"No. If we stop the Chūnin Exams now, the impact would be far too great—both on Konoha's reputation and its prestige."
"Not to mention the fact that representatives from other villages are already here. Sunagakure has sent participants, and even the Fire Country's royal family has come to observe. Once the Chūnin Exams begin, they cannot be halted so easily. We don't even know that man's true objective yet—especially since he hasn't acted during the second stage. If we stop now, it will only harm Konoha."
After hearing Joe's words, the Third Hokage shook his head in agreement.
The consequences of stopping the exams would far outweigh any possible benefit. Worse still, they didn't even understand Ash's intentions—acting now would amount to nothing more than self-deception.
"I agree with Hiruzen," Danzo Shimura spoke up coldly.
"The Chūnin Exams cannot be stopped. However, security must be reinforced, and all foreign ninja must be handled with extreme caution."
Danzo's tone was firmer than ever. Since transplanting multiple Sharingan and strengthening his own power, his temperament had grown noticeably more radical.
"We'll proceed as planned," the Third Hokage said after a moment.
"But the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki must be monitored carefully. If that man manipulates the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha again, the other villages will seize the opportunity without hesitation."
Hearing the agreement between Danzo and the Third Hokage, Homura Mitokado also spoke.
"In Konoha, only the Third Hokage and Danzo have the authority to make such decisions. The rest of us must follow their lead."
At this point, Koharu Utatane sighed.
"It's pointless. Have you already forgotten what that man said before he left?
The Nine-Tails' Yin chakra was taken by him. Even Minato's and Kushina's bodies were taken. Monitoring Naruto alone won't accomplish anything."
As her words fell, the Third Hokage silently shook his head.
For many years now, the Yin Nine-Tails in Ash's possession had been a lingering nightmare for him. He feared that one day, the Nine-Tails would once again descend upon Konoha.
What he didn't know was that his worries were misplaced.
The Yin Nine-Tails Ash had obtained was nothing more than an empty shell—long since refined and converted into Ash's own chakra.
The true Yin Nine-Tails still resided within the Shinigami's belly, sealed away forever.
Seven Days Later.
With the increasing arrival of foreign shinobi, Konoha's Chūnin Exams officially began.
Two days earlier, the Kazekage—disguised by Orochimaru—had also arrived in the village. This time, however, Ash never encountered him.
The only one who appeared was Kimimaro, Orochimaru's most loyal subordinate.
Based on Ash's knowledge of the timeline, Kimimaro's illness had already reached a severe stage. He was no longer capable of sustained combat.
On the day of the exam, nine of the twelve rookies who had graduated from Konoha's Academy in the same year gathered together.
At the same time, shinobi from many other villages had also arrived to participate.
"You'd all better keep it down," a calm voice suddenly said.
"This isn't the Ninja Academy playground."
The speaker was Yakushi Kabuto, a shinobi registered under Konoha.
Officially, he was an orphan who had failed the Chūnin Exams multiple times, withdrawing midway on each occasion.
In reality, he was gathering intelligence—carefully observing Konoha's new generation to evaluate the village's future strength.
"Who are you supposed to be? Acting all high and mighty," Ino Yamanaka said irritably.
The other rookies also looked at Kabuto with clear discomfort.
"My name is Yakushi Kabuto," he replied calmly.
"Take a look around you."
He gestured toward the surrounding shinobi from other villages.
As the rookies followed his gaze, their expressions changed instantly.
All around them, hostile eyes were fixed on their group—
like predators watching prey that had wandered too far from safety.
"The exam is about to begin. Everyone's already on edge," Yakushi Kabuto said calmly.
"You were just being a bit loud earlier. It's better not to draw unnecessary attention to yourselves."
Seeing that the rookies had restrained themselves, Kabuto's tone softened slightly.
"But I don't blame you," he continued with a faint smile. "After all, you've only just graduated. Seeing you like this reminds me of how I was back then—just as nervous and restless."
His words eased the tension considerably.
"In that case…" Sakura Haruno spoke up, curiosity evident in her voice,
"Does that mean you're taking the Chūnin Exams for the second time, Senior Kabuto?"
Kabuto's gentle reminder and understanding attitude had already left a good impression on many of them.
It had to be said—Kabuto's acting truly was first-rate.
No wonder he had been able to operate as a spy across multiple villages without being exposed. Even if someone did discover his true identity, escaping would be easy unless he was pursued by a top-tier powerhouse.
"No," Kabuto replied, shaking his head.
"This is actually my seventh time participating."
"The Chūnin Exams are only held twice a year," he explained calmly.
"So this is already my fourth year taking them."
"S-Seventh time?" Sakura blinked in surprise.
"In that case, Senior Kabuto, you must know the Chūnin Exams very well, right?"
She was clearly trying to gather as much information as possible before the test began.
"Is the difficulty really that high?" Shikamaru Nara yawned lazily.
"You've failed six times already."
Kabuto didn't seem offended in the slightest.
"You can't put it that way," he said with a light chuckle.
"It's more accurate to say that my own strength just isn't good enough."
Then he paused, as if thinking, before continuing.
"But since you're my juniors, I can give you some information. I keep ninja cards—they contain intelligence I've gathered on various shinobi."
At that point, Kabuto subtly steered the conversation away from himself.
After all, revealing too much about his own abilities would be a mistake.
He was, at heart, still a spy.
(End of Chapter)
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