Within the Hokage's office, Hiruzen sat behind his desk with stacks of paperwork spread out in front of him. As Konoha was hosting the Chūnin Exams this year, they had to ensure that no incident occurred that could further damage their reputation.
He adjusted one of the documents with two fingers, aligning its edge with the others before letting his hand rest beside his pipe. The gesture was small and habitual, but it helped keep his thoughts in order.
Despite the political tension behind the scenes, Konoha had invited every major village to participate in the Chūnin Exams. Yet only Sunagakure, which shared a treaty with them, had accepted.
Kumogakure had flatly refused. There was no way the Cloud would send its shinobi to Konoha after the stunt they had pulled off three years ago.
Iwagakure had also refused, believing that the treaty between Konoha and Sunagakure, with whom they shared a border, was evidence that a larger scheme was being carried out behind the scenes.
As for Kirigakure, they hadn't even bothered to respond.
'Everything is going well so far. Sunagakure's envoys will reach our gates soon.'
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and took a slow drag from his pipe. The smoke lingered around his face as he watched it curl toward the ceiling, his eyes remaining fixed on nothing in particular.
For the moment, everything appeared to be proceeding according to plan. His thoughts inevitably returned to the information Shinra had brought back from the Land of Wind yesterday.
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage.
Hiruzen's fingers tightened slightly around his pipe before relaxing again.
Even now, Hiruzen found himself thinking about the implications of that information.
The Third Kazekage was not some ordinary shinobi. He was the strongest Kazekage Sunagakure had ever possessed and one of the most powerful shinobi of his generation.
His disappearance had already caused considerable instability within Sunagakure, which led them to light the first fuse of the Third Great Ninja War.
If Konoha could prove that the Third Kazekage had not simply disappeared, but had been deliberately abducted or killed, then the situation would become far more beneficial.
More importantly, Shinra had provided them with information pointing towards Sasori of the Red Sand, an S-rank shinobi.
Hiruzen's expression became slightly more serious. The lines around his eyes deepened as he lowered his pipe and studied the paperwork before him.
'That information is worth far more than he probably realizes.'
This was also the reason why he had accepted Shinra's requests even though it exceeded the single request he had given him, that's because it gave Konoha something it had rarely possessed in its dealings with the other great villages.
Leverage.
Hiruzen had spent decades in this position, so he knew that if Sunagakure ever attempted to distance itself from Konoha or questioned the reason behind their continued interest in the Land of Wind, Hiruzen could hint at what they knew.
But revealing everything immediately would be foolish. Fishing for benefits was the best option. Currently, there was nothing that Sunagakure possessed that particularly enticed Konoha.
His thumb brushed slowly along the side of his pipe as he considered the consequences. Part of him wanted certainty before allowing Konoha to become involved in another village's internal crisis. Another part understood that certainty rarely came before action. That was why he had asked Jiraiya to investigate the situation for confirmation.
'If Sasori truly was responsible for the Third Kazekage's disappearance, then Sunagakure will eventually have to acknowledge it.'
Hiruzen slowly exhaled another cloud of smoke, his gaze shifting towards the paperwork on his desk. His hand hovered over one particular file, then withdrew without touching it.
'I will leave it until the end of the exam. If he truly possesses such talent, then maybe he can become another beacon of hope for Konoha.'
Hiruzen was naturally thinking about Shinra growing into a shinobi similar to the Fourth Hokage, but he shook his head with regret.
'It's not fair to compare him with Minato, but as long as his character isn't rotten, I don't see a problem with nurturing him to his full potential.'
When it came to Minato, it was not just his skills. To many, he was a savior and an idol they looked up to, a shinobi who understood the true essence of what it meant to be a Hokage.
And so, his downfall was something no one could comprehend.
'If he performs exceptionally, I will make him an offer that could shape his future.'
Hiruzen paused.
'ANBU.'
The thought itself brought a trace of reluctance.
