Chōza is explaining the exam rules to the candidates in detail.
"... The competition only ends when one side is rendered unable to fight or concedes defeat. Finally, a reminder: please act according to your abilities. If you achieve victory at an extremely heavy cost, you may not be able to participate in the third assessment a month from now."
"Then, the third preliminary round of the Joint Chūnin Exams officially begins!"
As Chōza finished speaking, names began scrolling on a large screen on one wall of the dueling arena. Three seconds later, the scrolling stopped.
"First match of the qualifiers: Tenten vs. Kurotsuchi!"
"Please, the two candidates, step forward. The rest of you, move to the spectator area!"
As soon as Chōza finished speaking, Ren immediately obeyed the order and appeared in the spectator area of the dueling arena.
Ren showed his respect for the examiner through his actions, and the others were quite sensible as well, with no one trying to show off.
Only Chōza and two other candidates remained in the room.
After a standard questioning process, Chōza gave the order, and the competition between the two began.
The current Tenten has no resemblance to the formidable force she would display in the future Fourth Shinobi World War, and she hasn't even developed her own combat system.
Tenten, who still aspires to be like Tsunade and dreams of becoming a medical-nin, doesn't carry many scrolls and only has a few ninja tools in her ninja tool pouch.
The same goes for Kurotsuchi. Kurotsuchi, who is a year younger than Tenten, also shows no sign of the 'legs' that will appear in the future.
The two fought Genin two Ren genin, both considered weaklings who needed to be eliminated by Tomoki.
However, since Iwagakure made their request and was willing to spend money, Konoha naturally fulfilled their needs.
That's right, the candidates' match list was fake random; everything had been arranged in advance.
After some time, Kurotsuchi, with his good background, ultimately emerged victorious and became the first to qualify for the third exam.
[Utakata vs. Rock Lee]
[Deidara VS Kankurō]
[Hidden Cloud Village 'Genin' VS Iwagakure 'Genin']
The preliminary rounds in Konoha are proceeding smoothly.
The Land of Rice Paddies.
After more than ten hours of full-speed flight, Ōnoki saw Kakuzu again.
The two people who happened to need each other spoke up almost simultaneously.
"Iwagakure has several big deals to do with Akatsuki!"
"Tsuchikage, I have some regrettable news to inform you!"
"You go first!" ×2
After a conversation, both sides understood what the other was trying to say.
Ōnoki wanted to add a few more missions after the original mission of kidnapping Deidara.
Taking advantage of the chaos in Konoha before the third Chunin Ninja Exams, they brought Deidara back while clearing Kumogakure of suspicion.
Kakuzu, on the other hand, received instructions Nagato Akatsuki to inform Ōnoki that the Akatsuki would no longer fulfill the mission they had verbally agreed to.
Ōnoki gained a lot from his trip to Konoha, and quite a lot at that.
But he still felt uneasy. Whether it was the various minor losses he suffered or the threats and intimidation he received from Ren, it all made Ōnoki unhappy.
Especially Deidara, why should he belong to Konoha!
Unwilling to give up, Ōnoki wanted to try again.
"Could you explain why you're abandoning the mission? If you're worried about Iwagakure's lack of cooperation, just choose to act after January, and I can personally provide assistance from the shadows!"
After Ōnoki finished speaking, seeing that Kakuzu didn't give any obvious feedback, he further analyzed the situation and tried to persuade Kakuzu.
"Konoha will definitely be bustling with activity after January. There's no need to worry about the other villages; it's not just Iwagakure that has grudges against Konoha. The other ninja villages, if they don't take advantage of the situation, will certainly sit on the sidelines and watch the show!"
Ōnoki's words did not move Kakuzu.
"The leader did not explicitly state the reason for abandoning the mission, but he clearly indicated that he would not accept any missions related to Konoha for the time being."
After saying that, Kakuzu added the same thing.
"Any ninja village other than Konoha is fine. Aren't Iwagakure and Hidden Cloud Village always at odds? We'll take on any mission from Hidden Cloud Village."
After listening, Ōnoki thought to himself.
Hidden Cloud Village?
They've practically been drained dry by Konoha; dealing with Hidden Cloud Village wouldn't bring them any benefit whatsoever.
A bunch of missing-nin just can't see the situation. There aren't that many enemies and grudges in the Shinobi World.
However, Kakuzu remained unwilling to budge, Ōnoki with no other option.
It's impossible for Iwagakure to take direct action; they'll just provide some behind-the-scenes assistance. Now, for some unknown reason Akatsuki is unwilling to intervene.
Ōnoki left with the final words, "Contact Iwagakure if you change your mind," before departing.
However, Ōnoki was suddenly attacked on his way to Iwagakure.
Wood Release!
Ōnoki was stunned, and his first thought was that Konoha had discovered something and was trying to ambush him.
However, Ōnoki quickly put his doubts aside.
Zetsu, dressed as a core member of the Akatsuki, appeared at the point of attack.
"Tsuchikage, do you want to deal with Konoha? We're willing to offer our help!"
When White Zetsu found Kakuzu Ōnoki, he immediately informed Black Zetsu of the information.
Upon learning the news, Black Zetsu immediately rushed over and stopped Ōnoki.