The lead jonin of Hidden Grass Village hesitated on the street, debating whether to check on the Forest of Death, when a commotion erupted from the far end of the road.
He glanced over, his expression freezing.
At the street's end, Ryuzetsu and Chino, surrounded by shinobi from various villages, approached with cheerful chatter and laughter.
"What's going on?!"
The Hidden Grass lead jonin's brows furrowed tightly.
He had already prepared to retrieve them from Hidden Leaf Hospital. After all, Chino had challenged the Kurama clan's heiress, who wielded Wood Release. Not to mention Chino, a mere genin, even he himself doubted he'd stand a chance.
Yet, the carefree laughter of Ryuzetsu and Chino in the distance made it seem as though they'd won.
"If they escaped unscathed under Kurama Yakumo's hand, even if they lost the match, they have reason to be proud!"
With this thought, the Hidden Grass lead jonin hurriedly stepped forward to meet them.
After regrouping with Ryuzetsu and Karin, he said little, instead leading them straight to Hidden Grass Village's temporary base.
Along the way, he noticed Hidden Leaf's Anbu trailing them, deepening his unease.
Back at the base, once the gate was shut, the lead jonin could no longer contain himself. He turned to Ryuzetsu and demanded, "Didn't I warn you not to leave the base without permission? Why did you disobey orders, sneak out, and challenge Hidden Leaf's shinobi on your own?"
Ryuzetsu, knowing she was in the wrong, quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, we messed up!"
As Ryuzetsu was Ryuran's sister, the lead jonin softened, not wanting to be too harsh. "This is Hidden Leaf, not Hidden Grass Village! Every word and action here affects how Hidden Leaf, and even the Five Great Shinobi Villages, view us. We must be cautious!"
At that moment, other Hidden Grass shinobi gathered around. Even Orochimaru, disguised as Kozera Shinji, leaned against a corner with arms crossed, casting a curious glance.
Seeing this, the lead jonin waved at Ryuzetsu and Chino. "Fine, no one got hurt, and losing isn't the end of the world. Losing to Hidden Leaf's Kurama Yakumo isn't shameful. Go rest!"
"Uh…"
Ryuzetsu hesitated, as if wanting to speak.
The lead jonin shot her a glance. "What? Planning to sneak out again?"
Ryuzetsu shook her head. "No, I just wanted to say… Chino won!"
"I already said winning or losing doesn't matter!" The lead jonin paused mid-sentence, then froze as her words sank in. Shocked, he exclaimed, "What did you just say? Chino won? Chino defeated Hidden Leaf's Kurama Yakumo?"
The surrounding Hidden Grass shinobi were equally stunned, and even a flicker of surprise crossed Orochimaru's face.
…
Hokage's Office.
"This Hidden Grass shinobi named Chino—we have no records of her in our intelligence division. It's said she only officially joined Hidden Grass last month. Regrettably, we know nothing about her past!"
An intelligence division shinobi reported to the Third Hokage, bracing himself as he delivered this useless information.
The Third's expression grew graver as he listened.
Undoubtedly, Chino's mysterious background instinctively raised his suspicions.
Koharu Utatane, standing nearby, spoke up, "Could she be an infiltrator from the Akatsuki?"
Mito Menma shook his head. "Unlikely. If she were an Akatsuki plant in Hidden Grass Village, she wouldn't be so conspicuous."
Koharu pressed, "Then how does a twelve-year-old Hidden Grass shinobi possess the strength to defeat Yakumo? Does that make sense?"
At that moment, Tsunade and Jiraiya entered the office.
The Third asked, "What's the situation at Hidden Grass's base?"
Tsunade replied, "No abnormalities so far. Their lead jonin seems to have issued a lockdown order, forbidding anyone from leaving the base without permission."
The Third nodded, then asked, "How did Yakumo lose?"
Tsunade didn't mince words. "The opponent is strong! I personally inspected the battlefield. The trees Yakumo created with Wood Release were sliced down in swathes. The opponent not only excels in taijutsu but seems to wield a ninjutsu that manipulates blood!"
The room fell silent, faces tense.
After hearing Tsunade's account, the Third and the two elder advisors abandoned any hope of fluke. They confirmed Chino had defeated Yakumo with genuine skill.
Koharu asked, "If they challenge us again, how should we respond?"
Her question cast a heavy pall over the office.
With even Yakumo defeated, aside from Shinji, the First Chair of the ninja academy, taking action, geniuses like Neji or Kimimaro were of no use. Besides, Neji was injured, and Kimimaro was gravely ill—neither was fit to fight.
Tsunade hesitated. "Even if Uchiha Shinji steps in, victory isn't guaranteed!"
Koharu didn't argue with Tsunade, instead saying, "Then what do we do? This is just Hidden Grass Village. If other villages follow suit, how will we handle it?"
Tsunade fell silent.
Beyond the five elite fighters previously flagged by the intelligence division, Hidden Grass Village had Kozera Shinji, and Sound Shadow Village had Orochimaru's minion, Kidomaru—both requiring close attention.
If they, like Chino, began challenging Hidden Leaf shinobi one by one, today's crushing defeat could repeat itself.
Jiraiya sighed. "Who would've thought a Chunin Exam would stir up such trouble? If we'd known, we never should've agreed to hold it!"
After a long pause, the Third said to Koharu, "Is Shinji still refusing to budge? Negotiating terms with the village at a time like this isn't wise!"
Koharu replied, "His demands aren't unreasonable."
The Third shook his head. "The village won't be coerced. Tell him, as a member of this village, he must step up and serve at a time like this!"
Koharu cautioned, "He's an Uchiha. Forcing him to submit might backfire."
Mito Menma chimed in, "Exactly. At a time like this, appeasement is the better approach."
Looking at Koharu and Mito Menma, the Third sighed.
Rather than the village being coerced, it felt more like he, the Hokage, was the one under pressure.
The situation had reached a point where it was clear the elder advisors were pushing him to concede. Tsunade and Jiraiya stayed silent, as their people had already lost. Only Shinji's intervention could salvage the situation.
"I'll think it over," the Third said, dismissing Koharu and Mito Menma.
Once they left, he turned to Tsunade. "Send someone to warn Hidden Grass to stay in line before the Chunin Exam."
Tsunade nodded, then voiced her concern. "Hidden Grassis easy to suppress, but what about the other villages? We can't warn them all, can we?"