"Now this is what you call the pinnacle of youth!"
Inside the Chūnin Exam arena, Might Guy had tears streaming down his face as he looked at the young boys and girls before him, giving them a big thumbs up.
"Sigh."
Standing beside him, Kakashi closed his eyes, no longer willing to look at this hot-blooded fool.
Around them stood several Chūnin of various ages from Konohagakure. All of them had been carefully selected to serve as proctors for this exam, tasked with monitoring the candidates for any cheating.
As a Jōnin, Kakashi was the chief proctor for the first testing ground of the Chūnin Exams.
At the same time, this was also the first Chūnin Exam held as a collaboration between the Great Nations.
However, though it was labeled a collaboration, in reality, aside from Konoha and Sunagakure, the rest of the participants were small and weak villages like Kusagakure and Takigakure.
Especially Kusagakure—having just suffered an attack, they had scraped together a team of examinees solely to show goodwill toward Konoha.
"Honestly, I think a hot-blooded guy like Guy should've been assigned to the combat arena as a proctor."
Yawning, Takeshi, who was crouched in a hidden corner in charge of exam security, curled his lip in displeasure.
Konoha's higher-ups were really treating him like a workhorse—his schedule for next month and even the month after had already been arranged.
Not even his old man had anything to say about it. Every day, he came home from the Anbu training division reeking of smoke.
Hiruzen too—he could've easily requested his own office, yet insisted on squeezing into the same room with Takeshi's father.
And now, after three years of being steeped in smoke together, his dad was thoroughly marinated. Wherever he went, he left behind a choking stench of cigarettes.
"I'm going to rest for a bit. Call me if something comes up."
Patting the Hyūga Jōnin next to him—whose name he didn't know—Takeshi said that, then found a relatively clean corner, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.
Though he too was a Jōnin, and older than Takeshi at that, the Hyūga said nothing. Obediently, he activated his Byakugan, staying on high alert for any emergencies.
"This village too... why do they insist on holding these joint Chūnin Exams? Things were simpler back in our day—3 vs 3, and you got promoted based on performance."
"You and I could never understand the Fourth's thinking. Just look at the Police Force. Would you have ever imagined it'd become an open recruitment department?"
"True enough."
The two assisting Chūnin kept watch while chatting in low voices.
"Actually, this setup isn't bad. I've got a friend who works in the Hokage building. He told me that originally, the plan was to invite the daimyōs of all the countries to attend in person."
"Seriously? If that had happened, we wouldn't have nearly enough manpower!"
The Chūnin looked stunned upon hearing this.
"What's there to worry about? Don't we still have Takeshi-senpai? He can totally—"
"I cannot."
Not fully asleep yet, Takeshi lazily waved off the praise, cutting him off mid-sentence.
He was already busy enough—please don't dump more work on him.
"Uh..." The Chūnin, who had intended to flatter him subtly, was left awkward and speechless.
"Speaking of which, the Kumogakure peace delegation is supposed to arrive in Konoha next month, right? If everything goes smoothly, the ninja world might finally see true peace. We won't have to live in fear of being suddenly deployed to the border for battle."
Seeing his companion's embarrassment, the other Chūnin quickly changed the subject.
"Let's hope so."
...
The Chūnin Exams ended without any disturbances.
After receiving reports, the various daimyōs expressed great satisfaction with the format of the exam.
Moreover, the final one-on-one battles had been a highlight, giving them a clear view of the next generation's strength in each village.
Even the gambling houses had sensed opportunity and were eagerly anticipating the next round of exams.
All in all, a win-win outcome.
In the Hokage building, looking at the generous budget increases casually granted by the pleased daimyōs, Sakumo finally felt some relief.
All the planning during this period hadn't been in vain.
However, the relief didn't last long.
Before long, department heads who could smell the scent of money began to appear at the Hokage's office.
Each of them claimed their department had made new progress and urgently needed Konoha to allocate funding.
Sakumo ended up with a massive headache.
He could only say he needed time to consider before managing to send them all away.
"Haha, well, Fourth, the work of a Hokage sure is hard, isn't it?"
Just as Sakumo was about to take a sip of water to rest, he heard the familiar voice of Hiruzen.
"I heard the delegation is arriving soon. How's the preparation going for the negotiations?"
"I've left the specific details to Shikaku. With his abilities, I trust he won't give Kumogakure any room to make unreasonable demands."
Sakumo had full confidence in Shikaku's capability.
"But what if—just what if—they propose some harsh conditions? What then?"
Hiruzen asked the key question.
"Third-sama, right now Konoha has the strength to launch a large-scale operation if it's only against Kumogakure." Sakumo's expression hardened, his tone resolute.
...
During the welcome ceremony specially prepared by Konoha, the delegation from Kumogakure arrived as scheduled.
Perched atop a tall building, Takeshi spotted the leading Kumo shinobi.
A middle-aged man with a bushy beard and a wide smile—he truly seemed to be here for peace.
"That guy... doesn't seem very strong."
At Takeshi's signal, Suzume sensed the man's chakra and quickly came to a conclusion.
The negotiations went far smoother than anyone had imagined.
Not only did Kumogakure refrain from making any harsh demands, they didn't even ask for compensation. Even the shinobi sent for the talks radiated such peaceful energy that one had to seriously wonder—were these really the same muscle-headed brutes everyone knew?
In just half a day, both sides had already drafted the main framework of the peace agreement.
"Please, everyone, allow me to guide you to your accommodations."
As the Police Force led the delegation toward their inn, Shikaku sat down in his chair, deep in thought.
He wasn't the only one feeling confused.
Sakumo and Hiruzen, after receiving the report, also sensed something was off.
"Just in case, let's assign a capable Jōnin to the border—better to be safe than sorry."
Years of experience on the battlefield had sharpened Sakumo's instincts.
"I'll go."
Hiruzen volunteered.
These old bones hadn't stretched in a while.
"No. Let's wait for news from the Anbu first."
Sending out a powerful asset too suddenly might cause unnecessary suspicion.
Declining Hiruzen's offer, Sakumo decided to dispatch the Anbu to gather intel first.