Just as Roshi stepped out of the Hokage Building, a familiar figure caught his eye.
"Yo! Captain!"
The purple-haired kunoichi waved enthusiastically, a bright grin on her face.
Roshi stopped short. He had been away in the Land of Lightning for nearly two months.
During that ti, Team Five had effectively been on standby. Aside from Anko—who had remained in the Village—the team hadn't taken on any major assignnts. Anko either temporarily joined understaffed squads for low-level missions or managed her own schedule.
In the end, she'd chosen to take leave and head out for independent training.
"You're back already?" Roshi asked as she strode up to him in a few quick steps.
"Yep!" Anko replied cheerfully. "I just finished filing my return paperwork and was about to check what missions were available."
"Seriously, though—I almost thought I'd co back to the wrong village," she added, talking faster as excitent bubbled up. "There's suddenly this huge construction site outside the gates!"
"I heard it's for the Chūnin Exams."
"…Which ans it has to be your doing, right, Roshi?"
Her words tumbled out one after another. Roshi didn't interrupt—he simply listened. When she finally paused for breath, he asked calmly:
"So, how did the training go?"
Anko scratched her cheek with a finger, her expression turning thoughtful.
"I think I hit a bit of a wall. My taijutsu and movent speed didn't improve much."
Orochimaru's snake-style ninjutsu, after all, relied heavily on physical modification—or worse, the developnt of cursed seals.
That path wasn't open to Anko.
"As for ninjutsu…" she perked up slightly. "I've completely mastered Twin Snakes Mutual Death."
Roshi's brow twitched. He lifted his hand and lightly rapped her on the head with his knuckles.
"There's no need to put that much effort into a technique designed for mutual destruction."
"Hehe… but it's an S-rank ninjutsu," Anko laughed, shrinking her neck and deftly changing the subject. "So, you just got out of a eting—new mission?"
"The Kumogakure envoy delegation has arrived," Roshi said briefly. "The Fifth Hokage assigned to handle their reception."
He glanced up at the sky, where the setting sun had begun to stain the horizon with warm colors.
"But there's no urgency. Formal talks can start tomorrow."
Then he looked back at her.
"Since you're back from training—and Itachi isn't particularly busy right now…"
"A get-together?" Anko's eyes sparkled.
"Yes," Roshi confird.
"A get-together."
The personnel changes within Konoha—especially the news that Roshi had formally taken charge of Kumo delegation duties—were never ant to be secret. It didn't take long for the Kumogakure delegation to learn of them.
"If Konoha were willing to agree outright, even if we conceded part of the profits, it would still benefit us," Dodai said with a hint of regret. "But since he's involved, things won't be that simple. He personally witnessed the crowds during the matches and understands the real scale of the revenue. Negotiations won't be smooth."
This ti, Kumogakure deliberately avoided getting bogged down in the finer details of the Chūnin Exams themselves, instead presenting a frank and cooperative attitude. Their real objective lay elsewhere—securing swift agreent on the far more promising clause of practical combat exchanges.
"Konoha has already started building a new dedicated venue outside the village," Samui said evenly. "And it's no small project. That alone tells us their leadership has clearly grasped the profits and influence at stake."
"There's no chance they'll casually give up hosting rights—or dominance over profit distribution."
Dodai nodded in agreent. "Exactly. Once Iwagakure jumped in and began stirring the waters, insisting on tying all comrcial operations exclusively to the traditional Chūnin Exams stopped making sense."
"Clinging to that frawork would only risk losing our first-finders' advantage."
"Reaching a consensus with Konoha and jointly opening a new competitive channel is far more beneficial for Kumogakure's long-term developnt—and for maintaining initiative within the Ninja World."
He continued, laying out the logic for his companions.
"Konoha has a strong need for a stable external environnt."
"Even if they push for a larger share of competition profits, as long as cooperation is secured and a stable exchange chanism is established, we can still rely on our early experience—and selective initiative—to negotiate long-term terms favorable to Kumogakure."
That was precisely why, after receiving Konoha's proactive invitation, Kumogakure had chosen not to press for leverage over Chūnin Exam details.
Instead, they advanced a new proposal outright.
