Sunagakure

However, due to their growing ambition and dissatisfaction with Amegakure's status in the Shinobi World, under Hanzo's leadership, they began to expand their territory and compete for interests, thus becoming a thorn in the side of Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure, triggering the Second Great Ninja War.

During the Second Great Ninja War, after a long period of multi-party fighting, Amegakure suffered heavy losses.

Although the Demi-God remained powerful, the village's central forces were almost crippled, making them realize the gap in resources between themselves and the major powers.

Hanzo had guessed that this Joint Chunin Exam would mainly be a contest between the Land of Fire Land of Wind, and that other ninja villages would find it difficult to compete with them even if they participated.

In addition, Amegakure currently lacks a sufficient number of ninjas, so although Hanzo dispatched several teams, his main purpose was to gather intelligence on these two major powers.

At the same time, by observing the level of participation in the Joint Chunin Exam, they could learn about the situation of other small ninja villages in the surrounding area.

Although the orders given by the Demi-God were mainly for intelligence gathering, a few ninjas from Amegakure, feeling frustrated by the defeat in the Second Great Ninja War, longed to find a way to vent their anger.

When they heard about the Joint Chunin Exam, they felt it was a great opportunity to show other major powers that Amegakure was no less skilled in ninja, and that their defeat in the war was simply due to the difference in national strength.

This Chunin led the team was one of them. He had very few encounters with Konoha Ninja and Sunagakure during the war and was considered one of the lucky survivors.

His combat experience appears extensive, but his victories are mostly against ninjas from various small ninja villages and against people without chakra.

After receiving the task of leading the team, he was prepared to make a good impression on the Demi-God. However, many of his colleagues were worried about who would take on this embarrassing task. In the end, he took the initiative to volunteer, and the others were happy to accept it.

After the first exam, reality hit him hard. Before his Amegakure Genin even started fighting, most of them had already been eliminated, leaving only two teams.

After regaining his senses, he realized that the situation was irreversible. The best outcome now would be for one team of Amegakure Ninja to advance to the Third Exam. If that happened, he would have essentially completed his mission and given an explanation to Lord Hanzo.

Unlike the atmosphere in the smaller ninja villages, the people from the Sunagakure in another guesthouse took the Chunin Ninja Exams very seriously because it was the first time they had proposed this exchange model.

At this moment, several Sunagakure Ninja team leaders were communicating with a team of Genin who had passed the first exam.

Tosha was the leading Jonin sent by Sunagakure this time. His attire was the same as most Sunagakure Ninja: white bandages covered most of his head, and beneath his Forehead Protector, a cloth strip about the width of a hand covered the right half of his face.

Purple camouflage could be faintly seen at the corners of his eyes and on his profile. Although of medium build, his face was resolute and he exuded an imposing aura, showcasing the elite qualities cultivated in the harsh environment of the Land of Wind.

"How's it going? How are the Konoha ninjas doing in the Chunin Exams?" Tsuchisuna asked the several genin teams in front of him. These were all Sand Village genin who had successfully passed the first round of the exams; the other teams that had already been eliminated were not worth his attention.

These Genin dressed in very distinctive ways, and the ones being questioned by Tosha were all standing at the front of the line, clearly the leaders of their squads.

"There are many people from Konoha participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams, but only a few teams are worth noting." The one who answered was also a boy with a white cloth wrapped around his head named Yazo, who appeared to be a rather rational person. "We discovered Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho team; the three of them are about our age."

"According to the information you provided, teacher, one member of the Uchiha Clan from Konoha and one member of the Hyuga Clan are participating. We should keep an eye on these teams," Yazo reported his findings to Tosha.

"Especially that squad with Hyuga, it's strange. Their captain looks like a child who's not even 10 years old. I don't know why Konoha made this arrangement?" The speaker was a girl with light orange hair, and she had a large fan on her back, which was obviously her ninja tool.

"Oh? Has another formidable genius emerged in Konoha?" Upon hearing this information, Tosha's expression tightened. This team configuration seemed unusual; with only one Hyuga member participating, Konoha would definitely make careful arrangements for the team members.

"I don't know. You can't tell anything from the first exam. The boy's features are very easy to identify. He has purplish-black hair, and because he's young, he's shorter than the other participants." The girl carrying the fan is named Yukari, and she's considered one of the elite Genin of Sunagakure.

"Hmm... this isn't our home turf, and we can't operate within Konoha's territory at this time. Right now, our top priority is securing as many spots as possible for the Third Exam." Although Tosha was somewhat worried about Konoha's strength, he didn't dare to disrupt the village's leadership's decisions.

This was an opportunity that the Sunagakure Ninja had fought hard for, because due to the impact of their defeat in the Second Great Ninja War, the number of missions the Sunagakure had to undertake in neighboring countries had decreased significantly. For this Joint Chunin Exam, they had sent the strongest Genin from the village.

It seems that Konoha still has a very strong foundation, and many geniuses always emerge from the village, which puts some pressure on Tosha.

"So in the Second Stage exam, I hope you can eliminate as many teams as possible, provided that two teams are grouped together; otherwise, be careful."

"Once we encounter those Konoha teams with clan ninja, except for Yukari and Yozo's teams, the rest of you are allowed to retreat first and preserve your strength." Tsuchisara began to formulate a battle strategy for the Sand Ninja.

"If two of your teams join forces and encounter the aforementioned Konoha Squad, I hope you will give it your all and ideally eliminate them in the Second Stage exam. All of this is for the sake of the village."

"Yes!" the squads below answered in unison. This was something the village had notified them of before they set off; all the Genin squads had to fully cooperate with the village's battle strategy.

The Sunagakure Ninja's purpose this time was to show neighboring countries that they possess a very strong military force.

They also hoped to improve the image of Sunagakure in the eyes of high-ranking officials from various countries, thereby mitigating the impact of their defeat in the Second Great Ninja War.

Therefore, whether or not one can become Chunin in this exam is secondary, or even not very important.

Any Genin who performs well in the exams is promised a direct promotion to Chunin upon returning to Sunagakure, which is a significant temptation for them.