Chapter 143: The Celebration and the Probing
The first round of the exams was over. The water in the canyon slowly receded, but the once-beautiful landscape was now a muddy mess of sand and rock. The contestants who had escaped in the latter half of the round were all covered in mud.
Hanzo's eye twitched. Though the Hidden Rain had no tourism industry to speak of, this canyon had been a beautiful, natural landmark at the village's doorstep. In one day, it had been turned into a giant mud pit. It would probably take months to recover.
The Cloud's teams, who had been the first to escape, had already shifted their mood. While the other teams were still rolling in the mud, they had become spectators on the cliffs, pointing and laughing at the mud-covered contestants below, earning them a great deal of resentment.
The first round did not end until the sun was almost setting. All the eliminated teams had been eliminated in battle. Not a single one had been eliminated due to the time limit, a testament to the intensity of the exam.
Everyone gathered in front of the observation deck. In the last rays of the setting sun, Hanzo announced the successful conclusion of the first round.
The design of the exam had been quite clever. Regardless of their results, all the villages had to admit that this "Canyon Escape" was a multi-faceted test of a ninja's abilities, and that the Joint Chunin Exams were indeed of a higher caliber than their own internal exams. In many villages, the promotion to Chunin was just a matter of a Jonin sparring with a Genin to gauge their strength.
The Cloud's side was, of course, in a festive mood. Even the three eliminated teams were happy for their teammates. Fortunately, no one from the Cloud had died in the first round. In fact, besides the Kaguya team from the Mist, who had killed a number of people, most of the contestants had been able to restrain themselves.
After the ceremony, Dana refused Hanzo's invitation to the formal banquet for the high-ranking officials and Daimyo. Instead, he hosted his own celebration for all the Cloud's contestants at a barbecue restaurant.
"Waiter! Another hundred orders of the special beef!"
"Coming right up!"
A single order didn't have much meat, so he had just ordered a hundred at once. The bold move made him the star of the restaurant. The place was so busy that the owner himself had to come out and help cut the meat.
The long table was filled with the young people of the Cloud. Tetsuo was eating with both hands, Ganseki and Akane were feeding each other, and Konan was using her Paper Release to distribute napkins. The eliminated contestants had turned their grief into appetite.
"Eat up, everyone!" Dana shouted. "The next round is in three days! Don't think about anything tonight! Just eat and drink!"
Kayo had, of course, taken the seat next to him. In the absence of a certain... attendant... this spot was tacitly hers, a symbol of her status as the "big sister" of the contestants.
As he was being fed by Kayo, he chatted with Hiroto. "That Minato Namikaze," he asked, "did you feel the pressure?"
"Yes," Hiroto said, putting down his chopsticks. "He felt a lot stronger than when I met him in Konoha. I was worried that if we fought, I wouldn't be able to guarantee the safety of my teammates. That's why I used that method to make them retreat."
"I see," Dana said, after hearing his account. "A very good idea. That narrow terrain and the large-scale Water Release was very effective."
"Hiroto-senpai was so cool!" Tetsuo said, banging his fists together. "The Konoha ninja just turned and ran! The golden-haired one's face was all green!"
"I almost didn't make it out of the 'tsunami'," Killer Bee said, still a little shaken. "My legs were numb afterwards."
"Hiroto-senpai is the best!" Ganseki and Akane cheered from the back.
"It was nothing," Hiroto said, scratching his head shyly. "It was just because of the special terrain."
Dana tapped on the small blackboard he had borrowed. "First, congratulations to all of you who have passed the first round," he said. "And for those who didn't, don't be discouraged. You've probably already realized that the Joint Chunin Exams are much more difficult than a regular exam. To be honest, if this were an internal selection, all of your performances would have been more than enough to become Chunin. And you wouldn't have had to go through so many rounds. No matter the result, when you get back to the village, your records will be updated accordingly."
"Thank you, Lord Dana!"
"Lord Dana is so cool!"
The eliminated contestants finally felt a little better. Two of the teams had been eliminated shortly after landing. One had been defeated by a Stone team before the "tsunami" had cleared the field.
Looking at the lively scene, Dana was reminded of his own college graduation dinner. It had been just as boisterous.
In the banquet hall, the high-ranking officials of the various villages had gathered. The atmosphere was not so harmonious.
"The Mist has produced a remarkable individual," Chiyo said, her face grim. "Almost all the deaths were caused by that Shikotsumyaku girl. She killed seven of my Sand ninja, three whole teams."
Yagura also felt a headache coming on, but he did not want to show weakness. "Elder Chiyo," he said flatly, "in an exam, victory and defeat are one's own responsibility. But I will speak with her."
The ones who were sent to the Chunin Exams, even if they were not geniuses, were all promising young talents of their respective villages. Chiyo was, of course, not happy.
But in general, Hanzo had kept his promise. From the first round, it was clear that the Hidden Rain had put a great deal of effort into the preparations. The Joint Chunin Exams were indeed a touchstone for the younger generation, a rare and grand event.
On the other side of the hall, the Third Raikage and the Daimyo were still talking.
"Lord Raikage," the Daimyo said, "why didn't my dear son-in-law, Yotsuki Dana, come to the banquet?"
"Dana is the leader of the contestants," the Raikage said with a smile. "He needs to be with the young people. A banquet like this is for us old-timers."
"A shame," the Daimyo said with a look of regret. "I saw many of the ninja fight today, especially that Uzumaki Hiroto. His techniques are already so astonishing. I wonder what kind of techniques my dear son-in-law, the so-called 'brightest new star of the ninja world,' possesses."
"Dana is still young," the Third Raikage said with uncharacteristic modesty. "He still has room to grow."
"Lord Raikage," the Daimyo said, as if just remembering, "in my last letter, I mentioned the matter of the steel and weapon industries in my country. Have you made any progress? It has been a great source of worry for me lately."
"Your Excellency," the Third Raikage said, his expression serious, "I was just about to speak to you about that. According to our investigation, there is indeed an organization that is secretly consolidating a number of blacksmiths and weapon shops. It appears to be a large, underground merchant guild. But because it is so well-hidden, and its activities are mostly normal business transactions, we will need more time."
The Daimyo looked at him for a long moment. "The ninja world now says that the Cloud is the strongest of the hidden villages," he said, "but you can't even find a group of merchants?" There was a hint of accusation in his voice. I give you so much money every year, and this is what I get?
"Your Excellency may not be aware," the Third Raikage said, his expression unchanged, "but the title of 'strongest hidden village' was won by our ninja on the battlefield. Investigation and espionage are not our strong suit. But if Your Excellency wishes, there is another way."
"Oh? What do you have in mind, Lord Raikage?"
"I have a list of the merchant guilds and blacksmiths that have been identified as being involved in this matter. Your Excellency can review it and add to it if you wish. The Cloud will then use our... ninja methods... to shut them down. It may not be a complete solution, but I believe it will be enough to make the power behind them back off."
The Daimyo stared at him for a long time. The Third Raikage met his gaze without flinching.
He finally turned away and took a sip of sake. "Very well," he said. "I will leave it to you, Lord Raikage."
"Rest assured, Your Excellency."
After the banquet, neither the Thunder Daimyo nor the Third Raikage were in a good mood.
Hanzo, the host, was a little bewildered.