The tree-planting experints were progressing poorly.
Trees forcibly stimulated by Wood Release could barely survive once Roshi withdrew his Chakra. Even when he carefully introduced traces of Tailed Beast Chakra, it was imdiately devoured—broken down and converted into nothing more than nutrients to sustain the tree's life.
Wood Release did possess techniques for cultivating ordinary trees, but the resulting wood lacked the capacity to contain or stabilize Tailed Beast Chakra.
Roshi searched for a solution that involved using a gentler, more restrained application of Wood Release, but among all the known techniques, he found no suitable option.
Of course, this was hardly surprising.
Hashirama used Wood Release to absorb Chakra, raise forests, suppress enemies, and even construct entire buildings. He never needed to worry about "fine control" for sothing as roundabout as integrating Tailed Beast Chakra—if the First Hokage wanted a Tailed Beast, he would simply go and capture it.
Roshi, however, did not have that luxury.
If he wanted Wood Release to act as a stable carrier, he would have to develop that path himself—starting with the fundantals: selecting appropriate tree species and carefully stimulating their vitality through controlled Wood Release.
He had already tested every viable species available within Konoha, running through an entire cycle of experints. The results, unfortunately, were far from ideal.
At this rate, he would eventually have to travel beyond the village to search for more suitable flora.
Ti passed without him noticing.
By the ti Roshi finally resurfaced from his research, the fifty-sixth year of Konoha had already begun. He was sixteen now—and noticeably taller, standing at roughly 175 centiters.
The next ti he stepped into the Hokage Office, Tsunade was buried in paperwork. She looked up—and froze.
Roshi hadn't appeared in the Hokage Building for over a month. During that ti, he had been completely absorbed in his experints, officially requesting extended leave and keeping Tsunade inford of his whereabouts.
For once, the Fifth Hokage had granted him that freedom.
Now, seeing him again, she stood up abruptly and circled him once, eyes narrowing.
"…You," she said slowly. "Did you grow taller again?"
"As you can see," Roshi replied calmly.
Tsunade was 163 centiters tall. Standing side by side now, the difference was unmistakable—Roshi was nearly half a head taller than her.
"Hmph," she snorted. "Still a brat in the middle of a growth spurt."
"Are you jealous? After all, you've been past that stage for—"
He didn't get to finish.
A chilling killing intent washed over him as Tsunade stepped forward, seized his collar with one hand, and hauled him closer. Her other fist rose, perfectly aligned.
"Go on," she said sweetly. "Keep talking. From this distance, I promise I won't miss."
"…It's been a few months," Roshi corrected himself instantly.
"Hmph. Taller or not, you're still as bad at talking as ever." Tsunade released him, turned, and dropped onto the sofa, lazily pointing toward her desk. "Check the docunt there."
"And when you're done, bring the things from the low cabinet next to it."
Roshi walked over, picked up the file, and skimd it quickly.
"Chūnin Exams… candidate list?" His eyes paused on a familiar na.
Iruka Umino? Still a Genin?
That wasn't surprising. If Roshi rembered correctly, Iruka was promoted to Chūnin at sixteen. At this point in ti, his na appearing on the exam roster was perfectly reasonable.
"Hm," Tsunade's voice drifted lazily from the sofa. "In about two months, the Chūnin Exams hosted by Kumogakure will begin. The Raikage sent a letter specifically requesting that Konoha's team depart early."
"Participation is actually quite limited this ti. Aside from us—who agreed as part of last year's trade arrangents—the only villages that have formally confird attendance are the smaller ones: the Land of Frost and Yugakure."
Roshi frowned slightly. "Then why leave so early? Last year, Kumogakure's team didn't arrive in Konoha until just before the exams began."
"Bring the items first."
Tsunade cut him off.
Roshi opened the low cabinet beside the desk. This ti, instead of the usual small side dishes, he found neatly packaged snacks—clearly prepared in advance.
Flavored mini sausages. Spicy squid tentacles. Dried scallops. Grilled salmon jerky.
…Perfect drinking food.
"It's still dayti," Roshi reminded her flatly.
"Shut it. You're the one working today," Tsunade shot back. "Soone who's been on leave for over a month has no right to complain."
After placing the sake and snacks on the coffee table, Tsunade continued, her tone turning more businesslike.
"Kumogakure announced Konoha's participation a long ti ago. Using that as bait, rchants from all over have already pre-booked spectator seats for the exams."
"They've even started selling tickets publicly."
"That's the main reason they want us to arrive early."
She clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed. "If it were only the Land of Frost and Yugakure attending, no one would bother paying much attention. But once Konoha's na is attached, it's a different story."
"I didn't expect those Lightning Country brutes to be so business-savvy," she added. "I heard tickets for the main tournant are already being resold for tens of thousands of ryō."
Roshi raised an eyebrow. That was expensive.
Thinking back to last year's joint Chūnin Exams in Konoha, ticket prices hadn't reached anything close to that level.
Of course, Konoha's approach had been different. Their invitations had been aid primarily at daimyō and nobles, focusing on political leverage and mission quotas rather than direct profit. Kumogakure, on the other hand, was clearly prioritizing ticket revenue.
It made sense.
Kumogakure's location was relatively remote, its influence radiating mainly toward the Land of Frost, the Land of Hot Springs, and the Land of Forest. Unlike Konoha, which sat at a major transportation hub and naturally attracted mission requests, Kumogakure had to be more proactive.
Build spectacle. Build reputation.
If the competition was exciting enough, the wealthy would co on their own.
While Tsunade sipped her sake leisurely, Roshi continued scanning the candidate list.
"Yūgao Uzuki?" he said. "She joined Anbu a long ti ago, didn't she?"
"And Gekkō Hayate…"
"Weren't both of them already promoted to Chūnin years ago?"
"They were," Tsunade replied casually. "But Kumogakure is making a big show of this. When a host advertises this loudly, you can't rule out them slipping in so monsters among the participants."
"We have to be prepared."
"If Kumogakure only sends ordinary Genin, then Hayate and Yūgao will hold back—or even deliberately lose if necessary. You always leave the host so face."
"But if we send only Genin and they get crushed, it reflects poorly on Konoha. That, in turn, affects how many missions we receive this year."
"What about Kosuke Maruboshi?" Roshi asked. "He's still a Genin."
Tsunade blinked. "You know about him too?"
"He's sowhat famous in the Ninja World," she continued. "Sending him would be… awkward. Hayate and Yūgao are from your generation—young enough that no one will question it."
She glanced at Roshi with a faint smirk. "If you hadn't drawn so much attention to yourself so early, you might've been sent this year."
"Unfortunately for you, you're staying on the sidelines."
She straightened slightly, her tone turning firm.
"But you will be leading the team to Kumogakure."
"Kumogakure still has so unresolved issues regarding procedures and scheduling for the exams. They want to discuss them in advance."
"If you're there, you can make decisions on the spot." Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. "In the end, it's just a Chūnin Exam."
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