Opening

The investigation of the "werewolves" controlled by Sasori of the Red Sands within Sunagakure, the promotion of the Chunin Exam finals, and three other matters were proceeding simultaneously at a rapid pace.

The Chunin Exam, which seemed the most important and eye-catching, had paradoxically become the least significant at this time.

As the host, Sunagakure had made no improvements to the previous Chunin Exam, directly replicating its format: a written test followed by a "wild survival" phase to select the first 16 participants to reach the designated location.

The final 16 participants would then engage in a multi-day elimination tournament before the Land of Wind's Daimyo, numerous nobles, wealthy merchants, and celebrities, until a single victor was determined.

Obito, Shisui, Kurenai Yuhi, and others successfully passed the first and second rounds, making it into the final 16.

Rasa, giving face to Jiang Feng, separated the two Uchiha and Kurenai Yuhi, Jiang Feng's quasi-girlfriend, during the top 16 stage.

If they were lucky enough to defeat their opponents in each round, they would only meet each other in the top 4. The remaining spot in the top 4 was naturally reserved for a young genius from Sunagakure.

Everything unfolded exactly as Jiang Feng had predicted, leaving Pakura with nothing more to say.

The four halves of the bracket were starkly uneven in strength, so much so that even Pakura could see that some participants were clearly being "fast-tracked."

Finally, the list of the top 16 participants and their matchups was decided. All the "werewolves" within Sunagakure had been eliminated, or at least, that's what Rasa believed. Sunagakure officially began its promotional work for the finals, inviting the Land of Wind's Daimyo to attend the Chunin Exam and, incidentally, to preside over Rasa's coronation as acting Kazekage.

The selection of the Fourth Kazekage was consistent with the final four, essentially a "pre-determined" outcome. The elders of Sunagakure unanimously agreed that special circumstances called for special measures, allowing Rasa to temporarily assume the position of Fourth Kazekage.

Once the current crisis was resolved, a new Kazekage would be chosen through a fair, just, and open process.

Pakura had no objections to this.

Firstly, such precedents existed in the Ninja World; the Third Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had ascended to his position in a time of crisis without an election.

Secondly, having been continuously interrogated and educated by Jiang Feng, and having personally witnessed Rasa handle everything meticulously during the crisis, Pakura vaguely recognized that Rasa was a more suitable candidate than she was.

She was pure, but not stupid.

Finally, Pakura was fundamentally an old-school ninja, and old-school ninjas habitually deferred to the opinions and commands of the Kazekage and the Elder Council.

The elders had reached a unanimous decision, and Pakura had nothing more to say.

The opening ceremony for the Chunin Exam finals proceeded smoothly.

In front of countless nobles, wealthy merchants, celebrities, ninjas, and civilians, the Land of Wind's Daimyo announced Rasa as Sunagakure's acting Fourth Kazekage, followed by a lengthy speech.

Many wealthy merchants and nobles, drawn by the hype of the Uchiha participant and the Konoha-Sunagakure rivalry, found the Daimyo's speech noisy and superfluous.

"Boring! We want to see bloodshed!"

"We can't wait to see the Uchiha genius clash with the Sunagakure genius, the young generations of the two great ninja villages, Konoha and Sunagakure, fight to the death to entertain us!"

The Land of Wind's Daimyo, after his rambling speech, retreated to the spectator stands with a sense of relief, observing the Sunagakure experts guarding his sides, as well as Jiang Feng, who had recently gained renown in the Ninja World. This put his mind at ease.

Ordinary nobles were unaware that Sasori of the Red Sands might launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure today, but he was.

Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, there were upper, middle, and lower tiers. The strongest, Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure, held more leverage when communicating with their respective countries and Daimyos.

Beyond the superficial respect they owed the Daimyos and nobles, the relationship between them was more akin to cooperation than a simple hierarchical structure.

Sunagakure's inferior strength and lagging economy placed it in a weaker position in its interactions with the Land of Wind, making it heavily reliant on economic support from the Land of Wind's government.

Under these circumstances, even with ten times the courage, Rasa would not dare to deceive the Land of Wind's Daimyo.

The Land of Wind's Daimyo, who highly valued his personal safety, held Jiang Feng's hand and chatted for a long time, showering him with praise before releasing him to attend to his own matters.

Jiang Feng wore a white robe today, making him particularly conspicuous on the spectator stands. Due to the sandstorms in the Land of Wind, clothing of this color was not popular there.

Coupled with Pakura and Konan standing beside him, they drew even more attention. Handsome men and beautiful women are bound to attract glances wherever they go.

"Is Sasori of the Red Sands really coming?"

Konan asked, standing beside Jiang Feng, "He must have guessed that Sunagakure would set a trap today, waiting for him to walk right into it."

"He will definitely come," Jiang Feng said calmly.

Konan was puzzled, "If he comes, he's just walking to his death..."

With so many experts in Sunagakure, they could overwhelm Sasori of the Red Sands with sheer numbers.

Jiang Feng gazed into the distance and said, "He'll die even if he doesn't come."

"Why?" Pakura was completely bewildered. How could he die if he didn't even show up?

Jiang Feng's tone was flat, but suddenly exuded a powerful aura, "Because I intend to kill him before the start of summer this year."

Besides Jiang Feng's intention to kill Sasori of the Red Sands, Rasa and the entire Sunagakure village also planned to pursue him after the Chunin Exam. Pursuing Sasori of the Red Sands was a matter of political correctness for Rasa and Sunagakure.

With Sunagakure's manpower and Jiang Feng's connections, Sasori of the Red Sands wouldn't be able to hide for long. If he were cornered by Jiang Feng and Rasa, his situation would be no easier than if he had actively attacked Sunagakure, and he would lose face.

Young people always placed great importance on face.

Therefore, it was better for him to come to Sunagakure today. Even if he came and left, as long as he played his cards right, he might not actually die here.

Konan pondered, while Pakura remained confused, unable to grasp Jiang Feng's logic for believing Sasori of the Red Sands would definitely come.

Jiang Feng suddenly frowned, looked up at the sky, and said, "It's going to get windy."

Konan and Pakura stiffened, not understanding the deeper meaning of Jiang Feng's words. Before they could figure it out, a slight chill suddenly swept over them.

Indeed, the wind had picked up.

Jiang Feng looked again at a poster hanging precariously on a nearby wall and said, "That poster will be blown to us by the wind."

As soon as he finished speaking, the poster, with only a corner still attached to the wall, was suddenly torn off by the wind. Carried by the cool spring breeze, it swirled and weaved seven or eight times before fluttering down in front of the three of them.

Konan and Pakura were both shocked. What kind of secret technique was this? How did he predict the wind would pick up, and how did he predict the poster would be blown here by the wind?

Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique!

Jiang Feng had already seen through the changes in the qi of the entire Sunagakure, the nearby desert, and its natural operational laws.

Taking the poster that had blown in front of him, Jiang Feng lowered his head, very seriously folded it into a paper flower, and handed it to Konan. "This is for you."

"Th-thank you." Konan took the paper flower, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Pakura was a little unhappy. For some reason, seeing Jiang Feng give Konan a paper flower made her very unhappy.

Finally, Jiang Feng looked towards the end of the distant street. "In 30 seconds, about 15 ninja controlled by Sasori of the Red Sands will come charging from there."