"The Allied Chunin Exam across the entire ninja world? Konoha really dares to think of something like that, are they capable of pulling this off?"
Fourth Raikage Ay slammed a secret letter onto the table, his two large hands crossed. He simply couldn't fathom Konoha's intentions behind this.
Allowing all ninja villages to participate in Konoha, wasn't Minato Namikaze afraid that Konoha would fall in an instant?
Or had Konoha developed to the point where they feared no one in the ninja world?
That was impossible!
Ay immediately dismissed the thought. If one were to talk about the strongest ninja village in the entire world, it had to be their Kumogakure. Iwagakure had to take a backseat, and only then would Konoha come into play.
It wasn't that Ay looked down on Konoha, but after the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha's internal weakness had been exposed to the world. Apart from a few exceptionally outstanding ninja, the rest of Konoha's shinobi were truly not worth mentioning.
If they were to randomly select a few mid-level ninja for combat, Ay was confident that their Kumogakure ninja could take on two opponents for every one of theirs!
"Regarding Konoha's decision to hold an Allied Chunin Exam, what are everyone's thoughts?"
Whenever it came to matters requiring thought, Ay generally didn't make things too difficult for himself. A little contemplation was enough; the rest was for the think tank to analyze.
As a trusted subordinate, Dodai was naturally the first to speak.
"Before I offer my opinion, please allow Raikage-sama to first look at a document."
Afterward, Dodai placed a document titled "On How to Analyze Minato Namikaze" on the table and said, "I have summarized the actions Fourth Hokage of Konoha has taken over the years. There are only two words for it: development."
"If you want to be more specific, it is peaceful development."
Seeing Ay looking utterly confused, Dodai elaborated, "From the relocation of population in the Land of Fire in recent years... to the development of commerce... and then to the Land of Fire's friendly attitude towards neighboring smaller countries..."
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Ay felt his throat grow dry listening to Dodai ramble on about things he couldn't understand. He quickly interrupted, "So, will our Kumo participate or not?"
"Well, that's..."
"I have a different perspective. Konoha's actions this time are likely to showcase the talent and potential of their new generation to the ninja world, thereby suppressing the other four great ninja villages."
"That makes sense. I remember your name is Darui, right?"
Darui replied, "Yes, Raikage-sama. My opinion is that we should send the elite of our village to give Konoha's genin a good lesson!"
"This will also allow our Kumogakure's prestige to resound throughout the entire ninja world."
Ay pondered for a moment, as if he had figured out Minato Namikaze's objective. He muttered, "It seems that Minato Namikaze's plan is indeed this. This way, there's no need to start any wars to make his village and his ninja famous, thereby gaining more recognition from the Daimyo and receiving a large number of requests."
"I knew from the start that that little blonde punk was extremely cunning. As expected!"
Ay waved his hand, his voice booming, "From today onwards, select the top three most outstanding genin in the village. I will personally serve as their guiding teacher. This time, Kumogakure will achieve both fame and fortune!"
Dodai hesitated, "Raikage-sama, based on my many years of experience, Konoha's objective is definitely not that simple. I think..."
"I don't want what you think, I want what I think!"
...
Iwagakure, like Kumogakure, was selecting the best genin within the village. However, unlike Kumogakure's elite selection, Onoki chose to bribe ninja villages around the Land of Earth to obtain their slots and have Iwagakure ninja participate in their stead.
He intended to defeat quality with quantity!
Sunagakure and Kirigakure also received the news simultaneously. The latter was doing relatively well, but the former was currently encountering some unexpected troubles.
...
"Shukaku! Don't push your luck too far, do you really think I can't handle you?"
Outside Sunagakure, a colossal beast resembling a tanuki stood at the entrance of the village, with a dark-eyed boy perched on its shoulder.
"Rasa, I've brought your son back, so asking for ten million ryo isn't too much, is it?"
Shukaku extended its giant palm, gesturing for Rasa to "tribute" as usual.
Rasa's face was grim. Although he didn't know how Gaara survived after the Tailed Beast was extracted from him, he still glanced indifferently, as if he didn't care about Gaara's life or death at all.
"Shukaku, you dare to come this close this time, do you really think I, Rasa, am afraid of you?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the sand around Rasa began to swell, mixed with glittering gold dust, ready to seal Shukaku at any moment.
Shukaku, seeing this, was not panicked at all. It dared to come to Sunagakure, of course, it had its trump card.
"Old Turtle, stop hiding, come out and support the little guy!"
*Thump thump.*
As footsteps echoed, the yellow sand in the distance was pushed aside by a colossal figure. Isobu, carrying a giant turtle shell, arrived beside Shukaku. Its eyes swiveled around as it rumbled, "I hate this place!"
"Hey, don't rush, I'll take you to eat fish later. You know, the fish in the desert oases are the freshest and most delicious!"
Shukaku patted its brother's shell, acting like the host of this place.
"Another Tailed Beast, Sanbi..."
Rasa's expression darkened upon seeing Sanbi appear. Shukaku was manageable; he had sealed Shukaku several times before. But if Sanbi was added... victory was difficult to predict.
Moreover, even if they won, Sunagakure would likely be destroyed.
Rasa fell silent for a long time and said, "What exactly do you want?"
"Very simple. You give us ten million ryo, and I'll have Gaara win you a billion ryo!"
Rasa frowned, "A billion ryo? Is it the Allied Chunin Exam held by Konoha?"
"That's right! Gaara's strength is formidable. What do you say? Don't you think you've hit the jackpot!"
Jackpot my foot! I have to pay to get my own son back! And after the tournament, he might run away. This is truly...
Rasa had a thousand *cao ni ma* stampeding in his mind, but with two nuisances standing at the gates of Sunagakure, who knew if a third Tailed Beast would appear.
The intelligence department is full of useless people!
"I'll give it to you!" After gnashing his teeth for a long time, Rasa could only accept this unequal transaction.
"Then, a pleasant cooperation."
"Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention, until the day of the exam, Sanbi and I will be vacationing in the oasis here."
Gaara jumped off Shukaku's shoulder. He walked past Rasa without showing any expression, as if they were strangers.
Rasa didn't pay attention to Gaara entering Sunagakure. With a heavy heart, he took ten million ryo from the funds allocated by the Daimyo of the Land of Wind for this year and handed it to Shukaku.
"Not bad, Rasa, you have great potential. I, Shukaku, am optimistic about you!"
"Let's go, Old Turtle, I'll take you to eat and drink well!"
Rasa's intestines were turning green with regret. If he had known this would happen, he might as well have died. Being extorted by Tailed Beasts at his doorstep, he was the first Kazekage to experience this.
Rasa took a deep breath. Now, he could only hope that Gaara could truly win the championship, truly win him that billion ryo, and truly... damn it! It was impossible to even think about it!
...
Kirigakure.
Kimimaro and Suigetsu Hozuki arrived at the Mizukage's office and were stunned to see the slender figure seated in the Mizukage's position.
"Holy cow! Sister Mei Terumi, when did you become Mizukage?"