One year later.
"Chunin Exams?"
Aoki Yoru looked at Tsunade in confusion.
In the original story, this did happen, but why call him over? Those few Jonin squad leaders should be enough to handle it.
Tsunade acted as if she didn't see Aoki Yoru's confusion and said to herself, "That's right. The last Chunin Exams were not successful due to Orochimaru's interference."
"So, I plan to co-host it with Sunagakure again. However, Gaara of Sunagakure suggested that the second stage of the exam be held in Sunagakure."
As Tsunade spoke, she propped her elbows on the desk, interlaced her fingers, and rested her chin on her hands. "The current situation in Sunagakure can be described as an undercurrent. You also know that Gaara is the Ichibi Jinchuriki. Many people don't respect him. Since he succeeded as Kazekage, he has been frequently targeted for assassination."
"So, Gaara wants to use this exam to lure out those restless elements."
Aoki Yoru naturally knew this. After becoming a Jinchuriki, Gaara's emotions were extremely unstable, and he frequently went on rampages, causing massive casualties.
To put it bluntly, which family in the entire Village didn't have relatives die at the hands of the Ichibi? All that hatred was concentrated on Gaara.
Even though Baki and other old Subordinates of the Fourth Kazekage pushed through the opposition to nominate Gaara as the Fifth Kazekage, this kind of hatred doesn't just disappear.
It's just like Naruto; the damage the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox caused to Konoha was immense.
Under the secret push of the higher-ups, everyone focused their hatred on Naruto, making him the scapegoat, which led to Naruto being ostracized by most of the villagers.
It was only after Naruto finally saved Konoha and became a hero that he was accepted by the villagers.
Otherwise, if he wanted to become Hokage, that hurdle wouldn't be easy to clear. A Hokage rejected by the villagers would be extremely awkward.
Don't talk about saving the Ninja World; what does that have to do with them? Even if you save the solar system, they wouldn't feel anything; people only care about what happens around them.
And Gaara followed the same path. When the Akatsuki Organization invaded, he ultimately risked his life to save the villagers, gaining everyone's recognition. This is why he saw the Village's main force coming to his rescue in the end.
Otherwise, after experiencing the incident with the Third Kazekage, Sunagakure wouldn't have sent out the majority of its personnel to search for him.
Otherwise, what if enemies received news and attacked?
Being able to send out manpower to rescue Gaara shows that everyone had finally accepted him as their Kazekage in their hearts.
Afterward, Aoki Yoru looked at Tsunade and said in confusion, "And then? I believe Gaara can handle this well. The safety of the Konoha candidates can be handled by their squad leaders. If I remember correctly, members of Guy's, Asuma's, and Kurenai's Teams will all participate in the Chunin Exams."
"With their strength, they are enough to handle most situations."
There was one more thing Aoki Yoru didn't say: with Guy around, it was safer than staying in Konoha.
"It's not enough."
Tsunade said in a deep voice, "Because of Naruto, Gaara has a lot of goodwill toward Konoha and is actively promoting the alliance and exchange between the two Villages."
"Those in Sunagakure who support his rise are also part of this faction. After all, Sunagakure is currently exhausted and wounded; it simply cannot withstand another major war."
"But every Village has Extreme Hawks, just like that guy Danzo. If they pull Gaara down, then Konoha will immediately have to deploy troops at the Land of Wind border to guard against a potential attack at any time."
"Then, Konoha's situation will return to the state it was in before the Third War, and Konoha will once again be surrounded by enemies on all sides."
Hearing this, Aoki Yoru could only say helplessly, "Alright, who is participating this time?"
Tsunade casually handed him a thick stack of papers. "Quite a lot from Konoha Village are participating this time. Almost all the personnel accumulated over the years have joined in at once."
Tsunade spoke with a helpless expression. "It's as if they all think that because it's my first Chunin Exams as the Fifth Hokage, I'll go easy on them, so they all rushed to join."
Aoki Yoru flipped through them casually and was suddenly enlightened.
