"In the end, Jiraiya finally made it to the hospital as he wished to treat his injuries.
Unfortunately, he wasn't happy at all. He even felt like crying.
Because of Tsunade, his wound reopened, and his gray robe turned a bit red, visible to many people when the meeting ended.
All his efforts were in vain, and he was even mocked by Tsunade while being treated at Konoha Hospital.
The only good thing was that people believed in his excuse, so his dignity was safe.
"What bad luck..." Jiraiya sighed while lying on the hospital bed.
On the other side, on his way home, Kakashi remembered the book Jiraiya had given him, so he curiously opened it to take a look.
"How is this possible...?" Kakashi widened his eyes in disbelief.
The book Jiraiya gave him turned out to be 'that' kind of book!
Kakashi closed the book, looked around to make sure no one saw, then put the book away and headed home.
He didn't expect that Jiraiya was that kind of person, but the book he wrote was surprisingly good.
This kind of book was too dangerous; for the safety of Konoha and as the leader of the First Team, he should give it a thorough critique before making a decision.
................
"Konoha is as beautiful and prosperous as ever." Ōnoki couldn't help but say when he arrived in front of Konoha's tall and magnificent giant wooden gate.
The last time he personally came to Konoha was when the Five Great Shinobi Countries were first established. At that time, he and his master, the Second Tsuchikage, came to inquire about the plan to form an alliance between Konoha and Iwagakure.
Unfortunately, they ran out of luck; before seeing Hashirama, they encountered Madara Uchiha. Not only did they fail to form an alliance, but they were easily defeated by Uchiha Madara.
The only reason they weren't killed was because Uchiha Madara didn't care about them.
That was when Ōnoki developed his overly cautious personality.
He witnessed true strength. As strong as his teacher, who had Kekkei Tota, was practically powerless in front of Madara Uchiha.
Facing such a strong individual, there was no such thing as too cautious. Even so, there was almost no hope of winning.
"Indeed, the scenery here is much better than our village. It feels like there's nothing but stone and mountain in Iwagakure, not fun at all," a short-haired girl next to Ōnoki commented.
An Iwagakure ninja behind Ōnoki wanted to reprimand her, but when he recalled who this little girl was, he decided to keep his mouth shut and leave the reprimanding to Tsuchikage.
Ōnoki showed a helpless smile, ruffled Kurotsuchi's short hair, and said:
"Kurotsuchi, stones have their own qualities. They can be used to build houses, providing shelter from wind and rain. Mountains also give a vantage point if we want to look at the surroundings. The hard stones represent the strong will of the Land of Earth's people, and the tall mountains represent our broad perspective..."
"I don't understand," Kurotsuchi shook her head and said honestly.
"It's okay, you'll understand once you're old enough," Ōnoki smiled when he recalled Kurotsuchi's age and then led his men towards Konoha.
Even if he had high expectations for his granddaughter, she was still just a three-year-old child.
Ōnoki's visit this time was just to broaden Kurotsuchi's horizons.
Konoha's threat was too strong. In normal times, Iwagakure's strength might be sufficient, but it wouldn't be good enough considering Konoha gradually developed.
He wanted to personally nurture a successor who could defend Iwagakure's foundation in the coming era.
Ōnoki, being a cautious person, wouldn't put all his eggs in one basket. This time, he planned to take on at least three disciples, and Kurotsuchi was the first one among them.
Because Kurotsuchi was Ōnoki's granddaughter, she undoubtedly had the potential. Even if she couldn't become the successor he envisioned, she could still become a key figure in Iwagakure.
In this unprecedented grand Chunin Exam, Konoha set up a defense system throughout the entire Land of Fire as much as possible. When Tsuchikage stepped into the Land of Fire, his whereabouts were immediately informed to Konoha. So, Konoha was prepared for Ōnoki's arrival.
Although Iwagakure and Konoha fought fiercely during the last Great Shinobi World War, Konoha Shinobi welcomed him properly. After all, a Kage came in person, so Konoha had to send a person of the same rank as Ōnoki to welcome him.
