The cross-sea bridge connecting the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire had actually already been close to completion before Team 7 accepted the mission.
If Gatō had truly wanted to destroy it, the people of the Land of Waves would never have had the chance to build it this far.
Tazuna understood this very clearly in his heart. Once the bridge was completed, Gatō would most likely immediately resort to force to seize it. That was why, taking advantage of his final trip to the capital of the Land of Fire to purchase supplies, he had gone to Konohagakure to hire a team of ninja for assistance.
Konohagakure had long since investigated the problems within the Land of Waves.
Once the bridge opened, travel between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves would become vastly more convenient, effectively strengthening Konoha's control over the region.
Compared to Hiruzen, Minato's methods of governance had changed considerably.
The times were advancing, and he had keenly noticed the increasingly frequent trade and economic ties between nations across the world.
The old methods were no longer suited to the current international situation.
For the surrounding small and medium-sized nations, while maintaining military deterrence, the Fourth Hokage had accepted Makoto's suggestion and established an official Konoha merchant association to strengthen economic control over neighboring countries.
This was actually somewhat taboo. Konoha was purely a military organization. If it also became involved in economics, the Daimyō would probably lose sleep over it.
That was why what Konoha established was only a merchant association, used to regulate the village's commercial market and that of surrounding regions, rather than a profit-seeking trading company.
Though secretly, it still engaged in the work of a trading company—such as taking over Gatō's corporation this time—at least on the surface, it was not being done so openly as to invite criticism from the official authorities of the Land of Fire.
After the wealthy merchant Gatō and the thug organization he had gathered were wiped out, Tazuna officially established a local self-defense security corps using the young people who had participated in the battle that day as its foundation, while also inviting more skilled workers to join the construction effort.
As a result, the bridge's completion was greatly accelerated.
Before that, Tazuna came to ask the four members of Team 7 for their opinion. He wanted to name this bridge—which had rekindled hope among the people of the Land of Waves—the Konoha Bridge.
The three little brats, Naruto and the others, thought it sounded great. They were Konoha ninja, after all. Having such a meaningful bridge named after Konoha made them feel honored as well.
Makoto, however, did not agree. He merely suggested that Tazuna use words like "Hope" or "Courage"—something meaningful to the people of the Land of Waves themselves.
After asking for everyone's opinion, Tazuna ultimately chose the name:
Courage Bridge.
Hope had always existed, but without the courage to seize it, everything would remain nothing more than an illusion.
The day Courage Bridge officially opened was also the day Team 7's mission came to an end.
On the newly completed bridge, Tazuna brought many people to see them off.
Inari had completely shed his former gloomy, timid image and become bright and confident. Recently, he had also grown very close to the three members of Team 7, receiving some taijutsu training guidance from them.
Now that it was time to part, the kid puffed out his chest and smiled brightly, even though his eyes poured tears like faucets that refused to shut off.
"Naruto-nii-san, Sasuke-nii-san, Sakura-nee-san... thank you."
Sasuke found the little brat much more tolerable now, but he still kept up his usual arrogant tsundere expression.
"Stop crying already. Hmph!"
Sakura said, "Don't stop training, okay? We'll come back to check on you later."
Naruto added, "Remember what I told you. And become even stronger than your father. That's the only way you'll be able to protect everyone."
Inari wiped away his tears and nodded heavily.
"Yeah! I'll remember!"
Completely unlike the touching, hot-blooded farewell scene on their side, the atmosphere between Makoto and Tazuna was something else entirely.
That delinquent teacher quietly whispered, "Mr. Tazuna, remember to pay the remaining mission fees afterward."
"Please rest assured. We absolutely won't default on the payment."
Tazuna answered decisively. Now that the bridge had been completed, earning money would no longer be a problem.
"In the future, ordinary bandits and thugs should be something you can handle yourselves. But if you encounter ninja enemies, I believe you know where to ask for help."
"I understand."
Tazuna was an old fox. Some of his fellow workers had informed him that Gatō's company had recently been taken over by unfamiliar merchants. He knew those people were definitely from Konoha.
"Well then, we'll be heading back to Konoha now. Goodbye."
...
On the way back, Sasuke was already impatient to start the next mission.
After training for so many years and receiving guidance from his family, the academy, and the dōjō, what he needed now was more real combat to sharpen himself further.
"Hey, Sensei, what's the plan after we get back?"
Makoto replied, "The plan? We've been out for so long, so of course we're taking two days off to rest properly."
Sasuke immediately objected after hearing that.
"That's unnecessary. We need more missions to temper ourselves. High-level ones."
Naruto nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. At least C-rank and above. B-rank or A-rank would be even better."
Sakura lacked confidence, but she also didn't want to openly oppose Sasuke, so she suddenly remembered her team leader's delinquent tendencies.
"I heard all of Sensei's reputation was farmed off Cloud ninja anyway. So how about we go assassinate the Raikage?"
Ōnoki narrowly escaped disaster.
The Fourth Raikage, however, had now entered the candidate list.
Naruto and Sasuke: "…"
What we wanted was combat experience.
Not suicide.
The two of them still had enough self-awareness to understand that, with their current level of strength, challenging the strongest Lightning Release Armor would be no different from seeking death.
