Commercial Alliance

Three days later, the Hokage's office announced that they had officially accepted Sunagakure's invitation for a joint Chunin Exam. Uchiha Jiang Feng was appointed as Konoha's representative, fully authorized by the Hokage to lead the Konoha team to Sunagakure for the joint Chunin Exam.

After the announcement was released, the young Genin of Konoha eagerly signed up, all wanting to make a name for themselves on the international stage.

Obito was overjoyed. He had just failed the Chunin Exam within Konoha a few days prior and planned to try again next year. He never expected an opportunity to participate in a major war to arise so soon.

While Konoha conducted its internal selections, the Sunagakure envoys were also busy preparing for their return journey. Pakura was not the only envoy sent by Sunagakure; she was merely the leader of the Sunagakure delegation, which consisted of fifty to sixty people besides her.

Strictly speaking, while they called themselves a delegation, their nature was closer to that of a merchant caravan.

Upon arrival, they had used either reserve scrolls or carriages to bring countless specialties from the Land of Wind. They traded with Konoha's merchant guilds, exchanging them for cash or for goods that were abundant in the Land of Fire but scarce in the Land of Wind, and which Sunagakure urgently needed.

The Land of Wind was poor, and Sunagakure was even poorer.

Having finally made it into the city, why not take the opportunity to sell some mountain goods and haul back a few 24-inch color TVs?

Pakura handed over all the caravan matters to her subordinates and then moved into Sakura Inn.

Minato ultimately couldn't save the names of his bizarre, fancy techniques. Faced with a choice between chuunibyo and his girlfriend, it wasn't a difficult decision.

After that day, Minato's enthusiasm for inventing fancy ways to spin the Rasengan plummeted. All his passion was poured into improving the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms Shocking Spirit Finger."

There's a policy, and there's a counter-policy. You only told me to change the names of the Rasengan and Flying Thunder God. Now I'll practice your Shocking Spirit Finger, and by then, you won't be able to control what names I come up with!

Heh heh, I'm definitely going to master your Shocking Spirit Finger and then change the technique names beyond recognition!

After that day, Jiang Feng became the Konoha representative responsible for receiving Pakura. Pakura then moved into Sakura Inn, not because she was attracted to Jiang Feng's looks or the scenery of Sakura Inn, but because she was attracted to Jiang Feng himself.

Attracted to this sixteen-year-old who had defeated the Raikage's son and retreated unharmed from the encirclement of dozens of Jonin!

She wanted to challenge him.

He refused her.

No matter how much Pakura provoked or invited him, Jiang Feng consistently refused to spar with her. Even though defeating Pakura in a spar would earn him a template, Jiang Feng still refused.

Because that wouldn't be cool enough.

There's a very distinct difference between Jin Yong's and Gu Long's novels. The former tended to use fights to drive the plot. If any two people met, they could fight for any reason, and after the fight, they would go their separate ways.

Those fights sometimes seemed like pure filler, making readers want to skip them.

Gu Long, on the other hand, did the opposite. In Gu Long's novels, fights usually served to conclude the plot. What drove the plot forward were the distinct personalities of the characters.

When the conflicts and contradictions between two characters reached their peak, they would resolve all their issues with a fleeting battle. The winner stood, the loser lay down.

Jiang Feng, with his ability to act cool and his almost fanatical pursuit of coolness, habitually refused all unnecessary fights.

A few more days passed, and Konoha's internal selections finally concluded. Obito and Jiang Feng's good friend Shisui were successfully selected for the roster that would get to show their faces—or their butts—on the international stage.

Upon receiving the roster, the Sunagakure team quickly dispatched a fast ninja to send the list back to Sunagakure via express mail.

"I really don't know what's so important about a list. Once people arrive, we can just start the exam immediately," Pakura finally showed a side of herself that wasn't just a "tool," muttering in complaint.

Jiang Feng looked at Pakura as if she were an idiot.

"Kid, your gaze is presumptuous and makes me very uncomfortable."

Even Pakura could easily read the overt helplessness and disdain in Jiang Feng's gaze.

"Because you truly are a piece of rotten wood, uncarvable rotten wood," Jiang Feng sighed deeply. He vaguely understood why the Third Kazekage had sent Pakura to Konoha.

On one hand, he wanted Pakura to experience the increasingly harmonious atmosphere between the two villages, let go of her hatred and obsessions, and understand the importance of peace.

On the other hand, he wanted Pakura to handle some of the caravan matters and be responsible for parts of the Chunin Exam to train her in administrative work.

The Third Kazekage hadn't completely given up on Pakura; he still valued this master ninja greatly.

"What rotten wood?" Pakura asked, confused.

Jiang Feng countered, "What do you think is the main purpose of the Kazekage holding this joint Chunin Exam?"

"Of course, it's to select truly worthy geniuses to cultivate in a joint Chunin Exam between the two villages."

"Doesn't the Kazekage already know which geniuses in Sunagakure are worth cultivating?" Jiang Feng asked again.

Pakura suddenly couldn't answer. How could the Kazekage not know which geniuses and promising young people Sunagakure had!?

"The real purpose of holding a joint Chunin Exam is to make money."

Jiang Feng explained in the simplest, most direct language possible: "A Chunin Exam involving two great ninja villages will inevitably attract a large number of wealthy individuals and nobles to Sunagakure to watch.

Every yen they spend in Sunagakure can be converted into income for the villagers, boosting Sunagakure's tourism economy.

Naturally, the bigger the names of the participants in this Chunin Exam, the more tourists they will attract.

The Kazekage will definitely focus on promoting a few Uchiha participating in this exam, building them up as star players to fill the seats.

Because I made a name for myself in the previous Chunin Exam and have gained considerable fame over the past few years, raising the expectations of the ninja world for the Uchiha, and because the Uchiha's name is already very big, they can easily fill the seats.

Finally, during the final stages, the Kazekage might even tamper with the draw, trying to avoid internal matches among Sunagakure's seeded players and ensuring one or two genuinely talented Sunagakure ninja advance to achieve good rankings.

After all, this is a joint Chunin Exam held in Sunagakure, and the wealthy and nobles from the Land of Wind attending will surely be the most numerous. If the Sunagakure candidates' final performance is too dismal, it will also undermine the confidence of the 'sponsors' in Sunagakure, affecting Sunagakure's mission volume and income."

Pakura's delicate face turned bright red, and she argued loudly, "We would never do such a thing! The Chunin Exam will be fair and just!"

But, is it really impossible to do?

Jiang Feng's analysis and explanation were simple and direct enough. Pakura wasn't truly foolish; she could at least manage basic arithmetic. Doing as Jiang Feng suggested was indeed more in line with Sunagakure's interests.

"The louder a woman speaks, the less likely her words are sincere."

Jiang Feng's expression remained unchanged. "Also, why do you think Konoha sent Hyuga and Uchiha? It's to support your act. As long as Sunagakure's approach isn't too blatant, Konoha can accept it. So, you understand now, this is a show, a show put on to make money."

Money, it truly is a wonderful thing.

It can make Orochimaru sell Sildenafil, and it can make the Kazekage turn the Chunin Exam into a World Cup.

Deepening the exchange between the two villages is secondary; making money is the primary goal, at least for Sunagakure.