"What?"
The Third Hokage frowned as he read through the document in his hands. After a moment, he let out a slow breath.
"When was this information confirmed?"
"Yesterday," Yūgao Uzuki replied.
"At this rate, the Fourth Kazekage may already be at the border."
"Do we deny entry?"
"I'll need to think about that…"
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
"It's reasonable for the Kazekage to attend the Chūnin Exam. We don't have sufficient grounds to refuse him. However, he previously claimed he couldn't come—and now he suddenly changes his mind. That's extremely suspicious."
Rasa was no fool.
His combat strength might not compare to the Third Kazekage, but his mind was just as sharp. Sunagakure's current weakness came from heavy losses in past wars—not incompetence.
Hiruzen would never believe this change was a coincidence.
"What do Shikaku and Inoichi think?"
"They believe Sunagakure may have been influenced by an external factor. At present, they suspect Orochimaru's involvement."
"Orochimaru… again."
Hiruzen tapped the desk lightly. Then, remembering Yūgao was still present, he smiled.
"Alright, I understand. Thank you for your hard work. One more thing—bring a copy of this information to Souma and ask for his opinion."
"…Huh?"
Yūgao froze.
Ask Souma?
She fully acknowledged Souma's genius in research, but intelligence analysis wasn't exactly his specialty—at least, that was her impression.
And besides…
"Hokage-sama, Souma is already very busy. Wouldn't troubling him with matters like this be a waste of his talents?"
"Ah… well…"
Hiruzen's mouth twitched.
Hearing that, he suddenly realized that assigning Souma to accompany the Daimyō might indeed be… excessive.
Also—
His newly promoted ANBU captain seemed a little too admiring of Souma.
More than expected.
Then again…
Given Souma's abilities—and that book—his influence within ANBU wasn't surprising.
"Very well," Hiruzen said.
"For now, the Chūnin Exam takes priority. Research can wait."
"Yes, sir."
"So… the Fourth Kazekage is coming after all? And he'll appear alongside the Third Hokage during the third stage of the exam?"
Souma read the intelligence report, deep in thought.
Rasa's behavior was abnormal.
Could it be regret?
Or had Rasa himself changed?
Orochimaru?
Souma couldn't be sure.
He had arrested Kimimaro and helped the Third Hokage wipe out one of Orochimaru's hideouts. Under those circumstances, would Orochimaru really follow his original plan?
Souma's answer was clear—
No.
Orochimaru wasn't stupid. A man who would stubbornly follow a doomed plan wouldn't have survived long enough to earn the title of one of the Legendary Sannin.
That title wasn't granted by Hanzo alone—it was forged by strength, battlefield judgment, and the ability to adapt.
Orochimaru was anything but foolish.
After thinking it through, Souma looked at Yūgao.
"What does the Hokage want me to do?"
"He'd like to know your thoughts. If you have any suggestions or requests, you're free to voice them."
Souma shook his head.
"With so little information, there's nothing meaningful to suggest. They're hidden, we're exposed. The best approach is to stay steady and respond once they make their move."
Hiruzen was a veteran fox.
With advance warning, if he still got blindsided by Orochimaru, it would be a disgrace to his name.
Souma wasn't worried about the Third Hokage.
He was worried about himself.
A tree that grows too tall will be struck by the wind.
At this point, he had likely become a thorn in many sides. Ironically, among all those enemies, Danzō—who coveted the Hokage seat—might be the one most inclined to deal with him "peacefully."
The world was absurd like that.
Souma sighed.
"As for Daimyō, I'll do everything I can to keep him safe. The Hokage needn't worry. However, regarding ANBU…"
"I understand," Yūgao nodded.
"Kimimaro would be an immense asset to Orochimaru. If I were him, I'd attempt a rescue as well."
"No," Souma corrected calmly.
"My concern is that Orochimaru may use our expectations about Kimimaro to mask his true objective."
Kimimaro's situation was already secured.
As long as the Aburame and Yamanaka clans followed Souma's arrangements, Orochimaru's subordinates had no chance.
And if Orochimaru came personally—
Souma had already marked Kimimaro with a Flying Thunder God formula. Though he couldn't yet teleport himself freely, using a prepared Flying Thunder Formation to lock onto a target was trivial.
Orochimaru's regeneration was terrifying—but his weakness lay in the mental domain.
If he came personally, he'd be walking straight into Souma's trap.
Which meant—
Kimimaro was the least concerning piece on the board.
What Souma truly feared was a feint.
An attack on ANBU… to draw attention away from the real target.
For example—
Uchiha Sasuke.
Yūgao accepted the orders and departed.
For a brief moment, Souma considered warning her—but decided against it.
There was no concrete intelligence tying Orochimaru's goal to Sasuke.