Makoto said, "You two really are motivated. Though I'd love to satisfy your enthusiasm, unfortunately... there isn't enough time."
Sakura blinked. "Eh? Time? What do you mean?"
"Did you forget? In a few days, it'll already be July. The Chūnin Exams, you know? I heard this year's going to be especially exciting. Of course, if you don't want to participate, then just pretend I never said anything."
Naruto immediately dropped to his knees.
"Sensei, I was wrong! Please, I'm begging you, make sure to sign us up!"
Sasuke instantly changed targets of affection.
"Hmph. The Chūnin Exams, huh? Sounds pretty interesting."
Sakura: "…"
She often felt out of place among her teammates because she lacked enough desire for battle.
Could it really be that only by transforming into a berserk female warrior would she earn Sasuke's favor?
Inner Sakura: 'That's right, that's right. Let this queen handle it.'
Actual Sakura: 'Absolutely not.'
...
In late June, the midyear jōnin squad meeting—which normally would have been held at the end of the month—was moved several days earlier due to special circumstances.
At the meeting, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, said: "Everyone, we have officially received replies from the other hidden villages. In addition to Sunagakure and the surrounding villages, which had already agreed to participate earlier, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure have also formally decided to send teams."
"Therefore, this July's Chūnin Exams will become the first joint Five Great Ninja Villages Chūnin Exams in shinobi history—a grand exchange gathering for the finest genin from every nation.
"At that time, a large number of outsiders from other villages will flood into Konoha. For us, this will be an unprecedented test. Not only must we display Konoha's overwhelming strength, but we must also handle security properly."
"While ensuring the safety of personnel from every nation, we must also prevent them from infiltrating the village. Now then, let us begin discussing the exam procedures and work arrangements for this Chūnin Exam."
Ever since the one-country-one-village system had been established in the shinobi world, there had never been a Chūnin Exam jointly attended by all Five Great Ninja Villages.
Even the Five Kage Summit had only been held once, back during the era of the First Hokage, in the Land of Iron.
And now, taking advantage of the Chūnin Exams, the Five Kage might once again gather together—this time in Konoha.
Why "might"?
Because the itineraries of the Five Kage were absolute state secrets. They would never openly confirm whether they were coming, nor would they directly reveal when they would arrive.
Would they come or not?
If they came, they came.
Probably only Minato himself knew the answer.
But regardless, Konoha had to prepare the proper reception arrangements.
Naturally, this was recognition of Konoha's status—but it was also a severe test.
Everyone enthusiastically threw themselves into the discussion.
Even though they all knew perfectly well that the true purpose of the visitors was mainly to observe just how powerful Konoha had become.
First, the three-stage exam structure would remain unchanged, but the content of the exams and the chief proctors needed to be decided.
Especially for the final stage. The Five Kage and the nobles from various nations would not remain in Konoha for long and would only watch the finals. Therefore, unlike previous years, the third exam would be scheduled one month after the second exam, leaving enough time for important figures from every nation to arrange their schedules.
After the discussion concluded, Minato said: "Then everything will proceed according to today's plan. Department Head Fugaku, Department Head Kumomi, Department Head Inoichi—the security work both inside and outside Konoha will be entrusted to the three of you."
"Yes!" ×3
The three respectively represented Konoha's Police Force, ANBU, and Intelligence & Interrogation Division. During this Chūnin Exam period, they would need to strengthen cooperation with one another to ensure that no accidents occurred.
"When the time comes, Advisor Homura will handle reception duties, while Advisor Koharu will arrange accommodations within the village and maintain proper distance between the personnel of each village to prevent conflicts from breaking out between them."
The various villages all held grudges against one another. If they stayed too close together, the hot-headed shinobi might start fighting before the exams even began.
"Leave it to us, Fourth Hokage." ×2
Although the two elderly veterans still carried the title of advisors, they no longer truly possessed advisory authority. Moreover, after witnessing this grand event in Konoha, they had already decided to formally retire.
After arranging everything, Minato finally said: "The teams sent by each nation for this Chūnin Exam will undoubtedly consist of elite genin."
"Therefore, in order to display Konoha's potential, while also avoiding excessive participant numbers, I have decided to reduce the number of Konoha genin teams participating. Now then, among this year's newly graduated class, are there any jōnin who wish to recommend their students?"
Might Guy immediately spoke up: "Um, Lord Hokage, you can't cut my team! I didn't let them participate last year. If they miss something this lively again this year, I'll get cursed when I go back."
Minato laughed.
"Don't worry. With the strength of Tenten, Neji, and Lee, even if you wanted to withdraw them, I wouldn't agree."
"Ahahaha, then I'm relieved."
After receiving a satisfactory answer, Guy glanced toward several of his friends. After all, his disciples were extremely proud, and the only people they truly acknowledged were the companions they trained alongside at the dōjō.
Makoto stood up.
"Team 7 of this year's graduating class—Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura. In the name of their supervising jōnin, Konoha jōnin Higashino Makoto, I formally recommend them for participation."
After him, Hyūga Tokuma, Yūhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma each registered their own students as well.
Minato was very satisfied and approved all of them.
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