Inside the reception hall of the Hokage Building, the faint scent of sandalwood lingered.
Hiruzen stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, gazing out at the bustling streets of Konoha Village.
The setting sun cast his shadow long across the wooden floor.
He was sixty-seven years old. For a Ninja, this was already an advanced age, let alone having to handle the administrative affairs of a village and respond to the undercurrents of the Ninja World.
Today, he was receiving the third delegation from another village.
The door was gently pushed open, and a young, bespectacled assistant walked in, bowing respectfully: "Hokage-sama, the Kirigakure's delegation has been seen off."
"Mm." Hiruzen didn't turn around, merely responding softly.
The assistant hesitated, then continued: "Before leaving, Jonin Ao specifically mentioned... the matter of intelligence sharing regarding the Akatsuki. He said Kirigakure has also been investigating this organization recently and hopes Konoha can provide more information."
"Understood." Hiruzen's voice sounded tired. "Reply to him tomorrow. Konoha will consider sharing intelligence. For now... let's focus on the Chunin Exams."
"Yes." The assistant bowed again. Just as he was about to withdraw, an Anbu appeared at the doorway, kneeling on one knee.
"Hokage-sama, the Iwagakure's delegation has arrived."
Hiruzen turned around. The wrinkles on his face seemed deeper in the fading light. Those eyes, once sharp as an eagle's, now also held a veil of weariness.
He reached out and took some tobacco from the pouch on the table, filling his brass pipe. He lit it with a flint striker and took a deep drag.
Smoke slowly billowed, swirling and dissipating in the air.
"Bring them in." His voice was calm, but his fingers holding the pipe tightened slightly.
As Hokage, he didn't need to personally receive representatives from smaller Ninja Villages... assigning a Jonin or even a Special Jonin would suffice.
But this time was different. The representatives of the Five Great Ninja Villages were all their Kage's right-hand men, the true powers behind their respective villages, representing the attitudes of their Kage.
He had to receive them personally, both as a courtesy and as a political necessity.
Moreover, Iwagakure's current situation was special.
Since being severely damaged by the Land of Stars in that war years ago, Iwagakure had never fully recovered.
Even that stubborn old man, Onoki, had been forced to sign a surrender treaty. The Land of Earth not only ceded five counties but Iwagakure itself was reduced to a subordinate of the Land of Stars, strictly restricted militarily and economically.
But as someone who knew Onoki, that old fox, Hiruzen knew that Onoki would never willingly submit to the Land of Stars, to that Shura...
Heavy footsteps sounded from the corridor.
The door was pushed open again. A massive figure nearly filled the entire doorway.
The newcomer stood over two meters tall, with a stocky, mountain-like build, wearing Iwagakure's characteristic brown flak jacket and red pants.
His face was round, looking honest and simple, but the occasional gleam in his small eyes showed he was far from ordinary.
Akatsuchi, the most trusted disciple of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, known as the [Shield of the Tsuchikage].
"Hokage-dono, it's been a long time." Akatsuchi's voice was deep. He bowed slightly, his posture respectful but not humble.
As the Tsuchikage's most trusted bodyguard and confidant, Akatsuchi had participated in many of Iwagakure's diplomatic occasions and had met Hiruzen a few times.
"Akatsuchi, indeed, it's been a long time." Hiruzen offered a formal smile, gesturing to the chair opposite: "Please, sit. You've had a long journey from the Land of Earth."
Akatsuchi sat down in the chair. His massive frame made the chair seem cramped beneath him.
The assistant served tea and stepped back.
After some routine diplomatic pleasantries, Akatsuchi took a scroll wrapped in tan silk cloth from his robes.
The scroll was small, only palm-sized, but the silk cloth was embroidered with Iwagakure's emblem, and the seal was stamped with Onoki's personal mark.
"Hokage-dono," Akatsuchi presented the scroll with both hands, his expression solemn. "Tsuchikage-sama personally instructed that this be handed directly to you."
