Natsume noticed Mei Terumī's hesitation and could guess what she was thinking.
"You're worried about Kiri's performance?"
If anyone else had asked that, Mei would have already hit them with a Boil Release jutsu.
Although it was true that the younger generation of Kiri wasn't impressive, this was a shameful internal matter that couldn't be discussed openly.
But with Natsume, there was no need to hide anything.
Mei felt as if Natsume understood Kiri better than even she did.
After all, in recent years, everything had been developed under his guidance.
There were no secrets left.
Mei sighed slightly. "I do have such concerns."
"How about this?" Natsume pondered briefly before saying. "Let's hold the second and third rounds in the Land of Water. The Kiri ninja are familiar with the terrain there, which gives you quite an advantage."
Upon hearing this, Mei's eyes lit up instantly.
Most of Kiri's shinobi specialized in Water Release techniques.
If the competition were held in the Land of Water, surrounded by oceans, Water Release would gain significant advantages.
"Besides," Natsume added, "hosting such a large-scale Chunin Exam will also bring certain profits—the most obvious sources being accommodation and food. All the participating ninja villages and aristocrats coming to watch would need to pay."
Mei nodded slightly.
However, such money held little interest for her.
What mattered more to her was the recognition.
Previously, due to the bloody reign, Kiri had almost severed connections with other villages.
Only after Mei became the Mizukage did things begin to improve.
Still, some countries remained distrustful.
If they could host a Joint Chunin Exam, perhaps their image could improve.
"Thank you," Mei sincerely expressed her gratitude.
Under normal circumstances, as Hokage, Natsume wouldn't have gone out of his way to support Kiri so much.
He was doing it just for her sake.
Honestly speaking, Mei truly felt touched.
This guy wasn't bad after all.
It would be perfect—if he stopped annoying her so much.
"Just a small thing," Natsume shrugged nonchalantly.
Truthfully, geographical advantages weren't really that big of a deal.
In Kiri, only Chojuro and Suigetsu Hozuki were worth mentioning.
The rest of the Genin probably wouldn't make it past the second stage.
Sunagakure was in much the same boat.
Only Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro possessed real strength.
Plus one more person—Shira.
An anime-original character, filling a similar role to Rock Lee.
But his talent was better.
He created his own [Seven Days Howling Technique], quite similar in effect to the Eight Gates.
Konoha was in a slightly better position.
After all, they had the Twelve Guardians backing them up.
They had relatively more geniuses.
"You seem quite confident," Mei glanced at him sideways as she spoke.
"I just don't care much," Natsume honestly replied. "The Chunin Exams can't decide anything anyway. In the end, it's always about the overall power of the village."
Mei hesitated briefly before slowly nodding.
"That's true."
Kiri was gradually growing stronger; there was no rush to showcase anything through a single Chunin Exam.
Though the issue with the younger generation was undeniably serious.
Mei Terumī exhaled slowly and asked, "When are you planning to hold it?"
"About a month from now."
Natsume paused briefly before replying. "That should be enough time to prepare."
"Mm."
Mei nodded slightly, then asked, "What about the location and exam content?"
"It'll be mostly the same as before."
Natsume casually explained his idea.
The first round will be a written exam testing theoretical knowledge, held in Konoha.
The second round will test each ninja squad.
In the original story, they had competed in the Death Forest to obtain both Heaven and Earth Scrolls, then reached a designated location to complete the exam.
Now, though, they'll just map out a route from Konoha to Kirigakure, keeping the rules the same.
The third round will be individual sparring—nothing complicated, just as usual.
"How about I assign you to plan the route for the second round?"
Natsume asked with a smile.
"Afraid I'll cheat?" Mei arched a brow curiously.
"What's there to cheat about?" Natsume shrugged. "Besides, I trust you."
Upon hearing those words, Mei immediately turned her gaze away.
She glanced at the papers on her desk and murmured, "I'll give it to you in a few days."
That was clearly her way of accepting.
Truthfully, she didn't really have any reason to refuse.
She wouldn't cheat outright, but subtly favoring Kiri by choosing a familiar path was certainly possible.
"There's still something else?"
When Mei noticed he hadn't left or said anything else, she asked, puzzled.
"There actually is one more thing."
Natsume hopped off the Mizukage's desk, walked over, locked the door, and casually set up a soundproof barrier around them.
"Y-you can't do this here!"
Realizing what he intended, Mei's face flushed crimson.
"Of course, discussing important matters with Lord Mizukage should happen inside the Office,"
Natsume said softly, reaching out to grab her collar. "Let's talk about something worth several hundred million."
Muffled sounds of struggle filled the air.
They didn't stop until dusk.
