Hidden Leaf Hospital.
After escorting Kiba to the hospital, Kakashi was still thinking about the Sound ninja he'd encountered.
At that moment, Hinata and Shino arrived, having heard the news. Kiba had been injured shortly after parting ways with them, so they weren't present at the time.
Hinata asked anxiously, "Kakashi-sensei, is Kiba okay?"
Kakashi replied gravely, "His injuries are serious, but don't worry—the medical team is treating him."
Shino asked coldly, "Who did it?"
Kakashi answered, "Ninja from Sound Village."
"Sound Village!?"
Shino was surprised.
He'd assumed Kiba's attacker came from a major village like Cloud or Mist, not an obscure place like Sound Village.
Soon, Shizune emerged from the ward and said to those waiting outside, "The wounds are stitched up, but he needs a few days of rest. You can go in and see him."
Kakashi, Hinata, and Shino entered the ward.
Kiba was awake, with Akamaru lying at his bedside, its hind leg bandaged.
Shino asked immediately, "What happened? How did you end up fighting Sound Village ninja?"
Kiba bristled. "Those Sound Village guys were too arrogant. I got mad and fought them!"
Hinata activated her Byakugan to check Kiba's condition and gasped, "How did you get hurt so badly?"
Kiba muttered, "That Sound Village guy, Kidomaru, was really strong. Facing him felt like facing Kimimaro—no chance of winning at all!"
"Woof!"
Akamaru let out a weak bark, as if agreeing with Kiba.
"Like Kimimaro…" Kakashi noted mentally.
Though this was just Kiba's perspective and not definitive, it suggested that Sound's Kidomaru had thoroughly outclassed him.
Kiba was part of the Ninja Academy's second tier, just below the top geniuses.
After ensuring Kiba rested, they left the ward. But as they reached the hospital lobby, they saw more people being brought in.
A closer look revealed familiar faces: Sasuke, followed by Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino.
Kakashi stepped forward. "What happened?"
The Anbu carrying Sasuke shook his head. "He was injured by a Grass ninja named Shinji Koshi."
"Grass ninja!?"
Kakashi's expression froze.
Hinata and Shino approached Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino, who were supporting each other, and asked, "What happened to you? Who hurt you?"
Shikamaru looked embarrassed and stayed silent.
Choji explained, "We saw Sasuke getting beaten by a Grass ninja and tried to help, but another Grass ninja took us down!"
Ino added, "I—I wasn't paying attention and got ambushed!"
Their conversation caught Kakashi's attention. He frowned and asked, "All three of you were defeated by one person?"
"Yeah," the trio nodded.
Kakashi pressed, "Do you know their name?"
Choji replied, "Didn't ask, but she was small, and her eyes looked a bit… strange."
Ino chimed in, "Those were colored lenses!"
"A disguise?" Kakashi's face darkened. In just a few words, he pieced together the situation. "One Grass ninja defeated Sasuke, and another took down Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino?"
Soon, the village's higher-ups received the report.
Losing to the five elite forces flagged by the Intelligence Division was understandable, but losing to ninja from Sound Village—a newly formed minor village—and Grass Village, which was still recovering from heavy losses, was hard for the leadership to accept.
Thus, a small emergency meeting was held in the Hokage's Office that night.
Tsunade reported, "The Intelligence Division sent word. The one who injured Kiba was Sound Village's Kidomaru, with no prior records before joining Sound. The one who hurt Sasuke was Grass Village's Shinji Koshi, reportedly an elite chunin with significant skill. As for the one who defeated Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino, it was a Grass ninja named Chino, whose records are also blank."
Asuma struggled to accept it. "Sasuke lost to a Grass ninja? Has his condition deteriorated that much?"
Tsunade nodded. "His dojutsu power is nearly depleted, severely affecting his vision. His strength has indeed dropped significantly."
Shikaku sighed. "If that's the case, Uchiha Sasuke can't be relied on as 'insurance' for the Chunin Exams."
The others nodded in agreement.
Losing to Cloud's Darui could be excused as facing a strong opponent or Sasuke being careless. But losing to a Grass Village chunin? Even Kakashi, a staunch supporter of Sasuke, had no defense this time.
Just as the consensus turned against Sasuke's reliability, Tsunade said, "Sasuke's decline is one factor, but there are indeed many unexpectedly strong ninja among the visitors. I spoke with the Anbu present and the injured in the hospital. Sound Village's Kidomaru is extremely powerful, and Grass Village's Shinji Koshi and Chino also warrant close attention!"
Koharu Utatane snorted. "Are you going to keep adding to the list of elite forces? How many is enough? When Snow Village and Star Village ninja arrive, will you add more? Ten? Twenty?"
The Third stepped in to back Tsunade, addressing Koharu and Homura. "What's your take?"
Koharu said flatly, "Enough with this 'elite forces' nonsense. Just have Shinji participate. He'll clear all obstacles!"
The Third's brow furrowed.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the others exchanged uneasy glances.
Initially, they thought Shinji simply didn't want to join. Now, it seemed Koharu was treating him as the village's ace.
The problem was, with the situation spiraling out of control, the village truly needed Shinji's strength. Without him, the outcome of the Chunin Exams was uncertain.
...
That Night.
As usual, Shinji used Jikibi to sense everyone in range and checked with Neji and Kimimaro about the Tenseigan's dormancy.
Confirming all was normal, he then used Jikibi to contact Ryuzetsu and Chino, asking why they were in Hidden Leaf.
Receiving a Jikibi connection for the first time, Ryuzetsu and Chino were both shocked and delighted. They reported everything: they were sent by Grass Village to participate in Hidden Leaf's Chunin Exams, someone had secretly replaced Shinji Koshi en route, and upon arriving, this impostor had provoked and injured Sasuke.