Several days later, news of the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams quickly spread through the ninja villages.
To Minato Namikaze and Yūto's surprise, the four great ninja villages of Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Water sent back their replies almost without delay, agreeing to participate.
Kumogakure and Kirigakure had enjoyed fairly good relations with Konoha over the past few years. They were quite willing to show the host village this courtesy, so they readily agreed.
But Sunagakure and Iwagakure had more complicated intentions.
On Sunagakure's side, the thought of how Uchiha Yūto had not only beaten their Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, into submission during the Third Shinobi World War, humiliating them, but had even spirited away Pakura, the Scorch Release user, left them nursing a grudge and plotting to get even.
Iwagakure's hatred ran even deeper. Shortly before the Third Shinobi World War ended, Yūto had nearly slaughtered his way through their forces on the battlefield and had almost wiped out their Third Tsuchikage, old man Ōnoki, along with the Jinchūriki of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails in one fell swoop. That blood debt left everyone in Iwagakure wanting to devour Yūto alive.
They had agreed to participate with the same plan in mind.
Send experts disguised as Genin to crush Konoha's spirit and make Konoha fall flat on its face on its own home ground!
In the Hokage's Office, Yūto tossed the four replies onto the desk and raised an eyebrow at Minato.
"They certainly agreed quickly. Want me to put them in their place a little when they arrive?"
Seeing how eager he looked, Minato immediately smiled and waved his hands.
"All right, all right, I know you're strong. But that would be bullying them too much. It would make Konoha look petty and overbearing. We're the hosts. If we're going to