The next day dawned.
Natsume handed the details of the Chunin Exams over to Kurenai Yuhi.
Thanks to the Anbu's swift movements, nearly half the shinobi nations soon learned about it.
Not long after, he received refusals from both Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
In the original storyline, neither had participated during the two Joint Chunin Exams.
Their refusal came as no surprise now.
Actually, both Iwagakure and Kirigakure suffered from a lack of promising talent.
Only Deidara and Kurotsuchi stood out somewhat.
Unfortunately, the former ran off and joined the Akatsuki.
Eventually, Kurotsuchi took on most of the responsibilities.
But honestly, she wasn't quite ready for it.
Onoki still needed to back things up.
Even into Boruto's era, things remained like that.
He was the longest-serving Tsuchikage—and arguably the unluckiest.
As for Kumogakure, they had plenty of promising young talent.
But since they never really got along well with Konoha, naturally they wouldn't participate.
On the third day, Natsume received word of an Akatsuki organization meeting.
Inside a dark cave,
Using the Projection Technique, his projection materialized.
Looking around, aside from Deva Path Pain, everyone else appeared as indistinct, colorless figures.
Including Konan.
More exciting moments ahead!
She was currently accompanying Ena Uzumaki to the Land of Fire for personal protection.
"The Village Hidden in the Leaves is planning to hold a Joint Chunin Exams next month."
Konan spoke, "There should be quite a few ninja villages participating."
"What does that have to do with us?"
Deidara yawned and said, "I'm not interested in those low-ranking Genin at all."
"There might be some Jinchuriki," Konan replied calmly.
She wasn't entirely sure — it was just a guess.
"Why bother with all that hassle?" Zetsu grinned. "I already know where most of the Jinchuriki are. We can just go straight to them and capture them."
"We still don't know where the Two-Tails is," Konan shook her head. "Even if we capture other tailed beasts, we still won't be able to proceed with our plans right away."
"So what's next? Are we just supposed to sit around and wait?" Deidara suddenly interrupted.
"Of course not," Konan answered thoughtfully. "Amegakure will participate in this exam. I'll have my agents check if any of the participants are Jinchuriki. If there are, we'll take them down during the exam."
Natsume couldn't help but freeze upon hearing this.
This strategy was straight out of the original story.
Though it happened during the second Joint Chunin Exams.
Amegakure sent Hydrangea and other low-ranking ninja who eventually uncovered Fuu of Takigakure's identity as a Jinchuriki.
"This Joint Chunin Exams will draw attention from half the ninja world. The Village Hidden in the Leaves, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure have all confirmed their participation," Konan continued. "However, Iwagakure and Kumogakure haven't confirmed their participation yet. That's why we've gathered you here — to take this opportunity to capture the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Eight-Tails."
Now Natsume understood.
Earlier, he had been wondering why they would summon everyone just for Hydrangea and others searching for Jinchuriki. After all, the exams haven't even started, and there might not even be any Jinchuriki at all.
If there aren't any, wouldn't that be a wasted trip?
"The Four-Tails' Jinchuriki, Roshi, has defected and is no longer in Iwagakure, but White Zetsu has already located him," Konan began issuing orders. "Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki will handle this mission."
Roshi was skilled in Lava Release techniques.
Kisame's Water Release techniques counter his abilities perfectly.
Combined with Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan, the mission was practically guaranteed to succeed.
"As for the Five-Tails' Jinchuriki, Han, will be assigned to Sasori and Deidara," Konan glanced at Deidara. "Iwagakure is surrounded by mountains and rocks, with strong defenses. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult to enter. But you're an exception, Deidara — you can come and go as you please."
Deidara was Tsuchikage Onoki's apprentice.
Plus, he hadn't been declared a rogue ninja yet.
Tsuchikage and Kurotsuchi probably didn't even know he had joined Akatsuki.
"No problem!" Deidara chuckled without hesitation, despite targeting his former village.
It wasn't that he didn't care about his old place — someone had to do it, so he might as well take the job.
Might as well give Iwagakure one last helping hand before everything fell apart.
If that old man had any sense, of course.
"The Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki, B." Konan looked toward Natsume. "The mission will be assigned to Kishi and Kakuzu."
The Eight-Tails was the strongest tailed beast apart from the Nine-Tails.
And B, its Jinchuriki, was no pushover either.
Together, they were nearly unstoppable.
Besides, Kumogakure still had the Fourth Raikage.
After thorough consideration, Konan believed Natsume was the best choice for the job.
He wielded [Wood Release], and his strength was immeasurable.
With Kakuzu at his side, capturing Killer B should pose no problem.
Natsume gave a casual nod.
