Anbu squad captain? The authority to pick subordinates? Shinji didn't care about any of it.
His real reason for agreeing to join the Chunin Exam was to prevent Sasuke from getting into trouble during the event, which could derail his plans to awaken the Rinnegan. The conditions he'd thrown at Koharu Utatane were merely a test to probe the village leadership's limits.
Soon, news of Neji's injury and Kimimaro's worsening illness reached the higher-ups, delivered by Kakashi.
…
In the Hokage's Office.
Koharu recounted Shinji's demands.
Tsunade frowned immediately upon hearing them. "The Anbu is the village's covert force. It's not wartime—how can we hand over the authority to select subordinates to an individual? Especially to a kid who hasn't even graduated from the ninja academy!"
Jiraiya chimed in, "I agree, it's inappropriate!"
Mito Menma glanced at Koharu and added, "There's no precedent for this!"
Koharu herself was dissatisfied with Shinji's demands, but since Shinji was tied to her influence, rejecting his conditions would undermine her own authority. She could only argue, "An Anbu squad's minimum size is three members. Even if we agree, it wouldn't have much impact."
Asuma countered, "In peacetime, graduating from the academy and immediately becoming an Anbu captain is already a generous privilege!"
Shikaku added, "Exactly. We've only just managed to dismantle Root's influence. If we allow another independent group within the Anbu, it'll just repeat Danzo's old mistakes!"
At the mention of Danzo, the previously silent higher-ups nodded in agreement.
Danzo had used Root's power to suppress dissent and strong-arm the great clans. The Uchiha clan's destruction was largely his doing.
No one wanted another Root to rise in the village.
Kakashi was among the few who stayed silent.
With Neji and Kimimaro out of commission, he knew the village's options were dwindling. If Shinji didn't participate in the Chunin Exam, Hidden Leaf's chances of failure were sky-high.
From the recent duels and challenges, Kakashi's sharp instincts had picked up on subtle shifts in how the other villages viewed Hidden Leaf.
Shinobi spoke with their fists.
If Hidden Leaf couldn't show its strength, the other villages would look down on them. This would weaken Hidden Leaf's influence and authority in the alliance.
After weighing the situation, the Third Hokage said, "Tell Uchiha Shinji the Anbu captain position is still his, but the village can't agree to his other demands!"
With the opposition overwhelming, Koharu could only nod.
After the meeting, instead of summoning Shinji, Koharu sent her personal Anbu to relay the Third's decision.
"The elders asked me to tell you they're very displeased with your demands. I'm afraid you'll have to compromise this time!"
After delivering the message, the Anbu gave Shinji a complicated look.
He hadn't expected this boy, even after being offered an Anbu captain position, to dare push his own conditions.
Was it arrogance or just youthful bravado?
…
Receiving the message, Shinji was slightly surprised.
After the Anbu left, he chuckled lightly. "Heh, I only threw out those demands casually. Didn't expect them to be so stingy about it."
Given his temperament, he'd already shown the village leadership plenty of respect by not demanding the return of the Uchiha clan grounds, their accumulated wealth, or the reinstatement of the Uchiha Police Force.
Back at his desk, Shinji mused, "If that's how it is, let's make the village a bit livelier!"
From his stance as a Lampbearer guarding the shinobi world, the ninja village alliance's strategy of consolidating power to protect the jinchuriki was actually counterproductive to his goal of safeguarding the entire shinobi world. At least until the Ten-Tails' revival, he leaned toward letting the Akatsuki collect the tailed beasts.
His only concern was the Sage of the Six Paths, who might be backing Naruto.
As long as Naruto was protected for now, even if the Akatsuki captured all the other jinchuriki, the benefits would outweigh the drawbacks for Shinji.
With his decision made, Shinji activated Jikibi to contact Ryuzetsu and Chino, who were staying at the Hidden Grass Village's temporary outpost.
"Yes, Leader!"
Receiving Shinji's orders, Ryuzetsu and Chino agreed without hesitation.
After ending the Jikibi communication, Ryuzetsu said to Chino, "I didn't expect the Leader to order us to challenge every Hidden Leaf shinobi participating in the Chunin Exam."
"Yeah!" Chino glanced around. "How do we get out of here?"
After Shoji Kozu injured Sasuke, the Hidden Grass Village's jonin leader had confined all their shinobi to the outpost, forbidding them from leaving to avoid further incidents.
"No time to worry about that!"
With that, Ryuzetsu grabbed Chino, and they scaled the wall to leave the outpost.
She knew even their Kusakage was a member of the organization, so the Leader's orders took precedence above all!
…
Soon, the two were out on the streets.
Ryuzetsu suddenly froze, realizing something. "Oh no, we don't even know which Hidden Leaf shinobi are participating in the Chunin Exam! What if we challenge the wrong people?"
Chino suggested, "Isn't there a Challenge Ranking? Let's go check it out!"
Moments later, they arrived at a bustling teahouse where the rumored Challenge Ranking was posted. Ringo Ameyuri from the Hidden Mist still held the top spot, having defeated twenty opponents.
Looking at the list, Ryuzetsu and Chino's expressions faltered.
The ranking had plenty of names, but not a single Hidden Leaf shinobi was on it. On the contrary, many of the defeated shinobi were from Hidden Leaf.
Among them, Chino had made the list for defeating three opponents.
Chino muttered, "Hidden Leaf's shinobi don't seem like much!"
The Hidden Leaf villagers in the teahouse overheard and glared angrily, but with their shinobi performing so poorly, they could only stew in silence.
Ryuzetsu quickly pulled Chino away from the teahouse. In a secluded spot, she said, "The Hidden Leaf shinobi who've been challenged are likely participating in the Chunin Exam. So, if we challenge those people, we'll complete the Leader's mission!"
Chino frowned. "But where are they?"
"Uh… I think most of them are at Hidden Leaf Hospital."
Ryuzetsu wasn't entirely sure, as the Challenge Ranking suggested many of the defeated Hidden Leaf shinobi had ended up in the hospital.
…
At Hidden Leaf Hospital.
Sakura supported Sasuke. "The Chunin Exam's date hasn't even been set yet, Sasuke. Why don't you rest in the hospital a few more days?"
Sasuke brushed her off. "Don't bother me!"
Shion, watching the scene, teased, "Sakura, just let him go. He's probably bottling up a ton of frustration by now!"
Leaving the hospital alongside Sasuke were Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, and Kiba.
With the commotion outside, they couldn't stay cooped up in the hospital any longer. They were eager to reclaim some pride for the village.
But as the group stepped out of the hospital, they ran straight into Ryuzetsu and Chino, who were sneaking around outside.