Uchiha's personal opinion

Fukasaku continued walking forward, but his face was somewhat gloomy and dejected.

Little Jiraiya, don't blame me...

This is all fate's arrangement!

Chapter 300 follows.

After holding Jiraiya in absentia, Uchiha Tokumitsu temporarily put the matter aside.

Although he was also eager to explore the mysteries of Sage Mode, he understood the principle that haste makes waste. So, after arranging all the plans, Uchiha Tokumitsu began to wait for the fish to take the bait.

As time went on, notices listing Jiraiya as a "ninja with questionable loyalty" were added to the bulletin boards of the police headquarters and various district police stations regarding this case.

But most of the Konoha ninja no longer took this matter to heart.

The various activities launched by the police department further obscured the notice.

"Loyalty questionable..."

Orochimaru, his face grim, repeatedly perused the notices his subordinates had copied from the police department's bulletin board, turning them over and over as if trying to find something interesting.

Unsurprisingly, the police department's ruling and punishment have been issued, but Orochimaru still cannot contact Jiraiya.

It's unclear whether Jiraiya's sudden "disappearance" was due to his own escape or a covert attack, which greatly distressed Orochimaru.

"That idiot!"

……

Apart from Orochimaru and Tsunade, no one else cared about the development of Jiraiya's spying on the case.

Because the long-awaited Chunin Exams are about to begin.

The first to arrive at Konoha were naturally the ninjas from the Land of Grass who were forever loyal to the Uchiha clan.

To compete for a spot in the Chunin Exams in Konoha, the various factions in Kusagakure almost came to blows. In the end, under the mediation of their leader, Mang, the factions split the spot equally, forming a total of twenty-one genin. They also temporarily brought in seven jonin from the village to serve as temporary teachers for the genin, thus forming Kusagakure's Chunin Exam lineup.

The Uchiha clan has always treated their first loyal dog from outside the village with great sincerity.

Since Uchiha Tokumitsu was stationed in the Northwest Ninja Army, he has never treated the Grass Ninjas who paid the blood tax unfairly. Whether it was war conscription or joint company employment, these Grass Ninjas who were used to being poor have earned a lot of money. Moreover, he did not hide various basic ninjutsu. As long as the Grass Ninjas' contributions met the standards, the Uchiha ninjas would generally give them a special ninjutsu as a reward.

This time, the Grass Ninjas proudly organized their most outstanding junior genin, intending to make a grand appearance before the esteemed Lord Tokuko, hoping to secure more contract-based employment opportunities with the United Company next year.

Unlike the Grass Ninja who are full of inner monologues, the Kirigakure Ninja are relatively composed.

Of the thirty Kirigakure genin who participated in the Chunin Exams, fifteen were from the three Seii clans, and the team's composition was also quite interesting.

"A tactical squad composed of ninjas from three different races?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu looked at the list of examinees from Kirigakure and found it quite interesting.

"Yes, Lord Tokugaku~"

The leader of the group, Chino, respectfully replied, "After returning to Kirigakure as you commanded, our three clans discussed the matter and, in order to maintain order in the ninja village and friendship among the three clans in the long term, decided to integrate the descendants of the three clans into a single unit. This is to teach them to unite from a young age so that they can contribute their strength to the shogunate when they grow up."

"Excellent! It is truly a blessing for the Hidden Mist Village that the three races share such an understanding!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu was very satisfied.

With such lofty aspirations, he must have been at least a chief loyal retainer of the shogunate!

"Then I look forward to Kirigakure's performance in the Chunin Exams!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu put down the list in his hand and nodded.

"You won't be disappointed!"

Minazuki Chino immediately understood, stood up, bowed, and took her leave.

The Amegakure team participating in the exam also numbered twenty-four. After arriving in Konoha, the Jonin leading the team immediately met with Uchiha Tokumitsu, the biggest financial backer of Amegakure. After exchanging pleasantries, he informed Uchiha Tokumitsu that Hanzo of the Salamander planned to come to Konoha to watch the final stage of the Chunin Exams.