As Kishi's superior, he had no cause to refuse.
Still, was it wise to proceed with the capture?
After some thought, he resolved to follow Konan's orders and proceed with the capture.
After all, Kumogakure was already an enemy of Konoha.
If Konoha wanted to unify the ninja world, there was no avoiding them.
Besides, given the temperaments of the Fourth Raikage and Killer B, there was no chance they'd ever surrender.
Unlike Yugito Nii, they wouldn't cooperate, so Natsume saw no point in wasting time.
Furthermore, without the Two-Tails, Akatsuki's plans couldn't move forward for now.
The jinchuriki would likely remain alive—for now.
Though their deaths wouldn't matter much either.
The meeting adjourned, and Natsume returned to Konoha Village.
The capture was scheduled during the Joint Chunin Exams, so there was plenty of time—no need to hurry.
They could wait until the critical third round began before heading to Kumogakure.
Sunday.
The Hyuga clan meeting.
The specific time was 9:00 AM.
After breakfast, Natsume arrived early.
Inside the meeting hall were currently only four people: Hiashi Hyuga, Hizashi Hyuga, Hinata Hyuga, and Neji Hyuga.
Hanabi Hyuga didn't have school today, but being still too young, she wasn't involved yet.
As for Rinka Hyuga, she always aligned with Hiashi and had no interest in getting caught up in the commotion.
This chapter isn't over yet!
"Hokage-sama."
Hiashi reported, "All members of the branch family have been branded with the new Caged Bird Seal. All are fully supportive—except Hiromasa Hyuga, who remains oblivious."
"In that case, there shouldn't be any real problems."
Natsume said with a smile, "The only concern is if Hiromasa decides to retaliate—he might end up harming others."
"He's past his prime, and his strength has waned significantly. He won't pose any real threat."
Hiashi gave a small smile as he continued, "And with Hokage-sama here, he doesn't stand a chance."
"I'm only here to observe."
Natsume replied casually, "I may be the Hokage, but this is ultimately an internal matter of the Hyuga clan."
Upon hearing this, Hiashi felt a tightening in his chest.
In the past, this had indeed been true.
Even the Hokage couldn't interfere.
"Hokage-sama, where is that coming from?"
Hiashi hurried to say, "Even if it's a family affair, you're Hanabi's older brother—you naturally have the right to be here."
Natsume arched a brow and smiled, "I didn't mean anything by it."
Truthfully speaking, he never really took the Hyuga clan seriously.
Without Hinata and Hanabi, he wouldn't care at all.
If they got out of line, he'd rather just settle things physically.
Who even needed that kind of courtesy?
Hiashi, at a loss for words, could only remain silent.
"Natsume-niisan."
Hinata broke the silence just in time. "Will you be staying to watch?" she asked.
"Not."
Natsume gently rubbed her head and said, "If Hiromasa Hyuga sees me, he'll naturally hold himself back. Then it would lose its meaning."
His reputation was at its peak.
Hiashi Hyuga had refused to place the Caged Bird Seal on Hanabi.
Actually, the best solution would have been for Hiromasa Hyuga to seek out Natsume.
But he hadn't done that.
Which proved he wasn't completely foolish after all.
He clearly understood that provoking Natsume's displeasure would lead to a painful death.
He could only act tough within his own clan's walls.
Hinata gave a small nod.
She had considered this very point when she asked her question.
She couldn't help but admit that the books Natsume had given her to read were indeed effective.
These days, she had her own opinions on many matters.
"I'll leave first."
When Natsume noticed the time was about right, he vanished from the spot.
Hiashi looked left and right carefully but detected no trace of him.
He could only marvel at the sheer magnitude of Natsume's power.
Above a group of people, Natsume reappeared.
He casually set up a barrier.
This location was deep within Hyuga clan territory. Under normal circumstances, no one would be recklessly scanning around with their Byakugan active.
Still, just in case.
After all, Natsume needed to do something else now.
Something simple, like petting a cat.
He called out softly.
A sleek black cat appeared swiftly.
Moving silently across the rooftops, she made no sound at all.
When she saw Natsume, she gave a slight lick of her lips before settling into his lap.
Not far away, some people were walking past in succession.
The black cat flinched slightly and trembled.
"Don't worry. They can't see you."
Natsume stroked her head with a smile.
The black cat relaxed.
"Just stay quiet," Natsume paused briefly before adding, "If you're too loud, I won't hear my cute apprentice speak."
The black cat hesitated slightly.
That was quite a challenge.
Realizing the difficulty, she took a deep breath, clenched her teeth, and forced herself to remain completely silent.
Four thousand words.
—Chapter ends—
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