Early on the morning of the 14th, Third Camp of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Even after a full night's rest, no one was feeling... particularly refreshed.
Although the Five Great Shinobi Villages hadn't come to blows the day before, everyone had spent the entire afternoon on edge, their nerves stretched to the limit.
One night's sleep wasn't nearly enough to shake off that tension.
After all, if the people sleeping beside you came from rival villages, anyone would keep one eye open. There was no way to sleep soundly. Who knew whether someone might decide to stab you in the middle of the night while you were asleep?
It was simply the natural suspicion ingrained in every shinobi. Habits like that couldn't be changed overnight.
After washing up, Iwaze of Konohagakure gazed toward the headquarters and drifted into his memories.
Once you reached middle age, reminiscing about the past became inevitable.
Who could have imagined that the junior he'd met by the river as a child would one day grow into the God of the Shinobi World? Life truly worked in mysterious ways.
Back then, he and his friends had even tried to steal the boy's grilled fish.
Unfortunately, the three childhood friends who had been with him back then were all gone, killed on the Kirigakure battlefield during the Third Shinobi World War.
If only they were still alive to see the new, powerful Konohagakure of today.
Just then, a burst of noisy commotion erupted from the section of the camp under his command.
Iwaze hurried over, pushed through the crowd of onlookers, and found two young shinobi glaring daggers at each other. If not for the teammates restraining them from behind, they would have already drawn their kunai and started fighting.
One was from Konohagakure, the other from Kirigakure.
The people holding them back were their own village comrades. Though they were all trying to stay restrained, none of them looked kindly upon the other side.
It wouldn't take much for this to explode into a full-scale brawl.
The shinobi from the other three villages watched from the sidelines with great interest. If a fight really broke out, most of them would probably jump in as well, taking advantage of the chaos to stick a blade into someone they already disliked.
"What's going on here? Hiryū, what happened?"
The Konoha shinobi named Hiryū replied, "Captain Iwaze, this Kirigakure bastard wasn't watching where he was going. He rammed into someone for no reason and wouldn't even apologize."
Iwaze turned toward the arrogant Kirigakure shinobi.
"Your name's Kaiu, right? Is what Hiryū said true?"
"So what if it is?"
"Didn't you hear the order from headquarters yesterday afternoon? Shinobi from different villages assigned to the same unit are forbidden from provoking one another. You started this. Apologize."
"Sorry."
Out of respect for the Five Kage, Kaiu offered a perfunctory apology before sneering, "Konoha shinobi really are pathetic. Too scared to fight yourselves, so you have to run crying to your captain?"
"Watch your mouth!" Hiryū snapped. "I'm going to teach you a lesson."
"Come on, then. It's the perfect chance to settle the score with Konoha for my father's death."
"And you people from Kirigakure think you're innocent? My older brother was killed by one of your bastards in the last war too. His blood is on your hands!"
The main combat force consisted primarily of adult shinobi. Many of them had either fought in the Third Shinobi World War themselves or had family members who had. It was perfectly normal for old grudges to exist between them.
Even Iwaze, the captain of this unit, had lost all three of his childhood friends to Kirigakure during that war.
Didn't he want to slaughter every Kirigakure shinobi standing before him?
Of course he did.
He dreamed about it.
And with the strength he possessed now, he absolutely could.
But he couldn't allow himself to act on those feelings.
Doing so would only make things difficult for the Hokage and Makoto-sama.
Suppressing the hatred in his heart, Iwaze roared, "No matter how much you hate each other, you're teammates now. The Akatsuki are our common enemy."
"Anyone who dares stir up trouble at a time like this will be sent straight to the Temporary Disciplinary Department for a little 'tea.' That's enough. Break it up!"
The moment everyone heard the words "Disciplinary Department," they reluctantly dispersed, still wearing dissatisfied expressions.
Everyone knew that the Five Great Shinobi Villages harbored deep grudges against one another.
Even so, Makoto and Minato had insisted on mixing all the villages together instead of keeping them separated.
It was the perfect opportunity for everyone to get to know and understand one another.
As for those whose minds were consumed by nothing but hatred, the Disciplinary Department—staffed by ANBU from every village—would make sure they faced reality.
...
Compared to the constant friction within the main combat forces, the atmosphere in the Rapid Support Unit was far more relaxed.
It wasn't because there were fewer people.
It was because everyone assigned to this unit had a rather special status.
Most of them were quite young, generally around eighteen years old.
Konohagakure's representatives included Naruto, Sasuke, and the rest of the Konoha Twelve. Sunagakure was represented by Gaara and his siblings, Iwagakure by Kurotsuchi and the rest of its younger generation, Kumogakure by Omoi and Karui, and Kirigakure by Hōzuki Suigetsu, Chōjūrō, Haku, and the rest of its rising generation.
They were all exceptionally talented shinobi—the future pillars each village had devoted itself to cultivating.
Most importantly, they had all been rivals during the very first Five Villages Joint Chūnin Exams. After being promoted to chūnin, they continued to meet frequently as staff members during the following exams, and over the years they had built genuinely good relationships with one another.