And more importantly—
Konoha's environment simply wasn't suitable for Sasuke.
Forcing him to stay might do more harm than good. Kakashi was strong, yes—but in theory and instruction, he couldn't match Orochimaru.
Another factor—
If Kakashi focused too much on Sasuke, his own growth and safety would suffer.
In an uncertain future, strengthening oneself mattered most.
Between Sasuke's personal development and Kakashi's survival—
Souma chose Kakashi.
There must be loss to gain.
Still… perhaps he could leave Orochimaru a "gift" before they parted ways.
Souma turned the thought over silently.
Back inside the room, Daimyō sat looking bored—clearly craving another "story."
"Souma-kun, sit. I had Toyama brew a new pot of tea—excellent stuff from the Land of Lightning."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Souma sat.
Daimyō smiled knowingly.
"The person who visited just now…?"
"An ANBU ninja, delivering a document on official orders."
Daimyō chuckled.
"ANBU serves you personally—that's not the treatment an ordinary special jōnin receives. Your standing in Konoha must be quite high."
"Everyone has simply shown me kindness and been willing to nurture me."
Souma replied modestly.
The Daimyō shook his head and began probing about ANBU.
Souma answered with basic explanations.
After a long conversation and an empty teapot, the Daimyō grew thoughtful.
"So… every village has ANBU?"
"Yes. Though called an assassination unit, they handle a significant portion of intelligence work. Every village has them, often with their own networks."
Some, like Ebizō, had eyes across the shinobi world—
But Sunagakure lacked the strength to turn that into power.
Souma didn't mention that.
The Daimyō didn't need such depth—only a foundation.
Souma didn't support a Daimyō without ninja forces—but neither did he believe a Daimyō should directly control a ninja village.
Outsiders commanding professionals was always disastrous.
Later, the Daimyō asked about Hokage duties and ninja administration.
Souma answered what he could.
Daimyō sighed.
"Ninja work is far more complex than I imagined. A Hokage must barely have time to train."
"That's correct."
Daimyō imagined himself handling both roles—and felt tired just thinking about it.
Promoting a noble as prime minister?
That would be worse.
Nobles with power were far more dangerous than ninja.
"At least the Hokage," he murmured, "has always been loyal."
"Souma-kun, speaking with you has been enlightening. Now then—when does the Chūnin Exam begin?"
"Tomorrow. Please be sure to rest well tonight."
"Hahaha, then I look forward to it."
The next day.
Outside the designated exam hall, ninja gathered in droves.
"So this is the exam site? If we pass, we become chūnin, right?!"
Naruto shouted excitedly.
Sakura's forehead vein twitched.
"Naruto! Keep your voice down! There are three stages to the exam—this is only the first! And as far as I know…"
She lowered her voice.
"Everyone here could be our enemy."
"Eh?!"
Naruto slapped his hands over his mouth.
Sasuke frowned.
"Sakura… did you research this?"
"Yes. I read up on the exam structure. The first stage is theoretical—no direct competition. But the second stage usually involves combat."
"I see."
Sasuke glanced at her, reassessing slightly.
She wasn't completely useless.
Just then—
A ninja carrying a gourd approached.
The killing intent was overwhelming.
Gaara of the Sand stepped forward, scanning the crowd before fixing his gaze on three figures in the corner.
"You're Tenten and Tsukimi Kagura, right?"
"I'm Gaara of the Sand. I heard you killed many shinobi in Sunagakure last year. I'm interested in you."
"Sorry," Tenten replied coolly.
"We're not interested in you. But if you want revenge—we'll accept."
She knew his real target was Souma.
But Souma was already a special jōnin.
If Gaara wanted trouble—
He'd get no courtesy.
Gaara nodded once and turned away.
Kagura exhaled quietly.
Good.
His mental state felt unstable. A fight now would've been disastrous.
As for Kabuto Yakushi—
He wore a bitter smile.
If he slacked off and got Tenten or Kagura killed…
His own life would likely be next.
From the shadows, a Grass ninja licked his lips and looked on.
Souma isn't here…
Then the plan can proceed.
"Even if it's only a shadow clone, it's enough."
Orochimaru frowned slightly.
"But Kabuto… what's going on?"
Why was Kabuto with Souma's people?
Had he earned Souma's trust?
Kabuto had stopped responding entirely.
Could it be—
Something worse?
Orochimaru's brow furrowed.
If Kabuto had betrayed him, the situation would become dangerous.
Then—
Kabuto subtly flashed a familiar signal.
Success.
Orochimaru relaxed slightly.
As expected.
Kabuto wouldn't fail so easily.
If infiltration succeeds…
As long as Kabuto is covered, even failure here won't matter.
The plan continued.
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