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The capital in the Land of Fire awoke in the faint glow of dawn.
But in Konoha, in the Hokage building's office, lights were already on.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato, sat in the main seat, the morning light making his golden hair shine brightly.
But his brows were furrowed at this moment.
Across from him were Konoha's two advisor elders, Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado.
"Chunin exams?"
Minato repeated the proposal, his calm voice tinged with caution.
"The situation on the northeastern border is tense, and half of the village's elite forces have already been deployed to the front lines."
"Isn't it too risky to hold the chunin exams at this time?"
As Hokage, he was primarily responsible for the safety of the entire village.
At this moment, Konoha was in its most vulnerable internal defense period since he took office, and if anything went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Homura pushed up his reading glasses. Behind the lenses, his eyes appeared cloudy but were actually sharp and discerning.
"Precisely because the situation is tense, it is even more imperative to hold them."
Koharu took over, leaning slightly forward, and said in a serious tone. "Minato, you must understand that the chunin exams are never just a promotion assessment."
"They are also a political statement to display our strength to the entire shinobi world."
"We must let the children fighting bravely on the front lines see that the home they are risking their lives to protect is still prosperous and full of talent!"
"This will boost morale more than any empty slogan!"
"This can greatly boost morale and stabilize people's hearts."
Homura added, "Especially the Land of Lightning. We must let them see that Konoha's Will of Fire will never be extinguished!"
The two elders spoke in unison, listing the benefits of holding the chunin exams one by one.
Minato fell silent, weighing the pros and cons.
He had to admit that the two elders made sense.
War is not just about military strength, but also about morale and logistics.
Letting the soldiers on the front lines know that the rear is secure—this kind of mental energy is sometimes more important than sending an additional unit.
He understood all the principles.
"But, the safety issue..." Minato was still very concerned about this problem.
"Then scale it down," Homura immediately offered a solution.
Clearly, he had already prepared this plan in advance.
"In previous years, we would invite major shinobi villages to participate together to demonstrate peace and friendship."
"But this year, the situation is special, so there's no need to invite other shinobi villages."
"We'll just do it ourselves, behind closed doors."
Koharu immediately added, "However, the invitation to the daimyo manor must be sent, and the nobles of the Land of Fire must also be invited."
"This is customary and a good opportunity to showcase Konoha's new generation of power to the daimyo."
"Let him know that Konoha's Will of Fire is passed down through generations, never-ending."
This proposal was reasonable and logical, addressing the safety issue while achieving political objectives.
Looking at the two old advisors who worked so well together, Minato understood.
"Alright, let's do it this way." After careful consideration, he nodded gently. "I will draft the invitations shortly."
Seeing that the Hokage was convinced, the two advisor elders also showed satisfied expressions.
Just as they were about to adjourn, there was a knock on the office door.
"Come in!"
An ANBU shinobi instantly appeared, presenting a scroll. "Hokage-sama, an urgent message from the daimyo manor."
Minato immediately took the scroll and quickly unrolled it.
The content of the letter was simple, with only one line of text.
"Strengthen border patrols in the four countries to prevent sneak attacks by the Land of Lightning."
After reading the letter, Minato frowned slightly.
The relaxed expression on his face faded somewhat, replaced by a hint of solemnity.
Sneak attack by circuitous route?
He had considered this tactical possibility, but its priority had been ranked last.
Because, in his opinion, with him stationed in Konoha, small-scale attacks would not threaten the heartland.
And large-scale military movements would not escape the eyes of intelligence personnel.
But now, the daimyo had specifically sent a warning about this... This made Minato, who had witnessed the daimyo's methods, have to be cautious.
Homura noticed the change in his expression and quickly asked, "Minato, what's wrong?"
Minato handed them the scroll and said in a deep voice. "The daimyo warns us to be wary of the Land of Lightning making a detour through other countries to launch a surprise attack on our heartland."
After reading it, the two elders' faces also turned grim.
A flicker of displeasure crossed Homura's eyes, and he snorted coldly. "Hmph, this young..."
The words caught in his throat, and realizing his slip of the tongue, Homura immediately corrected himself, saying stiffly. "What the daimyo said, we naturally know!"
His words were filled with the displeasure of being lectured and the arrogance of an old veteran.
Koharu then said coldly, "But those war fanatics from the Land of Lightning are indeed capable of such things. It's better to believe it than not."
Although her words agreed, she cleverly attributed the credit to her own judgment, rather than the daimyo's warning.
Minato took in their expressions, sighed inwardly, but did not point it out, and then issued an order.
"Send word down to re-plan the border patrol routes, and raise the rank of border patrols along the borders with the Land of Water, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning to the highest!"
"Yes!"
The ANBU shinobi took the order and left.
After dealing with this matter, Minato felt a little more at ease.
His gaze fell back to the table. On one side was the letter from the daimyo manor, and on the other was the newly decided chunin exams.
The two seemingly unrelated matters were, at this moment, strangely connected.
He suddenly thought of something.
Picking up a pen, he quickly wrote an invitation for the chunin exams and sealed it with wax.
Then, he handed the letter to the guarding ANBU and said, "Give this to the messenger."
"Yes."
Another ANBU took the order and retreated...
When the Shadow guard returned to the capital with the invitation for the daimyo, dusk had already fallen.
At this time, Shin had just finished processing the last batch of official documents that had arrived.
He leaned back in the large chair, letting out a long sigh, feeling utterly drained.
He had worked on official duties until late last night, woke up before dawn today, and then continued with a new day's work.
"Being a daimyo is more tiring than being a corporate slave..."
Shin rubbed his throbbing temples, complaining weakly.
Even his dinner just now had been hastily eaten beside a mountain of scrolls.
Just then, the guard who had returned from Konoha arrived at the study and handed him Minato's invitation.
"Chunin exams in ten days?"
Shin opened the invitation, and upon seeing its content, his spirit perked up slightly.
This would be an interesting diversion.
Since his ascension, he had never officially visited Konoha in his capacity as daimyo in a public setting.
These chunin exams would be a good stage.
He could see if he could encounter other plot characters then.
More importantly, he could use this opportunity to further assert his presence and authority as daimyo to Konoha.
"Good, this is a good thing." Shin smiled, picked up his pen, and wrote a reply confirming his personal attendance.
He then handed it to the guard on duty that night and waved him away.
The study felt a bit stuffy, so Shin stood up, opened the door, and wanted to go for a walk in the garden.
A maid, seeing this, immediately brought a lantern forward, wanting to follow.
"No need." Shin waved his hand. "I want to walk alone."
The maid immediately respectfully withdrew.
Shin, alone, slowly walked into the garden.
Shin strolled alone in the garden, the night breeze cool, carrying the fragrance of flowers and plants, gradually soothing his nerves.
He emptied his mind, walking aimlessly, enjoying the rare tranquility of the moment.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Not far away, under the moonlight, a figure was dancing gracefully.