I just returned to Konoha and found that my entire clan was gone.

Shikamaru spotted Yelan and went up to her, saying something.

"They should still be involved in the rescue efforts. How's it going over here?"

Ye Lan began to observe the surveillance footage. Most of it had been destroyed by the sandstorm, but the few remaining cameras showed that the examinees had almost all returned to their exam state.

"Four students went missing, and the bodies of seven other students were found. The losses aren't particularly significant."

Shikamaru, holding the statistical report, said that such losses were acceptable for the Chunin Exams.

Several candidates from Konoha, Sunagakure, and even Kirigakure who were just there for show were not on this list, indicating that even rescue efforts would be handled differently.

Seeing that Ino and Sakura had been brought back to safety by Sasuke, Ye Lan was relieved.

"Gaara, still no news? Have you found any trace of him on the surveillance footage?"

The most likely place Gaara went after disappearing was the examination hall. This sandstorm was probably set up by those in Sunagakure who opposed his becoming Kazekage.

"No, it would be too easy for Gaara to remain undetected in this environment."

Shikamaru was quite familiar with Gaara's abilities; while sandstorms might be dangerous for others, they were a different kind of enhancement for Gaara.

"Don't worry about Gaara anymore. Our main task is to ensure the exam proceeds smoothly."

Seeing that there was no longer any danger in the examination room, Ye Lan gave an order and left the monitoring room.

"Seriously, these Jonin are clearly hiding something from me. Without the right information, I can't make the best judgment at all."

As Shikamaru watched Yoru's departing figure, he couldn't help but think to himself that he was actually considering applying to become a Jonin.

As the sky gradually darkened and night fell, the temperature in the Land of Wind began to drop, and the breeze, no longer hot during the day, became somewhat cool.

Ye Lan sat on a wall of Sunagakure, gazing up at the sky and observing the twinkling stars.

Perhaps one of those stars is your homeland.

"Uchiha Yoran, Sunagakure still hasn't even chosen a Kazekage. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

Luo Sha appeared beside Ye Lan wearing a cloak and strolled around for a while. Luo Sha was deeply worried about the current situation of Sunagakure.

He didn't want to be Konoha's lackey in the first place, which is why he joined forces with Orochimaru. Now the village is in the same situation as before, or even worse, so it's inevitable that he'll lose control of his emotions.

"Even if I told you, so what? Are you going to go back to being the Wind Shadow now?"

Ye Lan snapped out of her thoughts and spoke calmly to Luo Sha.

What does the life or death of Sunagakure have to do with him? He's not a high-ranking member of Konoha and doesn't need to worry about these things.

Luo Sha was speechless, choked by Ye Lan's words. He was already a dead man and shouldn't be worrying about these things.

However, some rumors circulating in the village made him uneasy, but after calming down, he still asked.

"Are the rumors from Sunagakure true? Will Gaara become the next Kazekage?"

Ye Lan could sense the unusual tone in Luo Sha's words. Luo Sha's feelings towards his son were extremely complex; it was more like hatred than concern.

Gaara was the tool he used to become the Kazekage. The Kazekage, who can control Jinchuriki, will definitely have a much greater say. Rasa also practiced dictatorial rule during his time in power.

They don't care about their children's romantic relationships at all.

Perhaps a moment of guilt will arise during a busy break, but it will only be fleeting. You'll soon forget about these things again as you get back to work.

"Otherwise, why would I let you out?"

Ye Lan made Luo Sha see the situation of Sunagakure with his own eyes so that he could resolve the questions he had before his death and just obediently become a tool in the future. It was not that he was doing a good deed out of great compassion.

"After this is over, I'll help you out once, and then we'll be even..."

After Luo Sha finished speaking, he disappeared from Ye Lan's sight and ran off somewhere.

A faint smile played on Ye Lan's lips; this was exactly what he wanted.

The Impure World Reincarnation technique can control his actions but not his thoughts. If Rasa wanted to slack off, he could simply tell his opponent his weaknesses directly, which would have little effect on Ye Lan.

Only when thoughts and actions are aligned can the effects of Rosa be maximized.

"Judging by the time, they should be back soon..."

Maki and the others had already returned. Upon hearing that Gaara was missing, they wanted to send people to search for him, but the Chunin Exams were still ongoing, and they couldn't spare any manpower, so they could only worry helplessly.

It wasn't until late at night that Ye Lan saw a figure appear on the horizon.

That iconic outfit with the gourd on his back is Gaara.

When Gaara arrived at the village, he consciously looked up, but there was no one on the city wall.

"So you guys didn't help at all, and Neji was the one who took down the assassin who tried to kill Gaara?"

Ye Lan looked at Kai and the others who had returned and said that he had already returned to his room. Kai and the others rushed back after Gaara returned to the village.

"We arrived too late. By the time we got there, Neji and the others had already dealt with the assassins."

Kai scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said that he hadn't expected that he and his group would arrive too late and be taken care of by his own students.

Their actions were almost entirely unnecessary.

Neji's growth was indeed astonishing, but it also showed that the opponent's assassin skills were too low. He was easily defeated by a few ninjas who were still genin. Ye Lan thought he was some powerful figure.

It seems that the talent pool in Sunagakure has completely declined, otherwise they wouldn't have let a Jinchuriki serve as Kazekage.

