Hokage Office Building.
An old man with a pipe in his mouth was looking down at the crowd on the streets of Konoha. This was the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, the longest-serving leader in Konoha Village, silently observing a group of foreign ninja touring Konoha Village.
Without a doubt.
The foreign ninja who could appear so openly in Konoha Village were definitely here to participate in the Chunin Exams. Most of them were ninja from smaller villages, with only Konoha's allied The Hidden Sand Village from the great villages participating in the Chunin Exams.
Moreover, ever since the Third Ninja War, the economy and finances of The Hidden Sand Village have been tight. Holding a Chunin Exam is also a financial burden for the Hidden Sand Ninja, thus they are willing to participate in the Chunin Exams hosted by Konoha.
"Kakashi."
The Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke, gently tapped his pipe, and lightly asked the man standing behind him, Kakashi Hatake: "The meeting where the Instructor Jonin submitted their participation for the Chunin Exams has ended. Did you stay behind because you have something important to report to me?"
In this Hokage Office, a meeting of Konoha's higher-ups had just ended, with a group of Instructor Jonin or Team Jonin submitting the list of their subordinates who would participate in the Chunin Exams.
These Jonin had already left, to instruct their subordinates on the precautions for the Chunin Exams, except for the Seventh Team's Instructor Jonin Kakashi Hatake, who had applied to stay after the meeting, clearly to report something to the Third Hokage.
"Yes."
Kakashi Hatake nodded, speaking nonchalantly: "Although I also believe my subordinates are qualified to participate in the Chunin Exams and have just submitted their applications, the situation with one of them is slightly special..."
"I know."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, seemingly understanding what Kakashi Hatake wanted to say: "You want to talk about Naruto, right? Although Naruto's identity indeed..."
"No."
"I'm not worried about Naruto's situation."
Kakashi Hatake shook his head again, his eyes becoming serious: "I want to talk about Sasuke. I'm a bit worried that letting Sasuke participate in this Chunin Exam might bring some unexpected incidents; his strength as a Genin is quite excessive..."
"Many people have noticed Sasuke's excellence..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, has always been particularly concerned about the education at the Ninja Academy, well aware of the situation of the village's children. He mentioned his impression of Sasuke: "I remember Sasuke has always been the top student at the Ninja Academy..."
"But..."
Kakashi Hatake slightly furrowed his brow, seeming to want to explain that Sasuke's combat power is not as simple as being an excellent ninja: "Currently, Sasuke at the very least has Jonin level fighting power, with a Three Tomoe Sharingan, overly powerful Fire Release Ninjutsu, and swordsmanship somewhat beyond his peers, plus the Instant Body Jutsu left by Shisui..."
Based on the power Uchiha Sasuke has shown during this period, it would be reasonable to promote him to Jonin even in peaceful times, not to mention during wartime, where he would definitely be a main force for executing special missions.
"Has he become this strong already?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen finally showed a hint of surprise on his face.
The child who survived the night of the clan's massacre has already awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan? He even learned the Instant Body Jutsu developed by Uchiha Shisui!
One could say...
Is he truly Uchiha Itachi's brother?
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately had a direct sense of Uchiha Sasuke's strength in his heart. After thinking for a second, he gave Kakashi Hatake a response: "Don't worry so much, just let Sasuke participate in the Chunin Exams as usual. The Chunin Exams is a stage for showing off the military power of the Ninja Villages of various countries, having an outstanding ninja in the village can also show others the strength of Konoha..."
Honestly speaking...
Konoha hasn't had such an outstanding ninja for a while; the last time was Uchiha Itachi, who passed the Chunin Exams alone.
"We also need Sasuke."
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought of the renegade Uchiha Itachi, his voice gradually becoming somewhat distant, as if he were lost in a kind of memory: "The more outstanding Sasuke performs in this Chunin Exam, the better..."
In this way...
It can also reassure others.
Four years ago, the Uchiha Clan was annihilated by Uchiha Itachi.
However, the truth within it is not simple. Uchiha Itachi reached an agreement with Konoha's higher-ups to kill all members of the Uchiha Clan with the help of a mysterious masked man, resolving the crisis of a Uchiha Clan coup. He would then leave the village, acting as a secret spy for Konoha, to track down the mysterious masked man and a mysterious organization he controlled, called Akatsuki. In return, the village's condition was to ensure the safety of his brother, Uchiha Sasuke.
If Uchiha Sasuke truly proves to be outstanding, performing brilliantly in the Chunin Exam, and even gaining fame in the Ninja World, it would surely make the spy renegade outside, Uchiha Itachi, understand that Konoha's higher-ups have not betrayed his sacrifice.
Besides that...
Konoha Village is indeed facing a transition period.
Although the village still has excellent young Jonin like Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, and Sarutobi Asuma, the combat power of these young Jonin does not have substantial deterrence; at least they haven't reached the level of the 'Yellow Flash' Namikaze Minato or 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' Uchiha Shisui, who were so powerful that enemies were terrified.