Sunagakure
"Lord Kazekage, the three of them have successfully advanced to the third stage of the exam," Baki reported, kneeling on one knee before the Fourth Kazekage.
"Well done. There won't be any issues with the agreement with the Sound Village, will there?" the Fourth Kazekage inquired.
"Here is their plan," Baki said, handing a scroll to a nearby ninja, who then presented it to the Fourth Kazekage. "Additionally, there is another piece of intelligence that requires your decision, Lord Kazekage."
"Speak," the Kazekage said, his eyes fixed on the scroll in his hands.
"Gaara's identity has likely been exposed. Konoha has increased their surveillance of him," Baki paused, then continued, "If the plan proceeds, it may be detrimental to Sunagakure."
The Fourth Kazekage remained silent for a moment, still looking at the scroll.
"...Continue with the mission."
"But... Konoha isn't stupid. This will put us at an even greater disadvantage," Baki argued.
"Continue with the mission," the Kazekage repeated.
"...Yes, sir," Baki had no choice but to obey. For a ninja, obedience to orders was paramount.
Konoha wasn't stupid, and neither was the Fourth Kazekage. If they abandoned the operation now, the moment the Sand ninjas withdrew from Konoha, Konoha would strike.
There was no turning back once the arrow was loosed. With the Jinchuriki currently within Konoha's territory, Konoha would have many concerns. Abandoning the operation would not only expose their knowledge of the Jinchuriki's situation but also subject them to Konoha's subsequent accusations.
Let them monitor the Jinchuriki. The Tailed Beasts were not so easily dealt with, and the Jinchuriki himself was no pushover.
Forced into a corner by the Land of Wind's Daimyo, the Fourth Kazekage could no longer afford to be concerned about such things. Since he'd already decided on war, there was no turning back.
Sakura looked at the rock in front of her, sliced cleanly in two by her Water Cutter, now crackling with electricity, and nodded in satisfaction.
Finally, some results. Sakura had incorporated Lightning Release into her Water Cutter. Sure enough, thanks to the lightning, the Water Cutter's penetrating power had increased, and it now also had a paralyzing effect.
The effective attack range of the Water Cutter had also significantly increased due to the addition of Lightning Release. However, the effect on the Water Bullet was unsatisfactory.
Although she added Lightning Release when forming the Water Bullet, the lightning quickly dissipated after it was fired. Without a continuous chakra output after leaving her fingertip, the lightning couldn't be maintained.
Sakura felt a bit disappointed. If she could maintain the lightning within the Water Bullet, it would be another excellent skill for restraining enemies.
But for now, Sakura was satisfied. A composite ninjutsu with extremely high penetrating power had been born in her hands. If she encountered Gaara again, Sakura could electrocute him until he was crispy in two rounds.
The downside of this lightning-enhanced Water Cutter was that it was mentally exhausting to control. However, thanks to Sakura's exceptional chakra control skills, she had mastered this composite ninjutsu relatively quickly.
Watching Sasuke pierce another rock with Raikiri, Sakura calculated the time. Tomorrow was the third stage of the Chunin Exams.
"Let's go, Sasuke," Sakura called out to him.
Sasuke had, in the end, asked Sakura for guidance on chakra control techniques. As a result, Sasuke now had a good grasp of Raikiri.
"It seems you've both made great progress this past month... Sasuke, Sakura," Kakashi said, appearing out of nowhere, as usual.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're so irresponsible! You were supposed to help Sasuke train, but I ended up doing all the work," Sakura complained.
"Hmph..." Sasuke let out a snort, his expression a bit unnatural upon hearing Sakura's words.
"Haha, sorry, sorry. I had a mission, you see," Kakashi said, scratching the back of his head. "How about I treat you all to barbecue tonight?"
"That's more like it. Let's invite Naruto too. He should have finished his training by now," Sakura said, considering that the third exam was starting tomorrow.
"Kakashi-sensei, I learned a super awesome ninjutsu!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, stuffing his face with barbecue.
"Is that so?" Kakashi responded noncommittally.
"Hehe, Sasuke, I can beat you now," Naruto turned to Sasuke, seeing Kakashi's lack of interest.
"Hmph, boring," Sasuke, whose current goal was Sakura, gave Naruto the side-eye and ignored him.
"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, I learned a super awesome ninjutsu!" Naruto, ignored by Sasuke, turned to Sakura to brag.
"Ah, congratulations. Move a bit; I can't reach the meat," Sakura, engrossed in her battle with the barbecue in front of her, paid Naruto no mind.
"Ah~~~~~~ Why is everyone like this?!" Naruto cried out, standing up in frustration.
Naruto's outburst immediately drew the attention of other diners in the restaurant.
"Haha, sorry, sorry," Jiraiya pulled Naruto back down, apologizing to the surrounding customers.
"Quiet down, Naruto," Jiraiya said, then turned to Kakashi. "What's the plan for tomorrow...?"
"...Same as always... The mission hasn't changed," Kakashi said wearily. "But with you here, I feel much more at ease."
"If something goes wrong on the old man's side, I might not be able to help. I'll have to rely on you to take care of things," Jiraiya shook his head. "After all, it's inside Konoha. You understand what I mean... This is what the old man requested..."
Jiraiya poured himself a cup of sake. "The old man knows everything... He values the village more than his own life..."
Regarding Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan, the Hokage was, ironically, the most vulnerable. Jiraiya had originally requested to stay by the Third Hokage's side to deal with any potential threat from Orochimaru.
But the Third Hokage insisted that Jiraiya not stay with him. Instead, he wanted Jiraiya to keep an eye on the Sand Village's Jinchuriki and any potential crises that might arise within the village.
Although Konoha was aware of Orochimaru's plan, they hadn't been able to capture him. Konoha's current measures were largely reactive. For now, they could only monitor the Sound and Sand ninjas.
If Orochimaru had other backup plans, Jiraiya would have to deal with them. If not, he would deal with the Sand Village's Jinchuriki.
Jiraiya downed his cup of sake, feeling a pang of sadness. He couldn't disobey the old man's orders. From the old man's words that day, Jiraiya sensed his resolve regarding what was about to happen.
He was willing to sacrifice himself to protect the village, huh? Hehe... Jiraiya poured himself another cup and drank it down.
"Pervy Sage?" Naruto said.
"Hmm~~ What is it, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.
"Can Pervy Sage come to watch my match tomorrow?" Naruto asked, his eyes filled with hope.
"...I'm afraid I can't tomorrow..." Jiraiya said. "I have a mission."
"Ah~ Ah~ Ah~ Kakashi-sensei has a mission, Pervy Sage has a mission. It feels like you're all so busy," Naruto said, grabbing his hair in frustration.
Seeing Naruto's distressed look, Jiraiya smiled reassuringly. "Next time, then."
Naruto's face immediately lit up. "Really, Pervy Sage?"
"Yeah, next time you participate in the Chunin Exams, I'll come and watch," Jiraiya said.
"Yay~~~~ That's great...!" Naruto exclaimed, but then suddenly realized something was off.
"Damn it, Pervy Sage! If I become a Chunin this time, there won't be a next time! Are you cursing me to fail?" Naruto roared, finally catching on.
"Hahahahaha~~~~~~" Everyone at the table burst into laughter.
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