The Contest Begins
Yichen could tell that among the six, Ogura Saki, Takuya, Nakada Tatsunori, and Haraguchi Hampei seemed more nervous. All four valued the title of Tsuchikage and did not want their teacher to lose the title because of them.
At the same time, the four of them also wanted to prove themselves through the competition and did not want to let their teacher down.
Matsutani Shinya and Shimoyama Tamaki Dai seemed much more relaxed. Shimoyama Tamaki probably learned from Uzumaki Yumi that Ikura wasn't very enthusiastic about the position of Tsuchikage, while Matsutani Shinya was truly carefree.
However, neither side showed much inclination to engage in hostile confrontation.
The six of them were actually quite familiar with each other. Ever since they were taken in as disciples by Yichen and Ikura, they had subconsciously regarded the others as their own kind. In addition, Yichen and Ikura would occasionally entrust their disciples to another person for care, so the six of them were actually much closer than their other classmates.
Yichen and Ikura exchanged a smile, but neither offered any words of comfort.
Actually, there was no need for any guidance. After seeing Yichen and Ikura's attitude, the six of them naturally realized the two's mindset. They knew that neither of them really cared much about the title of Tsuchikage.
So, after the initial tension, everyone gradually relaxed. As if they had returned to the time right after graduation, the six of them started chatting and laughing together.
The dinner party ended in a relatively relaxed atmosphere.
Yichen said to the six people, "You six don't have any other tasks during this period. First, get back to your original teammates and get to know each other better. Understand how everyone has changed over the years, then think about tactics and prepare well for the upcoming competition."
"However, don't be too nervous. Just treat this competition as a stage to prove yourself. After all, the Daimyo and the Lord Tsuchikage will be watching. In addition, there will be many high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants, so this is a good opportunity to prove yourself to the entire Ninja World."
"Yes," the six replied in unison.
Of the six, Ogura Saki's answer was the loudest; she was the one who most wanted to prove herself in the competition.
Over the next few days, important figures from various fields within Iwagakure arrived one after another, making the Iwagakure increasingly lively.
However, this time Yichen wasn't idle like he had been in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Ōnoki assigned Yichen a task: to identify whether any of the people who came to watch the battle were intelligence ninjas from other countries.
This mission was actually chosen by Yichen himself, because his trip to the Land of Waves a while ago had caused a change in Yichen Mind's Eye. At the time, Yichen was tracking Obito and didn't have time to check this change. After a year of filling in the gaps, Yichen finally grasped the changes in his Mind's Eye's Eye.
The Mind's Eye has undergone two changes. First, the breadth of its perception has increased. Originally, the Mind's Mind's Eye's perception range was only about 300 meters, but after this change, the Mind's Mind's Eye's perception range has suddenly increased to nearly 1,000 meters.
This change greatly surprised Yichen. He knew that if the straight-line distance became three times, the increase in perception ability would be more than three times, at least 10 times or more.
As far as Yichen knows, there is only one such change where the power increases tenfold: the evolution of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan into the Mangekyō Sharingan. The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan is definitely more than ten times that of the Three Tomoe.
Furthermore, considering that the change in his Mind's Eye coincided with Obito's awakening of the Mangekyo, Yichen speculated that his Mind's Eye might be an ability of a certain Sage from the mythological era, similar to the Sharingan.
Normally, this ability is passed down through bloodline, but Yichen's Mind's Mind's Eye awakened unexpectedly.
This ability, inherited from the mythological era, has the potential to evolve after triggering certain settings; the most common example is the Sharingan upgrade of the Uchiha Clan.
Yichen may have hitched a ride on Obito's Mangekyo; as Obito's Sharingan upgraded, Yichen's Mind's Eye also upgraded.
There were only three Sages in the mythological era: Kaguya Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, and the Sage of Six Paths's Brother. Yichen could not be 100% certain from whom he inherited his Mind's Eye.
However, based on speculations about Ninjutsu related to the Tenseigan recorded in Iwagakure, the being who communicates with the Mind's Eye should be the Sage of Six Paths's Brother.
The second change is the strength of his sensory abilities. Yichen has tested it, and now even if a ninja uses Ninjutsu that conceals Chakra fluctuations, Yichen can accurately sense the opponent's strength.
It was precisely because of this ability that Yichen accepted the task at the High-Level Meeting.
If someone were to infiltrate Konoha using the same method Yichen used to infiltrate Iwagakure, they would certainly not escape Yichen's detection.
Yichen staked out the village entrance for seven consecutive days, but failed to spot a single intelligence ninja.
"I don't know if I misjudged, or if there were no intelligence ninjas infiltrating at all," Yichen sighed inwardly.
"The latter is more likely. The village that graduated should already have intelligence ninjas from other villages. Unless there is a specific target, other ninja villages generally will not send additional ninjas on an adventure."
Just when Yichen thought the mission was going to be a failure, a large group slowly approached Iwagakure.
Yichen recognized him at a glance.
"The Daimyo has arrived." A ninja next to Yichen recognized the newcomer and Yichen said.
Yichen was disguised as a gatekeeper ninja, which was known to the ninja on duty with him. So, when that person saw the daimyo, he immediately asked Yichen for instructions.
"Normal reception." Yichen didn't think much of it.
After a while, Daming and his party arrived at the entrance of the village.
The daimyo himself doesn't need to register, but his entourage does. Of course, the daimyo has special privileges, Iwagakure cannot allow the daimyo to linger at the village entrance just to check his entourage.
