"You did surprise me a little, Sasuke," Roshi said. "We'll leave it at that."
Sasuke lowered his gaze, silently accepting the verdict.
Roshi turned his attention to the other boy.
"Naruto," he called. "You failed. Even after obtaining an A-rank forbidden jutsu, you still haven't shown any talent in Transformation Jutsu or developed more tactical variations."
"I did develop some!" Naruto protested, instantly energized.
"I really did! I combined the Sexy Jutsu with the Shadow Clone! I can show Roshi-nii right now!"
As he spoke, his hands were already flying through hand seals.
Sasuke's brows drew together. He fully expected Roshi to shut down such a ridiculous Ninjutsu. The Third Hokage was right there—using that kind of jutsu in front of the village's former leader was just...
But Roshi said nothing.
He simply watched as Naruto summoned over a dozen Shadow Clones, then ran through the hand seals for the Transformation Jutsu.
"Transform!"
Sasuke instinctively averted his eyes. He didn't even want to see what was coming.
Out of the corner of his eye, though, he noticed Roshi wasn't looking at Naruto at all—his gaze was fixed on the Third Hokage in the distance.
When the transformation smoke cleared—
More than a dozen almost nude figures stood in the training field; a crowd of blonde women gathered together, all smiling sweetly.
"Lord Roshi Lord Third"
Their coquettish voices overlapped, sickly sweet.
Sasuke muttered, "Idiot," under his breath and then froze at a strange sound.
"Pfft..." It was like air leaking from a pipe, coming from the Third Hokage's direction.
Sasuke couldn't help but look—and what he saw defied belief.
The man known as the Professor, the Hokage who had led the village for decades, was staring wide-eyed, mouth slightly open, as a bright red stream of nosebleed sprayed from his nostrils.
"Th-this..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was a jumble. He fumbled a handkerchief from his pocket and clamped it to his nose. "Too—too improper! Naruto! This kind of jutsu... is far too indecent! It's just... just..."
He couldn't even finish; the nosebleed only grew worse.
Flustered, the Third Hokage turned his back to them, shoulders shaking slightly as the corner of his handkerchief quickly turned red.
Having witnessed the legendary reaction he'd been waiting for, Roshi gave a satisfied nod. "That's enough, Naruto."
Naruto's Shadow Clones dispelled with soft pops. He beamed proudly. "How was that, Roshi-nii? This jutsu's amazing, right? Even Grandpa Third..."
"It's a nice creative touch," Roshi conceded. "But it only works on certain people. Its overall usefulness is limited."
Hiruzen let out a couple of dry coughs, finally stopping the bleeding. He turned back around, his face arranged into a stern expression.
Roshi resumed his evaluation. "Naruto, the way you developed this jutsu proves you have talent."
Naruto laughed sheepishly.
"However," Roshi's tone turned cold, "that doesn't change the basic fact that your ninja fundamentals are far too weak."
"Eh? But I—"
"No buts."
"Your taijutsu rhythm is monotonous, your movements are too easy to read, and when you face complex traps, you rely purely on instinct."
"The tactical level of your Shadow Clones can never surpass your own tactical ability."
"The reason Sasuke was able to take you down so quickly and efficiently is because of the serious gaps in your own technical and tactical skills. An A-rank forbidden jutsu can magnify your chakra advantage, but it can't cover up how hollow your foundations are."
Naruto opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"Since Sasuke has voluntarily given up his privilege to take time off from the Academy," Roshi shifted his gaze away from Naruto, "and Gaara can now train normally without accidentally injuring his classmates..."
"Then starting tomorrow, all three of you will return to the regular curriculum at the Ninja Academy."
Sasuke's expression didn't change. Gaara gave a slight nod.
Only Naruto suddenly went pale.
The special training up to now, the forbidden jutsu he'd received from Roshi, the exhilaration of finally defeating Sasuke—all of it had made him feel singled out, like he'd stepped onto a different path from everyone else.
Now, was that path… just looping back to where he'd started?
"Roshi-nii, um… can I still…" Naruto struggled to find the words. "I mean, if I really work on my basics, could I…"
"Naruto," Roshi cut him off.
Then he asked quietly:
"Have you forgotten why you asked for this special training in the first place?"
Naruto froze.
It was to help a friend.
It was so that the red-haired boy who was always alone could stand together with everyone else.
It was not to prove he was stronger than Sasuke.
It was not to be treated as someone special.
And it was certainly not to… Learn more powerful ninjutsu from Roshi-nii.
The blond boy lowered his head. "I understand."
Roshi didn't say anything more. The Third Hokage finished straightening his robes, and the two of them disappeared from the training field at the same time with the Body Flicker.
