The Joint Chūnin Exams involved three villages, so there was no way to keep them secret. The other two villages received the news immediately.
Konoha was hostile toward them, so it was only natural that Dawn Hidden Village had not invited them. Konoha, too, disdained the idea of participating in the Joint Chūnin Exams alongside them.
However, Kirigakure was deeply puzzled by not being invited. There had been no conflict between them. If they wanted to isolate Konoha, shouldn't they have brought Kirigakure in and hosted it together? Why had they been left out? They began investigating in secret, hoping to find some clues.
"I didn't expect the persuasion plan to succeed so quickly."
Hiruko had prepared for the worst on the way here. At most, he would have had to flee with the other party. He had never expected Uchiha Yū to keep the entire situation under control from start to finish.
"Negotiations are like business. You name an outrageous price, then bargain it down. Our goal from the start was to form an alliance with them. At the very least, we wanted to hold an exam together. As for war, that was merely a pretext I brought up."
Uchiha Yū remained calm. Now, he could contact the Six-Tails in Kirigakure and the Kaguya Clan, telling them to prepare as quickly as possible so they would not be delayed if they launched a surprise attack on Kirigakure.
"Hm?"
The moment he stepped forward, Uchiha Yū suddenly stopped. The two beside him assumed an enemy had followed them and immediately drew their weapons, warily scanning their surroundings.
"Ōnoki really is an idiot. He can't even keep an eye on his own disciple."
"I'll leave him to you, Hiruko. Teach this brat a deep lesson."
Uchiha Yū looked up at the