"I've already made arrangements for that. We'll have people coordinating with Anko's team throughout."
The Third, who had been sitting at the back the whole time, spoke up.
The old Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably have held the Chunin Ninja Exams as usual, even knowing all the risks involved, because of the alliances with other villages and pressure from the Land of Fire.
But he was different now. Not only had he given Jiraiya and Kakashi free rein, he would also do everything he could to support them.
Even if that meant using a joint event involving their village and others as a tool for their operation.
With no advisors or anyone else to interfere with the Third, Sarutobi's decision was to let them carry out their plans boldly and without worry.
These old bones of his would shoulder whatever fallout came their way.
"Still, unrealistic as it is, I really hope these people give themselves away sooner rather than later. We're practically running this exam at the difficulty level of an elite jonin assessment. Who knows how many of the other genin can hold out? Let's not end up with all the infiltrators among the candidates gathered together at the end, without a single person who actually came to take the Chunin Ninja Exams..."
Mitaraishi Anko shrugged. "In a way, it's far too cruel to the genin taking the exam this time. It means they're destined to come all this way for nothing."
"Cough, cough. Anko, you don't need to worry. Cough, cough. There's still my Third Match..."
Gekko Hayate, the chief examiner for the Third Match, was interrupted before he could finish. "Save your breath," Jiraiya said. "I'm worried you won't even make it to exam day. Go see Tsunade afterward and get yourself properly treated."
"Ah, this is