Sasuke began gathering his ninja tools. He walked to the kunai and shuriken jutting out of the wooden posts and the ground, pulling them free one by one and sliding them back into the pouch at his waist.
Before leaving the training field, his gaze paused for a moment on Gaara and Naruto. In the end, he only let out a quiet huff and walked off alone.
Gaara stepped over to Naruto. "Naruto."
Naruto didn't react.
"Want to go get some ramen? I've got some pocket money today," the red-haired boy said.
"...Ah. "Yeah," the blond boy answered blankly. He started walking, almost on autopilot, following behind Gaara. After a few steps, it was like he suddenly woke from a dream.
"Sorry, Gaara," he murmured, his voice slightly nasal. "I think… I was just thinking about myself. Even though the special training was for you, I was only thinking about beating Sasuke…"
"We're friends. Don't worry about it."
It was such a simple sentence, yet it made Naruto's eyes burn.
The two boys walked in single file along the path that cut through the woods beside the training ground.
Partway down the trail, Naruto suddenly halted.
He drew in a deep breath, then spun around and yelled in the direction Sasuke had gone, "Just you wait, you cocky bastard! Next time, I'll definitely win!"
—
In the Hokage Building, Hiruzen and Roshi walked side by side down the corridor.
"This special training was very effective," the third remarked.
"Yes," Roshi agreed with a nod. "So I'm thinking we can make it a regular thing from now on."
"A regular thing?" Hiruzen echoed.
"Selecting students from each year who can no longer make meaningful progress in their class's regular combat training, and giving them reward-based special training opportunities. Or organizing inter-class and inter-grade competitions," Roshi explained.
"There's no need for early graduation—the Ninja Academy's education isn't just about combat techniques."
"But forcing those who could be running ahead to stay put because of the system is also a waste," Hiruzen countered.
He fell silent, fingers unconsciously twisting his beard as he thought it over.
"Then let's start with combat ability. It's the foundation of a ninja's survival. For the village, whether it's earning money through martial arts tournament-style events or raising overall strength to deal with outside threats, it's the fastest way to recover costs."
—
Inside the conference room, Kakashi laid out a thin stack of documents neatly along the long table.
"It seems you've gotten used to this kind of life, Kakashi."
Tsunade strode in and took her seat at the head of the table.
"These materials have already been sorted by the Bureau, Lady Tsunade," Kakashi said carefully. "It's not my doing."
Tsunade picked up the file in front of her and flipped through it casually. "No need to be so modest, Kakashi. That department is made up of ninja from the five great villages, all with conflicting interests and complicated backgrounds. The fact that it's been running for nearly a year without any major problems speaks for itself."
She was still praising him.
Kakashi felt a throb start at his temples.
"No, not at all." He adjusted his expression, his visible eye curving into a crescent. "It's only because Roshi already negotiated with the villages behind them."
"In truth, all I do over there is act as a mouthpiece."
He couldn't afford not to be modest. If he dared accept the credit now, in a year or two it would turn into "Kakashi is already capable of taking on more responsibility."
And then they'd just shove the Hokage's hat onto his head.
The door opened again.
The man whose credit he was trying to push away walked into the conference room with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Roshi took the seat to Tsunade's right.
"Kakashi-senpai, there's no need to be so modest," he said. "Without you coordinating everyone every day, given the past blood feuds between the Five Great Ninja Villages, dozens of disputes would've already broken out in the Joint Bureau."
Another one.
Kakashi could feel the muscles in his face about to lock into place from constant smiling.
He glanced toward the Third Hokage. The old man was watching the three of them with a thoughtful expression, graying brows slightly raised, as if he were observing some rare species.
If Danzo had been able to think like this, he wouldn't have died at Roshi's hands.
The thought flickered through Hiruzen's mind. He cleared his throat and moved on to the main topic. "Kakashi, about the investigation into the illegal fighting arenas—what specific problems have you run into?"
Finally, back to business.
Kakashi let out a quiet breath of relief and opened the file.
"During this period, the Bureau has been investigating the small countries and independent ninja villages within the territories of the Five Great Nations.
"There are some ninja villages that tried to hold similar entertainment events during the break between the Five Great Ninja Villages' Joint Combat Exercise and the Chunin Exams.
"For example, Hot Water Village," Kakashi said. "They set up a ring under the banner of a 'Hot Spring Festival Special Sightseeing Project.' The participants were their own Genin and a few hired Rōnin, and the audience was made up of passing tourists."
Tsunade skimmed the summary report in front of her.
"Not large in scale?"
"Correct," Kakashi replied. "The ticket sales were just enough to cover the cost of the venue and the shinobi subsidies."