Shinra possessed many qualities that would make him an excellent ANBU candidate. His intelligence, composure, sensory abilities and willingness to make difficult decisions were all valuable traits for a shinobi operating in the shadows.
But ANBU was not a path that Hiruzen would recommend lightly. Although the rewards and elite training were enticing, the nature of the missions more often than not led many to lose their drive to improve.
Hiruzen had seen too many young shinobi lose themselves in that world.
'Perhaps it is too early.'
Yet if Shinra continued to grow at his current rate, Hiruzen knew that waiting too long could also be a mistake. There were other people within Konoha who would notice his potential, and not all of them would have the same concerns Hiruzen did.
His expression darkened slightly as Danzo's face came to mind.
'For now, I will simply observe him.'
Hiruzen's gaze shifted towards the large crystal sphere positioned nearby.
The surface of the sphere rippled for a moment before settling down.
Within it, the image of the Forest of Death appeared.
Dozens of small figures could be seen moving through the enormous forest, each one representing a genin participating in the Chūnin Exams.
The image within the crystal sphere shifted.
The view moved deeper into the forest.
And there, several hundred meters from the central tower, Shinra suddenly came to a stop.
Shinra looked at the four teams surrounding the tower and quickly analyzed the situation. They weren't actually interested in fighting each other yet. Every single one of them was waiting for someone to make the first move and reveal that they possessed both scrolls. Once that happened, the other teams could simply attack the team that had already done the hard work for them.
Shinra thought, 'If we try to fight all four teams at once, we'll waste too much chakra and attract even more attention. There are still five days left in this exam, and there are twenty teams competing for ten spots. Even if we defeat these four, there will still be eleven other teams somewhere in this forest.'
He looked at Hyori and Inumaki before saying, "I have an idea. We're going to give them exactly what they're waiting for."
Hyori raised an eyebrow and asked, "How?"
Shinra quickly formed a hand seal, and three shadow clones appeared beside him. He then took out the two scrolls and handed one to each of the clones before saying, "The three of you will impersonate Team Five and head towards the tower while carrying the scrolls. Don't suppress your chakra and make sure the teams around the tower notice you. We will circle around the teams and head straight to the tower. If the opportunity presents itself, steal their scrolls."
Inumaki frowned and asked, "You want to steal more scrolls?"
Shinra nodded and replied, "There are only ten spots available in the next phase. If we can remove some of the weaker teams from the competition now, then we won't have to deal with them later. More importantly, every scroll we take away is one less chance for another team to qualify."
Hyori looked towards the clones and asked, "And what happens if the other teams band together and attack the ones carrying the scrolls?"
Shinra smiled slightly and said, "That would make our job easier."
Inumaki remained silent waiting for Shinra to explain.
Shinra noticed the silence and continued, "If that happens I will use a new jutsu that i had learned. Its a C-rank Lightning Release technique that compresses lightning chakra into a sphere. Once it comes into contact with something, the chakra maintaining the sphere disperses and releases all the lightning inside at once. It isn't particularly destructive, but anyone caught inside the area will have their muscles temporarily paralyzed."
Inumaki looked towards the gathering teams and understood the plan. "So you want them to surround the clone before using it."
"Exactly. If there are only two or three people around him, we can simply deal with them ourselves. But if several teams surround the clone, one Thunderbomb should be enough to create an opening."
Shinra looked at his clones and said, "Don't use it immediately. Let them get close first. The longer they think they've trapped you, the more people will gather."
One of the clones grinned and said, "Sounds like fun."
Shinra ignored him and continued, "Once the explosion happens, that's our cue to head to the tower. Don't waste time fighting anyone who is still standing."
The three clones nodded and transformed into Team Five before scattering into the forest. The three of them immediately began moving towards the tower.
Shinra, Hyori, and Inumaki remained hidden behind the trees while suppressing their chakra signatures. Hyori activated her Byakugan and began watching the teams surrounding the tower.
It didn't take long for the first team to notice the approaching clones.
"The clones have started moving towards the tower," Hyori said quietly.