"Heh, Ōnoki, long time no see. You seem to have aged a lot," the Third Hokage, accompanied by his men, said with a smile.
As the Third Hokage, he and Ōnoki were of equal status. Both were veterans.
"Hmph, Hiruzen, you're no different. Your hair has turned white. Can you still swing your iron stick?" Ōnoki snorted and retorted.
"Of course, no problem. Moreover, I still have a lot of black hair. I see you'll lose all your hair soon," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smirk.
Compared to Ōnoki, who showed signs of balding, at least Hiruzen's hair was still well-maintained, with some black strands remaining, not completely white."
Ōnoki: ...
When it came to the topic of hair, Ōnoki had no way to refute. However, he himself knew the reason. If Iwagakure had genius a lot of prodigies like Konoha, he wouldn't have worried so much that he lost his hair?
"Haha, I won't argue with you. Anyway, I'm already retired and no longer the Hokage," the Third Hokage chuckled while stroking his beard. He then led Ōnoki and his men to the accommodations they specifically prepared for them.
In the past, even when a joint Chunin Exam was held, a Kage wouldn't personally come. They would just send a Jonin to lead the participants.
For such circumstances, Konoha wouldn't make it as formal as this time. They would simply send a few entry permits in advance. When they arrived, they would have to find an inn on their own.
This time, Konoha specifically cleared a small forest, and then ordered Kakashi and Yamato to build several wooden houses for those participating in the Chunin Exams.
Ōnoki was even more speechless. He felt that the Third Hokage was constantly showing off. If Iwagakure had a Shinobi of Minato's calibre, he would've retired like Hiruzen Sarutobi did!
The sighing Tsuchikage and the smiling Third Hokage formed a strong contrast.
This made the young Iwagakure Genin behind Ōnoki grit their teeth. They secretly vowed to perform well during the Chunin Exams and outshine Konoha's Genin.
'Damn Third Hokage, just because we're in Konoha, he thinks he can keep insulting Lord Tsuchikage like this," the young Iwagakure Genin behind them thought.
"Who is she, your granddaughter?" On their way to the accommodation, the Third Hokage asked.
Kurotsuchi seemed so young; she certainly wasn't here to participate in the Chunin Exams. Plus, she was following Ōnoki, so she had to be Ōnoki's granddaughter.
Ōnoki nodded and said, "Her name is Kurotsuchi. I brought her this time to show her how Shinobi fights."
The Third Hokage said with a smile, "It seems you have high expectations for her, and Kurotsuchi is indeed quite cute."
After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to pat Kurotsuchi's head, but she dodged.
Kurotsuchi hid behind Ōnoki, then poked her head out and said, "I'm not letting you pat me. You're making grandpa upset. You're a bad person."
Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed it off and continued walking.
Indeed, girls had to be a bit cute. If Asuma was a girl, he probably wouldn't be so rebellious.
Ōnoki lifted Kurotsuchi, and a kind smile appeared on his face.
His kindness to Kurotsuchi this whole time wasn't in vain. She managed to turn the tables, and she would be rewarded with two candies when they returned later.
After arriving at the accommodation area, the Third Hokage informed them which houses belonged to them, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure respectively.
During the Third Shinobi World War, although Iwagakure and Konoha fought fiercely, the battles between Iwagakure and Kumogakure were even more intense. Even the Third Raikage died from Iwagakure's assault.
To prevent these two villages with deep enmity from fighting, Konoha intentionally placed their accomodation on opposite sides and put Sand Village in the middle, separating Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
"Don't tell me these houses are made using Ninjutsu?" Ōnoki speculated when he saw those identical houses.
All of them were exactly the same, and they were made purely of wood. Ōnoki felt there was a high chance that they were created using Wood Release.
The Third Hokage nodded and said, "Exactly, these houses are made using Wood Release. Although it's made using Ninjutsu, the quality is even higher than ordinary wooden houses, and everything that should be inside the house has been prepared."
There was no need to hide the fact that they had Wood Release Shinobi as Kakashi had used it during the battle against Kumogakure.
Moreover, Kakashi and Yamato's Wood Release wasn't something that needed to be kept as a secret weapon.
