Kakashi, of course, could tell that Jing Man Paradise contained many allusions to real Ninja World figures, but he didn't pay it any mind.
Didn't Jiraiya's "Tale of the Gutsy Ninja" also have them?
What Kakashi was worried about now was that he might never see the next installment published.
He had been waiting for Icha Icha Paradise since he was eighteen, and it still hadn't appeared, even with Jiraiya constantly writing and gathering material abroad.
So what about Bai Mo's Jing Man Paradise?
Would Bai Mo really have that kind of leisure and elegance again, like during his mission in the Land of Snow?
It was probably going to be a swan song.
A few days later, Kakashi and a group of Jōnin arrived at the Hokage's office and were informed of the list of other factions participating in the Chūnin Exams.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, only the Kazekage Rasa of Sunagakure had previously told them he planned to participate; the rest were smaller Ninja Villages.
The remaining were purely spectators, coming to watch the excitement.
Now, Kirigakure, which had been silent for a long time, and Iwagakure, which had recently undergone a tumultuous reform, were both going to participate.
This made Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat worried.
This was not the Chūnin Exams of the Boruto era; having some forces from three major Ninja Villages, along with their Kage, gathered in Konoha was too dangerous.
Before, with only the Kazekage, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't too concerned.
Hiruzen Sarutobi also understood the situation of Sunagakure.
But Iwagakure and Kirigakure were different.
One had just undergone reform, and the other was shrouded in mystery.
"Hmm? Lord Third, they are also participating?"
Kakashi saw a familiar name on the visitor list.
"Hmm."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, saying nothing more.
After Kakashi brought back information about Jashin's Ritual: Blood Manipulation last time, Hiruzen Sarutobi told Kakashi not to publicize it to avoid causing panic.
Whether it was true or false, if the other party brought this up, they surely had a goal beyond just killing.
Their best approach for now was to remain unchanged and adapt to circumstances.
Since the other party was going to appear at the Chūnin Exams, their objective might be revealed soon.
The other Jōnin didn't know about this matter and were very confused about the person Kakashi mentioned.
"Who is it?"
Might Guy was the first to lean in, following Kakashi's gaze to the list.
There were only two visitors from Amegakure—the Village Head of Amegakure, Bai Mo.
"Don't know him."
Might Guy scratched his head, uttered three words, and returned to his original position.
Although Might Guy's squad also participated in the Land of Snow mission last time, they were in the shadows the whole time, plus Might Guy had a mysterious difficulty recognizing people; he could forget people he had met and fought, let alone Bai Mo.
The other Jōnin completely ignored the two people from Amegakure on the list and instead looked at the dense list below.
"Why are there so many people from Kirigakure and Iwagakure?"
Kurenai Yūhi's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
"The Mizukage and Tsuchikage gave the reason that they lost too much combat power before, and the new generation of ninja haven't experienced much combat, so they want to come to the Chūnin Exams to gain experience; passing or not doesn't matter."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and offered an explanation.
"Kirigakure must be referring to the Bloody Mist, and Iwagakure to the Third Great Ninja War and the battle with the Third Raikage… The reason isn't problematic, but can it be true?
So many ninja being let into the Village, what if they unite and riot?"
Asuma also took a puff from his cigarette and raised a question.
"I will have the Anbu monitor and analyze the ninja from the two countries coming to the Land of Fire in advance. If their strength is truly average, then it means the Mizukage and Tsuchikage have no ill intentions.
As for whether the Mizukage and Tsuchikage will discover it and cause dissatisfaction, we will apologize to them then."
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his fingers on the table and quickly came up with a plan.
Kirigakure and Iwagakure had a large number of Genin participating in the Chūnin Exams; if these were truly Genin and they dared to cause a riot in Konoha, they would easily suffer heavy casualties.
Although Jōnin are crucial to a Ninja Village and Chūnin are the backbone, Genin are not cannon fodder.
Most Genin have the talent to grow into Chūnin; too many Genin casualties would mean a gap in the Village's combat power for a period.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not gamble.
So he still decided to be cautious.
Even if the Anbu's conclusion was no abnormality, he still had to guard against any other ideas the Mizukage and Tsuchikage might have.
Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to have the Anbu search for Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were outside, and inform them of the crisis facing the Village.
If he could find him, Jiraiya would likely return; Tsunade was hard to say.
He could only say he would try his best.
Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed the Jōnin.
He began to puff smoke in the Hokage's office.
His only consolation now was that even if the Tsuchikage and Mizukage had some conspiracy, the Kazekage would not participate.
According to intelligence, Iwagakure and Kirigakure had formed a kind of alliance and joined something called the Mutual Aid Alliance.
But Sunagakure did not.
A few days later.
Bai Mo and Konan, wearing a straw hat and attending under the name of the Village Head of Amegakure, arrived in Konoha.
People from Iwagakure and Kirigakure had already arrived earlier.
Konoha's inns were instantly packed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's Anbu reported back—those who came were indeed Genin, and even among Genin, they were on the weaker side.
That's right.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had indeed overthought things.
The large-scale participation of Kirigakure and Iwagakure in the Chūnin Exams was a suggestion from Bai Mo.
This was to prevent the appearance of humorous ninja, like those Ghost Lantern Gengetsu had to train in the Fourth Great Ninja War, who could only throw kunai and shuriken and then begged the enemy to let them pick them up.
This was also why Bai Mo didn't directly tell these old veterans about things like the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Sometimes, just because you tell the truth doesn't mean others will believe it.
"It's really lively,"
Konan looked at the scene in Konoha and sighed.
"Don't worry, our place will also become lively in the future."
Bai Mo chuckled softly.
Weak countries caught in the middle are tragic buffer zones for great powers.
Strong countries in the middle are the world's center, where all roads lead to Rome.
"Are you really not going to play? If you want teammates, I can call Hydrangea and them to be your teammates."
Konan's gaze swept over the young and vibrant Genin squads, then she suddenly smiled slightly and asked Bai Mo.
"Is it fun to bully children?"
"You're not much older than them, are you?"
"…"
Indeed.
Not to mention the older Genin from Kirigakure and Iwagakure, and Yakushi Kabuto, the twenty-something spy.
Temari from Sunagakure was already fifteen, and she would truly become a Chūnin in the next Chūnin Exams, at seventeen.
So age was indeed not an issue.
The Chūnin Exams weren't some kind of "immortal selection" or "Luo Tian Grand Ceremony" with age restrictions.
"I'll pass, I'm not as thick-skinned as Orochimaru, a Kage-level strength going to bully a few Genin."
Bai Mo still refused.
....
The journey continues right now for our Jade Dragons! 🐉
For just $6/month, you can step into the advanced chapters and never face a cliffhanger again. Gain instant access to 50+ chapters immediately, support the story you love, and help decide its course.
🔗 Become a Jade Dragon:
patreon.com/J_Dragon