Shinra nodded and asked, "How many teams noticed them?"
"One… now two."
A few seconds later, she continued, "Six people are moving."
Shinra smiled and said, "They're taking the bait."
The clones continued running towards the tower without slowing down. They didn't make any attempt to hide their presence, and one of them deliberately allowed the Heaven Scroll attached to his waist to become visible.
The effect was immediate.
A team hiding near the tower broke away from its position and began pursuing them. Another team noticed the movement and quickly followed behind them, while the remaining teams waited for a few more seconds before deciding to move as well.
Hyori watched the situation through her Byakugan and said, "All four teams are moving now."
Shinra nodded.
'Just as I expected. None of them wanted to be the first to make a move, but the moment they saw another team running towards the tower, they couldn't afford to sit still anymore.'
The clones continued running until they were only a few hundred meters away from the tower. The pursuing teams were now closing in from several directions, with one group moving ahead to cut them off.
One of the clones suddenly stopped on a branch and looked around.
Three genin appeared in front of him while another three landed behind him.
The clone looked around and sighed.
"Looks like we're surrounded."
One of the enemy genin grinned and said, "Hand over both scrolls and we might let you leave."
The clone reached towards his waist and slowly pulled out the Heaven Scroll.
"Alright."
The enemy genin immediately focused on the scroll, but before the clone could hand it over, another clone formed handsigns at an incredible pace and a lightning sphere appeared in his hand.
The clone smiled.
"Thunderbomb."
He slammed the sphere into the branch beneath his feet.
The compressed lightning immediately dispersed.
A violent wave of electricity spread through the surrounding area, traveling across the battlefield and striking every nearby genin, not sparing even the caster. Their bodies violently jerked as the lightning passed through them, several of them collapsing immediately while the others struggled to move their limbs.
Two clones immediately disappeared into smoke, while the last clone had been calculatedly positioned at the edge of the attack and rushed in to seize the opportunity and loot the scrolls.
A few hundred meters away, Shinra opened his eyes.
"Now."
Team Eight immediately moved.
Hyori followed closely behind Shinra while Inumaki and Yoshimaru kept pace on his other side. They ran directly toward the tower. There were no more teams to obstruct their paths, and with the Byakugan, most traps were meaningless anyway.
Inumaki noticed the clone looting the bodies of the paralysed genin then looked towards Shinra and asked, "What are you going to do with the extra scrolls?"
"I will destroy them, obviously."
He looked towards the tower again.
"There is no need for all ten slots to be filled. As long as the five-day limit passes, the exam is over."
Team Eight immediately accelerated towards the tower.
The moment they entered the open area, several teams who had barely recovered noticed them. A few genin who could move immediately began moving in their direction, but before they could surround them, Shinra threw a kunai towards the nearest group.
Lightning chakra wrapped around the kunai as it flew through the air.
The kunai struck the ground between the three genin, forcing them to scatter as the lightning spread across the earth.
Shinra didn't wait for them to recover.
He flickered forward and struck one of them in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Inumaki and Yoshimaru immediately attacked another while Hyori intercepted the third.
The entire exchange lasted only a few seconds.
Shinra didn't bother finishing them off.
"Keep moving!"
The three immediately continued towards the tower while the remaining teams watched them.
One of the genin finally realized what was happening.
"They're heading for the tower!"
Another shouted, "They have both scrolls!"
Several teams immediately began pursuing them.
Shinra glanced behind him and smiled.
By the time they moved, Team Eight was already at the entrance of the tower.
Hyori landed beside Shinra and looked up at the massive structure.
"We made it."
Inumaki arrived a moment later with Yoshimaru.
Shinra looked back at the forest one last time before stepping through the entrance.
His hand rested against the two scrolls hidden beneath his jacket.
'I wonder if Gaara will still be able to break the record six years from now.'
Shinra smiled as he walked through the corridor. Team Eight had completed the Second Phase of the Chūnin Exams in merely 53 minutes.