The news that Hidden Leaf's Mangekyo Sharingan Uchiha was defeated by Cloud's prodigy shinobi sent shockwaves among the ninja from various villages who had come to Hidden Leaf for the Chunin Exams.
After all, those sent to Hidden Leaf for this exam were the elite of their respective villages, many bearing the title of "genius" in their hometowns.
Initially, they were cautious, intimidated by Hidden Leaf's reputation.
But when Sasuke fell to Darui, they realized that even Hidden Leaf's Mangekyo Sharingan prodigy was only at this level. Suddenly, the so-called "geniuses" of Hidden Leaf seemed far less fearsome.
As a result, Sasuke's defeat triggered a chain reaction.
The most obvious effect was that the foreign shinobi flooding into Hidden Leaf grew less restrained, their actions becoming increasingly bold.
Furthermore, as Darui's name spread rapidly among the visiting shinobi, his victory set a precedent. Some foreign ninja began plotting to challenge Hidden Leaf's shinobi to make a name for themselves.
...
Hokage's Office.
Koharu Utatane frowned. "Lately, conflicts involving shinobi in the village have been escalating. The Anbu have canceled all leave, but we're still short on manpower!"
Mitokado Homura chimed in, "Indeed, those foreign shinobi are getting out of hand!"
The complaints from the two elder advisors cast a heavy atmosphere over the office.
The Third Hokage said, "I'll handle this."
After dismissing Homura and Koharu, the Third turned to Tsunade. "Any progress from the Intelligence Division?"
Tsunade shook her head. "Some villages' participants are still en route. Also, many of the shinobi entering the village have their identities tightly guarded by their villages, so the Intelligence Division's investigation is moving slowly."
Undoubtedly, realizing something was amiss, the Third had ordered the Intelligence Division to reinvestigate the participants sent by each village for the Chunin Exams.
The Third instructed, "Tell them to speed it up!"
"Understood!" Tsunade nodded, then added, "However, the Intelligence Division has already identified five elite forces requiring special attention."
The Third asked, "Elite forces? Which five?"
Tsunade explained, "Cloud's Darui, skilled in taijutsu and Lightning Release. Mist's Chojuro and Ringo Ameyuri, both newly appointed members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Rock's Kurotsuchi, wielder of the Lava Release Bloodline Limit. And Sand's One-Tail Jinchuriki, Gaara!"
Hearing Tsunade's rundown, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Asuma, and the others couldn't help but frown.
Aside from Darui, who defeated Sasuke, the others were clearly formidable figures as well. The term "elite forces" was fitting.
Asuma voiced his concern, "I heard Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan has some issues. Without it, he couldn't even handle Cloud's Darui. Can Yakumo alone deal with the rest of them?"
Kakashi's expression was grim.
He had watched Sasuke's duel with Darui from start to finish.
From his perspective, Sasuke had merely been a bit overconfident, but tactically, he made few mistakes.
The reason Darui dominated him was purely because Darui had the upper hand in taijutsu and Lightning Release.
In fact, it wasn't just Sasuke. Before him, Naruto, who had faced Darui, was also clearly outmatched in taijutsu.
Naruto, after his special training, was no longer the dead-last of the Ninja Academy, yet he lost so badly, which spoke volumes about Darui's prowess.
Tsunade remained confident. "I can't speak for others, but Yakumo will be fine. Even if these five elite forces teamed up, Yakumo might not lose!"
Jiraiya said, "Putting all the pressure on Yakumo alone isn't ideal, is it?"
After a moment's thought, Kakashi spoke up, "Compared to Hidden Leaf, the overall strength of the other villages' participants is noticeably weaker. They might form a tacit alliance to oppose us. I suggest we have Shinji and Neji join the Chunin Exams as well!"
Kakashi didn't mention Kimimaro due to his awkward status as a remnant of Mist's Kaguya clan, which could complicate unity among the five great shinobi villages.
No one objected to Kakashi's proposal.
Shinji's strength as the First Chair was undeniable. With him in the Chunin Exams, Hidden Leaf could handle even a combined assault from the five elite forces with ease.
The Third nodded. "Notify Shinji and Neji to register for the Chunin Exams!"
Kakashi bowed slightly. "I'll inform them."
As usual, Shinji shuttled between his apartment and the archives.
With the influx of foreign shinobi, he had halted his daily sparring with Haku and Karin to avoid drawing attention.
After a day of reading, Shinji left the archives.
As he strolled through the streets, he overheard constant chatter about Sasuke's defeat to Darui.
"Man, that guy got humbled again," Shinji thought to himself.
But he didn't dwell on it. A setback wasn't necessarily bad for Sasuke. Besides, Sasuke hadn't used his Mangekyo Sharingan or the Cursed Seal, so his true strength wasn't fully revealed. It wasn't a real defeat.
Just then, a familiar voice caught his ear, and he turned to look.
In the distance, Ryuzetsu and Chino, dressed as Grass shinobi, were walking together, exploring the streets.
The Grass Village team had only arrived in Hidden Leaf that evening, so Shinji hadn't detected Ryuzetsu or Chino during his routine Jikibi sensing the previous day.
Chino, curiously observing her surroundings, whispered, "Ryuzetsu, didn't you say Hidden Leaf Village was like Grass Village? It's way livelier than that!"
"It's just a tiny bit livelier than Grass Village," Ryuzetsu replied stubbornly, though her eyes, like Chino's, were darting around, taking in the sights.
The two acted like country kids visiting a big city for the first time, darting from one shop to another stall, finding everything novel.
Shinji mused, "Why are those two in Hidden Leaf? Are they representing Grass Village in the Chunin Exams?"
Smiling, he thought the Chunin Exams were getting more interesting.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. He sensed someone watching him. Following the feeling, he scanned the crowd and spotted Kakashi.
Shinji paused. "Kakashi?"
Kakashi hadn't expected Shinji to notice him so quickly. He nodded and approached swiftly.