"Lord Hokage, two strange people showed up in the village."
"They say they're reporters from Red Sun TV. They want to interview villagers and ninjas, asking all kinds of questions. We checked — they don't have any registration for entering or leaving the village. What should we do? Can we just handle them?"
"Red Sun… TV?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, then lowered his eyes to think. The name "Red Sun" prickled at the back of his mind.
"What questions did they ask?" he asked.
"They asked villagers: 'What do you think of ninjas? Ninjas risk their lives for us—do you respect them or hate them? How do you evaluate the role and meaning of ninjas in the world?'" the ANBU replied.
"And to ninjas they asked: 'Why did you become a ninja? What did you gain, what did you lose, do you regret choosing this life?'"
Hiruzen listened quietly, tapping his fingers on the desk. Red Sun. Red Sun TV. Red Sun Society — the name brought memories. The Red Sun Society had been around before, but faded over the years. Aside from this sudden TV station, there had been almost no sign of them.
"Keep an eye on them," Hiruzen said finally. "If they don't damage or disrupt anything, let them be. Let them ask their strange questions. Strange as they are, they're not necessarily intelligence leaks."
Outside the village gates, Sunagakure's trio had reported what had happened after returning to their station. Baki, their Jōnin guide, frowned when he heard it.
"You say a clone of that boy suppressed the One-Tail?" Baki scoffed at first, then his expression shifted. Uzumaki Naruto's strength made even him uneasy.
"Kazekage-sama," Baki said, lowering his voice, "is it wise for Sunagakure to provoke someone that terrifying?"
Meanwhile, the pre-exam visitors kept arriving.
At Konoha's gate, a group of Mist ninja came in. The lead figure was Terumi Mei, tall and striking, with long reddish-brown hair. Beside her walked a burly shinobi known as the Watermelon Mountain Puffer — imposing, slightly scowling.
"This village is livelier than ours," someone muttered.
"Don't be silly. In a few years our village will be just as lively," another replied.
Terumi's team included Kirigakure's core delegation: Nagajuro, Onito Suizuki, and Toyoichiro. Changjurou and Onigami Suizuki were prodigies known across Kirigakure; Toyoichiro was a standout Genin who rose when the village reformed under Yagura.
"I'll take first place in this Chūnin exam," one of them boasted, staring at the Hokage Monument. "After that, Kirigakure will be famous again."
Ghost-Lantern Shuiyue — a brilliant prodigy from Kirigakure — listened, pride shining on his face. He could feel the eyes of the world on him.
"Quiet, Shuiyue. Keep your voice down," Changjurou warned. He glanced nervously around.
"I'm not arrogant," Shuiyue muttered. "Just confident."
The Watermelon Pufferfish snorted. He remembered tales of Naruto and of the boy's fearsome exploits. He'd seen the aftermath — and it made him wary.
"You should be glad Naruto's already moved up to Jōnin," he told them. "Otherwise he'd be right there taking the exam with you. Who could compete with Konoha with him around?"
At that, the Mist team fell quiet. The name Uzumaki Naruto had become a shadow that made even confident genin hesitate.
Then someone spoke from within the crowd, and Naruto himself materialized among the Mist ninja — appearing so suddenly the group flinched.
"Who said they wanted to challenge me?" Naruto called lightly, smiling as he walked forward.
Terumi Mei and the Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish were stunned: how had he gotten there without anyone noticing? Shuiyue felt his muscles freeze under a gaze he couldn't explain — a strange, instinctive fear.
"Children, don't be afraid," Naruto said, chuckling. "I don't go around eating people. If any of you want to try challenging me, I welcome it."
He patted Shuiyue on the shoulder with casual confidence, then addressed Terumi Mei and the pufferfish: "Two Kirigakure guests, come with me. I, Uzumaki Naruto, will entertain you."
Terumi and the pufferfish had no choice. Stiff-faced, they followed. Their pride pricked, they swallowed their irritation and obeyed.
Shuiyue inhaled shakily. "Changjurou… help me. My legs feel weak," he whispered, both terrified and oddly excited — the boy who had been brash a moment ago now felt the cold reality of standing before someone whose name and presence changed the whole atmosphere.
Naruto turned and grinned at him. "Good. Challenge me anytime. I'll be ready."
And with that, the strange, humming pulse of the Chūnin exam season kept building — Konoha's streets filling with visitors and tension, and a single name, Uzumaki Naruto, drawing the world's eyes.
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