As dusk fell, the slanting rays of the setting sun shone upon the earth, lengthening the shadows of everything. The faces of the people who walked out of the specially built Chunin Ninja Exams arena were filled with immense satisfaction and enjoyment.
Watching the final rounds of the Chunin Ninja Exams today was truly a treat for the ordinary people. Although for the Konoha villagers, who made up over 99% of the audience, their village's best result was only reaching the semi-finals, with the final winners and runners-up being taken by kids from other villages, it was a bit of a disappointment.
However, the spectators were very satisfied with the overall quality of the match; the excitement of the main event far exceeded the price of the ticket!
The final three or four matches, in particular, greatly exceeded the expectations of the viewers!
Before the match, very few people could have imagined that a Chunin Genin rank would be so exciting!
Especially Kei and Kakashi.
The clash between Mei Terumi and Kisame.
Even the most inexperienced person, with the most limited understanding of ninjas, could see that the brilliance of these two battles was unparalleled.
In the end, Kei defeated Kakashi, Mei Terumi defeated Kisame.
The final match presented by the victorious Kei and Mei Terumi!
Ultimately, it lived up to the audience's expectations.
The magnificent Ice Release of Kei and the dual Kekkei Genkai displayed by Mei Terumi both directly stimulated the audience's adrenaline to the highest level, making them stare intently, afraid of missing any crucial details!
This brought the atmosphere of the final round of the Chunin Ninja Exams to an extremely climax!
In the end, Kai, with his incredibly sharp Ice Release Technique, narrowly Mei Terumi and won the match. Minato announced the victory amidst cheers from tens of thousands of spectators.
Qi has won the final victory!
The conclusion of this final match also signifies that this joint Chunin Ninja Exams, which was proposed and hosted by Konohagakure and involved many ninja villages such as Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure, has come to a satisfactory end!
The reason for saying this is that, regarding the Chunin Ninja Exams themselves, whether it was the beginning, the process, or the final result, even though there were a few minor setbacks, it all ended smoothly in the end.
But let's not forget that the original intention behind this Chunin Ninja Exams stemmed from the escalating tensions within the Shinobi World. This platform was needed to facilitate communication among the Five Great Nations and to see if a fragile balance could be restored.
That's right, it's a fragile balance. No matter how good or exciting things are said at the beginning, the Five Great Nations will eventually engage in a fierce battle for interests. This is not a question of whether it is reasonable or not, or whether it is just or not; it is purely a question of human nature!
Human greed is the greatest original sin.
It is clear that for the Third Hokage to achieve a balance, even a fragile one, in such an environment was not an easy task!
However, this Third Hokage was clearly very persistent and determined in this regard, and was genuinely willing to relinquish some of the interests belonging to Konohagakure. He even persuaded the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to reach an exchange on certain aspects of the interests.
Given that the other four great nations were indeed unprepared for war, and after several rounds of exchanges in the days following the Chunin Ninja Exams, the Third Hokage managed to restore this fragile new balance in the Shinobi World!
And it was at this moment that this intention was finally achieved.
The other members of Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure also began their return journey.
So, we can go back tomorrow?
June 20th, night, at the inn where we stayed in Kirigakure.
Qi was called into Qing's room, and after hearing Qing's information about the return trip time, he raised an eyebrow and asked a question in return.
Keep in mind that the Chunin Ninja Exams had only ended five days ago, and the other small ninja villages had all left Konohagakure in the last two days. The remaining Three Great Shinobi Villages were clearly there for further negotiations.
This kind of negotiation is not easy to reach, especially with the absence of Iwagakure and, most importantly, the absence of the people from each country who can truly make the final decision. It will require repeated discussions and consultations. In Qi's opinion, this process should take at least ten days to half a month.
Unexpectedly, it has only been five days.
It seemed as if all the problems had been solved.
Qi was naturally surprised.
"Yes, it's tomorrow. You'll need to go and tell Kisame Shingetsu, Mei Terumi one by one that we'll officially set off back to Kirigakure at eight o'clock tomorrow morning!"
Qing was certainly aware of the true meaning behind Qi's rhetorical question, but she didn't offer any explanation. Just as Qing had told Qi at the beginning, it was too early for Qi, given his age and status, to consider such matters, let alone get involved.
Of course, more importantly, Qing felt that getting involved too early would not be beneficial for Qi. At this age, Qi only needed to focus on how to become stronger; everything else was secondary!
This is also Qing's expectation for Qi.
Although it's only been a few short months, in those few months, Qing not only gained a clearer vision of the future after the restart, but also a clearer understanding of her own future.
The future of Kirigakure does not lie with him, but with the three members of Team 7 whom he mentors, especially Kei!
There was no reason needed; Qing simply had this overwhelming sense of certainty.
"Uh? Yes, Teacher Qing, I understand!"
Meeting Qing's slightly deep gaze, Qi swallowed back the question he was about to ask and simply nodded in response.
Then, at Ao's waving signal, Kei turned around, pushed open the door, and left to inform Mei Terumi, Kisame, Shingetsu, and their other companions about their upcoming return journey the next day.
And at the same time.
The Konohagakure, the secret underground base where Root is located.
"Are you all clear on tomorrow's tasks?"
Danzo upright in his main seat, slowly opened his eyes, and looked expressionlessly at the dozens of figures kneeling on one knee below him, speaking in an extremely cold tone.
"Yes, Danzo!"
"Remember, leave no one alive! Go!"
A ruthless glint flashed across Danzo's face as he flicked his right hand.
"Yes!"
After responding in a deep voice, the dozens of members of the Root below each leaped away and disappeared from the spot.
'Heh, Hiruzen, you want peace to continue, is that it? I'll show you no. This world, and our Konohagakure, need this war!'
Danzo's eyes were filled with madness at that moment.