While the Akatsuki mobilized in response to Hoshigaki Kisame's death and Uchiha Itachi's injuries, Shihouin Naraku had already returned to Konohagakure.
Naraku knew without a doubt that Akatsuki would now target him, but he wasn't concerned—let them investigate all they wanted.
Upon returning to the village, Shihouin Naraku made his way to the Hokage Tower with somewhat mischievous intentions.
"Cough cough cough..."
"What? You encountered the village's missing-nin—Uchiha Itachi?"
"And you nearly killed him?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen had initially been listening to Shihouin Naraku's report rather casually, pipe in mouth, not paying much attention.
But Naraku's words suddenly jolted him to full alertness.
"It wasn't that dramatic. Uchiha Itachi proved quite capable. In the end, I only managed to wound him before he escaped," Naraku replied.
Shihouin Naraku spread his hands and continued with a serious expression, "However, his companion, the S-rank rogue ninja from Kirigakure, did perish by my hand. Seeing that they wore identical cloaks, I suspect they belong to the same organization."
"If necessary, I'm prepared to lead Anbu operatives to hunt down Uchiha Itachi..."
"Ahem... That won't be necessary! Exercise more caution should you encounter Uchiha Itachi again."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was genuinely shocked. Uchiha Itachi was only officially classified as a rogue ninja—in reality, he served as a spy for Konohagakure!
This was precisely why, after the initial incident, Konoha had never dispatched anyone to pursue Uchiha Itachi.
The Third Hokage took another draw from his pipe, contemplated carefully, and said, "Uchiha Itachi works as an informant for the village. If you encounter him outside Konoha, there's no need for lethal confrontation."
"Also, this information must remain confidential!"
"I'll provide you with specific codes and signals. If necessary, you can use them to establish trust with Uchiha Itachi and obtain intelligence from him."
Shihouin Naraku was momentarily stunned. He had merely intended to unsettle the Third Hokage with his report, but unexpectedly gained valuable intelligence instead.
Of course, it was equally possible that Sarutobi Hiruzen, concerned that Naraku might attempt to kill Itachi during their next encounter, was setting up precautionary measures to prevent any unfortunate accidents.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Shihouin Naraku and shook his head helplessly. "Whether inside or outside the village, you never seem to restrain yourself."
"Naruto and his peers have only just become Genin—why did you act so harshly toward them? Even if it was ultimately for their benefit, there was no need to terrify children who haven't yet recovered their confidence."
As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face displayed clear disapproval. He had just finished comforting and encouraging those children as a benevolent grandfather figure, and his efforts had proven quite effective.
Except for Naruto and a few others, those initially affected by Conqueror's Haki who had become demoralized had indeed returned to normal with Sarutobi Hiruzen's encouragement.
From this perspective, Sarutobi Hiruzen was fulfilling his role as Hokage admirably!
Shihouin Naraku merely curled his lips, dismissing Sarutobi Hiruzen's concerns entirely. He had only been able to intimidate the Genin group with the Hokage's tacit approval. Though the impact had been somewhat severe this time, as long as they recovered, it would ultimately benefit their future development.
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, puffing on his pipe: "There's a task I need you to undertake.
This year's Chūnin Exams are approaching rapidly.
You will oversee all matters related to the Chūnin Exams.
As you're aware, nobles and daimyō from various nations will attend the proceedings, so there's no room for error."
"Begin preliminary preparations immediately. Once you've finalized the details, report back to me."
[Ding! Host becomes the Konohagakure Chūnin Exam Supervisor!]
[Congratulations to Host for winning two draws! The remaining draws are: six!]
[Note: This Host appointment is a temporary lateral transfer and does not count as a promotion, so the reward eligibility is fixed at two times!]
[Friendly reminder: There is a higher probability of obtaining rare items when drawing ten times consecutively!]
Hmm?
Konoha's destruction plan is finally beginning to unfold!
Shihouin Naraku nodded thoughtfully and accepted the assignment. After departing from the Hokage Tower, something suddenly occurred to him.
"I almost overlooked the system's notification! I've only accumulated six draws so far. I need to find a way to obtain ten consecutive draws!"
"This position as Chūnin Exam Supervisor is perfect timing. With five opportunities for self-appointment annually, the remaining three should be more than sufficient."
Shihouin Naraku felt elated at the prospect of increasing his power. Even though Konoha's impending collapse wasn't particularly challenging given his current abilities, the enemies he would face in the future would undoubtedly be stronger, and he couldn't afford to become complacent.
Reflecting on this appointment, Shihouin Naraku realized that Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't abandoned the idea of grooming him as a potential Hokage candidate.
"I already wield authority as Anbu Captain-General and Medical Director, yet they've entrusted me with overseeing the Chūnin Exams. It seems the Third Hokage hasn't given up on training me as his successor."
Regarding the position of Anbu Captain-General, conventional wisdom dictated that when a new Hokage took office, they would certainly replace Shihouin Naraku. After all, this position could only be occupied by someone the Hokage trusted implicitly.
Even if Hatake Kakashi eventually ascended to the position of Hokage, Shihouin Naraku would be ill-suited to remain in that role, as he would pose too significant a threat to Hatake Kakashi's authority.
"The Third Hokage is simply making preemptive arrangements..."
"Hatake Kakashi becomes the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's instructor, while also serving among the Jōnin ranks..."
"Meanwhile, I function as the interim Anbu Captain-General, maintain constant oversight of the medical department, and frequently participate in various administrative tasks for the village, such as the current Chūnin Exam preparations..."
"Hmm... Such meticulous balance!"
One could only acknowledge that after serving as Hokage for so many years, Sarutobi Hiruzen's methods had reached near perfection.
In the following period, Shihouin Naraku delegated specific matters concerning Anbu and the medical department to his subordinates, focusing his attention on the Chūnin Exams.
Within Anbu, unless a mission specifically required his personal involvement, Shihouin Naraku entrusted other complex matters to the current Anbu Deputy Captain, Yamato.
To leverage the system's benefits, he assigned the Logistics Squad Leader position, which he had originally created for himself, to Yamanaka Yue.
In the medical department, Shihouin Naraku retained his position as director of the specialized division he had established, while promoting several members of his clan to join the working group.
Although the Shihouin clan wasn't particularly numerous, they occupied strategic positions throughout the medical department.
It was largely due to these individuals that Shihouin Naraku maintained iron-clad control over the medical department.
Of course, to prevent a scenario reminiscent of the Uchiha clan's complete dominance over the Konoha Military Police Force, Shihouin Naraku occasionally exchanged resources with others to secure additional benefits, provided these arrangements were equitable and didn't compromise his authority within the medical department.
"Director, Yakushi Kabuto's recent movements have been somewhat erratic. Though we haven't determined his specific activities yet, but..."
Shihouin Naraku had barely settled at his desk in the medical department and completed some paperwork when a Chūnin from the Shihouin clan's corpse disposal team appeared before him.
After listening to the report, Shihouin Naraku rubbed his fingers pensively, then issued his instructions: "Chunzai, summon Yakushi Kabuto. By the way, I have good news for you—Uncle Chunyuan will soon return from his border patrol assignment."
Shihouin Chunzai appeared momentarily stunned before a smile he couldn't suppress spread across his face. "Thank you, Director! Thank you so much!"
"No need for such formality. Uncle was caught in the crossfire because of me, which is why he remained with the border patrol for so long. Now that ordeal is finally over."
"Yes, sir!"
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