Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Upon entering, I was greeted by the Hokage's direct and straightforward question.

"When I returned to the village this morning, I encountered a group of Sand Ninja who were there to participate in the Chunin Exams. There was a boy among them who seemed a bit off; he gave me a bad feeling." Kakashi reported his encounter as simply and clearly as possible, following the draft he had prepared in his mind.

"A Sand Ninja team? Didn't they arrive three days ago?"

Zongxian rubbed his temples.

I'm a little puzzled.

"Wait...it seems the Sand Village's documents said a small team was delayed due to an accident and would arrive a few days later." Sogen tapped his temple, remembering this trivial matter he hadn't paid any attention to. "You said there was a boy among them who seemed off, what do you mean? A boy...he should be a genin taking the exam, right? Just a genin..."

Having said that,

Zongxian suddenly fell silent.

It seems inappropriate to use the term "mere genin." He didn't read through the stack of documents submitted by the Sand Village ninja word by word; he only glanced at the highlighted points and didn't look at the list of Sand Village genin who participated in the Chunin Exams.

but,

Judging from Kakashi's reaction, perhaps that boy's name is also on the list.

"What's the name of that genin you mentioned? What are his distinguishing features?"

"His name is Gaara. He has red hair, a love symbol 'love' etched on his forehead, and very dark circles under his eyes—it's unclear if it's makeup or real. He carries a large, yellowish-brown gourd, about a meter tall, on his back. But what's most striking is the boy's unique aura; standing in a crowd, he appears as lonely as someone in a desolate wilderness..."

Sogen listened to Kakashi's rambling nonsense in one ear and out the other.

Gaara,

The gourd boy from Sunagakure has indeed arrived!

Even though the Chunin Exams were held at a different time and were of a different nature this time, the One-Tailed Jinchuriki from Sunagakure still came. In the original timeline, Gaara was sent to Konoha by Sunagakure as a strategic weapon to destroy Konoha, but ultimately failed to achieve the planned goal due to the interference of the fox spirit.

Then,

This time,

What were the Sand Village's motives in bringing the One-Tailed Jinchuriki to Konoha?

"······interesting."

Zongxian laughed.

Although it's still unclear what the Sand Ninja want to do.

But this is what makes the Chunin Exams so interesting! If there aren't any worthy opponents, how can we highlight the abilities of Yakumo, Naruto, and the others? Besides, they're just tailed beasts; there's no need to worry about them causing any trouble. And I doubt the Sand Village would dare to cause any trouble or sabotage.

"Lord Hokage, this matter..."

"That boy is indeed extraordinary, just like Naruto."

Zongxian said it directly.

"Like Naruto... he's the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast?" Kakashi immediately tensed up. They actually brought a Jinchuriki to Konoha. What were the Sand Village planning to do? His mind subconsciously recalled the night his teacher sacrificed himself.

"Kakashi, don't be nervous. He's just a Jinchūriki. There's nothing to worry about."

Zongxian said it casually.

"I guess the Sand Village doesn't have the guts to do anything. Maybe they just plan to use the Jinchuriki's fighting power to show off their strength to the outside world during this Chunin Exam. Of course, this is just my guess, but... like I said, there's absolutely no need to worry about anything. The Sand Village doesn't have the guts or the ability to cause trouble in Konoha."

This domineering statement left Kakashi speechless for a moment.

Simultaneously,

Recalling the operation that annihilated Otogakure a week ago, and remembering the three Susanoo that surrounded the vast village from different directions, those behemoths were indeed no less formidable than the Tailed Beasts.

Furthermore, there's the Hokage.

Rinnegan

The legendary Rinnegan is said to be the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. Unfortunately, due to his injury, he was unable to participate in the raid on Amegakure, so he never got to see what kind of supernatural power this legendary Rinnegan possessed! But it must be an incredible power, right?

"······I see."

Kakashi said, bowing his head.

Is there anything else?

Zongxian asked casually.

"There's one more thing... about the Chunin Exams. I'm planning to recommend Naruto to participate." Kakashi singled out Naruto here, not including Sasuke and Sakura.

"Then let's participate!"

Zongxian looked at Kakashi, puzzled. What was there to say? If he wanted to recommend Naruto and the others for the exam, he should just do it; that was the prerogative of the team leader. Why single it out? Ah… okay! He understood; it was all about the Jinchuriki again.

"What? Are you worried that something might happen to Naruto? Jiraiya-senpai checked the seal on Naruto's body on Turtle Island, and it does show signs of loosening, but it's still a long way from going berserk! Stop worrying all the time. This is Konoha. Nothing will happen to Naruto. I won't allow that to happen... Besides these two things, is there anything else you want to say?"

"Nothing."

Kakashi responded in a muffled voice.

"Then go home and rest! The Chunin Exams are about to begin. Although as the team leader you can't participate in the preparations for the Chunin Exams, you'll be there for the whole thing. Well, it's not that tiring, but anyway, get out of here. I have a bunch of problems to deal with!"

Zongxian immediately kicked Kakashi out.

He's really busy right now.

While dealing with these endless official duties, he was also familiarizing himself with the ins and outs of the Gedo Mazo. He didn't have much time to chat with Kakashi. He just needed to finish today's official duties quickly so he could take a short break. To be honest, being the Hokage, although it was a powerful position, was a fascinating experience.

But the responsibility on his shoulders was equally heavy, with endless official duties to handle every day, even with the assistance of several secretaries, led by Kabuto Yakushi.

