Chunin Exams Proposal

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued reading.

"The Iwa Elite Ambush Squad consisted of eight Jonin and twenty-four Chunin. Seven Jonin were killed and one severely injured; twenty Chunin were killed and three severely injured."

At this point, everyone's expressions relaxed somewhat.

Although Konoha had suffered heavy losses, the iwa-nin losses were clearly greater. They had seriously underestimated Orochimaru's strength.

Their flawed assessment, coupled with their failure to anticipate Konoha's resolve, had made this probe disastrously costly for the iwa-nin. Ōnoki would likely need a long time to quietly lick his wounds before recovering.

"Orochimaru did well." Danzo, who had remained silent for a long while, finally spoke and acknowledged Orochimaru's abilities.

This severe blow to the iwa-nin had truly given Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan a much-needed boost.

However, the mission report had not yet been fully read.

"An Iwa Jonin was suspected of launching a surprise attack on Tori Mori Outpost while drawing the tiger from the mountain. Two Konoha Chunin died, and corpse collector Maruyama Qifeng was severely injured. Afterward, the Iwa Jonin's whereabouts became unknown?"

After reading that, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Orochimaru.

Interest gleamed in Orochimaru's snake-like eyes. He licked his lips and rasped, "According to Maruyama Qifeng himself, that was what happened."

Others did not know, but both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru did.

This was not the first time something like this had happened.

In the previous incident in the Land of Hot Water, Mist Jonin Kaguya Senjin had crossed Konoha's defenses to ambush Kakashi's Squad. The one who had ultimately encountered him was also Maruyama Qifeng.

Yet the outcome of that incident had been exactly the same as this one.

The two enemy Jonin had vanished without a trace, while Konoha Genin Maruyama Qifeng had been seriously injured but survived.

If once was a coincidence, then twice...

Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed his speculation and gave Orochimaru a look. Once he confirmed that Orochimaru understood, he continued the meeting.

Such an important meeting obviously would not be interrupted by a mere Genin.

Though the outcome was somewhat abrupt, the various clan heads and Elite Jonin were all rather surprised.

After all, for a Genin to survive at a Jonin's hands was an extraordinarily fortunate thing.

Everyone present was Jonin or above. They understood just how vast the gap between a Genin and a Jonin was.

But seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi had no intention of pursuing the matter further, no one said anything. They merely silently remembered the name "Maruyama Qifeng."

It was not as though they had failed to notice the look Hiruzen Sarutobi had given Orochimaru.

"Ahem. Back to the main topic. Shikaku, continue."

Nara Shikaku nodded expressionlessly. He showed no emotion at having been interrupted and used the time to further refine the plan in his mind.

He swept his gaze over the room and said in a deep voice, "I suggest that Konoha hold the Chunin Exams ahead of schedule!"

The Chunin Exams!

The moment those words were spoken, everyone in the meeting room widened their eyes in surprise at Nara Shikaku's proposal.

But after giving it a little thought, they quickly understood the deeper implications.

Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a look of realization. He tapped his pipe, pondered for a moment, and motioned for Shikaku to continue.

"We can invite the Kumo-nin, mist ninja, and suna-nin." Nara Shikaku spoke with confidence.

The iwa-nin alone would not be invited. The intent behind that...

"The Kumo-nin are our allies in name. Though some time has passed, as long as that agreement has not been torn apart, they remain our allies. We can use this to test their inclinations. The Kumo-nin are also a side we can win over; after all, Kumogakure and Iwagakure bear no small grudge against each other.

Kirigakure in the Land of Water has always kept to itself. Relying on the ocean's barrier and its advantage in naval combat, it has more than enough ability to defend itself but lacks the strength to attack outward. If we show them Konoha's power, I believe they will have to carefully consider whether to continue expanding the war.

As for Sunagakure, its internal conflicts have never ceased. It lacks resources and has an unstable position. If we further communicate with them and try to relax some of the terms from the Second Great Ninja War, there may be a chance to win them over.

We only need to be wary of Chiyo, an elder of Sunagakure. She is the most steadfast member of the Fire Extinguishing Faction.

At the same time, we can invite the surrounding minor Hidden Villages as well, determine their positions, and give them a measure of deterrence."

He laid out the potential effects of these Chunin Exams clearly and thoroughly explained the interests at stake.

In short, win some over, intimidate some, and keep some neutral.

After such an arrangement, Konoha's pressure might lessen considerably.

"Excellent!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi made the decision on the spot.

