'Good thing I'm clever,' a voice rumbled in Gaara's mind. 'Otherwise, that damn fox would have noticed.'
Gaara watched the last of Team 7 disappear down the street. It was the first time the monster inside him had said anything other than its usual litany of "kill, kill, kill."
"Damn fox?" Gaara asked, his voice a low rasp.
Uncharacteristically, Shukaku answered him. 'The one living inside that brat.'
Shukaku scoffed mentally. 'He wants me to come out? Does he think I'm an idiot? Without the desert to give me an advantage, why would I pick a fight with Kurama? Am I asking for a beating?'
Shukaku was filled with contempt for the Nine-Tails. How could a brainless idiot like that even be called a Tailed Beast?
"Brat," the voice in his head commanded, "during this exam of yours, teach that stinking fox's jinchuriki a lesson for me."
'Just like me... just like me.' Gaara whispered to himself. A bloodthirsty smile crept across his face, and a wave of killing intent rolled off him in the next breath. 'Mother... how about I offer his blood to you?'
Temari watched her younger brother, her face tight with worry. She wanted to step forward, but her feet felt rooted to the spot. Kankuro was already cowering in the corner, trembling, terrified that Gaara would lose control and kill him too.
"Gaara. Let's go." A middle-aged man appeared, his voice cutting through the tension. It was Baki, one of Sunagakure's elite jonin.
--**--**
For the past few days, Konoha's main streets had been flooded with foreign ninja, their headbands bearing the symbols of villages from all over the continent. The Chunin Exams, hosted by Konoha, had drawn teams from nearly every major and minor village in the region: Sunagakure, Amegakure, the rebuilt Kusagakure, Takigakure, Otogakure, and even Yukigakure from the far north.
But among the five great ninja villages, only Sunagakure, a nominal ally, had send someone. The other great ninja villages had paid Konoha's invitation no mind.
Obviously Chunin exams weren't the only route of advancing for a Genin. It was just the most public one used for publicity and attract more clients, as well as gauge and eliminate those with good potential from other villages. All the villages had private promotion system and exams as well.
The Chunin exam was designed for three-person teams and consisted of three rounds, the first two testing teamwork, the final one testing individual strength. Naruto's Team 7, however, had four members.
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, taking the registration form from his teacher. "Grandpa Danzo already made arrangements for it."
The arrangement was simple: Root would provide two additional members, allowing them to register as two separate teams. Karin had been placed on the temporary Root team, not at the Third Hokage's request, but on Danzo's direct orders. She had her own mission to carry out during the exams.
--**--**
Meanwhile, in Sunagakure, Rasa was meeting with a group of unusual guests.
"You've already witnessed the power of our Land of Snow's specialized Chakra Armor," a young man with black hair and black eyes said, making his pitch to the Fourth Kazekage. He gestured to a suit of armor that gleamed with a modern, metallic finish. "Even an ordinary chunin wearing this can hold their own against a jonin for a time. In a fight between two chunin, it provides an absolute advantage. I'm sure you understand what such a strong defense would mean for your forces, Kazekage-sama."
Tokuma Uchiha wasn't like his clanmate, all brute force and intensity. He was one of the rare Uchiha known for his silver tongue. Here, he played the part of envoy from Yukigakure.
A handful of Yuki ninja flanked him: Roga Nadare, Fubuki Kakuyoku, and Mizore Fuyukuma.
"The price is too high," the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, said unhurriedly, his tone betraying no emotion.
In truth, he was far beyond satisfied with the Chakra Armor's power. He was practically burning with envy, the kind that gave him tunnel vision.
Even a jonin wearing it would see a great increase in combat power and survivability, to say nothing of a chunin.
As for genin... how could something so valuable be wasted on them?
The price, however, left him staring blankly. It wasn't that it was too expensive, in fact, the price was quite reasonable.
The crucial problem was that the Sunagakure currently had no money.
If he hadn't been backed into a corner by a lack of funds, he would never have thought of launching a war against Konoha.
These ninja from the Land of Snow had been recommended by some shadowy maritime shipping company. Rasa had met with them in a similar fashion a few days prior.
"That's no problem, Kazekage-sama. The price is negotiable," Tokuma said, unfazed. "Hattori-sama thinks very highly of you, so we are prepared to offer you our best terms."
Even now, Rasa couldn't figure out why this Hattori held him in such high regard.
"You can make a down payment now," Tokuma continued, "and cover the rest in installments. We'll only charge a small amount of interest."
To put it bluntly, it was a sale on credit, an IOU. As for the interest? It was like one of those back alley money lenders, very high.
"I trust you won't refuse our goodwill, will you?"
A trace of hesitation appeared on Rasa's face.
The offer was too good, laid out so plainly he couldn't brush it off.
Pay a deposit now, and the rest later, or in small installments? Isn't that the same as getting it for free?
The terms were so generous he couldn't imagine refusing. It had to be because of Hattori. After a moment's thought, Rasa made a tentative offer. "Five hundred sets of the highest-grade armor, one thousand of the mid-grade, and two thousand of the lowest-grade."
He kept it modest, wary of pushing too hard and sending them packing.
With that much armor, the odds of his plan succeeding would increase dramatically.
"Rasa-sama." Tokuma frowned slightly.
Rasa's heart skipped a beat. 'Did I ask for too much? Three thousand five hundred sets is a lot. A remote village like Yukigakure probably can't produce that many at once.'
Once, as the leader of one of the five great villages, he never would have let the expression of an envoy from some minor nation bother him. But he was the one in need now.
"We can provide three thousand sets of each type," Tokuma said smoothly. "How does that sound?"
"Deal!" Rasa blurted out. For all his composure, he couldn't contain himself in the face of such a massive opportunity.
Moments later, the meeting room filled with the sound of laughter. Both men were clearly satisfied with the arrangement.
As he was preparing to leave, Tokuma turned back. "Rasa-sama," he said, "if you ever need to hire ninja to handle matters that you or Sunagakure find... inconvenient..."
"Their fees are reasonable, their success rate is one hundred percent, and they've worked with Iwagakure multiple times. Onoki is very pleased with them."
"They are called Akatsuki."
===============
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