Fortunately, the Second Hokage developed the Shadow Clone Technique, a divine skill.

Otherwise, Zongxian probably wouldn't be interested in sitting in this position for long.

"However... it's only been a busy period." Zongxian sighed softly. Once the Gedo Mazo is thoroughly investigated and the Chunin Exams are over, he should be able to have a few days to rest. It's just that recently, because of the Chunin Exams, the workload has more than doubled, and he's been quite overwhelmed.

Normally,

While it's impossible to have a leisurely time, it's not as extreme as it has been lately.

Lately, he has truly become a spinning top, constantly being whipped and turned.

"Lord Hokage?"

After Kakashi left, Kabuto Yakushi pushed open the door and came in, asking, "Shall we call the next person to be met?"

"Continue. Oh, and Kabuto, also send someone to tell Shisui to send a few good men to keep an eye on the Sand Village's embassy. The Sand Village has sent the One-Tailed Jinchuriki to participate in this Chunin Exam. Although the Sand Village probably doesn't have the guts to cause trouble, it's still good to keep an eye on them! The Sand Village's terrible sealing techniques aren't very reliable."

This is the truth.

Sogen wasn't worried about the Sand Ninja plotting anything. In comparison, the possibility of the One-Tailed Jinchuriki accidentally going out of control was much greater. When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, the Sand Ninja and the Rock Ninja were too far away to get a share of the spoils. Apart from the essence that was taken away by the Leaf Village, the remaining scraps were divided up by the Mist Ninja and the Cloud Ninja.

"Yes, I understand."

Kabuto Yakushi was not surprised by the news of the One-Tailed Jinchuriki. Although he was not used in the battle to raid Amegakure as Sogen's backup plan, he had seen his share of big events and was not surprised by such a small matter.

He's just a Jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Beast.

How can anyone compare to the Hokage?

Leaving aside the Hokage, if given a little time to prepare, he's confident he could take down that One-Tailed Jinchuriki; it's just a matter of summoning a few coffins!

[Chapter 413: The Prodigy Brothers of the Hozuki Family]

The embassy of Sunagakure Village.

"Kankuro, think before you speak. Don't just say whatever comes to mind," Maki lectured, pulling Kankuro along. "It's not that you said anything wrong, but that you said something inappropriate in the wrong setting. If this were our own village, you could say whatever you wanted, but this is Konoha, not our own territory. Don't just say whatever comes to mind..."

"Yes, yes, I know."

Kankuro had a bad face.

I'm in a very bad mood.

Being lectured like this, no one could be happy, but unfortunately, he was the one who made the mistake first this time. He's not the kind of person who's unreasonable, so he can only obediently accept the lecture. But Teacher Ma Ji's lecture today is a bit too long, isn't it?

He rolled his eyes, an idea forming in his mind.

When Maki stopped to catch his breath after talking for a while, Kankuro suddenly spoke up: "Maki-sensei, do you think that blond Konoha ninja discovered something? He went to talk to... Gaara." He paused when he mentioned his younger brother's name, and his voice was extremely low, revealing a fear that emanated from his very bones.

"Don't try to change the subject... The identity of a Jinchūriki isn't so easily discovered."

Although Jinchuriki are often disliked in the village, it doesn't mean their identities are easily discovered, especially for young Jinchuriki like Gaara. Konoha is a place where big trees attract the wind, and its people are a mixed bag. Coupled with internal conflicts and disputes, this is why the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was almost kidnapped by the Cloud Ninja.

Actually,

In a closed environment like Sunagakure, villagers have to undergo extremely strict checks to enter and leave, and with the added control of the Anbu, it is very difficult for intelligence to get out.

after all,

Names and appearances can be changed, making it difficult to distinguish between true and false information.

but,

It's hard to say.

Konoha definitely has spies planted in Sunagakure, just as the Sunagakure ninja have spies in Konoha, Iwagakure, and other villages. It's quite normal for Sunagakure to have spies; the key question is how capable these spies are and how important the intelligence they can steal…

"Probably not."

Maki shook his head, rejecting Kankuro's unreliable conjecture.

Even if Gaara's identity as the One-Tailed Jinchuriki had indeed been leaked, there's no reason why such information would be known to a genin. Rather than believing that Gaara's status as the One-Tailed Jinchuriki is already common knowledge in Konoha, it's more accurate to say that the blond-haired Konoha boy was special and noticed the abnormality in Gaara.

"Oh! I was overthinking it."

"...You wouldn't be using this excuse on purpose to distract me, would you?" Maki stared at his quick-witted disciple for two seconds, and just before Kankuro's stiff smile was about to break, he shook his head and said, "Well done, you found my weakness. This time... you pass. But you still need to work on your composure."

"hey-hey."

Kankuro chuckled dryly twice.

"Hmm?" Seeing his disciple's expression, Maki wanted to say something more, but suddenly frowned and looked out the window. His wandering gaze quickly locked onto the large, green tree planted outside the embassy.

It's already November.

It's already the transition from autumn to winter, but the trees planted along the roadside outside the embassy are still lush and green, unlike other places where the leaves have fallen and withered... Is it because the secret agents can hide here that these evergreen trees were specially planted?

Maki pondered to himself.

Just now, he sensed a faint presence approaching and hiding in the big tree.

Although they couldn't catch a glimpse of the newcomers' faces, there's probably no one else but Konoha's Anbu who would act so furtively in Konoha Village. But then another question arises: if they are Konoha's Anbu, why are they watching them?