Ninja Academy.
A group of youths dressed in clothes that were clearly different from Konoha's stood by the edge of the training ground, pointing and whispering as they watched the center of the field.
They weren't just anyone. They were shinobi from Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
After their villages' delegations arrived in Konoha, they had heard about the fierce competition between the Ninja Academy's Four Great Prodigies and Yakumo. Intrigued, they had come straight to the academy.
Since they had been invited as guests of the village, the academy hadn't stopped them and had let them in.
Darui of Kumogakure stood with one hand in his pocket. "Hey, that guy with the fan symbol on the back of his clothes—is he from the Uchiha Clan?"
Omoi, who was a little shorter than him, nodded. "Yeah. The Uchiha Clan's crest in Konoha seems to be a fan. But I heard Itachi Uchiha wiped out the clan, and only two clan members survived by sheer luck. So I don't know if that guy's Sasuke Uchiha or Shinji Uchiha."
Nearby, Kurotsuchi of Iwagakure laughed. "Why not go ask? But be careful. The Uchiha are famous for being difficult to deal with!"
"Tch!"
Omoi clicked his tongue.
Just then, Chojuro and Suigetsu of Kirigakure, along with Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, and the others from Sunagakure, arrived at the Ninja Academy.
Seeing that shinobi from Kirigakure and Sunagakure had arrived too, Darui turned to look them over. His gaze finally settled on Gaara, and his brow furrowed slightly. "He looks like trouble!"
Omoi leaned closer and asked quietly, "What's wrong? Is that short guy with the dark circles dangerous?"
Kurotsuchi also glanced over at the shinobi from Kirigakure and Sunagakure, smiling. "This is getting more and more interesting!"
Clearly,
the villages were using the emergence of Wood