Three days before the joint Chunin Exams, genin from various ninja villages, led by their respective jonin, arrived at Konoha Village.
After inspection by the ANBU and the Police Force, they were allowed to enter. Besides the overt checks by the Police Force, there were also covert observations by the ANBU; great care had to be taken with ninja from other villages.
Konoha Village placed great importance on this first joint Chunin Exam, and their inspections were undoubtedly thorough. If Konoha Village in later generations could maintain such inspection capabilities, perhaps Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan would have been nipped in the bud, without even a chance to be launched.
"Are those people from the Uchiha clan? They don't seem as arrogant as the rumors say, Teacher Sora," a blonde girl asked Sora, looking at the Uchiha members inspecting others after the Kumogakure genin entered Konoha Village.
Sora was equally surprised. According to rumors in the ninja world, the Uchiha clan had always been arrogant, as if no ninja clan other than the Senju clan was worth their attention. The truth, of course, was not quite so, but this showed the extent of the Uchiha clan's rumored arrogance.
Yet, this very Uchiha clan was remarkably friendly to those entering the village at the gate. Even during inspections, they didn't conduct forceful searches, merely explaining the village's regulations and only proceeding with the search after receiving the other party's nod. This was quite different from the Uchiha clan's traditional image.
"Rumors are just rumors, after all. We can't confirm their truth without seeing them with our own eyes. I used to hear about the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, but during the ninja war, we still suffered losses because of it. You must remember this, Ran," Sora told the girl.
"I see," the girl named Ran nodded repeatedly.
"Speaking of which, is this Konoha Village? It's completely different from our village," a brown-skinned boy next to them widened his eyes, looking at the scene before him.
Due to Konoha Village's cooperative relationship with merchants, more and more merchants came to do business in Konoha Village. Some merchants who engaged in deeper cooperation even settled in Konoha Village, establishing their main stores there. This joint Chunin Exam was a grand event where nobles from various countries and local lords gathered, attracting many others. It was the most suitable time for business, so Konoha Village's commercial street was exceptionally prosperous.
Given this situation, Konoha Village also introduced many policies, planning to seize this opportunity to generate significant revenue for its own village's finances. Currently, Konoha Village's income streams were quite large, but its expenditures were also exceptionally high, so money was always insufficient.
—As expected, just as sensei said, Konoha Village gains a large amount of income through these means. I need to find out how Konoha Village cooperates with these merchants.
Sora thought to herself, if Kumogakure Village could also establish such a system, the financial benefits it would bring to the village would be unimaginable.
"Miss Sora, we should head to the inn where we'll be staying," the Konoha ninja leading the way turned and said. "If you and your students wish to explore the commercial street, you can leave your luggage at the inn first. We also have some rules to inform you about; please be careful not to violate them, as the joint Chunin Exam candidates must not be compromised. We ask for your understanding."
"I understand," Sora nodded slightly, leading her students to follow the guide while asking, "May I ask where your village's jonin Fumori Masaki is now?"
"Lord Fumori Masaki? Do you know him?" The Konoha ninja paused slightly, asking.
"Yes, I met him during the ninja war. We're sort of friends, I suppose," Sora's voice paused slightly as she spoke.
Konoha Village's first enemy was Kumogakure Village, and the relationship between the two had undergone multiple changes, from initial enemies to later fighting side-by-side, albeit to quell rebellions against the Raikage and Hokage. Compared to the original history, where the Hokage's assassination led to hatred, the current relationship between Konoha Village and Kumogakure Village was more complex.
Some Konoha ninja had a good impression of certain Kumogakure ninja, so the guide wasn't particularly surprised.
"As for Lord Fumori Masaki, I don't know where he is right now, because Lord Fumori Masaki is primarily responsible for all matters concerning the Chunin Exams, overseeing their execution, and reporting directly to the Second Hokage," the guide said straightforwardly. As the supervisor, Fumori Masaki was to meet with the representative jonin from all villages, so there was no need to conceal his role as the overall person in charge.
"Supervisor?" Sora was startled upon hearing this. To be given the position of supervisor meant he had the Hokage's deep trust. Now she fully believed her sensei's judgment that Fumori Masaki was very likely the next Hokage.