The hatred born from the previous Shinobi World Wars had largely failed to carry over to this generation.
Ever since Konohagakure introduced it, the Five Villages Joint Chūnin Exams had become the Shinobi World's annual midyear event. Its greatest value, however, wasn't commercial—it was the opportunity it gave shinobi from every village, especially the future pillars of their respective villages, to get to know one another.
At that moment, the atmosphere among them was remarkably relaxed.
Of course, the younger generation from the other four villages had all come carrying a well-known mission of their own.
Over the past few years, Konohagakure's shinobi had become noticeably stronger than those of every other village. After investigating the matter, everyone had reached the same conclusion: it was all because Konoha had adopted an entirely new training system.
Konohagakure had never tried to hide it. In fact, during every Joint Chūnin Exam, they had openly promoted how dramatically the True Sage System had transformed a shinobi's strength.
All the evidence pointed to one conclusion: the shinobi system, founded a thousand years ago when the Sage of Six Paths spread chakra throughout the world, was quietly undergoing a fundamental change.
As a result, researching this new power had become the highest priority for every major shinobi village. After all, no one wanted to be left behind by the times.
"Hey, you lazybones," Temari said. "Can someone as unmotivated as you actually learn that Sage training thing?"
"Well... it's a pain, but I've got no choice," Shikamaru replied. "If I don't learn it, my teammates will completely leave me behind."
"Damn it," Kurotsuchi grumbled. "We have no idea what you Konoha shinobi are doing. Does natural energy that's actually suitable for humans really exist?"
"It has to," Omoi said. "But even knowing natural energy is the key, we still have no idea where to begin."
"Not knowing where to start is actually the safest outcome," Neji warned. "I'd advise you not to experiment on your own. Natural energy is extremely dangerous. One mistake, and you'll die."
"It's that dangerous?" Karui said suspiciously. "This almost feels like one of Konoha's beautifully wrapped traps."
Lee frowned immediately.
"Are you questioning Makoto-sensei's greatness? Just because you can't learn it doesn't mean he's trying to harm anyone. He has never intended to hurt others."
"Hey, Sasuke," Suigetsu said, leaning closer. "Come on, tell me in secret. There's got to be some trick to it, right?"
For some reason, he loved teasing the perpetually stone-faced Sasuke whenever he had the chance.
"There isn't," Sasuke answered flatly. "Also... you're standing too close."
"Sense natural energy, absorb natural energy, and keep strengthening your body," Naruto said. "That's the trick."
Suigetsu: "..."
How the hell is that any different from explaining how to put an elephant into a refrigerator in three easy steps?
If anyone actually knew the secret, it had to be Tenten. Everyone in the Shinobi World knew she was Higashino Makoto's one and only official disciple.
Haku knew that as well.
So he turned to his former opponent from the Chūnin Exams.
"Hey, Tenten. You must know where the real problem lies, right?"
Even now, Tenten still wasn't used to looking at Haku's overwhelmingly beautiful face.
She looked around at everyone before answering, "There's no need to keep asking. The real issue is the type and properties of natural energy."
"Right now, training in the True Sage System requires both a suitable environment and proper guidance. Because of certain unique circumstances, my sensei spent years of effort turning Konohagakure into the only place suitable for this kind of training."
"As for when that environment will expand to cover the entire Shinobi World... that will take time. There's no need to rush. Just be patient."
"Wait?" Temari frowned. "How long are we supposed to wait? The Shinobi World is huge. Don't tell me we'll all die of old age before the environment becomes suitable."
"Can't be helped. That's just how things are," Shikamaru shrugged. "But don't worry. Training in the True Sage System lets you live a long time."
"So by the time you die of old age, I'll probably still be around."
"If the environment's ready by then, I'll let you know while I'm visiting your grave."
"Though I have no idea whether you'll get the message in the Pure Land."
Temari wanted nothing more than to smack him to death with her fan.
"You idiot! Is that seriously what you think I'm worried about?"
"Well, I guess there's no hope for us," Kurotsuchi sighed. "I want to stay young forever. I don't want to turn into an old lady. I'm so jealous of you Konoha people."
Tenten smiled.
"There's a way."
"What way?" Haku asked.
"If the Shinobi World stopped being divided into so many different factions, and everyone gathered together in one place as comrades... wouldn't that solve the problem?"
None of the younger generation present were children anymore. They all understood exactly what Tenten meant.
No more divisions...
Wouldn't that mean unifying the entire Shinobi World?
The idea actually sounded surprisingly promising.
If the entire Shinobi World were united under a single power, wouldn't wars disappear? Wouldn't everyone be able to learn the new training system?
It would be incredibly difficult to achieve, but the idea had already been planted like a seed in their hearts.
One day, it would sprout.
People gathered where there were benefits to be gained.
And right now, the True Sage System—with its power and extraordinary longevity—was the greatest benefit of all.
Can't beat Higashino Makoto?
Then just join him!