The day after the written exam results were announced, guests from the Kumo began arriving one after another.
They were not permitted to enter Kumogakure itself. Instead, the surrounding affiliated villages absorbed the influx of merchants, travelers, and spectators who had journeyed from afar. These settlements were more than sufficient to accommodate the crowds.
As for wealthy merchants and distinguished guests, their treatment mirrored that of the participating ninja—they were housed near the competition venue, where security was tightest and convenience assured.
However, the sudden surge of outsiders inevitably stretched Kumo's manpower thin. With most of their forces focused on guarding the key routes and entrances into the Kumo proper, surveillance around the outer areas of the venue noticeably weakened.
The noise of the crowd and the resulting gaps in oversight became perfect cover.
Seizing this opportunity, Roshi quietly created a Wood Clone.
The clone slipped soundlessly into the surging mass of people, then subtly altered its course—leaving the main road behind and disappearing into the towering mountains and jagged ridges that surrounded the Land of Lightning.
Roshi's true body remained within the venue.
Today marked the drawing ceremony, as well as the first official day of the team competition.
His earlier discussion with the Raikage had effectively reduced the likelihood of Hayate's team encountering Darui in the opening round to the lowest possible level.
Of course, if they managed to avoid Darui only to lose to another squad, there would be nothing to do but accept the result.
Likewise, if Kumogakure's carefully prepared trump card—Darui himself—were to unexpectedly fall to an unknown opponent, then the Kumo would simply have to swallow that bitter outcome as well.
Minor maneuvers before the competition fell within the bounds of tacit understanding. But once the exams officially began, excessive interference would strip the event of its meaning and thoroughly tarnish the reputation of the Joint Chūnin Exams.
At the center of the venue, the massive display screen lit up as the team matchups were revealed one by one.
With each announcement, the atmosphere rose and fell in waves.
When Kumo's first competing squad—the team containing Darui and C—was revealed to be facing Konoha's Fourth Squad, Roshi merely withdrew his gaze.
Konoha's true seeded team was the Ninth Squad.
Since Kumo had shown no intention of violating their mutual understanding, there was no need for Roshi to devote excessive attention to the venue for now.
—
Back in Konoha, the Uchiha Clan had just concluded an internal clan meeting.
This time, the discussion no longer revolved around rebellion or confrontation, but around far more practical matters. The village's attitude toward the Uchiha had clearly shifted. Not only had restrictions eased, but the clan was no longer compelled to remain exclusively within designated clan lands.
Uchiha who served as instructors at the Ninja Academy were now permitted to rent village-provided ninja apartments, allowing for easier commutes.
Those who had joined the Anbu required no explanation at all—due to the nature of their duties, they often needed to reside closer to the Hokage Tower and the mission assembly points, ready to respond at a moment's notice.
With these restrictions lifted, most clan members still chose to remain in the Uchiha district out of habit—but their mindset had fundamentally changed.
After all, "I choose to live here" and "I can only live here" were worlds apart.
The primary focus of this meeting concerned work assignments for the Hyūga Clan members who had already joined the Police Force.
Uchiha Yashiro put forward a proposal: the eight members of the Hyūga Branch Family would be assigned solely to security screening and patrol duties near the village gates.
On the surface, it was a reasonable deployment.
In practice, however, it amounted to a subtle reassignment.
The Police Force wielded its greatest influence through routine patrols within the village—areas where relationships were built, reputations formed, and authority quietly reinforced. Removing personnel from those duties meant cutting them off from the very channels that generated influence.
Yashiro's justification sounded, on the surface, entirely reasonable.
"It is common knowledge that the Hyūga Clan's Byakugan can see through solid objects," he said calmly.
"If they continue participating in routine internal patrols, it may cause unease among both civilians and fellow ninja. People will inevitably wonder whether those Hyūga might abuse their position—peering into private homes, or even spying on clan techniques."
He paused before concluding, "This adjustment is made in consideration of preserving the Police Force's reputation, as well as maintaining the trust of the villagers."
Fugaku tacitly approved the proposal.
As long as it did not openly violate the agreement reached with the Village—so long as it did not amount to forcibly expelling the Hyūga from the Police Force—then making subtle adjustments that preserved Uchiha influence was, in his view, entirely acceptable.
The discussion then shifted to the selection of new Uchiha candidates for Anbu recruitment.
Many clan members voiced their recommendations, but Fugaku approved none of them. On this matter, the true decision-maker was Itachi.
That fact, however, was not shared with those present. Fugaku simply deflected the issue with a vague response: "This matter requires review and approval by the Village."
Itachi, for his part, was barely paying attention to the meeting.
He had noticed that Enjin was once again absent from the clan gathering.
For an elite ninja possessing a three-tomoe Sharingan—someone who should have carried weight within the clan—such repeated absences were abnormal.
This anomaly had persisted ever since Itachi's return from the Eastern Front. Combined with earlier discoveries, it was no longer something he could afford to ignore.
He had given Roshi incorrect intelligence.
At the time, he had clearly heard voices inside Enjin's house while standing outside. Yet when he entered, only Enjin was present.
Subsequent monitoring and investigation yielded nothing. There were no records of visitors during that period.
Had he misheard?
Or was Enjin hiding something far more troubling?
Itachi needed answers.
Through aerial surveillance using ninja crows, Shadow Clone stakeouts conducted at staggered intervals, and even standard Anbu reconnaissance methods, he found no trace of recent human contact at Enjin's residence.
The results aligned perfectly with the previous conclusion.
Which raised a more unsettling question.
If no humans were involved… was Enjin communicating through animals? Or summoned creatures?
Yet according to Itachi's investigation, Enjin had no summoning contract. As for ninja cats, Itachi had discreetly confirmed through the Cat Granny that there had been no unusual communication activity linked to Enjin.
That left only two possibilities.
Either Itachi had been overly sensitive and imagined the voices—
—or Enjin was in contact with someone using a method of concealment that exceeded conventional reconnaissance.
With his personal resources alone, Itachi had reached a dead end—pushing further risked alerting the target.
But as an Anbu squad leader, the resources he could mobilize extended far beyond that.
He could request access to the Village's recent sensory barrier detection logs.
Though the barrier was primarily designed to detect large-scale chakra intrusions from outside the Village, it also recorded abnormal chakra fluctuations within certain internal zones.
Naturally, such access required the Hokage's approval.
"Barrier detection records?" Tsunade frowned slightly. "The barrier team is currently adjusting and reinforcing the village's overall barrier system."
"That means recent detection data may contain a large number of false positives. The readings won't be entirely reliable."
This was a security update Kakashi had been forced to implement after assuming control of Root.
Tsunade studied Itachi carefully. "For you to make this request… you believe Enjin is behaving abnormally?"
Itachi remained silent for a moment before answering, "At present, there was only a single accidental discovery. It cannot be verified and lacks supporting evidence."
Tsunade considered his words, tapping a finger lightly against the desk.
"Since it can't be confirmed," she said at last—
"Then let's test him."
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"Let's see what he chooses to do once he leaves the Village."
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