"Brother, hurry up, or we'll be late!"
Standing at the foot of the stairs, Chiharu, who had already finished her breakfast, glanced up at Naruto as he rushed frantically from his room.
"Let's go quickly! There's no time to waste," Naruto called out as he bounded down the stairs, clearly having no intention of pausing for breakfast.
"I knew this would happen," Chiharu said with an exaggerated eye roll. She reached for the breakfast she had wisely packed earlier, along with two bento boxes Kushina had prepared.
"Mom, we're heading out!" Chiharu called toward the kitchen where Kushina was busy.
"Be careful on your journey," Kushina replied, casting a sideways glance at her children.
The Namikaze siblings nodded in unison, then quickly dashed out the door.
"The village has been incredibly busy lately," Naruto observed as he and Chiharu swiftly traversed the rooftops. They weren't the only ones in motion at this hour—the streets below were more crowded than usual.
"Of course. It's time for the joint Chunin Exams between Konoha and the Sand Village. Look over there," Chiharu said, pointing.
Naruto followed her gesture. Among the pedestrians below, he spotted a ninja team whose members weren't wearing the familiar attire of Konoha shinobi, but rather the distinctive clothing of Sand Village ninjas participating in the Chunin Exams.
The Sand ninjas noticed the siblings watching them and briefly returned their gaze.
"I'm really looking forward to the Chunin Exams," Naruto said with a chuckle, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Brother, before you can take part in the Chunin Exam, you must at least graduate successfully," Chiharu teased. "Based on your current theoretical results, I'm a little concerned about next year's graduation exam..."
Naruto's expression shifted slightly, and he laughed awkwardly. "Don't worry! There's still a year left—I'll definitely graduate successfully."
"If you say so," Chiharu replied with a shrug, unable to argue with her brother's determined expression.
In the Hokage's office, Minato had arrived early to address matters related to the joint Chunin Examination.
"So much to handle," he muttered to himself.
Just as he was settling into his work, the office door swung open and Jiraiya entered with his characteristic smile.
"Master, you've returned," Minato said, rising respectfully from his seat as he had always done since his youth.
"Seems I've interrupted you," Jiraiya remarked casually, leaning against the desk.
"It's fine. I've already arranged the fundamentals. Only some details remain, and we still have several days before the Chunin Exam actually begins," Minato assured him.
"Good to hear." Jiraiya nodded, then retrieved a scroll from within his robes and tossed it to Minato.
"Though we haven't pinpointed the exact whereabouts of those individuals, this time we made some unexpected discoveries."
Jiraiya had been traveling extensively, continuously gathering intelligence about Orochimaru, the masked man, and their associates.
Minato raised an eyebrow slightly as he unrolled the scroll and scanned its contents.
"As expected of you, Master. I'll dispatch someone to investigate immediately," Minato said, setting down the scroll with a look of mild surprise.
"There's one more matter," Jiraiya added. "Though it has little direct impact on Konoha, I believe you'll find it interesting."
"On my return journey, I passed through the Land of Hot Springs. That evil cult you and Hatake Sakumo helped dismantle in the Hot Springs Village appears to have resurfaced."
Minato's expression betrayed his shock. The Land of Hot Springs maintained an alliance with Konoha, so their ninjas would inevitably report this development. But their communication channels couldn't match Jiraiya's speed.
"This doesn't bode well for the Hot Springs Village," Minato mused. "But surely the cult can't cause significant damage, can it? Their sacred artifact remains secured in Hot Spring Hidden Village, correct?"
That mission had marked the beginning of Minato's ninja career after his rebirth. After defeating Kuriyama Shinzo, they had entrusted the Blood March Sickle to leader of the Hot Springs ninjas.
"The leadership of the Hot Springs ninja never anticipated that after more than twenty years, the Jashin Cult would retain such formidable strength," Jiraiya explained. "The March Scythe was apparently stolen by a traitor within the village—supposedly a devotee of the Jashin Cult."
In Jiraiya's estimation, this so-called evil cult was little more than a third-rate organization compared to the threats they regularly faced in the Land of Fire.
"But the real question is: did the traitor truly achieve immortality?" Jiraiya pressed, his interest piqued by this particular claim.
Minato shook his head. "Nothing in this world is absolute. While he isn't truly immortal, it did require significant effort to defeat him."
"Fair enough," Jiraiya conceded with a shrug.
"Nevertheless, there's considerable history between the Hot Springs Ninja Village and this cult. Given the current strength of the Hot Springs ninjas, they should be capable of eliminating this group," Minato reasoned.
He remembered Yugimoto Kawahiko as a formidable shinobi nearly on par with Sakumo Hatake. In the years since, Kawahiko's younger brother, Yugimoto Yama, had also risen to prominence, earning recognition even among the Five Great Ninja Nations.
With Yama's involvement, the destruction of the Jashin Cult seemed merely a matter of time.
In the Land of Hot Springs, outside a secluded shrine nestled within the forest, dozens of Hot Springs ninjas lay in wait. Leading them was none other than Yugimoto Yama.
"Is this where the high-ranking members of the Jashin Cult are gathering?" he asked quietly.
A fellow Hot Springs ninja nodded. "They should all be inside."
"Something feels off," Yugimoto Yama frowned. They had maintained their position for some time, yet no movement had emerged from the shrine.
His nostrils flared slightly as he detected the faint scent of blood carried on the breeze from the direction of the shrine.
"Wait here," he commanded.
With a flash of movement, Yugimoto Yama rushed toward the shrine. His skill allowed him to reach the roof in mere moments. He approached the vent beneath the eaves, hanging upside down to peer through the opening.
Immediately, a pungent odor of blood assaulted his senses, and he glimpsed several grotesquely contorted faces within.
"What in the—"
Alarmed, Yugimoto Yama instantly drew the long sword from his waist and swung it skyward—the signal for his Hot Springs ninjas to advance.
After giving the command, he flipped forward, slashed through the window with his blade, and burst inside.
"This..."
Before him lay more than a dozen corpses of high-ranking Jashin Cult officials, their faces frozen in expressions of horrific agony.
On the small path at the base of the shrine stood a figure draped in a black robe. From within wide sleeves protruded a scarlet sickle blade, blood still dripping from its edge.
The robed man raised his arm, extending his tongue to lick the blood from the sickle's curved edge.
"All shall be sacrificed to the Jashin!" he proclaimed, his handsome face twisting into an expression both ferocious and fanatical. "Hahaha!"