"You're Tsunade's student, and she's leading you and Kakashi on this mission. Of course she should be going. But what are you doing here, Jiraiya?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Jiraiya a curious look, then glanced over at Namikaze Minato.
"Lord Hokage, I'm here to see Lord Jiraiya off," Minato replied politely.
"Hahaha! My teacher's going to the Chunin Ninja Exams, so of course I have to go watch!" Jiraiya said reasonably. Then he took Akiyama Shun aside, seemingly to whisper about something.
"Tea... teacher?"
At Jiraiya's choice of address, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt his mind struggling to keep up.
No, he'd been so busy with village affairs lately that he hadn't checked in on Akiyama Shun. How had everything changed so much by the time they met again?
What had happened during this time?
How had a five-year-old who'd been his grandstudent suddenly become almost his peer, the Third Hokage?
Was this right?
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression, Tsunade rubbed her forehead, looking a little awkward.
She didn't even know how to explain it. Should she say that Akiyama Shun was also talented at writing erotic novels?
After carefully arranging her words, Tsunade finally said, "Well... Jiraiya wants to write a book, and Akiyama Shun happens to be good at that sort of thing too. Jiraiya's currently learning how to write from him."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes lit up when he heard Tsunade's explanation.
That was a good thing!
He knew what Jiraiya had written: Tales of a Gutsy Ninja!
He'd read it himself. It was an excellent, passionate novel about a young ninja who pursued his dreams with unwavering determination and never gave up.
If Akiyama Shun could help Jiraiya with that book, then he must be a passionate, sunny boy, just like the protagonist!
What a fine lad! He really had picked the right person!
"Writing a book? That's great! I've always thought Akiyama Shun had a real gift for writing. I didn't expect even Jiraiya to willingly take him as a teacher. I guess I underestimated the boy after all."
There was a note of satisfaction in Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice.
"Heh..." Tsunade didn't know how to respond.
She could only say that Sarutobi Hiruzen had indeed underestimated Akiyama Shun. Of course, she had too.
"If it's just writing lessons, then there's no problem. Sounds good. If Jiraiya wants to come along, he can. Let's set out!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, and the group began preparing to leave. But before they set off, Jiraiya turned to Minato and asked, "Minato, since you're already here, why not come with us?"
Minato was tempted by the suggestion. He had no missions at the moment, and it had been a long time since he'd watched the Chunin Ninja Exams. He did feel a little nostalgic.
Seeing Minato's expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew what he was thinking. With a light laugh, he said, "If you want to come, Minato, then come along."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
Minato immediately looked delighted.
Once the full party had been settled, the teams heading to the Chunin Ninja Exams grew excited.
It was hard not to. Their group was almost absurdly impressive.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen; two of the Sannin, Tsunade and Jiraiya; and Jiraiya's student, Namikaze Minato, who was already making a name for himself in Konoha.
In fact, Sarutobi Hiruzen had his own reasons for bringing such a large group. The Chunin Ninja Exams weren't just a way to select Chunin. Another important purpose was to show their allies the village's strength.
Ordinary villagers couldn't sense it, but as Konoha's Hokage, he'd long felt that a storm was brewing.
The Ninja World was not at peace.
With Tsunade willing to stay involved in village affairs and Jiraiya not off wandering the world, this was the perfect time to show the other villages Konoha's strength!
And there was no need to mention Minato, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Then there were Akiyama Shun and Kakashi, the geniuses of the new generation.
This lineup not only showed that Konoha's top combat strength was in good shape, but also that there was no gap between generations!
Before leaving, Akiyama Shun looked back at the village and suddenly realized something.
Now that they were all leaving, wouldn't that leave Orochimaru as the village's sole guard?
The group set out in grand fashion.
The people of Sunagakure had no idea what sort of characters were on their way to their village.
Akiyama Shun's days on the journey followed a steady routine.
He trained.
If he wanted to stack buffs like crazy in the future, as he imagined, he needed a strong body and plenty of chakra!
Otherwise, even if he managed to get a buff like Lightning Release Chakra Mode, stacking and using it with other buffs might burn through all his chakra before he could do anything.
Aside from training his chakra, Akiyama Shun occasionally helped sort out things between Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Like Akiyama Shun, Kakashi trained relentlessly. Whenever he had free time, he got to work.
Their actions even inspired the other teams—the Genin who had been preparing to take the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Akiyama Shun and Kakashi's names had long since spread throughout the village.
If even geniuses like them worked so hard, what excuse did anyone else have?
Before long, the whole group was swept up in an atmosphere of hard work.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was delighted to see it. These were the future of Konoha, after all. As Hokage, he was naturally happy to see them working hard.
A few days later.
Endless yellow sand had completely surrounded Konoha's group. Before them lay a village nestled in a valley.
It was nothing like Konoha's lush greenery. Sunagakure had only endless sand and earthen walls, battered and peeling from the wind.
Sunagakure.
They had arrived!
Kakashi's brow was already furrowed. He was lucky he always wore a mask; otherwise, sand would have gotten into his mouth.
It was his first time in such a barren place, and he had trouble adjusting.
The Third Kazekage, however, didn't seem to care. His expression unchanged, he walked toward the group from Konoha.
Since Konoha's Third Hokage had come in person, Sunagakure's Third Kazekage naturally had to welcome him himself as the host.
But when Konoha's group had fully entered the village, the smile on the Third Kazekage's face suddenly froze.
Thinking he might have seen wrong, the Third Kazekage took another careful look at the people in Konoha's group.
Once he was sure his eyes weren't deceiving him, he looked back at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a markedly different expression.
Seriously.
What was Konoha planning?
Had Konoha really come just to take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams?
Why not bring Orochimaru too?
Before you continue