For Madara Uchiha, this period had been especially frustrating.
First came the news that someone in the Uchiha Clan had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, which left him a bit annoyed.
After all, the time hadn't come yet. His Rinnegan still needed more preparation.
So this pawn was destined to slip through his fingers.
Fortunately, the one who awakened it was an older shinobi, so Madara didn't pay too much attention to it.
Once he died, Madara planned to retrieve his eyes.
However, not long after that, all the Zetsu he had sent to Konoha Village suddenly went silent. That truly shocked him.
In Madara's mind, even if Mito Uzumaki had discovered them, it shouldn't have ended with so many Zetsu being wiped out without even a chance to escape.
Even he himself couldn't manage such a thing without going all out.
Because of that, he decided to use the upcoming Chūnin Exams as a way to test Konoha's situation.
He wanted to see if something had changed there—something he didn't know about.
And so, he arrived at Kirigakure.
It was far from the mainland, and the Third Mizukage's Bloody Mist policy had completely alienated the people.
To Madara Uchiha, it was the perfect chess piece.
"Shame... but the Eye of the Moon Plan is what matters most."
"And that wretched woman... she's even managed to use the power of the Nine-Tails."
"But everything is still proceeding according to my plan. Just wait, Hashirama—I will be the one to bring true and lasting peace to the shinobi world!"
…
"So this is Konoha Village? As expected—so full of life, bustling with color. If only our Sunagakure had conditions like this…"
Akasuna gazed around the streets, lingering on the crowds of villagers and busy shops.
His tone was full of longing and envy for Konoha—maybe even a little jealousy.
Kurosuna sighed and lightly smacked his forehead, then tugged on Akasuna's sleeve to remind him to be more reserved.
"All right, Akasuna. Don't forget why we're here."
Kurosuna's voice was calm and serious.
Only then did Akasuna reluctantly look away, letting out a deep sigh before giving a small nod.
Behind them, a group of Suna shinobi whispered among themselves. Many wore the same expression as Akasuna.
"Are you from Sunagakure?"
Just as they were preparing to register for the Chūnin Exams, a voice suddenly came from beside them.
They turned to see a shinobi wearing a Konoha forehead protector.
He was watching them intently, his expression serious.
"That's right. We're all from Sunagakure. Is there a problem?"
One of the Suna shinobi asked.
Hearing that, the Konoha shinobi gave a practiced smile.
"Please don't misunderstand. I'm your appointed escort. I'll be guiding you through the registration process and arranging your accommodations. Please follow me."
The Suna-nin exchanged glances. After a moment of silence, they relaxed. It was unlikely someone would impersonate a Konoha shinobi inside Konoha itself.
They nodded and agreed.
After completing their registration, they were led to temporary lodgings and began unpacking their gear in exhaustion.
But they quickly discovered that they weren't the only ones there—shinobi from other villages had already gathered in the same place.
"Hey, Sunagakure. Want to team up?"
A loud voice called out. It belonged to a burly Kumogakure shinobi.
Akasuna and Kurosuna exchanged a look and met his gaze.
They noticed the surrounding shinobi didn't seem surprised by the offer. Clearly, this had been discussed beforehand.
Dodai took a large step forward and said seriously:
"Other than you from Sunagakure, we've already decided—we're eliminating Konoha first."
He locked eyes with them.
"The smaller villages are in agreement too. So? Are you in?"
The Suna group's eyes widened. They looked at the Kumogakure shinobi in shock, unsure of what to say.
Was this really the time and place to be talking about eliminating Konoha—in Konoha's own lodgings?
As if sensing their hesitation, Dodai gave a cold snort, voice laced with scorn and simmering anger:
"Haven't you realized yet? This is exactly what Konoha wants."
"They deliberately grouped us together, hoping we'd form alliances—as if the outcome is already decided in their favor!"
His voice rose, fury building with every word.
Konoha had been too arrogant—arranging things this way without the slightest concern for the other villages' intentions.
As if to say: No matter what you try, Konoha will win in the end.
Dodai clenched his teeth, fury bubbling like a volcano.
He felt belittled. Insulted. To him, Konoha's decision was a provocation.
And he couldn't stand it.
"I agree," a deep voice rumbled.
Rōshi stepped forward from the side, his tone heavy and resolute.
His eyes burned with the same fury. Clearly, he too was angered by Konoha's actions.
Seeing that even Iwagakure was on board, the Suna-nin finally nodded in agreement.
It felt awful to be looked down upon—and they weren't about to tolerate it.
…
In the Senju Compound, Mito Uzumaki sat on a bamboo chair in the courtyard, her gaze fixed on Hikaru Uchiha.
"You're not worried this will completely mess with their mindset? Still… it's a clever setup."
She spoke slowly, her tone thoughtful.
Hikaru stood silently in the courtyard, staring blankly at Mito, inwardly complaining:
'Didn't she look way too excited when I first proposed it?'
'We're all here for the drama—no one gets to act innocent.'
The image of that moment flashed in his mind.
Back then, when he presented the plan, Mito had looked like a predator spotting prey—eyes glittering with excitement.
Apparently, his thoughts were too easy to read, because Mito's gaze began to turn suspicious.
Knowing how sharp her senses were, Hikaru quickly changed the subject.
"Granny Mito, is it really okay for only me and Sakumo Hatake to represent Konoha in the exams?"
As expected, the question worked. Mito's attention shifted.
She stretched lazily, her tone exuding relaxed confidence.
"I originally wanted to send you alone, but that boy Sakumo insisted on contributing to Konoha. So I agreed."
"As for the others—none of them had objections, Little Hikaru."
Hikaru believed her.
To them, Hikaru wasn't just qualified for a simple exam.
He might even be enough to level a shinobi village by himself.
"Heh… the other villages must be furious by now."
"Oh, absolutely. The Anbu say they've already agreed to team up and take Konoha out first."
At that, a large and a small fox—one elder, one youth—shared a knowing smile.