Storm Clouds Gather at the Venue

Two rows of on-duty chunin stood at the main entrance of the Konoha Combat Arena, standard-issue kunai tucked at their waists and the expressions of people who had to work overtime today but did not dare complain.

Inside was a semi-sunken circular combat ground, with tiered stands around it capable of seating three hundred people. Around seventy jonin and special jonin had arrived today, sitting in small clusters across the front half of the stands. Some chatted about missions, some polished their weapons, and some had come purely to make an appearance.

The ring at the center of the combat ground had yet to be put to use. Its surface was covered in thick shock-absorbing wooden planks, with Konoha's emblem carved along the edges.

In the third row on the left side of the stands, Asuma Sarutobi had an unlit cigarette between his lips. Half his ass rested on the back of his chair as he leaned forward, speaking to Yuhi Kurenai seated in the row before him.

"Kurenai, have you taken next week's escort mission? I already spoke to the scheduler and had us assigned to the same team. We can spar with genjutsu on the road."

Yuhi Kurenai sat upright with her legs together. Her red-and-black fitted short dress outlined her crisp figure, while her long black hair fell behind her shoulders. Her red eyes remained calmly fixed on the ring ahead, and she did not turn around.

"Asuma, I've already accepted another mission."

"Which mission? I'll go trade with the scheduler and transfer to your team."

"That won't be necessary."

The cigarette rolled halfway around at the corner of Asuma's mouth. He leaned closer, draping an arm over the back of Yuhi Kurenai's seat, his fingers less than ten centimeters from her shoulder.

"Kurenai, you've been avoiding me lately. Did someone say something to you? Let me tell you, those rumors outside are all nonsense. Everyone in Konoha knows how I, Asuma Sarutobi, feel about you."

Several jonin in the two rows nearby exchanged glances. One person's mouth twitched, while another lowered his head and pretended to read a mission scroll.

Genma Shiranui, seated diagonally behind Asuma, covered his mouth with one hand and leaned close to Hayate Gekko's ear to mutter.

"Here he goes again. How many times has this been now?"

Hayate Gekko did not answer. He buried his face in his scarf.

Yuhi Kurenai's fingers tightened slightly over her knee. Her breathing did not change, but her jawline drew taut.

"Asuma, this is a public place."

"So what if it is? There's nothing shameful about me, Asuma Sarutobi, liking you." Asuma took the unlit cigarette from his mouth and held it between his fingers, sweeping his gaze around the room as he deliberately raised his voice. "Everyone here knows Yuhi Kurenai is under my protection. If anyone has any improper thoughts, they'll have to get through me first."

Several younger chunin examiners looked at one another, but no one dared respond.

Something seemed to sink within Yuhi Kurenai's red eyes. Her lips pressed into a straight line, yet she did not lose her temper. She merely shifted her gaze from the ring to the back of her hand.

A colleague's dignity, the status of being the Third Hokage's son, and the decorum expected in public.

Those three things were like three ropes, binding her temper firmly to that chair.

Asuma took her silence as consent. He put the cigarette back between his lips, leaned against the chair back, and crossed one leg over the other, his expression clearly saying, It's settled.

Footsteps came from the direction of the main entrance.

They did not belong to one person, but three. Their rhythms differed, but they were headed in the same direction.

The first thing people noticed was the oppressive sensation of chakra.

It was not deliberately released. It was the kind that naturally leaked out when the chakra within one's body was too vast to suppress, like a basin of warm water poured into the air of the entire hall. Every ninja present felt their senses twitch at once.

The doors were pushed open from both sides, and morning light streamed in as three figures stepped into the hall.

The woman on the left wore golden twin tails and an open gray jacket. The neckline of the dark fitted clothing beneath was cut just right, her chest's contours especially distinct against the backlight. The way she walked carried the relaxed confidence of someone who felt the world belonged beneath her feet.

The Fifth Hokage, one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade.

The woman on the right had short purple hair brushing her neck. She wore a black combat outfit with mesh armguards, three kunai fastened at her waist. Her center of gravity stayed low as she walked, every step carrying the springiness of someone ready to explode into action at any moment. As her eyes scanned the room, an unfriendly smile hung at the corner of her lips.

Mitarashi Anko.

The one in the middle looked the youngest. He wore the Senju Clan's dark green everyday attire, with the Senju Clan's diamond-shaped crest embroidered at the collar. His pace was neither hurried nor slow, but every time he took a step, the wooden floor beneath him gave off an exceedingly faint hum, as though the wood fibers within were responding to the Wood Release chakra in his body.

Senju Chiba.

Within three seconds, the eyes of all seventy-plus jonin in the hall had turned toward the entrance.

Some recognized Tsunade and shrank back in their seats.

Some recognized Anko, and their expressions became subtle.

More were watching Chiba, their gazes filled with curiosity and appraisal. His name had been spreading through Konoha far too much lately: a Senju orphan restored to the clan registry, compensation and property personally approved by the Third Hokage, and supposedly even confronting the Hokage to his face.

Asuma uncrossed his legs. The cigarette stopped at the corner of his mouth as he narrowed his eyes at Chiba.

Yuhi Kurenai lifted her head, her red eyes meeting the three approaching from the entrance. Her gaze paused briefly on Tsunade before shifting to Chiba's face.

As Chiba entered the hall, his eyes swept over the crowd. They paused for less than a second at Yuhi Kurenai's seat, and the curve of his lips did not change in the slightest.

Tsunade followed half a step to his left. Her eyes lazily swept across the stands, lingering for an extra beat when she spotted Asuma. Then she said something only Chiba and Anko could hear.

"That Sarutobi chain-smoker is here too."

Anko curled the right corner of her mouth.

"Lady Tsunade, that man is the Third Hokage's own son—the famous king of simps in Konoha."

Tsunade snorted through her nose and said no more.

The three walked down the aisle toward the front rows. When they passed the section where Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai sat, the entire hall fell silent for two seconds.

Chiba did not stop. He headed straight for the seats nearest the ring in the front row, where wooden plaques reading "Special Guest" hung.

Tsunade sat beside him, while Anko stood behind Chiba's chair with her arms crossed, surveying the surroundings with the posture of a guard.

Asuma stared at Chiba's back for five seconds, the cigarette turning twice between his fingers.

Yuhi Kurenai withdrew her gaze from Chiba and lowered it to her knees again, but this time, her fingers did not tighten.