Seiryu set the two kids down, and Onoki landed, eyeing Seiryu in surprise. His Light-Weight Boulder Jutsu was fast, but Seiryu's speed had far surpassed his expectations.
"Tsuchikage, how should we judge this match?" Seiryu asked with a smile.
"Let's call it a draw, shall we?" Onoki replied.
"Very well, a draw," Seiryu agreed. Onoki grabbed his disciple by the scruff and headed to the podium.
With both returning to the VIP area, the referee announced the draw, and the crowd erupted in applause.
Though neither kid had graduated from the Academy, their match was as exciting as a Chunin fight.
With this warm-up, the Chunin Exam matches got even livelier.
Contestants entered the main rounds one after another.
But as the matches below grew exciting, Seiryu and Onoki turned their attention to dividing up the extra mission quotas left by Grass Village's decimation.
The negotiations were smooth—Konoha and Iwagakure split the B-rank and higher missions more or less evenly. For either village, it was a drop in the bucket, so both sides were happy to be flexible.
But for Grass, with their missions gone, unless one of the two great nations fell, their village would never rise again. After all, it takes missions to train new Jounin, and they would never get high-level assignments now.
When it came to handling a meddlesome village like Grass at their border, Onoki and Seiryu silently agreed to never give them another chance.
"The Fifth Hokage really does get things done," Onoki laughed after the deal. "Negotiating with you is way better than with that old monkey Sarutobi."
"Hehe, Tsuchikage is too kind. Both you and the Third Hokage are role models for me," Seiryu replied smoothly.
By now, the matches had reached the semifinals. Uchiha Shingetsu, who had just awakened his second tomoe, was handling his Iwa opponent with ease—victory was just a matter of time. Uchiha Masato, with only a single tomoe, had lost in the previous round due to chakra depletion after tough matches.
"Looks like the championship will go to your Uchiha clan this time," Onoki laughed.
"Just luck. If Shingetsu hadn't awakened his second tomoe, he'd have been out already," Seiryu replied.
"Hokage, you're too modest," Onoki said, then paused before asking, "What do you think of the current situation in the shinobi world?"
"The shinobi world?" Seiryu smiled, realizing this was Onoki's real probe.
"In my view, even though peace prevails on the surface, there are dark currents beneath. Everyone's just licking their wounds from the Third Great Ninja War. When the situation changes, the Fourth War could break out at any time. The world is on the verge of unprecedented upheaval," Seiryu said, looking at Onoki.
"Hokage and I see things much the same," Onoki replied. "So Konoha is ready for coming changes?"
"Who can claim to be fully prepared before the day truly comes?" Seiryu said. "All we can do is make arrangements to help our village survive the storm. Haven't you been doing the same in Iwa all these years?"
"You're right, Hokage," Onoki nodded. "As Kage, it's our responsibility to guide our nations through the storms."
"But in Hokage's eyes, in this vast shinobi world, who can influence the entire situation?" Onoki then asked.
"The world is so big; I can't say for sure who can influence it all," Seiryu replied.
"Hanzo of the Rain, the demi-god of the shinobi world, once fought three nations alone. Though defeated, he was still honorable. Could he influence the world?" Onoki asked.
"All his strength relied on external things. Once the poison of the salamander is countered, he's just a skeleton in a grave," Seiryu said.
"The Fourth Kazekage Rasa of the Sand?" Onoki asked.
"A Kage who has to personally mine gold dust to keep his village afloat? A joke," Seiryu scoffed.
"The Fourth Mizukage Yagura of the Mist?" Onoki asked.
"The Mist's self-destructive policies mean it only survives thanks to the sea's protection. Without that, I could destroy it alone," Seiryu replied.
"What about the Fourth Raikage A of the Cloud?" Onoki pressed.
"He's just a reckless brute—not worth worrying about," Seiryu said.
"If none of them, then who do you think can influence the world?" Onoki asked, frowning.
"Those qualified and able to influence the world… aren't they sitting right here?" Seiryu said with a smile.
Just then, Uchiha Shingetsu and his opponent reached a fever pitch in the finals. The field was ablaze, and as his opponent accidentally met Shingetsu's gaze, it was over.
Seiryu smiled at Onoki, eyes shining. "Honestly, the only ones truly able to influence the world are you and me."
Onoki narrowed his eyes and fell silent.
After this round of probing, Onoki still couldn't see through Seiryu, but he was certain—Seiryu's ambition was far from simple.
"Hehe, seems the Hokage and I think alike," Onoki said at last. "In that case, why don't our two great villages form an alliance to face the changing times together?"
"I figured Tsuchikage's public invitation to this Chunin Exam had an ulterior motive," Seiryu replied. "But your suggestion fits perfectly with my own thoughts. If our villages work together, we'll surely accomplish much in the coming era."
"I'm glad you think so," Onoki smiled. The final battle had ended—Shingetsu's opponent, caught in a genjutsu, was unable to continue. Shingetsu took the championship for Konoha.
"As for the details, let's discuss them at tonight's banquet," Onoki suggested.
"You're the host—I'll follow your lead," Seiryu replied.
…
That night, after the banquet celebrating the successful joint Chunin Exams, Seiryu and Onoki talked late into the night.
Soon, a new treaty—the Fire-Earth Non-Aggression Pact—was drawn up between them, signed and sealed.
With everything done, Seiryu set off for home.
Before leaving, Onoki personally saw him off at the village gates.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Deidara, the two blonds, said a lingering goodbye.
"Take care of yourself, little bro. Don't use that rapid clone-dispelling trick unless you have to," Deidara said. "And here, take this."
Deidara pulled out two clay figurines and handed them to Naruto.
"What's this?" Naruto asked curiously.
"I made these with the inspiration you gave me: portable explosive clay. Pour chakra in, and they'll explode within five seconds, with the power of three explosive tags and a burst of colored light to blind your opponent," Deidara explained.
Naruto stared at the clay dolls, stunned.
"Take care of yourself, little bro. I'll come find you soon, and we'll share new artistic ideas," Deidara whispered.
"Huh? What did you say?" Fireworks for the Hokage's farewell drowned out his words.
"Nothing—take care," Deidara said, seeing Onoki glancing over.
"You too, big bro!" Naruto replied.
After their farewells, the group officially set off on their journey home.
…
A day later, just as they crossed the border out of the Land of Earth, Naruto suddenly clutched his stomach and said, "Sensei, my stomach hurts!"
"I told you not to eat cold popsicles and then hot ramen last night. Now you see the consequences," Seiryu said, giving him a side glance.
Still, Seiryu fished out a wad of paper from his pocket and handed it to Naruto. "Go deal with it far away. Remember to clean up after yourself."
"Yes!" Naruto, desperate, grabbed the paper and dashed off.
"Sensei, wasn't that paper…" Sasuke stared at Seiryu in disbelief.