"Promoted to Chunin... There's an exam?"
Looking at the utterly ordinary form on the desk, Jiraiya's face twitched despite himself.
His eyes widened, and he pointed at the title on the form with an expression that said, "Are you messing with me?" His voice even cracked.
He hated exams more than anything...
"Jiraiya! You idiot! Is that the point?"
Tsunade, listening nearby, rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Didn't you see the words 'Joint Five Great Ninja Villages'? How come I've never heard of anything like this? It's extremely unusual!"
Tsunade knitted her brows and turned her gaze to Hiruzen Sarutobi, clearly waiting for an explanation.
The Five Great Nations joining forces to hold the Chunin Exams was a first...
"Mm, Tsunade is right."
"It's only been about three years since the end of the First Shinobi World War. In theory, the next generation of ninja in each village should still be in the early stages of growth."
"For the Five Great Ninja Villages to suddenly join forces and hold the Chunin Exams at a time like this... It's clearly not normal..."
Orochimaru nodded and looked toward Hiruzen Sarutobi as well.
"Actually, this has a little something to do with you, kid."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag on his pipe and exhaled a cloud of white smoke. As it swirled around him,
he tapped the pipe lightly against the ashtray in the corner of the desk and turned his gaze to Orochimaru.
"Huh?"
Orochimaru froze, confused.
He ran through everything he'd done over the years in his mind, but couldn't figure out how these Joint Chunin Exams could have anything to do with him.
"Remember those skincare products you came up with before?
"Our skincare business has been booming for over a year now, and the profits have been enormous.
"Through the distributors we've partnered with, our products have reached most of the major cities in the Five Great Nations."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru and explained slowly. He paused, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"And that's brought in enormous profits."
"The other four villages are envious of this windfall on the one hand. On the other, they're probably worried that we in Konoha will use all that money to rapidly increase our war potential and upset the current balance."
"So they joined forces and used their respective countries' diplomatic channels to put pressure on the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire."
"The end result is that Konoha will host this joint Chunin qualification exam for the Five Great Ninja Villages."
"Huh? Skincare products? Chunin Exams? What... What does one have to do with the other?"
Jiraiya listened in utter confusion, his face blank.
He scratched his head, completely unable to see any necessary connection between the two.
Wasn't making money a good thing? Were the other villages jealous that Konoha was getting rich and wanted a share?
But what did that have to do with holding the Chunin Exams?
"So the other villages are forcing us to hold the Chunin Exams because we're making money?"
Tsunade furrowed her brows. She knew just how successful Orochimaru's skincare business was; she even used some of the products herself from time to time.
She immediately understood the chain reaction those financial gains might set off. The other villages feared Konoha would grow rapidly with that income,
so they wanted to use the Chunin Exams as a pretext to investigate Konoha's situation and perhaps... apply pressure to divide its resources...
The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, Orochimaru understood what lay at the heart of it, too.
He couldn't help letting out a quiet sigh.
War, when all was said and done, came down to money.
That was true even in this world of ninja with supernatural powers.
Whether it was the Kunai, Shuriken, and Explosive Tags that ninja used up in their daily work, or the Military Ration Pills and medical supplies they needed on missions, all of it had to be bought with hard-earned money.
And that was not to mention the resources and time needed to train a competent ninja.
The huge profits from the cosmetics business would undoubtedly give Konoha a major boost in revenue and war potential.
To the other four villages, it was as if Konoha had suddenly acquired an inexhaustible gold mine. If that continued, the balance would tip, and Konoha would inevitably become far stronger than them.
That was what truly made them wary and anxious.
The other four villages could hardly stand by and let Konoha quietly rake in a fortune.
The so-called Joint Chunin Exams were probably just a public-facing pretext.
Their real aim was simply to use this opportunity to send their young ninja into Konoha under the cover of legitimacy, get a proper look at Konoha's current capabilities, assess the strength of its new generation, and see just how far the village had developed thanks to this windfall...
The relationship between a ninja village and its respective Feudal Lord and country was one of complex cooperation and dependence.
The reason for this was obvious: ninja might have power, but they didn't know how to run businesses or produce goods.
At first, the relationship between the great nations and ninja was one of employment. But after the First Shinobi World War, the ties between each ninja village and its country's government grew much closer.
As the villages received more support and resources from their countries, their role shifted from relatively independent mercenary organizations to independent military forces dedicated to their nations and subject to certain restrictions.
Given the Third Hokage's position, it would be difficult for him to directly refuse a diplomatic proposal wrapped in the guise of "friendly exchange" and "mutual progress," especially with the other four great nations applying pressure through diplomatic channels...
After all, refusing could send an unfriendly signal to the other four nations, possibly setting off another round of friction and mistrust, or even war...
"So... Teacher, what would you like us to do?"
With that in mind, Orochimaru looked up and asked Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked pleased.
His student really was sharp...
"It's simple."
"Let the other villages see for themselves the strength of the new generation of ninja in Konohagakure!"
"Show them that Konoha's strength doesn't come from wealth alone—we also have the best ninja!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone grew firm, his words leaving no room for doubt.
"Ha! I thought it was going to be something important!"
"All we have to do is beat up the Genin brats the other villages send over! I'm good at that!"
Jiraiya perked up at once and slapped his thigh, his confusion swept away.
He grinned confidently and lifted his chin with pride.
He wasn't the dead-last he'd been at the beginning anymore. After Orochimaru's special training, he was crazy strong now!
He'd been itching for a chance to show off his newfound strength!
"Heh, Jiraiya, you... aren't wrong."
Hearing Jiraiya's bold declaration, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help smiling.
The stern look on his face softened a little.
It really was as simple and direct as Jiraiya said...
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood and walked slowly to the office window, gazing out at Konoha, vibrant in the sunlight.
People moved along the streets, and the laughter of children could be heard in the distance.
This peace and prosperity had not come easily.
He turned around, letting his gaze pass over each of his three prized students.
"Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade..."
"This Joint Chunin Exam means a great deal to Konoha."
"I'm counting on you."
Before you continue