To prepare for the upcoming competition, everyone remained surprisingly relaxed.
Chihiro was the first to bring up the World Ninja League Exam, discussing it with Sakiya and the others.
Their meeting place? A familiar dango shop—one that, unsurprisingly, belonged to Sakiya's family.
Chihiro, Tsuchiya, and Sakuragi sat around a table, skewers of dango in front of them, along with carefully prepared tea.
"This seems like it's going to be a massive event," Tsuchiya mused, sipping his tea before biting into a dango skewer. "Do you think Sakiya is going too?"
Sakuragi, equally curious, glanced between Chihiro and Sakiya, waiting for an answer.
Chihiro followed suit, directing her gaze at Sakiya, who, at that moment, was utterly lost in her food.
With her mouth full, she chewed slowly, savoring every bite. As she finally swallowed, she let out a blissful sigh, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, completely enraptured by the taste.
"So good~"
Just as she reached for another skewer, she noticed everyone staring at her.
"…Huh?" Sakiya blinked in confusion. "What? Do you guys not like the dango? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Chihiro exhaled sharply, her patience wearing thin.
"Hey, Sakiya. Did Lady Tsunade tell you anything about the exam?"
Sakiya tilted her head, puzzled.
"Hmm?"
Chihiro sighed. She definitely wasn't listening earlier…
"The First World Ninja League Exam," Chihiro repeated, crossing her arms. "Did Lady Tsunade say anything about it to you?"
Sakiya tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Ohhh~ That terrifying woman did mention something about it…"
Chihiro's eyes widened.
"So it's true? You're really entering the Chunin Exam?"
Sakuragi and Tsuchiya exchanged nervous glances, both breaking into a cold sweat.
If Sakiya was competing, there wouldn't be any suspense… at least, not for who would take first place.
"I heard rumors that Lady Tsunade was going to make you retake the Chunin Exam just to boost Konoha's reputation," Chihiro said. "I didn't think they were actually true, though!"
Sakiya scratched her head, looking even more confused.
"Huh? I am involved in the exam, but I already passed mine ages ago. I'm just there as a judge."
The table fell silent.
"…A judge?"
-----
The world-class Chunin Exam was fast approaching.
Tsunade was buried in work—her desk stacked high with documents that never seemed to stop piling up. No matter how many she signed, more kept coming.
With a sigh, she finally set her pen down and stretched her arms above her head.
"Ugh… Being Hokage is such a pain… If I'd known, I would've—"
Before she could finish, a knock at the door interrupted her.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
The door creaked open, revealing Shizune, carrying yet another stack of documents.
Tsunade slumped back in her chair with a groan.
"Oh, great… It's you. I think I might actually die at this desk."
Shizune ignored the complaint, walking over to the already-overflowing desk and setting the files down.
"Tsunade-sama, you really shouldn't say things like that where others might hear."
Tsunade waved her off weakly.
"Yeah, yeah… Ugh, being Hokage is such a hassle."
She sighed, rubbing her temples.
"We really need to speed up the selection for the next one."
---
Konoha's central venue was buzzing with activity.
Over the years, the village had expanded significantly, partly due to past events. The heart of the venue was a massive arena—round like a bird's nest—surrounded by seating for spectators, with the competition set to take place at the center.
Ninjas were busy with last-minute preparations for the Chunin Exam. Among them were the familiar 15 young shinobi, all assisting with the setup as part of their duties.
"Ino! Are the signs over there done?" Sakura called out from a distance.
"Almost! Just a little more!" Ino cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice.
"How about your side?"
"All set!" Sakura responded.
Shikamaru was in charge of organizing different sections, while Choji, Naruto, Kiba, and the others placed banners and signs.
Sakiya was also involved, holding up a sign dramatically.
"Sky! Lend your power to this sign!" she declared, planting it into the designated groove.
Nothing happened.
Instead, only the section label and assigned numbers appeared.
Hinata, watching from the side, had stars in her eyes.
"That was amazing, Sakiya! You even put so much passion into placing a sign!"
Tenten sighed.
"That… didn't really sound like a compliment."
Meanwhile, Tsuchiya and Sakuragi were setting up tables and chairs.
Sakuragi glanced around at the busy scene and turned to Tsuchiya.
"Hey, do you really think we should be doing these small tasks before the competition?"
Tsuchiya, adjusting a table, grinned.
"Why not? A little relaxation is part of training too."
Sakuragi raised an eyebrow.
"We've been relaxing a little too much lately, don't you think?"
"Aha~ No need to sweat the details."
Sakuragi sighed.
"Whatever. You guys are strong enough anyway… There's not much else to say."
---
Konoha had mobilized countless shinobi to welcome the arriving teams. Today was the day ninja squads from other villages would begin arriving.
The first delegation to arrive was from the Mist Village, led by none other than the Fifth Mizukage, Terumi Mei.
When Mei spotted Sakiya among the Konoha reception team, she immediately brightened.
"Sakiya! You're here!"
Sakiya, holding a welcome sign, remained expressionless.
"I'm just doing my duty."
"Oh~!" Mei grinned and, before Sakiya could react, pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her cheek against hers.
"Well, either way, I'm glad you're part of the welcoming team!"
Her enthusiasm didn't go unnoticed. The other delegations were surprised to see Sakiya in the reception group.
As more teams arrived, Tsunade watched from her office, reviewing the participant list. Her brow furrowed as she recognized some of the names.
"Kurotsuchi? Chojuro?" she muttered.
Those two were former bodyguards to the Kage.
She rubbed her temples.
"Of course… This is exactly why I didn't want Sakiya competing."