"Good thing I was smart—otherwise that damn fox might've noticed me."
As he watched Team 7 disappear at the end of the street, Gaara suddenly heard a voice from within—
—the beast inside him.
The same beast that usually did nothing but roar, curse, and urge him to kill...
...was speaking actual words for the first time.
"Damn fox?" Gaara didn't understand what Shukaku was referring to.
Shukaku surprisingly responded:
"That kid—the one with the monster inside him. That's who I'm talking about."
What, you want Shukaku to come out and fight?
What do I look like, an idiot? Why would I go challenge Kurama without the advantage of the desert? Do I look like I have a death wish?
Shukaku looked down on the Nine-Tails with a thousand layers of contempt.
That big dumb brute calls himself a tailed beast?
"Brat, during that so-called exam of yours—make sure you give that damn fox's jinchūriki a real beating."
"Just like me… Just like me…"
Gaara murmured, a bloodthirsty smile spreading across his face.
Killing intent surged from his body.
"Mother… what would you think if I offered his blood to you?"
Temari, seeing her brother suddenly emit such intense bloodlust, looked on nervously.
She wanted to stop him—but didn't dare move.
Kankurō had already curled up in a corner, trembling in fear, worried Gaara might kill him just for being nearby.
---
"Gaara."
Thankfully, a calm voice broke the tension.
A middle-aged man arrived just in time—Baki, elite jonin of Sunagakure.
---
Recently, the streets of Konoha had been flooded with shinobi from all over, wearing an assortment of odd-looking forehead protectors.
The Chūnin Joint Exams, hosted by the Hidden Leaf, had officially begun.
Konoha had extended invitations to nearly every known shinobi village nearby—
Sunagakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure, Otogakure,…
Even the remote Yukigakure (Hidden Snow) from the far north had shown up.
Of the Five Great Villages, only Sunagakure had responded—
being, in theory at least, Konoha's ally.
Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri had ignored the invitation, preferring their own internal promotion systems.
---
The exam was structured for three-person squads and consisted of three rounds:
two testing teamwork, and the final round focusing on individual strength.
However, Team 7 had four members.
---
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said as he took the registration form from him.
"Danzo-ojisan already made arrangements."
The plan was simple:
Root would assign two more members to form a second temporary squad.
Karin would be placed with that group—not by Hiruzen's orders, but by Danzo's own design.
She had a separate mission during this Chūnin Exam.
---
Meanwhile, far away in Sunagakure...
Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, was meeting with a group of rather unusual guests.
---
"I believe you've already witnessed the power of our chakra armor—one of Yukigakure's finest innovations," said a black-haired, black-eyed young man as he presented a sleek, metallic set of armor with cutting-edge craftsmanship.
"Even a regular chūnin can hold off a jonin for a time while wearing this."
"If it's chūnin versus chūnin, the advantage is overwhelming."
"Its defensive capabilities speak for themselves. I trust Lord Kazekage understands the implications."
---
Uchiha Butsuma, unlike the combat-focused Genmei, was a rare silver-tongued talent among the Uchiha.
He currently served as a diplomatic envoy representing the Land of Snow.
Behind him stood several Snow shinobi:
Fubuki (Blizzard of Wolf Fang), Crane Wing Fuyuki, and Winter Bear Fuyuki.
---
"The price is too high," Rasa said flatly, his expression unreadable.
But internally, he was salivating.
This armor was far beyond "satisfactory."
Even jonin could significantly boost their combat and survival capabilities with it.
Of course, there was no way something this valuable would be given to Genin.
The real problem wasn't that the armor was expensive—it was actually reasonably priced.
The real issue was that Sunagakure was broke.
In fact, their lack of funds was a major reason Rasa had even considered launching a war against Konoha.
These Snow ninja had been referred by a mysterious shipping company.
Just days ago, Rasa had met with them under similar terms.
---
"No need to worry about the cost, Lord Kazekage," Butsuma said with a smile.
"Lord Hattori is very optimistic about your future—so we're prepared to offer generous terms."
Hattori—the enigmatic head of that shipping company—was a man even Rasa couldn't see through.
"We're happy to accept a partial down payment. The rest can be paid over time—in installments. Just a little interest will do."
In other words—credit.
Or in even simpler terms—buy now, pay later.
Think ninja-world Afterpay.
---
"I trust you won't refuse our goodwill?"
Rasa hesitated.
"This…"
The offer was too generous—so generous it was difficult to say no.
Pay a deposit now, and delay the rest? Or break it up into small payments over time?
That was practically a gift.
And the fact that he was being given this offer likely had something to do with that mysterious Hattori.
But Rasa still couldn't figure out why such a man would have any faith in him.
After a moment of thought, he said carefully:
"Then… 500 sets of high-grade chakra armor, 1,000 standard-grade, and 2,000 entry-level sets."
He didn't dare ask for too much—afraid he might scare the other party off.
With this armor, the odds of success in his coming plans would skyrocket.
---
"Lord Rasa."
Butsuma frowned slightly.
Rasa's heart skipped a beat.
Did I ask for too much?
3,500 suits is a lot... Yukigakure's still a minor village—maybe they don't have that kind of inventory.
How far he had fallen—
The leader of one of the Five Great Villages, made to sweat over the reaction of a no-name envoy from a minor nation.
But… desperate times.
---
Then Butsuma said:
"We can offer 3,000 of each tier instead. How does that sound?"
"Deal!" Rasa blurted out, unable to contain himself.
Even with all his political experience, he couldn't resist such a sweet deal.
Moments later, hearty laughter filled the reception hall.
It was clear both sides were very pleased with the outcome.
---
"Lord Rasa."
Just before leaving, Butsuma turned back.
"If you ever find yourself needing someone to handle certain tasks that you—or your village—can't conveniently be involved in…"
"I'd like to recommend an organization."
"Their rates are fair. Their mission success rate is 100%. And they only charge 60 to 70 percent of the usual commission."
"Even Iwagakure has used their services several times. Lord Ōnoki is quite satisfied with them."
"They're called—
Akatsuki."
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