Hearing the Third Hokage casually mention that the houses were made with Wood Release, Ōnoki was slightly stunned.
Did Konoha have too many talented people that they were using a Kekkei Genkai like Wood Release to build houses?
"You are the first to arrive. There are still ten days until the Chunin Exams. During these ten days, you can enjoy life in Konoha to the fullest or prepare well for the exams," the Third Hokage said with a smile.
"Konoha's shopping district is relatively bustling. You can go and take a look. Maybe you'll find something interesting."
After that, the Third Hokage informed Iwagakure about some things they might and might not do before leaving.
"Grandpa, let's go to that shopping district the old man mentioned," Kurotsuchi said while looking at Ōnoki with sparkling eyes.
Ōnoki thought for a moment and didn't immediately agree to Kurotsuchi's request. He only did it after he was done briefing his men.
This time, Ōnoki genuinely didn't want to stir up trouble. He wanted Iwagakure participate in the Chunin Exams honestly, while he observed Konoha carefully.
He actually hoped that the reckless Raikage would stir up trouble. That way, he could get a better understanding of Konoha's strength.
...
"Lord Nagasawa, this is the record of the Third Tsuchikage's activity this morning." A disguised Anbu handed a scroll to Nagasawa In the training team office.
Nagasawa took the scroll and began reading before nodding in approval.
Ōnoki unexpectedly behaved honestly this time. Except for taking his granddaughter to Konoha's shopping district for three hours, he stayed obediently within the accommodation area prepared for them.
Of course, there was a chance that Ōnoki deliberately did that because he realized he was being monitored.
However, Nagasawa didn't care. Even if Ōnoki did it deliberately, it didn't matter if he didn't know anything.
"You can loosen the surveillance a bit, but make sure his whereabouts are constantly monitored," Nagasawa burned the scroll as he issued an order to the Anbu.
"Yes," the Anbu responded solemnly and then left.
"By the way, Captain Nagasawa, is it okay to assign regular Anbu to monitor Tsuchikage? Won't he notice?" Shisui asked in confusion.
To monitor a shinobi of Kage-level, at least someone of Shisui's level should be dispatched.
Nagasawa's face revealed a mysterious smile as he said, "Shisui, if you don't understand the reason, it means you still have a long way to go on the path to becoming a Hokage. Sending someone to monitor the Tsuchikage describes Konoha's stance, and at the same time, it serves as a warning to Tsuchikage. That's why we send regular Anbu, because we actually want him to realize that he's being monitored. If we were to send someone as strong as you, Tsuchikage might suspect that we are planning something against him."
Shisui wasn't stupid, and he instantly understood why Nagasawa chose to do it this way.
Tsuchikage was highly skilled and would naturally be able to sense some Anbu monitoring him. However, those ordinary Anbu lacked the strength to pose a threat to the Tsuchikage. The Tsuchikage might feel some dissatisfaction with the surveillance, but that was all it would amount to because if Konoha truly intended to deal with him, they wouldn't send a regular Anbu for surveillance.
Therefore, Tsuchikage realizing that he was being monitored was an important part of the plan in itself.
Shisui silently took note of this. He still had a long way to go and there was so much he had to learn.
"For the first part of the Chunin Exams, the Written Exam, I'm planning to recommend you as the chief examiner. How about it, are you interested?" Nagasawa smiled and looked at Shisui.
"No problem. No one can cheat before my Mangekyō Sharingan," Shisui nodded in agreement, feeling somewhat grateful.
This Chunin Exams were extraordinary, and one needed both reputation and power to be the examiners. Although Shisui gained some fame during the Third Shinobi World War, he wasn't that famous in Konoha.
Moreover, Shisui knew that even though Nagasawa said "recommend," given Nagasawa's reputation, he most likely would become the chief examiner.
"Of course, catch anyone who cheats, but don't be too harsh. Cut them some slack," Nagasawa laughed upon imagining Shisui actually used his Mangekyō Sharingan to supervise the exam.
If Shisui went all out, anyone that tried to cheat would be discovered for sure!
"I understand," Shisui showed a thoughtful expression.