Kyohaku Uchiha's words were like another stone cast into a tranquil lake. Yet the ripples they stirred were no longer icy, but invigorating waves filled with strategic intent.
The excitement sparked by the Life Potion's tremendous boost in combat power had yet to subside when Kyohaku's sudden proposal seized everyone's full attention.
"Joint Chunin Ninja Exams?" Tsunade frowned slightly. At a time when outside forces were watching them like hawks, she felt that holding such an event was somewhat ill-timed. "Now? Wouldn't that be too conspicuous? And it'll take a lot of time and manpower."
Jiraiya rubbed his chin as well. "Invite the brats from the other great nations to Konoha? This won't be a simple exchange. It could easily become a pretext for them to openly gather intelligence."
Even Minato Namikaze wore a thoughtful expression as he waited for Kyohaku to continue.
Kyohaku's calm gaze swept across the room. His tone remained composed, but it carried the steadiness of someone who understood the situation thoroughly. "Conspicuous? A measured degree of conspicuousness is exactly what we need. Not to flaunt our military might, but to show our strength and... confidence."
He explained slowly, "It has been over half a year since the Third Shinobi World War ended. On the surface, the great nations have ceased hostilities, but beneath that surface, currents still churn—as we just discussed. They suspect that Konoha has been weakened by internal strife, so they are growing restless. We urgently need two to three months to turn the effects of the Life Potion into tangible, unshakable strength."
"A Joint Chunin Ninja Exam is the best pretext for securing that time," Kyohaku continued. "Holding it in the name of celebrating peace and encouraging exchanges among the new generation of shinobi is perfectly reasonable, and it can redirect some