Hiruzen's eyebrows raised slightly.
'A confidential letter personally written by Onoki?'
He took the scroll. It felt slightly heavy in his hand.
As the [Professor of Ninjutsu], he was intimately familiar with various ninja tools and Sealing Techniques.
Just channeling a sliver of Chakra to probe it, he confirmed the scroll itself was not rigged with traps, poison, or exploding tags.
But this only made him more vigilant.
'Onoki, that old fox, wouldn't do anything useless.'
"How is that old man Onoki... his health?" Hiruzen placed the scroll on the table, not opening it immediately, instead asking casually.
"There aren't many of us from that era left alive."
His words carried genuine emotion.
He and Onoki, the Third Hokage and the Third Tsuchikage, were both old men who had lived from the end of the Warring States Period to the present.
They had experienced the First, Second, and Third Great Ninja Wars. They were enemies to each other, yet in some ways, they understood each other.
Akatsuchi smiled honestly: "The old man is still as tough as ever. It's just his back that still gives him trouble... he often complains of pain."
The smile on Hiruzen's face deepened a little. He took a drag of his pipe and slowly exhaled.
They chatted for a while longer. After finishing his tea, Akatsuchi stood up to take his leave: "Well then, Hokage-dono, I'll take my leave now."
"Alright, go carefully. Remember to give my regards to Onoki."
After the assistant saw Akatsuchi out, only Hiruzen remained in the reception hall.
The sun had fully set, and night was beginning to envelop Konoha.
The indoor lights came on, casting a soft glow that dispelled the shadows, but could not dispel the heaviness in Hiruzen's heart.
His gaze fell on the scroll on the table.
The tan silk cloth glowed faintly under the light. Onoki's seal was clearly visible at the seal.
Hiruzen picked up his pipe and took another deep drag.
The smoke swirled in his lungs before slowly exhaling. The bitterness of the tobacco spread through his mouth, but it couldn't calm his chaotic thoughts.
'What did Onoki want to convey to me?'
'A joint counter-offensive with Konoha against the Land of Stars?'
'Did Iwagakure still have the strength for that?'
'Or... there's something else?'
After hesitating for a long time, Hiruzen finally reached out and untied the silk cloth from the scroll.
The silk cloth slipped away, revealing the ancient scroll itself.
The scroll was made of specially treated summoned creature hide, smooth to the touch, with simple sealing formulas for protection.
Hiruzen formed a single hand seal, a simple 'release' seal.
The sealing formula on the scroll glowed faintly, then dissipated.
He slowly unrolled the scroll.
Inside the scroll, there was no lengthy diplomatic rhetoric, only a single line of characters written in black ink.
The characters were vigorous and powerful, clearly Onoki's own handwriting.
Hiruzen's eyes fell on that line of characters.
The next second—
Clang!
The pipe slipped from his hand, crashing heavily onto the solid wood desktop, producing a dull sound.
Sparks from the pipe flew out, scorching a few small black dots on the tablecloth.
Hiruzen's entire body froze in his chair.
Those eyes, which had witnessed countless life-and-death scenes and weathered countless storms, now widened extremely, their pupils contracted to pinpricks.
The wrinkles on his face seemed to solidify in that moment. His lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.
His hands also trembled.
The characters on the scroll were crystal clear under the light. Each character was like a kunai, viciously stabbing into his heart:
'Hiruzen, you would never guess that Shura's true identity is...'
Time seemed to stand still.
Only the sound of Hiruzen's rough, heavy breathing could be heard in the reception hall, one breath after another.
"No... impossible... it can't be him..."
Hiruzen muttered to himself, his voice dry and hoarse.
...
The next morning, the Hokage's office.
Sunlight streamed through the windows into the room, but the indoor atmosphere was a stark contrast to the bright morning light outside.
Over a dozen of Konoha's Jonin gathered together.