Yichen and his companion only inquired briefly about the personnel composition of the daimyo's group before allowing them to pass.
After registering, Yichen said to one of the daimyo's guards, "Senior, please allow me to lead the way. Lord Tsuchikage is waiting for the daimyo."
The daimyo didn't speak after hearing Yichen's words, but the guard nodded. Having a ninja lead the way made the daimyo's status seem even more noble, which was a good thing.
The ninja on duty with Yichen paused for a moment after hearing Yichen's words, then subtly composed himself. He knew that Yichen must have discovered something.
Yichen did indeed discover that the number of ninjas in the personnel configuration submitted by the Daimyo did not match what Yichen sensed. Yichen sensed three more ninjas, three Jonin.
Yichen wasn't sure if the three were deliberately hidden by the daimyo or if ninjas from another village had infiltrated. Considering the large number of people at the village entrance, Yichen didn't want to make a fuss.
Leading the group to the entrance of the Tsuchikage's Office Building, the ninja guarding the Tsuchikage's Office Building were taken aback, as they had not received any notification that the Daimyo would be arriving at this time.
Just as the group was about to ask, Yichen subtly performed a set of hand gestures. The ninjas in the squad exchanged glances and made way for him.
Yichen led the daimyo and two guards into the Tsuchikage's Office Building, while the others remained at the entrance.
By this time, Ōnoki had already received news of the daimyo's arrival. Although he found it strange, considering that Yichen was guarding the gate, he quickly realized that something was wrong.
Without making a sound, Ōnoki led Ikura and the other two to welcome the daimyo into the conference room.
After entering the meeting room, the daimyo first looked at Ikura, then asked Ōnoki, "Isn't Yichen in the village?"
Ōnoki didn't speak, but looked at Yichen who had transformed.
With a bang, Yichen Chen deactivated the Transformation Jutsu and returned to his original form.
The lord was somewhat surprised, not understanding what Yichen was doing. His two guards, however, reacted quickly, one of them saying immediately, "Advisor Yichen, has something happened?"
Yichen nodded and said, "Daimyo, I sensed that there are three more Chunin your entourage than listed. Considering your safety, I took the liberty of inviting you to the Tsuchikage's Office Building."
"Kenosuke?" The daimyo turned to look at the guard who had just spoken, looking surprised, wondering if it was him who had arranged it.
The guard's forehead immediately broke out in a fine sweat. Without hesitation, he immediately said, "Daimyo, it wasn't my arrangement. We didn't conceal the number of our ninjas."
Ōnoki said, "That means a ninja has infiltrated. Yichen, you and Kenosuke go and deal with it."
"Yes," Yichen replied.
The Kenosuke of the daimyo's guards, Keyanosuke, looked at the daimyo, who nodded in agreement.
Then Yichen and his companion left the conference room. A short while later, they returned. Yichen reported, "Lord Tsuchikage, it's all settled. All three are Jonin; it's likely Konoha's doing. They've all been sent to the Interrogation Department."
Ōnoki nodded, looked at the daimyo sitting opposite him, and asked, "Daimyo, are you going to send someone to help with the interrogation?"
After thinking it over, the lord felt it was necessary to send someone, at least to find out how the other side had infiltrated, so he nodded.
With the matter settled and the daimyo now present, the two sides, who were originally scheduled to meet in the afternoon, officially began their meeting.
"Tsuchikage, when will the competition begin, and in what form?" the Daimyo asked. He had participated in the Chunin Ninja Exams of Iwagakure, but this was the first time he had seen a competition between Jonin, and he was quite curious.
Ōnoki said, "The competition will begin tomorrow morning. It will be a three-on-three format, and the venue will be a Stone Forest on the west side of the village."
The Daimyo said, "Very good. Iwagakure has never been as strong as it is now. Tsuchikage, you have done a great job."
Ōnoki nodded, pointed to Yichen and Ikura, and said, "Both of them are excellent ninjas, and their strength is no less than mine. I believe that under their leadership, the village can become even stronger."
The next day, a grandstand capable of holding tens of thousands of people, created by Yichen using B-rank Sage Jutsu Earth Release technique called Earth Escape, was teeming with people, and waves of noise rose one after another.
Directly in front of the stands was a huge area enveloped by a transparent barrier.
After most of the audience had arrived, Ōnoki and the Daimyo appeared together on the top floor.
After the two took their seats, the six participants entered the competition area from the two equations.
Ikura stood beside Ōnoki, Yichen stood beside the daimyo, the two acting as his guards.
As everyone entered, Yichen began to introduce the six people competing to the Daming.
This was something Ōnoki had deliberately arranged the night before, to please the daimyo and perhaps secure another large grant.
The overall strength of Iwagakure is still in a phase of steady growth, which is precisely the time when it needs a large amount of funds.
In particular, the various research projects brought by Yichen each consume a large amount of resources.
For example, in the practice of Senjutsu, Yichen and Ōnoki have practiced Senjutsu at least once a day for the past two years, while Ninja Cat Dango has been practicing Senjutsu for more than half a year.
In addition, research on various techniques such as Genjutsu, Sealing Jutsu, Lightning Release, Hand Seals, Medical Ninjutsu, Summoning Jutsu, Byakugan, Sharingan, White Zetsu clone, Ten-Tails body, and Uchiha Gunbai is constantly burning through money.