzled.

Although Haku is a genius of the Yuki family and a disciple of Sannin, one of the Lady Tsunade, he has nothing to do with the Chunin Ninja Exams.

After all, he wasn't leading a team like Kimimaro, and Haku was also Jonin, so there was no reason for him to be told about this. At this stage, the matter of jointly holding the Chunin Ninja Exams with the Cloud Ninja had not yet been made public.

"Duoduo!!"

Bai turned around, looked at the Shuriken on the wooden stake, nodded slightly, and seemed to be in good condition.

He walked to the wooden stake and collected the Shuriken to it. "The news is still confidential; it hasn't spread beyond the relevant personnel."

"Then how did you know... you were also one of the people involved?"

Shisui is enlightened.

"That's right, Tsunade- sensei informed me that Shizune -senpai and I will lead a medical team to Genin along with the participating Kumogakure and genin. It seems the Lord Hokage doesn't quite trust the medical capabilities of the Cloud Ninja."

Bai retrieved all the Shuriken from the wooden stake, returned to his original position, and continued practicing the back-throw technique.

"You've prepared very well!"

Shisui clicked his tongue in admiration, but wasn't such a move a bit too much of a blow to the Cloud Ninja...?

Well, it's normal for the Fourth Generation Lord to behave like this.

Moreover, deep down, he trusted the medical-nin of his own village even more; Konoha's medical technology was undoubtedly the best in the Shinobi World.

As for the Cloud Ninja, the gap between them and the Konoha is enormous.

"Having you go makes me feel much more at ease. After all, I really can't trust the Cloud Ninja."

Shisui didn't just stand there; he distanced Shuriken from his Ninja Tool Bag, and began practicing Shurikenjutsu.

If you don't practice for a day, your skills will inevitably become sluggish and deteriorate.

The embassy, where the Cloud Ninja stayed.

After a day of touring the Cloud Village with a guide from Konoha Cloud Ninja returned to rest.

Ai stood by the window, pried open the blinds a crack, and watched the passersby on the long street outside the embassy.

"The Hokage agreed so readily! I thought he'd refuse... What do you guys think?"

The lights were off inside, but the sun hadn't completely set yet, so visibility was a little blurry, but it didn't affect it much.

The handsome young Jonin, with short blond hair, Jonin one arm across his chest and rested the other on his chin, looking deep in thought. "To be honest, I didn't expect the Hokage to agree to this so readily. I was quite taken aback yesterday at the Hokage Building."

"Xi, I'm the same." The old man, wearing a tall round hat and with his left eye sealed by a talisman, shook his head and smiled bitterly. "This Fourth Hokage is even more unfathomable than the intelligence reports suggested!"

"Dodai- senpai, you say that too?"

Xi recalled the scene of his meeting with the Hokage, his expression solemn.

That Hokage with his enigmatic smile was truly unfathomable. They had originally proposed jointly holding the Chunin Ninja Exams, but after meeting the Hokage, they found themselves feeling uneasy and uncertain.

Ai Song opened the blinds.

Looking at the white-haired youth sitting silently on the sofa in the corner, "Darui, is there anything you want to say?"

"Ah! Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night, I'm a little sleepy now." Darui sat up straight and scratched his head.

"I don't think thinking about that now is any use. The exam is being held in our Kumogakure. Do you think Konoha can turn our backs on us on our own turf? Whether Konoha has other plans or is just bluffing, we can think about it after we get to Kumogakure!"

"That's my opinion."

After saying that, Darui looked at Ai, who nodded, and then he lazily lay back down.

"Darui is right, we've been overthinking it. Konoha is their territory. Once we return to Kumogakure, it will be our home turf. We can discuss strategies and plans when we get back. What we need to do now is gather as much intelligence as possible."

Dodai nodded, agreeing with Darui's opinion.

"Then let's continue gathering intelligence, and collect as much useful information as possible before we leave Konoha."

Ai slammed his hand on the table and gave the order. (To be continued)