They stood or sat, their expressions serious.
Hiruzen, seated at the main seat, was expressionless, simply smoking his pipe quietly.
The dark circles under his eyes were very heavy... clearly, he hadn't slept all night.
Shikaku stood before the tactical board in the center of the office, holding a document, reporting on the arrangements for the first round of the Chunin Exams.
"The first exam is a written test, to be held at the Ninja Academy, presided over by Morino Ibiki."
"The exam consists of nine very difficult questions, covering intelligence analysis, code breaking, trap identification, geographical knowledge, and other aspects. It primarily tests the Genin's basic knowledge reserve, information processing ability, and adaptability."
He paused, glanced at the document in his hand, and continued: "Additionally, there will be a bonus question announced forty-five minutes after the exam begins. This question primarily tests the team's cohesion and mutual trust. Based on data from previous exams and a preliminary estimate of this year's examinees' qualities, approximately eighty percent of examinees are expected to be eliminated in the first round."
The tactical board displayed basic information on the participating teams from various villages, as well as a layout of the exam venue.
Shikaku used his pointer to indicate several key positions, explaining the security arrangements and emergency plans for the exam venue.
But as he spoke, Shikaku sensed something was wrong.
He stopped his explanation and looked up at Hiruzen in the main seat.
'Hokage-sama seemed... distracted.'
Hiruzen sat there, his right hand holding his pipe, but the tobacco in the pipe had long burned out, yet he didn't seem to notice.
His gaze was dazed, not focused on anything, as if his thoughts had drifted far away.
His expression was completely unlike the usual 'Strongest Hokage' who remained calm no matter what crisis he faced.
Not only Shikaku, but the other Jonin in the room also noticed the Hokage's unusual behavior.
Kakashi frowned slightly, a flicker of doubt in his exposed dead fish eye.
Guy beside him wanted to say something, but Kakashi stopped him with a look.
Asuma stood next to Guy, a green bristlegrass in his mouth, his brow furrowed.
As the Hokage's son, he knew his father better than others.
This obvious distraction was extremely rare in Hiruzen.
Koharu and Homura, the two elder advisors, exchanged a glance.
Koharu coughed lightly and asked quietly: "Hiruzen, do you have any thoughts on the exam subjects? Or anything that needs adjustment?"
Her voice brought Hiruzen back from his reverie.
Hiruzen snapped back to reality. He blinked, looked around, and realized he had been distracted.
He quickly adjusted his expression, regaining his usual composure, but the fatigue and wavering deep in his eyes couldn't be hidden from these experienced Jonin.
Hiruzen waved his hand, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Let's proceed according to this plan. Shikaku, continue."
Shikaku nodded, but his doubts deepened.
He continued explaining the exam arrangements, but half his attention was on the report, half on observing the Hokage's condition.
The meeting continued for about another hour, finalizing the details and emergency plans for the Chunin Exams.
"Thank you for your hard work, Shikaku." Hiruzen nodded. "Meeting adjourned. Everyone, go prepare. During the Chunin Exams, everyone must remain vigilant."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" The Jonin filed out of the office.
Kakashi walked among them, his mind still replaying the Hokage's unusual behavior earlier.
Guy beside him said bluntly: "Kakashi! At this Chunin Exams, my students will truly shine! This is Youth!"
"Ah... yeah, yeah." Kakashi responded perfunctorily, but his gaze glanced back into the office.
He saw Koharu, Homura, and the other elder advisors also stand up to leave, but Hiruzen suddenly spoke:
"Danzo, stay for a moment."
Danzo, walking at the back of the group, stopped. He turned around, his exposed left eye looking at Hiruzen, his gaze deep.
The other Jonin cast complex glances his way, but no one said anything, just quickened their pace out of the office.
Koharu wanted to say something but hesitated, finally sighing and leaving with Homura.
The door was gently closed.
Only Hiruzen and Danzo remained in the office.