Naruto, Sasuke, and Rock Lee entered the central tower after recounting Gaara's terror to the others. Inside, they opened the Heaven and Earth scrolls. A summoning jutsu was inscribed on one, and moments later, Iruka Umino appeared in a puff of smoke.
Iruka praised the three for arriving so early. "It's good you didn't open the scrolls halfway through the forest," he told them. "If you had, I would have had to render you unconscious and eliminate you right there."
He then began explaining the concepts he wanted to convey—the chūnin exam guidelines written by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Finally, he delivered the news. "Although you've cleared the second day's test, you still have to wait three more days. The third round won't start until the fifth day. You can stay in the tower, but you'll need to find your own food and water in the forest."
After finishing his explanation, Iruka led the three to their resting place.
Land of Wind. Sunagakure.
"What?!"
Rasa stared at the scroll Sakon had handed him, his face a mask of confusion and anger. "Wasn't it agreed the plan would begin after the final Chūnin Exams, when all the Daimyo were present? Why is it suddenly being moved up?"
Rasa's reason for joining Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan was simple: demonstrate Sunagakure's strength to the Daimyo. It would secure more commissions, restore the Daimyo's confidence, and reverse the village's decline.
But Sunagakure was located in a desolate, barren desert. Their natural conditions and resources were far inferior to the other four villages. The defeat in the Third Shinobi World War had caused the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to lose faith in them, forcing cuts to military spending. Many of the Land of Wind's commissions had been reassigned to Konoha. Various expenditures on Sunagakure ninjas were continuously reduced, leaving the village increasingly impoverished. Welfare benefits dropped, and ninjas deserted in droves. Even the education of new ninjas was cut due to financial constraints. As a result, the number of new ninjas had been declining for years, and the village's strength was waning.
If it weren't for Rasa inheriting the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release—allowing him to pan for gold dust deep in the desert to supplement the finances—these five great ninja villages would have long since become four. Sunagakure was on the verge of being reduced to a small village like Takigakure or Amegakure.
"Lord Kazekage, Orochimaru has recorded all the details in the scroll," Sakon said calmly. "As for why the plan was moved up, he has his reasons. You can decide for yourself whether to go or not. However, I must remind you: regardless of whether the Daimyo are present, if Konoha is destroyed by Sunagakure, the news will spread throughout the ninja world."
Rasa gave him a deep look, then closed the scroll. "Go back and tell Orochimaru I'll consider it carefully."
He waved a hand to the side. "Guards, see him out."
Two Sunagakure ANBU appeared, blocking the desk. They gestured for Sakon to leave. Sakon wasn't angry. He left his message and turned away.
"Time is running out," he called over his shoulder. "I hope Lord Kazekage will consider this carefully for the sake of the village."
The next day, Rasa was still pondering whether to continue his plan when a Sunagakure ANBU appeared, handing him an intelligence scroll. After reading the contents, the Kazekage's expression shifted to something almost amused.
"Orochimaru's abilities are truly remarkable," he muttered. "He actually got Konoha to invite the Daimyo and me to watch the battle ahead of schedule."
He stood up, deciding, "In that case, I don't need to dwell on it anymore."
He turned to the ANBU who had just delivered the scroll. "Go and have the ANBU squad assemble immediately. Head to Konoha and find Maki."
Rasa couldn't lead such a large force himself—Konoha would grow suspicious. He planned to let the main force go first while he traveled slowly with a few guards.
Meanwhile, Sakon—who had been guarding outside Sunagakure—watched the assembled group at the gate, followed by Rasa. The main force departed quickly. The Kazekage left with his guards much later.
Once Sakon confirmed the direction Rasa was heading, he reached for a summoning scroll and summoned a giant snake. He stuffed the information into its mouth and released it.
At the same time, in the basement of the Sound Village Headquarters, Orochimaru was fiddling with test tubes when a python suddenly appeared. The snake spat out Sakon's information scroll.
"Looks like there's news from Sakon," Orochimaru murmured. He glanced at the scroll, and his face broke into an excited smile. "A windmill that doesn't turn is worthless..."
"The Fourth Kazekage will be the initial breeze that turns this windmill."
The Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the intelligence report in his hand, his face grim.
"Danzo, in the name of Konoha, invited the Kazekage and the Daimyo to watch the matches ahead of schedule?" he asked the empty room. "What exactly does he want? Could it be related to Orochimaru?"
Thinking of the ANBU he'd sent to follow Danzo yesterday—which had yielded no results—Hiruzen grew increasingly wary. Furthermore, Danzo had inexplicably mentioned the Chūnin Exams to him two months ago. This forced the Third Hokage to be cautious.
Could Danzo be colluding with Orochimaru, preparing to assassinate the Daimyo watching the matches to incite another war?
Hiruzen knew Danzo wanted to oust him and become Hokage himself. Previously, these were just small-scale assassinations. But now, with Danzo suffering heavy losses to his forces and Root Base, he was planning a desperate, drastic move.
For example, he might have Orochimaru assassinate the Daimyo, then pin the blame for failing to protect them on Hiruzen. Afterward, he could use the war to force Hiruzen to rely on him, allowing Danzo to rebuild his power base and regain control. He might even use these reasons to force Hiruzen to abdicate, then take over or recommend one of his own to the position—just like during the Third Shinobi World War, when he recommended Orochimaru as Hokage.
Although the plan sounded rather unwise and unreliable, Hiruzen felt it was very much like Danzo's style.
He lightly tapped the table with his fingers, summoning the ANBU ninja hidden nearby.
"Go and notify Elders Koharu Utatane and En, as well as all Elite Jōnin and above who are currently not on missions, to attend a meeting. For the upcoming Chūnin Exams, they'll need to focus their efforts on protecting the village."
The ANBU ninja nodded respectfully and disappeared.
"Yes."
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