In truth, he had discussed this plan with Nara Shikaku long ago. They had merely needed a suitable occasion to present it.

After that, they divided and assigned tasks to the various clans and departments.

With the broad policy decided, Hiruzen Sarutobi entrusted the detailed planning entirely to Nara Shikaku.

After the meeting ended.

The master and disciple, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru, walked beside one of Konoha's rivers.

"How long has it been since we took a walk like this, Orochimaru?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said wistfully.

The older one grew, the more easily one recalled the past—some of its beautiful moments.

"Hehe."

"..."

A vein throbbed on Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead. There was nothing he could do about Orochimaru's cold temperament.

Looking at Orochimaru beside him, now fully capable of standing on his own, Hiruzen Sarutobi still felt greatly comforted.

Yet beneath that comfort, deep in his eyes, lay a trace of concern.

And amid their currently harmonious teacher-student relationship, he had deliberately chosen to forget that concern.

"Tell me what you think, Orochimaru."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped at the riverbank and smiled as he watched children playing in the distance.

"The war?" Orochimaru stood beside him and licked his lips.

Orochimaru was not particularly opposed to war.

"What is coming will come eventually. No one can stop it. Just as those destined to die will die someday, the Shinigami shows no mercy," Orochimaru said flatly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that his disciple was obsessed with life and death.

He had simply not expected that impractical obsession to deepen rather than fade with age.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. After pondering for a moment, he spoke again. "Tell me about Qifeng."

At the mention of Qifeng, interest immediately appeared on Orochimaru's face.

"There are two possibilities. First, he is concealing his strength. Second, someone is helping him from the shadows. That person might be a Konoha Ninja, a ninja from another village, or perhaps a wandering ninja," Orochimaru said frankly.

"Concealing his strength?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi considered it, then quickly shook his head.

It was unrealistic.

Konoha produced many geniuses. He had seen every kind: geniuses from ninja clans and geniuses from commoner backgrounds.

But Qifeng was impossible.

It was not as if Hiruzen Sarutobi had not sent people to observe him. They had begun when Qifeng came into contact with Asuma and continued through the previous mist ninja incident.

The Anbu Ninja assigned to monitor him had all submitted nearly identical reports. He was a ninja so well-behaved that he could not have been more unassuming.

Moreover, he was not a clan ninja. His foundations were weak, he had no Kekkei Genkai, and he had no clan support.

Even the most talented commoners Hiruzen Sarutobi had seen, such as Orochimaru and Namikaze Minato, could not possibly kill a Jonin at the age of thirteen without instruction from a powerful mentor.

"Perhaps he has some secret no one knows about?" Orochimaru added, seemingly joking.

"Can you determine whether someone is hiding behind him?" Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored the joke and merely asked.

"No." Orochimaru answered quickly, then continued, "Not cannot. I found no one."

If Orochimaru said he had found no one, then there truly was no one.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and took a puff from his pipe. "Perhaps it truly was as he said. Just luck."

Because from the several observations, Qifeng's feelings toward Konoha, toward his companions, and especially toward his companions' corpses, had all been sincere.

That could not be faked. Hiruzen Sarutobi did not believe anyone could disguise themselves so flawlessly before him and Orochimaru.

Therefore, Qifeng was a Konoha Ninja, and his heart belonged to Konoha. There was no doubt about that.

Orochimaru shrugged. "Luck. Perhaps."

There truly was no other explanation.

Ninjas with good luck were not unheard of. Hiruzen Sarutobi had even seen cases far more outrageous.

In battles involving hundreds or thousands of ninjas, battles with death tolls reaching the thousands, battles where even Jonin suffered devastating casualties, a Konoha Genin at the heart of the fighting had survived completely intact, with barely any injuries.

What was luck?

That was luck.

But luck was also a part of strength.

"No matter the reason, he is a Konoha Ninja. That is enough."

Indeed, he was a Konoha Ninja, and one who had gradually earned others' recognition through his efforts to protect corpses. That was enough.

They did not say much more about Qifeng.

A lucky Genin was not worth Hiruzen Sarutobi spending so much energy on at this time.

Still, in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, he had been given a label: a lucky ninja!

Far away in the Morgue, Qifeng had no idea that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru had mentioned him again and again.

And because of his usual proactive attitude toward corpses, he had gained Hiruzen Sarutobi's approval.

If he knew, he would probably treat every corpse even more seriously.

With the attitude of protecting private property!