"Someone infiltrated Grass Village?!"
Shinji was slightly surprised by the news.
The Hidden Leaf of now was vastly different from the Hidden Leaf during the Chunin Exams in the original timeline.
Back then, Hidden Leaf's only true Kage-level shinobi were the Third Hokage and the scheming Danzo.
Elders like Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura were long past their prime, their strength greatly diminished. Tsunade and Jiraiya were away from the village.
Jounin like Kakashi, Guy, and Asuma, as well as clan heads like Hiashi and Shikaku, fell short of Kage-level in raw power.
Only Guy, by unleashing the Eight Gates, could reach Kage-level, but the Eight Gates was a forbidden technique with severe limitations.
It was under those conditions that Orochimaru dared to launch the Konoha Crush plan!
In contrast, the current Hidden Leaf had Jiraiya and Tsunade back, with all five Kages gathered. There were more Kage-level shinobi than one could count on both hands. Shinji couldn't imagine who would dare infiltrate Hidden Leaf and cause trouble at a time like this.
"Could it be… Akatsuki? Are they so impatient that they're ready to start another war so soon?!"
Shinji frowned inwardly.
Before transplanting the First Hokage's cells, Shinji had relied on successfully awakening the Rinnegan in Karin, which led him to pay less attention to Sasuke, the reincarnation of Indra Otsutsuki.
But after the transplant, he realized that Karin's Rinnegan alone wasn't enough to guarantee his own awakening of the Rinnegan. He still needed the Yin Release chakra from Sasuke, Indra's reincarnation, to perfectly replicate Karin's process.
Thus, until he awakened the Rinnegan, he had to ensure Sasuke's safety!
Now, someone had impersonated a Grass ninja, infiltrated Hidden Leaf, and shown clear interest in Sasuke, forcing Shinji to be on high alert.
Tap tap tap.
Tapping the desk lightly, Shinji began to strategize.
The priority was to uncover the true identity of this fake "Shinji Koshi," but doing so carried risks. If he pushed too far, it could prematurely spark a larger conflict.
And before awakening the Rinnegan, he didn't want the situation to spiral out of control.
"Akatsuki's goal is likely the Tailed Beasts. Provoking Sasuke and drawing Hidden Leaf's attention would only hinder their intelligence-gathering on the Tailed Beasts, so it might not be Akatsuki. That leaves… Orochimaru? Does he really think he's immortal?"
After much deliberation, Shinji decided to observe quietly for now.
With all five Kages in Hidden Leaf, his movements in the village were heavily restricted. A single misstep could provoke a combined assault from the five great shinobi villages and Akatsuki, so he had to tread carefully.
...
Secret Training Ground.
Watching Yakumo train tirelessly, Tsunade, standing on the sidelines, said, "Take a break!"
Yakumo paused her training, walked over, and bowed to Tsunade. "Sensei!"
"Training's important, but don't forget to balance work and rest."
Tsunade smiled, handing Yakumo a towel.
Wiping her sweat, Yakumo asked, "Sensei, I heard the ninja sent by other villages for the Chunin Exams are really strong. Even Sasuke was defeated?"
"Yeah," Tsunade nodded, her tone serious. "It's caught us a bit off guard. We didn't expect so many prodigies from outside the village."
Yakumo pursed her lips.
Losing her Koryugan had impacted her greatly. Her relentless training was all to mitigate its absence.
Noticing the worry in Yakumo's expression, Tsunade reassured her, "Don't stress too much. Sure, there are some tough opponents, but you're different from them!"
Yakumo looked up, puzzled.
Tsunade smiled. "The 'five elite forces' flagged by the Intelligence Division, or even the standout Sound and Grass ninja, are at best jounin-level. You have the potential to become a Kage, so there's no need to fear them!"
Yakumo nodded with a smile, though her inner concerns lingered.
Tsunade continued, "And for extra insurance, the village has arranged for Shinji and Neji to join the Chunin Exams."
"Really?! Phew!"
Yakumo let out a genuine sigh of relief.
With Shinji, Neji, and Sasuke, the situation was secure.
Tsunade sighed inwardly. To get Shinji to participate, the Third had made significant concessions to Koharu Utatane.
...
Noodle Shop.
After ensuring no one was around, Ryuzetsu pushed open the door to a private room on the second floor, slipped inside, and bowed to the figure seated within. "Kusakage-sama!"
Undoubtedly, the person waiting was none other than Karin.
Due to the Grass Village's Elder Council holding power for so long, the position of "Shadow" had been left vacant, with their chosen figure titled only as Leader.
After a recent upheaval that uprooted the old Elder Council's decades-long grip, the new council decided to appoint a "Kusakage" to unify the village. With Ryuran's strong backing, Karin became Grass Village's first Kusakage.
Karin was slightly displeased. "Why the rush to meet me? You know the situation in Hidden Leaf—meetings like this are dangerous!"
Ryuzetsu apologized, "I'm sorry, but something major happened, and I had to report to you!"
Karin asked, "What is it?"
Ryuzetsu quickly recounted how Shinji Koshi was replaced en route and how the impostor provoked and injured Sasuke upon arriving in Hidden Leaf.
"I see."
Karin had been puzzled when she heard Sasuke was defeated by a Grass ninja. Now it made sense.
Ryuzetsu asked, "Kusakage-sama, this impostor is extremely dangerous. Should I secretly report him to Hidden Leaf?"
Karin was briefly tempted but reconsidered. Anyone daring to infiltrate Hidden Leaf at this time was no small fry. Reporting them could trigger a chain reaction. She shook her head. "Don't act rashly!"
Ryuzetsu pressed, "Should I monitor him then?"
"No need!"
Karin shook her head again.
Compared to Grass Village's interests, the organization's priorities were her focus. Unless the Leader ordered it, she wouldn't take unnecessary actions.
Like Yakumo, Karin was also working to overcome the loss of her Rinnegan. Besides secretly training in Wood Release, she was diligently studying the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques.
If Wood Release could be considered a form of sealing technique, she was now a sealing specialist.