Konoha had already demonstrated—through undeniable results—that its new generation continued to produce exceptional talent.
With war now the worst possible option, and a competitive yet cooperative relationship becoming the long-term expectation, the real question was how Kumogakure could continue to extract tangible benefits from this evolving dynamic.
"The upcoming informal talks," Dodai said, turning his gaze to Samui, "will be handled by you."
The implication was clear.
This wasn't just diplomacy—it was the opening move of a much longer ga.
The following day, outside the inn where the Kumogakure envoy delegation was staying in Konoha.
Roshi arrived precisely at the appointed ti. Only Samui stood at the entrance, waiting.
"Roshi-san," she greeted him with a slight nod.
Roshi shook his head gently. "Not this ti. I'm not acting as the leader of a Konoha squad on an external mission. I'm here as reception staff for your delegation during your stay."
"Just call Roshi, Samui-san."
Samui glanced down Konoha's streets, her tone calm. "Last ti, you've bought so local specialties from Kumogakure."
"This ti, I'll trouble you to guide . I'd like to experience Konoha's specialties as well."
Konoha's… specialties?
That question genuinely stumped Roshi. What were Konoha's specialties again? Might Guy's jumpsuit?
Noticing his brief hesitation, Samui raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"Is it because Konoha has too many products, and it's hard to choose the most representative one?"
"Ah—no," Roshi quickly discarded the odd thought and returned to his usual composure. "To be honest, Konoha doesn't really have many famous export goods."
After a mont's consideration, he added, "That said, there are artisans in the Village who specialize in masks—fox masks, and similar styles. Their craftsmanship is quite distinctive. If you don't mind, we could take a look."
"Masks?" Samui nodded. "That sounds fine. Please, lead the way."
They walked side by side through Konoha's streets, passing the lively comrcial district before turning into quieter alleys.
Along the way, Samui's gaze swept across the masks displayed at shop entrances—solemn deities, smiling gods of fortune, fierce spirits, and playful faces. The variety was dazzling.
She lingered, clearly intrigued.
Finally, she stopped before one particular shop, lifted a pure white fox mask adorned with sharp crimson markings around the eyes, and studied it closely—the brushwork, the lacquer's sheen, the precision of its lines.
After a brief mont, she gently returned it to its place.
Leaving the artisan-filled alley behind, they continued down a more secluded path lined with trees. Foot traffic thinned, until only the soft rustling of leaves remained.
Then Samui spoke again.
Dispensing with small talk, she went straight to the heart of the matter.
"Roshi," she said evenly, "regarding Kumogakure's proposal to establish a regular practical combat exchange—does Konoha currently have any preliminary stance or inclination?"
—
Genji found the present era… unfamiliar.
The revelation that the previous Mizukage had been controlled by genjutsu was difficult to swallow—but this was the ninja world. Strange and terrifying abilities were hardly unprecedented.
Compared to the power once wielded by the First Hokage, this incident was almost trivial.
Still, Kirigakure's reputation had suffered greatly during that period.
What truly unsettled Genji, however, was the sheer amount of money generated by sothing like the Chūnin Exams.
Over a hundred million ryō?
How many high-level missions would that even require?
An S-rank mission, at minimum, paid one million ryō.
That ant one hundred S-rank missions—completed successfully—just to match that figure.
Even a small-scale local war might not incur direct mission expenses equivalent to a hundred S-rank missions.
The disparity was staggering.
This new model's earning potential, far surpassing the traditional mission system, made it impossible for him to remain idle.
Soone had to be sent to observe and understand how it worked.
But choosing the right personnel to approach Konoha required caution.
Ao, with his Byakugan, was out of the question.
If Ao couldn't go, then i Terumī—the pri candidate for Mizukage—certainly couldn't either. The risk was unacceptable.
"Inform Zabuza and Gonbei," Genji ordered calmly. "Have them prepare to represent Kirigakure on a visit to Konoha."
"Their mission is to formally inquire whether the Hidden Mist Village may participate in the Chūnin Exams jointly hosted by Konoha and Kumogakure."
He paused, then added,
"More importantly—have them see, with their own eyes, how Konoha is preparing these exams."
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