At the same time, at the Hokage's Office.
A large number of ninjas had gathered here; most of the Jonin had assembled.
The Chunin Exams were a top priority event every year, requiring the hosting of many ninjas from outside the village.
During this period, they also had to guard against external forces infiltrating, making caution paramount.
If any unrest were to occur in the Hidden Leaf Village, it would be a massive blow to the village's reputation.
The Daimyo would question the Hidden Leaf's diligence and reduce funding.
"Should I go be an examiner for fun?" Jiraiya stroked his chin.
He was tall, with long, narrow red markings on his face, and white hair that reached his waist, looking like spiky white porcupine quills draped over his shoulders.
He wore a red outer coat and wooden clogs on his feet.
It seemed that more people had come this time than in previous exams.
That meant he could also see more beautiful women—he could peep... oh, no, he meant gather material.
This was for a great work he envisioned, though it was only a concept and he hadn't put pen to paper yet.
"Idiot." Tsunade punched Jiraiya, hitting him on the head.
Seeing Jiraiya's perverted expression, she knew he wasn't thinking of anything good.
"That hurts, Tsunade." Jiraiya immediately composed himself, covering the spot where he was struck.
Tsunade's monstrous strength was significant even in her normal state, making her hits very painful.
The other Jonin, seeing Jiraiya's behavior, routinely ignored it.
All three of the Third Hokage's disciples were powerful, but unfortunately, two of them had personality flaws.
One was constantly frivolous and had loved peeping since childhood.
One was naturally addicted to gambling, often losing more than she won.
Only Orochimaru seemed somewhat serious.
"Hiruzen-sensei is looking over." Orochimaru smiled faintly, licking the corner of his mouth with his tongue.
Jiraiya's expression immediately became much more serious.
Tsunade remained listlessly listening to the discussions between the Hidden Leaf higher-ups and the Jonin.
Her hands were resting on her chest, as if supporting its considerable weight.
"Next is the assignment of examiners."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was satisfied with Orochimaru's composure, but unfortunately, Orochimaru was too close to Danzō.
The frequent disappearances of infants and ninjas in the village made Hiruzen unable to dismiss his suspicions.
He was afraid that his favorite senior disciple would stray down the wrong path, just like Danzō.
Then, he looked at another young man with a gentle smile.
Minato Namikaze.
This was a ninja who possessed a pure Will of Fire.
"Orochimaru, you will be the chief examiner for the first stage. Minato, you will be the chief examiner for the second stage, assisting the other examiners."
Hiruzen Sarutobi issued the orders.
His experienced eyes could see Minato's exceptional talent.
The S-rank technique, the Flying Thunder God Technique, required extremely high aptitude, and almost no one in the Hidden Leaf Village could learn it.
Yet, Minato Namikaze was allowed to learn it, and he mastered this technique, which had been lost since the Second Hokage's death, in a surprisingly short amount of time.
"Understood, Hiruzen-sensei." Orochimaru's voice was hoarse.
"Yes, Third Hokage-sama." Minato replied.
It was a good opportunity for him to observe the new generation of "Gems."
And also to take a look at... Kiyoshi Uchiha, whom Kushina had mentioned frequently lately.
***
That night.
The Uchiha clan held a meeting.
In the hidden room beneath the Naka Shrine, the dim fire pots illuminated the faces of everyone present.
"Remember, this Chunin Exam is extraordinary. It may well determine the direction of the upcoming events." Fugaku Uchiha stood at the front, speaking somberly.
Over forty years since the village's founding, a total of two world-spanning Great Ninja Wars had already occurred.
When exactly would the next war break out?
Would its scale be larger or smaller compared to the previous two?
All of this was unknown.
Everyone was moving forward in the dark, feeling their way like blindfolded people crossing a river.
This included Fugaku.
Listening to Fugaku passionately state that they must uphold the clan's tradition and demonstrate the Uchiha glory this time, Kiyoshi, seated at the back, remained expressionless.
If one were to reverse-engineer from the ending of Naruto Shippūden, one would find that four world-level wars occurred in less than a hundred years since the village's founding.
This was all due to resources and money. These conflicts, which could not be resolved through production, could only be addressed through wartime plundering.
Hashirama's distribution of the Tailed Beasts to maintain balance only resulted in a false peace.
Upon his death, a Great War erupted, and the major nations continued their disputes, even weaponizing the Tailed Beasts Hashirama had distributed by deploying them on the battlefield.
"This time, I expect you to all work hard."
Fugaku named several ninjas participating in the Chunin Exams, and Kiyoshi's name was among them.
"Yes, Fugaku-sama, I will definitely uphold the Uchiha's prestige!" Teikka Uchiha was also on the list this time.
Fugaku nodded slightly, then looked at Kiyoshi.
Kiyoshi had executed one C-rank mission recently, which was reportedly completed excellently.
The client was very satisfied with Kiyoshi, who bore the Uchiha surname.
"Kiyoshi, I hope to see you wearing the Chunin-exclusive combat uniform in a few days." Fugaku said.
"Yes." Kiyoshi nodded.
Even if he passed, Kiyoshi wouldn't wear the green ninja vest.
It was too cumbersome.
Kiyoshi preferred wearing a thin, breathable layer of chainmail underneath.
Thinking of this, his gaze shifted toward a spot among the clansmen.
Hazuki Uchiha seemed to feel Kiyoshi's stare, like daggers in her back.
She kept her eyes lowered, gripping the black trousers over her full thighs.
She only hoped Kiyoshi wouldn't actually pass.
If he did, Kiyoshi would be on equal footing with her in terms of rank, as she was also a Chunin.
And since she was much older than Kiyoshi, the person with higher potential and value would be obvious.
"I need to make a move." Hazuki Uchiha thought to herself, steeling herself for the financial cost.
It was unwise to offend a genius.
When the moon was high overhead, the forest outside the Naka Shrine grew even quieter.
The clansmen emerged one after another, ending the meeting.
"Fugaku, are you deep in thought?"
After everyone left, Mikoto stayed behind, seeing Fugaku sitting in place, rubbing his forehead. She asked him the reason.
"I have a feeling of unease." Fugaku Uchiha said.
Being the clan head, he naturally saw problems farther ahead.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had hinted several times to the clan leaders that war was very likely to break out, telling them to prepare for mobilization.
If the Hidden Leaf Village were to lose the war, the consequences would be immeasurable.
Every clan leader understood the principle of mutual dependence.
This gave Fugaku a massive headache.
"It's alright, it's alright. Our clan still has a continuous source of new strength, like Kiyoshi." Mikoto consoled him.
War might come, but the Uchiha had collectively resisted countless battles throughout a thousand years of Warring States history.
She believed the Uchiha clan would overcome this difficulty too.
"That's true." Fugaku nodded.
Kiyoshi's ability to display such genius clearly meant he had perfectly inherited the power of both Bloodlines.
This made his potential far higher than that of other Uchiha.
He was a talent worth cultivating.