"Distinguished guests of Konoha, Lord Gaara has asked me to inform you of a meeting regarding the Chunin Exams."

A Sunagakure ninja came to Ye Lan's room, knocked on the door, and said...

"Understood, we'll head over now."

Asuma answered the Sand Village ninja outside the door, and the group tidied up the hall they had previously used for a meeting in Sand Village.

Upon arriving here, Ye Lan's gaze sharpened. Sitting in the main seat was not Maki, who was in charge of the Chunin Exams, but Gaara, who had always been invisible on the surface.

"Ladies and gentlemen, due to some special reasons, we will not be holding the third exam."

Gaara spoke directly after everyone had arrived. His voice was more peaceful and approachable than it had been a year ago, showing that he had shed his image as a killing machine.

"What will happen to the candidates' Chunin advancement if this is the case?"

Shikamaru was shocked. Many of his classmates were in this exam, and he hoped that they could become Chunin. He didn't expect Gaara to cancel it so easily.

Meanwhile, Maki, who was in charge of the exam, was acting as if he were listening to Gaara. What on earth happened?

"Don't worry, I will send the performance of the second round of candidates to each village. Whether the candidates can be promoted to Chunin depends entirely on the judgment of each village."

Gaara directly offered a solution.

This solution was simple and direct, yet the most efficient. Shikamaru stopped speaking and acknowledged its effectiveness.

"Ahem, there's one more thing..."

At this moment, Maki, who had been silent all along, began to speak.

"After the Chunin Exams, Sunagakure will hold a ceremony to mark the inauguration of the Fifth Kazekage. Distinguished guests from other villages are welcome to stay and participate."

Chapter 103 The Youngest Shadow

"The Fifth Kazekage! Could it be..."

Most of the people present were shocked by the news. It was no secret that Sunagakure had never been able to select a Kazekage, but no one expected them to make this decision after this joint exam.

"That's right, the person who will become the Fifth Kazekage is Lord Gaara!"

Maki had already used honorifics at this point, further clarifying the facts, and even Asma and the others were shocked by this decision.

For no other reason than that Gaara is younger than Ye Lan, and only slightly older than Sasuke and the others. It would be too frivolous for him to become the Kazekage at such a young age.

However, out of respect for their allies, they remained silent, but some of the Sunagakure ninjas were already getting restless.

"How could Jonin Maki make this decision? Gaara..."

A Sand Village ninja stood up, intending to say that Gaara was a monster, but was glared at by Maki and shut up.

"teacher."

Gaara didn't get angry. He stopped Maki, a rare occurrence, and spoke to the ninja who had doubts about him.

“I know that many people in the village are afraid of me and have some opinions about me, but this appointment was made by the elders after careful consideration. I believe that under my leadership, Sunagakure will become better, and I will cherish every comrade who has contributed to Sunagakure in the future.”

It was unbelievable that these were the words of a killing machine. Though somewhat naive, their unwavering conviction deeply moved the Sand Village ninja present.

Ye Lan's gaze involuntarily fell on Sasuke, who was sitting in the corner. They were about the same age, and Ye Lan really wondered what Sasuke was thinking.

Furthermore, it seems that Naruto has a pretty good relationship with Gaara. After the Chunin Exams, everyone should be promoted to Chunin, but it seems that this kid is still a Genin.

Thinking about how Naruto's expression would change after hearing this news, Ye Lan couldn't help but smile slightly.

Naruto may have some personality flaws, but he always manages to bring laughter, which is why Kakashi calls him the most unpredictable ninja.

Maki then sent the information on the candidates compiled by Sunagakure during the Chunin Exams to the Jonin of each village, who in turn passed it on to their village leaders, who then decided whether to allow these candidates to become Chunin.

Ye Lan directly had Shikamaru accept the information, and after Gaara said some words of encouragement, the rest of the group dispersed.

Upon receiving the news, some candidates were happy while others were saddened by the cancellation of the third exam.

The luckiest group was Neji and his class. They didn't have time to collect scrolls because they were busy rescuing Gaara. The only scroll they got was the Heavenly Scroll, which happened to be the same as the scroll they had.

"Teacher Guy, we'll be able to become Chunin this time, right?"

After returning to Sunagakure, Lee kept asking Guy about the Tenten Scrolls he had collected during the second exam. He was unsure of himself, and even after receiving a positive answer, he kept asking. Even though he was supposed to return to Konoha the next day, he still found Guy early in the morning to continue asking questions.

"Brother Ye Lan, how did I do this time?"

Ino, too, asked Ye Lan somewhat shyly after seeing him.

"Whether you become Chunin is up to Lady Tsunade to decide; even we, as Jonin, cannot make a definitive conclusion."

Ye Lan told the truth.

Upon hearing this, the group, who had been in a good mood, became anxious again. Even Xiao Li, who had been pressing Kai for answers, looked in Ye Lan's direction.

"However, if you guys are still genin, then the other genin can forget about being promoted to chunin."

Upon receiving Ye Lan's affirmative reply, Jingye and the others smiled. Since Ye Lan had said so, it was credible.

bang bang bang-

Fireworks lit up the sky, and the Konoha ninjas, who had already slung their backpacks over their shoulders, turned around to look. The genin, however, were still unaware of what was happening.

Sakura asked in confusion, "Does Sunagakure have any festivals?"