Ten days later, the Konoha "Examination Squad" successfully arrived in Sunagakure (Hidden Sand Village).
The news of their arrival was immediately relayed to Suna's high command.
Inside the Kazekage's office building, Rasa (the eventual Fourth Kazekage) looked at the young man standing before him—who, despite being a teenager, had a surprisingly weathered look—and said, "Baki, this joint Chūnin Exam is our event. As hosts, we must demonstrate Suna's strength. Do you understand?"
Baki nodded emphatically.
Rasa continued, "The Konoha contingent has arrived. Are you confident you can defeat them?"
Baki was full of confidence: "I am nine-tenths, perhaps even ten-tenths, confident."
Rasa nodded slightly: "Confidence is good, but you can't underestimate the enemy. Among the Konoha Genin registered, there is the Third Hokage's son."
Baki said solemnly, "I know of him. Asuma Sarutobi, the Konoha genius. He is certainly a formidable rival, but I am two years older than him. A two-year gap in experience is not easily overcome."
Rasa added, "Besides Asuma Sarutobi, there is another Konoha Genin worth noting. He allegedly defeated Asuma Sarutobi about a year ago."
Baki looked puzzled: "Allegedly?"
Rasa nodded: "The intelligence we gathered from Konoha is that Asuma Sarutobi 'narrowly lost.' Perhaps the Third Hokage doesn't want too many people to know about his son's defeat, so it's only alleged. But regardless, pay attention to the Genin named Setsuna Chiaki. He is one year older than you."
Upon hearing Rasa say the opponent was a year older than him, Baki's serious expression quickly eased. He had deliberately avoided promotion to Chūnin.
The fact that the other Genin was a year older than him—still a Genin at age 14—meant he wasn't exactly a failure, but he certainly couldn't be called a genius.
Baki's heart swelled with determination: "Lord Rasa, I will not let you or the Kazekage down! I will lead Suna to victory and seize first place!"
Hearing Baki mention the Kazekage, the smile on Rasa's face stiffened slightly: "Very good. You may go back and prepare."
---
After Baki left, Rasa walked into the back office.
The office that should have belonged to the Kazekage was currently occupied by the siblings, Chiyo and Ebizo.
Seeing Rasa, Ebizo asked, "Is there still no news of the Kazekage?"
Rasa shook his head in silence. After a moment, he said, "News of the Kazekage's fate is becoming increasingly difficult to suppress. We must use this Chūnin Exam to regain the trust of the Land of Wind's Daimyō and secure our military budget. Otherwise, once the news of the Kazekage's disappearance spreads, the Daimyō might cut our funding even further."
Ebizo frowned: "Relying on Baki? While Baki is considered talented in Suna, he is not an exceptionally outstanding genius. I think it's unrealistic to expect him to overpower the geniuses from the other villages."
Rasa said seriously, "That's why I invited the two of you here."
Chiyo frowned: "Are you suggesting we have Sasori step in?"
Rasa nodded: "Sasori is a true genius. With him participating, taking first place would be effortless."
Chiyo did not disagree. Her grandson's puppetry talent surpassed her own; having him participate in the Chūnin Exams would be a complete mismatch.
"But Sasori is even older than Baki. He became a Chūnin seven years ago. How can he participate in the Chūnin Exam again?" Chiyo shook her head.
Rasa smiled: "We can forge a fake identity. With Sasori's ability, he can easily conceal himself within a puppet while fighting."
Chiyo pondered: "I can try to ask him, but Sasori will likely refuse. The Chūnin Exam is a complete waste of his time."
"I understand that geniuses are proud, but please try your best to persuade him. Suna cannot withstand any more turmoil," Rasa sighed. "Even a false victory—we need a powerful morale booster to make Suna great again."
Chiyo nodded and asked, "Which villages are participating in this Chūnin Exam?"
Rasa reported everything in detail: "Among the Five Great Nations, Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud) and Kirigakure (Hidden Mist) explicitly refused to participate. Konoha sent 63 people, Iwagakure (Hidden Stone) sent 45, the Land of Rain sent 21, the Land of Grass sent 6, the Land of Waterfall sent 9, the Land of River sent 6, and the Land of Bears sent 3."
Chiyo automatically ignored the minor villages and asked, "Between Konoha and Iwa, which side do you plan to ally with?"
Rasa shook his head: "My knowledge is limited, which is why I sought the counsel of you two advisors."
Ebizo said solemnly, "Are you truly ready to reveal the news of the Kazekage's disappearance during the final stage of the Chūnin Exam?"
Rasa took a deep breath: "We have no choice. The news of the Kazekage's disappearance can't be contained for much longer. Once the news leaks, both Konoha and Iwa might seize the opportunity to strike while our morale is in chaos."
"Therefore, we must turn this disadvantage into a moral advantage. We must point the spear of war at either the Tsuchikage (Ōnoki) or the Hokage (Hiruzen), creating a shared hatred within Suna. This also allows the other side to take advantage of the situation, preventing those two major villages from uniting against us."
"But the risk of doing this is huge. We still don't know who assassinated the Kazekage. If we ally with one side, only to find out later that they were the ones who harmed the Kazekage, the nature of everything we've done changes completely. We might even be suspected of colluding with an outside village to harm the Kazekage," Ebizo analyzed rationally.
Rasa nodded: "That is precisely my concern. I would like the two of you to deliberate on who is the most likely culprit to have harmed the Kazekage."
Chiyo analyzed: "Few people in the Ninja World have the ability to assassinate the Kazekage. Ōnoki and Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly possess that capability. However, to assassinate the Kazekage inside a heavily guarded Suna, Ōnoki has the higher likelihood. His Dust Release (Jinton) is practically an instant kill."
Rasa hesitated: "So, your suggestion is to ally with Konoha?"
Chiyo shook her head: "Although Ōnoki has the ability, he is generally conservative. He wouldn't take such a great risk and put himself in danger for something that doesn't benefit him, logically speaking."
"Then what about the Raikage or the Mizukage?" Rasa asked.
Chiyo said, "First, we rule out the Raikage. Given his fighting style, he would only forcefully invade Suna; he wouldn't carry out an assassination of such high difficulty."
Rasa nodded. That was true; the Raikage was famous for getting heated in a fight. Assassination was too out of character for him.
Chiyo continued, "As for the Mizukage, he hasn't left Kirigakure for many years and seems completely unconcerned with external affairs. There's no reason for him to cross half the Ninja World to assassinate the Kazekage."
"Then who could it be? It can't be someone from Suna, can it?" Rasa said self-deprecatingly.
Chiyo stated, "We don't need to focus our attention on the various Kage. I'll propose one person: Danzō Shimura."
"Danzō Shimura? Konoha's 'Darkness of the Shinobi World'?"
Chiyo nodded: "This man is treacherous and ruthless; his reputation is well-known throughout the Ninja World. We can propose to the Third Hokage that Konoha hand Danzō over to us for questioning. If it's ultimately proven that Danzō is innocent, Suna would be willing to offer a formal apology."
Rasa clapped his hands: "I understand! Given the nature of that 'Darkness of the Shinobi World,' he certainly has many secrets he doesn't want revealed. The Hokage would absolutely not dare to hand him over to us. And as long as the Hokage refuses, we can shift the blame squarely onto Konoha. Even if we later find out someone else harmed the Kazekage, it would be the Hokage's fault for refusing to cooperate, not ours."
Chiyo nodded approvingly. A teachable student.
Rasa looked at Chiyo with admiration. The old generation truly is the wisest.
Ebizo smiled: "Once the Tsuchikage arrives, we can privately send someone to contact him and sound out his position."