413. The Troubled Rasa

As Shisui finished speaking, the Fourth Raikage narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t a fool, and Shisui’s proposal was clear:

You, Kumogakure, have been hoping to end the conflict in the Land of Hot Water, right? Fine, Konoha is giving you a chance. Since you can’t win on the battlefield, let’s settle this through the upcoming joint Chunin Exam.

It had to be said, this offer was tempting to the Fourth Raikage.

The situation in the Land of Hot Water had already deteriorated beyond repair.

Under Konoha’s overwhelming logistical capabilities and superior equipment, Kumogakure and the Hot Water ninja forces had been retreating steadily.

If the fighting continued, the flames of war would soon spread to the Land of Frost, something Kumogakure absolutely did not want to see.

The Land of Frost bordered the Land of Lightning, and if the war reached there, Kumogakure would be forced to intervene directly.

After some thought, the Fourth Raikage took a deep breath and asked cautiously, “What are the specific rules?”

Seeing the Raikage’s willingness to compromise, Shisui smiled and replied calmly, “We’ll bet on who produces the top performer in this exam—Konoha or Kumogakure. If it’s Konoha, then Kumogakure will no longer interfere in the internal affairs of the Land of Hot Water. If it’s Kumogakure, then Konoha will do its best to persuade the various factions in the Land of Hot Water to remain calm and withdraw their forces from the Land of Rice.”

In other words, the outcome of the exam would determine the fate of the Land of Hot Water.

“Agreed,” the Fourth Raikage boomed, immediately accepting Shisui’s proposal.

He added, “Tell your Hokage, and Danzo, that Kumogakure will send its most outstanding new generation of ninjas to participate in this Chunin Exam. We hope they prepare well, so we can witness the strength of Konoha’s new generation. And most importantly, don’t forget our agreement.”

It seemed the Fourth Raikage was confident of victory in this exam.

In reality, this gamble was more beneficial than harmful for Kumogakure.

After all, if the war continued, the Land of Hot Water would be lost anyway.

This was an opportunity to turn the tide.

Besides, Kumogakure’s new generation wasn’t necessarily inferior to Konoha’s. This exam wasn’t a lost cause!

“Very well. I look forward to welcoming the Raikage and your delegation,” Shisui said politely.

He then spent the rest of the day wandering around Kumogakure, citing a desire to experience the local culture and lifestyle.

Although most villagers glared at him with hostility, as an official envoy from Konoha, they didn’t dare cause trouble and could only grudgingly tolerate his presence.

Shisui, for his part, didn’t take advantage of their hospitality, paying for everything he purchased.

After wandering around for most of the day, Shisui finally led his small delegation out of Kumogakure.

Once he was gone, many in Kumogakure breathed a sigh of relief.


However, some approached the Fourth Raikage with hesitation and asked, “Lord Raikage, are we really not going to take this chance to… eliminate him?”

The implication was clear: they wanted to ambush and kill Shisui.

With Shisui, the “Border Minister,” dead, the rebel forces in the Land of Hot Water would be left leaderless.

Kumogakure could then easily reclaim the Land of Hot Water and even retake the Land of Rice.

But this foolish idea was met with a derisive laugh from the Fourth Raikage. “You know Shimura Danzo’s temperament as well as I do. If Uchiha Shisui, an official envoy, were to die in Kumogakure, Konoha would likely declare war on us tomorrow.”

The name “Shimura Danzo” instantly silenced everyone.

The “Darkness of the Shinobi” was no joke on the battlefield—his reputation was built on mountains of corpses.

If Shisui died here, the scenario the Raikage described wasn’t just possible—it was inevitable.

The thought of incurring the wrath of that demon sent shivers down their spines, and they quickly abandoned any thoughts of ambushing Shisui.

Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage sighed inwardly.

That old fox Danzo had truly become an insurmountable mountain looming over Kumogakure’s ninjas.

But he quickly regained his composure and turned to his secretary. “Immediately halt the promotions of Shinkai and Dozai to Chunin. Have them focus on training to prepare for the joint Chunin Exam.”

Shinkai and Dozai were two of Kumogakure’s rising young geniuses.

Having graduated from the ninja academy just two years ago, they already possessed the strength of Chunin, if not Special Jonin.

By delaying their promotions, the Raikage hoped to gain an advantage in the upcoming competition with Konoha.

No matter how strong Konoha’s genin were, they couldn’t possibly have Jonin-level strength, right?

“Also, Killer B’s two disciples have great potential. Let them join the team as well to gain some experience,” the Fourth Raikage added, waving his hand.

He decided to include Karui and Omoi, two of Killer B’s disciples, in the team for the Chunin Exam.

Killer B had three disciples in total.

The oldest and strongest was Samui, a blonde beauty with an impressive figure who already possessed Jonin-level strength.

However, she was a bit too old, around the same age as Kakashi, and had already been officially registered as a Jonin in Kumogakure.

Sending her would be shameless.

Therefore, the Raikage chose the younger Karui and Omoi to represent Kumogakure in the exam.

Hearing this, Mabui, who was holding a stack of documents, quickly nodded. “Understood, Lord Raikage.”

——————

Meanwhile, in the desert village of Sunagakure, the Kazekage had also received Konoha’s invitation.

Rasa, who had just finished his “brick-moving” duties, stared at the invitation in silence.

What promising talents did Sunagakure even have?

It seemed…

They had none?

Rasa rubbed his temples, his expression heavy.

Among all of Sunagakure’s genin, the only one who could be considered outstanding was his eldest daughter, Temari.

At just ten years old, her wind-style ninjutsu was already masterful.

His second son, Kankuro, showed promise in puppet techniques, but at only seven years old, he was too young.

As for his youngest son, Gaara, whom he had high hopes for, he was only five.

Despite having the power of a tailed beast, Gaara was still too unstable.

If he were to lose control in Konoha, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Just as Rasa was considering whether to decline Konoha’s invitation, his right-hand man, Baki, brought him some news—

“Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure have all accepted Konoha’s invitation. Additionally, Amegakure, Kusagakure, and even the newly established Kawagakure and Tagakure are sending participants to this exam.”