Outside Yugakure, the five of them arrived safely.
Yugakure didn't look much different from the surrounding towns and villages. It was still filled with hot springs, birdsong, and fragrant flowers, with a picturesque landscape and consistent architectural style.
This beautiful country truly made it easy to forget the noise and chaos of the outside world.
Kyohiko looked around.
Inside the village, many ninjas were coming and going. Apart from Yugakure ninjas, there were also ninjas from Kirigakure and Kumogakure.
Most of them had arrived early.
Konoha, on the other hand, only had their team present for now.
"Is this Yugakure?"
Kurenai held her book, her eyes filled with curiosity.
A village that had forgotten war.
A peaceful village.
She scanned the surroundings, observing the situation along the road, but soon frowned.
The streets were bustling with people, but there were frequent arguments and conflicts.
When they reached their temporary residence.
"I heard Yugakure is a peace-loving village, but after entering, I feel like they don't really welcome us."
Kurenai whispered.
"Maybe it's because they think our arrival has disrupted the peace of the village."
Minato sighed.
To the ninjas of Yugakure, ninjas from other villages were aggressive and competitive, making it impossible for them to coexist peacefully.
With the sudden increase in ninjas...
It was normal for Yugakure to experience some level of chaos.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since we're in Yugakure, we should follow their rules and try not to cause any conflicts."
"Got it!"
Everyone agreed in unison.
...
"Roar! Kyohiko, let's have an exciting duel!"
"Then let's play rock-paper-scissors. It's a great test of eyesight and reflexes."
Kyohiko calmly extended his hand.
Gai's eyes lit up, fully agreeing.
"You're right! Come on..."
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
"..."
Watching the two of them rapidly changing their hand gestures, Kurenai sighed helplessly and turned her attention back to her book.
These two were really bored out of their minds!
But.
It had been several days now.
Jiraiya-sensei had told them not to go out, and Kyohiko had the same attitude. They had no idea what was happening outside.
"I'm back."
"Huh?"
Kurenai was startled. She looked up to see Kyohiko jumping down from the roof and landing beside her.
She was stunned for a moment, then looked toward the courtyard—
So it was a shadow clone?
"Where did you go?"
"Minato-senpai is heading to Iwagakure. I went to see him off."
Kyohiko jumped down.
It had been several days since they arrived in Yugakure. Minato had received orders to go to Iwagakure to discuss the recent ambush—
As Kyohiko had expected, things had escalated!
Because...
Not only had Konoha been attacked, but the Kumogakure team heading to Yugakure had also been ambushed. However, the attackers had fled after striking, making it difficult to determine their origin.
With Konoha's ambush as the "jewel in the crown," Jiraiya had been spreading the word.
After Kumogakure was attacked, Genji quickly stated that Kirigakure had nothing to do with it.
But.
Dodai wasn't entirely convinced—
The relationship between Kirigakure and Kumogakure wasn't exactly friendly.
Due to the mountainous terrain and harsh environment of the Land of Lightning, they valued maritime resources even more than the Land of Fire.
Their conflicts with the Land of Water over maritime resources were far more intense than those with the Land of Fire.
As affiliated villages, the friction between the two was naturally significant.
So.
Now, the Kirigakure ninjas in Yugakure had all toned down their aggressive tendencies, behaving as peacefully as the Yugakure ninjas.
Meanwhile, Gai, after playing rock-paper-scissors for a while, suddenly noticed Kyohiko and Kurenai sitting and chatting nearby. He was momentarily stunned, then realized—
"Ah! It was a shadow clone!"
"Shadow clones don't affect the duel."
Kyohiko smiled but still dispelled the shadow clone.
Gai felt a bit bored.
Just as he was about to speak, there was a "knock knock knock" from outside.
"There are three people."
Kyohiko listened carefully.
"I'll get the door."
Kyohiko went to greet them.
After opening the door, he saw three Konoha genin slightly older than them standing outside. One of them looked familiar.
Yamashiro Aoba?
The one beside him was likely Namiashi Raido, but the last person was unfamiliar.
They were a few years older than Kyohiko and the others, having graduated in the same year as Kakashi, which made them eligible to take the exam
"Hello, we're the second team participating in the exam."
Yamashiro Aoba introduced himself.
For this exam, each village was being cautious and not sending ninjas lightly.
Only elites were being sent.
Kyohiko nodded and was about to speak when he heard an unusual sound.
"Huh?"
He looked behind them.
Kyohiko thought for a moment, then said, "Please, come in."
"Thank you."
Yamashiro Aoba expressed his gratitude.
Then, they entered the courtyard.
But.
The moment the three turned and entered, Kyohiko teleported away.
On a tree across the street, a figure quickly flashed and tried to run away, but the next moment, he froze on the wall—
A blade was pressed against his neck.
So fast!
He hadn't even seen it clearly. All he saw was a blur, and then the blade was at his throat.
What terrifying speed!
The intel was correct.
This guy's strength was truly terrifying!
The ninja with the blade at his neck broke out in a cold sweat.
"Although my swordsmanship is average, I advise you not to move. Your teleportation speed is definitely no match for my blade."
Kyohiko said calmly.
He examined the ninja and was surprised to see the forehead protector—
The ninja wasn't from Kirigakure or Kumogakure as he had expected, but from Amegakure.
There were indeed Amegakure ninjas participating in this exam.
But.
Why was he spying on him?
Kyohiko was puzzled, then pressed the blade closer to the ninja's neck.
"Who are you?"
"Kyusuke. I'm a ninja from Amegakure."
The ninja's face turned pale.
Kyohiko frowned.
Kyusuke.
Who was that?
He didn't have a strong impression...
"Why were you following my teammates?"
"I mean no harm. I just heard some things about you and got curious, so I followed to take a look."
Kyusuke explained.
Kyohiko's eyes narrowed slightly.
Even Amegakure ninjas knew about him?
Someone was trying to put him in the spotlight!
"Where did you get information about me?"
"Well..."
The ninja hesitated.
At that moment, a "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound suddenly rang out.
Pieces of paper flew toward Kyohiko.
Hearing the sound, Kyohiko immediately sidestepped, slashing the incoming papers with his blade. However, Kyusuke had already escaped from under his blade, fleeing under the cover of the remaining papers.
Paper.
Konan?
Kyohiko looked in the direction the papers had come from—
The opponent's presence was well-hidden. He only caught the sound when they made their move.
Was it them?
Yahiko and the others shouldn't be genin anymore, and their relationship with Amegakure wasn't that deep. Why would they come to participate in the Chunin Exams?
Or.
They weren't here for the Chunin Exams.
Kyohiko hesitated for a moment, then sheathed his blade and didn't pursue.
"Who were they?"
"Amegakure ninjas, but they didn't seem to have malicious intentions. They were just curious about us."
Kyohiko replied.
"Amegakure ninjas?"
The others were surprised.
Konoha and Amegakure had been through a war. In recent years, Amegakure's policies had shifted toward isolation and peace, with little interaction with major villages like Konoha.
Who would have thought they would send people to Yugakure for this joint Chunin Exam?