Although each ninja village might have slightly different selection systems for their Kage, they generally adhered to one principle: the trusted confidant of the previous Kage. In the ninja world, the ties that maintained succession were bloodline, master-disciple, and confidant. Fumori Masaki held two of these, and he was also ahead of his other fellow disciples, making his mark as a successor very clear.
"Yes, Lord Fumori Masaki is truly amazing. Without strong family backing or a bloodline limit inheritance, he could become this powerful. To us, he's a legendary figure," the guide said with a smile.
The guide came from an ordinary ninja family that suffered heavy losses in the ninja war and was now essentially no different from civilian ninja. This was actually the norm for small ninja clans; though called ninja families, they were only slightly better off than civilian ninja. Therefore, emotionally, they were very close to civilian ninja, and like the civilian students in the ninja academy, they held a sense of admiration for those who achieved great things despite humble origins.
Perhaps because Sora claimed to be Fumori Masaki's friend, the guide opened up, enthusiastically speaking of his reverence for Fumori Masaki and his outstanding performance. Of course, he remained wary of people from other villages, only sharing parts that could be openly discussed and keeping silent about anything that shouldn't be revealed.
This was the first time Sora had heard a description of Fumori Masaki from someone else's perspective. She slowly formed a concrete image of him in her mind, a faint smile appearing on her face.
The students following behind saw Sora's expression and immediately began to whisper among themselves. They didn't know who Fumori Masaki was, but judging by Sora's reaction, he must be an extraordinary person. Someone, having heard some gossip from who knows where, had arbitrarily assigned an image to Fumori Masaki. It was well-known that Sora was a famous beauty in Kumogakure Village, and in these peaceful times, with the influx of civilians, even gossip had begun to spread.
Sora, engrossed in listening to the guide's narration, didn't notice what her students were discussing. If she had known, she would probably have given those gossips in Kumogakure Village a good scolding.
Nor would she have imagined that shortly after they left, Fumori Masaki would arrive at the village gate to inspect how the Police Force members were conducting checks. Another purpose was to observe the representative ninja from other villages. It was then that he saw a familiar face.
Pausing slightly, Fumori Masaki walked forward and said to that person, "Long time no see, Hanzō."
That person was Hanzō, the representative jonin of Amegakure Village. Hanzō was a little surprised, then smiled and said, "Yes, long time no see."
"Hanzō, is this person perhaps that Fumori Masaki?" someone next to Hanzō asked. He also wore an Amegakure headband, indicating that Amegakure Village had two representative jonin this time. As he spoke, he eyed Fumori Masaki up and down.
"Mhm," Hanzō's voice cooled, and he replied simply, in a tone completely different from how he had answered Fumori Masaki.
Both Fumori Masaki and the other person noticed this. Fumori Masaki looked thoughtful, while the other person glanced at Hanzō with a half-smile. Because only Hanzō still wore the Amegakure combat mask—primarily due to the poisonous nature of his salamander's bile, which made even his breath toxic, forcing him to wear it—the other person's expression was very clear, with a strong hint of mockery on his face.
Hanzō snorted softly, not even looking at the other person. Seeing this, Fumori Masaki said, "I have things to do. Let's chat another time if there's a chance. Someone will take you to the inn."
With that, Fumori Masaki turned and walked away, slowly, but his gaze subtly shifted backward. As he moved further away, Hanzō and the other person began to converse in low voices, seemingly very displeased, with the other person sounding as if he were mocking Hanzō.
—It seems the internal conflicts within Amegakure Village are also quite severe.
Fumori Masaki withdrew his gaze, a slight curl on his lips. The current leader of Amegakure deeply disliked Konoha Village, and the entire Land of Rain was implementing a closed-country policy, rejecting proximity to the great nations. Hanzō, however, harbored thoughts of external cooperation. Two people with diametrically opposed views naturally faced numerous conflicts within Amegakure Village. While not very obvious in the past, it had now reached a critical point.
For Konoha Village's interests, a Land of Rain willing to open up and cooperate with Konoha Village was essential. Not to mention the Land of Rain's crucial position as a vital transportation route for three countries, Hanzō also possessed formidable combat power, earning him the title of 'Demigod.' He could single-handedly lead Amegakure Village to resist the combined attacks of three nations. Such a person was an asset Konoha Village should strive to win over, not that stubborn, unprogressive leader of Amegakure.
I need to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Hanzō, Fumori Masaki thought to himself.