"Are the prizes for the competition ready? Don't tell me you won't have anything to present and make a fool of everyone."
Naori said, half-joking.
Torifu smiled slightly. "Of course, they're ready. We'll see who the final winner is, and then I'll reward them with a single herb based on their primary chakra nature."
Naori nodded after hearing this. It was a decent prize. The herbs Torifu provided were quite miraculous; even for a Kage-level ninja like her, they still had a strong effect after use. If given to a younger generation, it would definitely lay a very good foundation.
She hoped this item would remain in Konoha Village.
When Yahiko and Konan heard this, they secretly resolved to win the prize! They had seen Minato consume the herb, and his strength had greatly increased in just a few minutes. Furthermore, there were no side effects. They certainly had to contend for such an herb.
Besides, if such a precious herb were to be won by someone from another village, wouldn't Konoha Village suffer a needless loss? As long as one of them won the championship, their Master would surely be pleased.
The two disciples thought this way, but Torifu didn't really care about such things. It was just one herb, and he had plenty more in his spatial ring. This item was merely a symbolic prize, and the competition was just to make the holiday more enjoyable and lively. It didn't matter who won the championship; it was best if it was someone from their village, but he would congratulate others too.
Torifu was not such a petty person.
"Alright, the participant list is out. We just have to wait for the competition in three days. I'm a bit tired, so I'm going back to rest first."
With that, Torifu returned to his room, and Akihara was also called back by Naori and went inside to sleep.
There were still nine days until the Spring Festival. It was estimated that after the competition, only about three days would remain. Time was tight, but these three days were enough to set up the Spring Festival event venue. The craftsmen of Konoha Village were very efficient.
While Torifu slept soundly, the clan heads of the major families could not rest well.
After the participant list was announced, they realized that every contestant was a genius! They were all young masters or young ladies from prominent families. Everyone had brought out their family's best, and the clan heads began analyzing each contestant's weaknesses based on the list. This was so their own children could go further in the competition.
However, while Konoha Village's contestants could be analyzed, those from other countries were impossible to dissect. Without even knowing the opponent's family or their abilities, how could they analyze them? They could only selectively explain some ninjas from the more familiar major families. To achieve a good ranking in the competition, the clan heads were truly giving their all.
This situation was not only happening in the various clan compounds. Even the apartment where the Kazekage was staying was brightly lit.
Since the Kazekage had visited Konoha Village many times, the people accompanying him had also traveled to Konoha multiple times. They had some understanding of the village's major families. At this moment, the Kazekage was using his utmost ability to brief Sasori on the characteristics of these families, their secret techniques, or Kekkei Genkai.
"Look, I don't need to say much about the Hyuga Clan, do I? The entire family possesses the Byakugan."
"The Uchiha Clan is also quite easy to recognize. They seem rather arrogant, and they have the fan crest on them."
"And..."
The Kazekage exerted great effort to explain the abilities of these major Konoha Village families to Sasori. He was parched from speaking, and Sasori was nodding off from listening.
"Ah, Master? Are you done?" Sasori scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
The Kazekage also looked helpless. "Sigh, never mind. Just remember not to be careless. None of these major Konoha Village families are pushovers; each possesses unique skills. They're not at all as simple as our Sunagakure."
Sasori secretly wiped a bead of sweat after hearing this. What did he mean, "our Sunagakure is simple"? Sunagakure didn't have a single family with a Kekkei Genkai, alright?! Even a unique skill like puppetry had only been developed for a few years. How could they compare to Konoha Village? The only thing that could be considered a Kekkei Genkai in Sunagakure was Magnet Release, but there had been only a few ninjas with Magnet Release in over a decade, let alone a whole clan.
"Master, don't worry. I have some confidence in my strength. Even if I don't get first place, I can definitely make it into the top five."
Sasori's conservative attitude was because his grandmother had told him that Konoha Village people were very good at hiding their strength. They might seem ordinary but possessed unique skills, ready to erupt in an instant if pushed. This made Sasori extremely cautious and unwilling to underestimate this competition. However, the Kazekage's explanation was truly uninteresting, making him very sleepy.
"By the way, Sasori, besides the Konoha Village families I told you about, you also need to pay attention to the samurai from the Land of Iron."
"Samurai?"
This word had appeared more and more frequently in Sasori's ears in recent years. They seemed to be formidable rivals to ninjas, but they also seemed to have fallen into decline.
"Your puppet body lacks defense. If you're careless, you might be directly ambushed. Samurai are best at a single-strike kill."
Although he didn't quite understand, it sounded very powerful, and Sasori silently noted it down. The ninja world was indeed a place full of brilliant people. He was already a very strong ninja of the new generation in Sunagakure. But after coming to Konoha Village, he found that many people's documented strength was far superior to his, and he felt pressured for a moment. He wondered if it was truly so, or if his Master was intentionally exaggerating to make him more cautious.
"Don't worry, Master. Before I left, Grandma, Dad, and Mom all instructed me not to be arrogant or underestimate others. I will seriously complete every match."
The Kazekage nodded in satisfaction. Sasori was very obedient, which brought the Kazekage great comfort.
"Alright, let's stop here for tonight. Go upstairs and sleep. Tomorrow, I'll take you to meet the Hokage's two disciples. They should be strong contenders for the championship."
Sasori was very interested in this. He had long heard that Lord Hokage was the strongest ninja in the world, so his disciples must also be very strong. Perhaps they would even spar directly tomorrow. Thinking of this, Sasori felt a little nervous. Would it be too embarrassing if he lost even before the competition started?
"What are you thinking, you brat? Hurry up and go to sleep!"
"Oh! Oh, alright!" After responding, Sasori scurried upstairs to rest.
Seeing this, the Kazekage also stretched, then looked at the large pile of analysis on Konoha Village contestants written on the table. He couldn't help but shake his head.