They surely don't think Tsunade would go easy on them like an ancient emperor granting a special imperial examination, right? It might have been like that when the Third Hokage took over; back then, he was besieged on all sides and had to win people over.
There must have been instances of going easy back then, giving others unrealistic fantasies.
At this moment, Aoki Yoru's pupils dilated as if he had seen a ghost. "Wait, why are there fifty-something-year-old men and women here? At this age, wouldn't it be better to stay home and enjoy their grandchildren?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes helplessly. "They said they also have a dream of becoming a Chunin. They were throwing tantrums in the office, so I had no choice but to let them sign up."
"Anyway, they'll just be eliminated in the first round."
Aoki Yoru marveled as he flipped through their files. "These old men and women aren't talented as Ninjas; they've spent their whole lives in Konoha's logistics. Yet at the end of their days, they actually want to 'relive their youth'."
"From a certain perspective, they are lucky. The bones of the genius youths from their generation have probably turned to ash by now."
Suddenly, he paused. "Sai? He's participating too? Which team are you planning to put him in?"
"Team 7 has been short one person since Sasuke defected. I've been looking for a replacement, and I just happened to find him."
"After Danzo died, most of the Root members were taken in by the Anbu. I just happened to see his file. Sai is undoubtedly a genius, and his age is appropriate."
"Probably because he grew up in Root, he doesn't know how to interact with people at all. I've assigned him to the Police Force for training. When Naruto returns, Team 7 can be reconstructed."
Aoki Yoru nodded. Setting other things aside, Sai could at least keep up with Naruto and Sakura in terms of strength in the short term. Plus, with his unique Ninjutsu, any squad would need him; he's practically a jack-of-all-trades.
Then Tsunade said, "Since Hyuga Neji and Nara Shikamaru are already Chunin, I plan to assign Sakura to Asuma's squad and Sai to Guy's squad."
"In this exam, only Asuma's, Kurenai's, and Guy's squads are decent. If nothing unexpected happens, the others won't even make it to the second stage."
Tsunade looked at Aoki Yoru meaningfully. "After all, it's not easy for civilian Ninjas to be like you guys."
The three of Aoki Yoru's group were considered oddities in Konoha. Their mediocre grades in the Ninja Academy matched their backgrounds.
But after graduation, it was as if they had cheated; every one of them became a genius youth. Could it be that Kakashi is also a genius in teaching?
It made all the major clans want to shove their children into his care for a bit.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
The office door was opened, and Nara Shikamaru and Temari walked in together.
The two were stunned for a moment when they saw Aoki Yoru, then reacted and bowed. "Hokage-sama, Chief Aoki."
Shikamaru then handed a scroll to Tsunade. "Hokage-sama, this is the detailed regulations for this Chunin Exams."
Tsunade took the scroll with a pleasant expression, opened it to take a look, nodded, and then tossed it to Aoki Yoru.
"Good work. The regulations are very detailed. We'll proceed like this."
Shikamaru and Temari smiled and then bowed. "Then we will head down to prepare."
Then the two turned and left.
Aoki Yoru looked at their disappearing backs and smacked his lips. "Shikamaru, that guy, lost the match but won a wife."
Tsunade suddenly sat up straight and said with a face full of gossip, "What do you mean? Is there something going on between those two?"
Aoki Yoru looked at her in surprise; he didn't expect Tsunade to be so gossipy.
"Didn't you notice how natural their interaction is?"
"Moreover, Sunagakure wants to be more deeply tied to Konoha. Is there any better choice than having the daughter of the previous Kazekage and the sister of the current Kazekage marry into the Village?"
"Presumably, Sunagakure is also happy to see this happen. After all, besides the Chiyo siblings, the strongest in Sunagakure turns out to be Gaara."
"Now it's Sunagakure begging for an alliance. In the past, it would be unthinkable. Temari's talent is at least that of an Elite Jonin; how could they let her marry out?"
"Of course, if the hawks take power, it's hard to say. Those guys are all lunatics."
Tsunade put away her smile upon hearing this and nodded. "That's right. So, we must not let anything happen to Gaara."