"After the Bureau team arrived, Hot Water Village voluntarily dismantled the ring. But they asked… about the standards for 'holding competitions of a similar nature.'"
He opened another folder. "During the joint team's operations, several ninja villages—including Grass Village—raised similar questions."
"Among them, Mui contacted me in private.
"He did so in a personal capacity," Kakashi continued. "He briefed me on Grass Village's current situation."
He slid the file to the center of the table. Everyone could clearly see the few lines of bold data:
Commission volume has fallen by 40% year-on-year. Commissions from domestic nobles have shifted to Konoha or Iwagakure. Border patrol requests have disappeared due to the easing of relations between the major nations. Even if they place in the joint Chunin exams, the prize money can't make up for the shortfall in daily expenses.
The reason was simple. In the past, these small ninja villages that still maintained some military strength existed because relations between the major nations were tense; merchants and nobles who didn't want to show their stance too clearly would hand certain commissions over to small ninja villages to handle.
But now, cooperation and exchange between the major Ninja Villages were growing ever closer, and they had even begun sharing information on certain mission commissions.
The clients no longer had to fret over conflicts between the major Hidden Villages when issuing commissions.
On the contrary, because the great Ninja Villages now had stronger reputations, better operational strength, and more reliable follow-up support, they were becoming the natural first choice.
"Kusagakure's situation is still relatively stable for now," Kakashi reported. "At least the Daimyo of the Land of Grass is still providing full financial support."
"Based on that," he continued, "the Bureau has a pessimistic outlook on the future of illegal fighting arenas."
After all, Shinobi still had to make a living. If a village couldn't support its own people, that village might not dare to openly oppose the Five Great Ninja Villages—but the shinobi who left would become a problem everyone would have to face sooner or later.
The Third Hokage took out his pipe and said, "We have no way to force merchants or nobles to send their commissions to those smaller villages."
"But we can create new options."
Roshi's voice cut in. He pulled a blank sheet from the stack of documents and began to write.
"First, we need to reconsider the matter of hosting rights." The pen scratched softly against the paper. "We can try using small-scale competitions as filler events during the off-season."
"Second," he added, marking the next point, "we propose through the Bureau that shinobi from outside the Five Great Ninja Villages be incorporated into the Martial Arts Tournament system."
"We won't distribute ticket revenue to their villages, but we'll provide basic participation rewards and travel subsidies directly to the participating ninja."
Beside him, Kakashi was also writing quickly, his pen flying across the page.
"Third," Roshi went on, jotting down the next item, "the water resource regulation project between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain has already entered the preparatory stage. It's a long-term project—exploration, excavation, pipeline construction, barrier maintenance... It's going to need a large number of specialized shinobi. "
"Earth Release, Water Release, basic Sealing Jutsu—shinobi with these skills will all be in demand. We can issue targeted commissions through the Joint Affairs Bureau and settle the payments on a daily basis."
Hiruzen asked, "And the money? Where do you plan for it to come from?"
When a mission touched directly on their own national interests, shinobi from the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind could accept less pay—but those from outside villages could not.
Roshi set his pen down.
"Invite the Daimyo of the smaller countries to renegotiate their aid amounts and establish a dedicated agency to manage the funds," he said. "The ninja problem must be resolved."
"For a small Hidden Village, even if only ten or twenty people slip out of its control because they can't make a living—let's not even talk about whether they'll end up defecting to the Akatsuki."
"Even if they only wander along the borders of different countries, looting caravans and attacking small villages, the economic damage they could cause would far exceed the cost of giving them reasonable financial support in advance."
He lifted his gaze to Kakashi.
"Kakashi-senpai, please bring this up with the representatives of the major Ninja Villages at the Bureau. First, discuss opening participation qualifications to contestants from the smaller Ninja Villages, as well as the prize money standards."
"Then—" Roshi pushed the sheet covered in notes toward him. "Invite every leader of a ninja village outside the Five Great Ninja Villages who's willing to participate to come to Konoha for a joint conference."
"...All of them?" Kakashi checked.
"All of them," Roshi confirmed with a nod. "We'll set the date for the middle of next month. The venue will be the Joint Affairs Bureau building."
Tsunade suddenly let out a laugh.
"This is going to be lively." The Fifth Hokage rested her chin on one hand, her eyes sliding to Kakashi. "With so many village leaders gathered in one place, I'll leave the coordination work to you, Kakashi."
Here we go again.
Kakashi sighed inwardly. He glanced at Roshi, then at Tsunade, and finally at the Third Hokage—the old man was calmly smoking his pipe, clearly taking the stance of "I'll leave this to the younger generation."
"I'll do my best," Kakashi said. "After all... I'm just the mouthpiece."