"If Mr. Hanzo were willing to come and watch the match, that would be a wonderful thing!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu was also pleased with this.

"The candidates selected by Amegakure this time are all elite genin. If Lord Tokuko has the time during the exam, I hope you can come and see how the juniors perform. If you can offer some guidance, that would be even better..."

The Rain Ninja, leading the Jonin team, mustered their courage and spoke.

This wasn't something Hanzo the Salamander arranged; it was purely something he added on his own.

Hanzo of the Salamander is hailed as a demigod, and his strength and status are beyond question. Although his influence has diminished considerably since the rise of Uchiha Tokumitsu, the Amegakure ninja have continued to hire Amegakure ninja for various battles, and the United Company also has long-term employment contracts with Amegakure. Therefore, overall, the Amegakure ninja are still doing relatively well.

Moreover, although the Rain Ninjas love money, they still have great respect for their leader, Hanzo the Salamander. In their hearts, Hanzo the Salamander still occupies half of the land—as for the other half, it naturally belongs to the Tokukō Shogunate, which is not only powerful but also speaks well and is generous with money!

"Amegakure is a place where heroes emerge in great numbers. I will go and see it then. As for guidance, forget it. My teaching level is still quite different from that of Mr. Hanzo."

Uchiha Tokumitsu laughed heartily and replied flawlessly.

"We eagerly await Lord Deguang's arrival!"

The Jonin leading the Rain Ninja team had a grin that almost reached the back of his ears.

As for the representative team from the southern part of the Land of Frost, they were just there to make up the numbers. Uchiha Himon searched the entire country and barely managed to gather nine genin. Moreover, since the southern Frost Ninja were generally not very strong, Uchiha Himon specially arranged for a Shogunate ninja to temporarily fill in and lead the team, just to make a good impression.

Uchiha Tokumitsu didn't treat this team, which was just there to make up the numbers, differently. He met with them and gently encouraged them to "show their style, their level, and their indomitable spirit of the Frost Ninja" and so on.

After all, after watching one round, given the extremely weak strength of the Frost Ninja, this was all they could do.

The Sunagakure delegation also sent envoys to Konoha ahead of time to prepare for the exams, indicating that Sunagakure's chief elder Ebizo or the Third Kazekage might come to watch the finals. In addition, they hoped to have a secret meeting with Uchiha Tokumitsu to reach a cooperation agreement.

Uchiha Tokumitsu also accepted all comers.

Since Hanzo the Salamander had already arrived, the arrival of another high-ranking member of Sunagakure was not a big deal, so they naturally agreed to the Sunagakure envoy's request.

In addition, smaller ninja villages such as Snow Village and Star Village have decided to participate, but due to the long distance, they have not yet arrived in Konoha.

……

"The village's economy has indeed been doing quite well recently!"

Inside the Speaker of the House of Representatives' office, Sakumo Hatake was flipping through the village's recent economic reports, his face practically beaming with joy.

“Ninjas are high-income earners, and their arrival in the village will naturally boost the village’s consumption.”

Uchiha Tokumitsu replied.

Although the genin who came to participate in the Chunin Exams and the accompanying jonin enjoyed basic treatment including food and lodging, the dazzling world was still irresistible. Konoha always had many things that were novel to these country bumpkins, so their wallets naturally made their due contribution to Konoha's economic growth.

"However, when Mr. Hanzo and the Kazekage of Sunagakure arrive in Konoha... how should they be received?"

Sakumo Hatake asked a rather perplexing question.

"Being equal to you and me is sufficient."

Uchiha Tokumitsu didn't put on airs as the so-called Governor-General of Konoha. Instead, he gave a direct answer: "Konoha is a ninja village that is a republic of ninja clans. Naturally, the highest level of etiquette cannot exceed that of the Governor-General and the Speakers of the House of Representatives and the Senate."

"Mr. Hanzo probably wouldn't mind these things, but as for Sunagakure... after all, they've turned the village into a country."

Sakumo Hatake also expressed his concerns.

“Now it is Sunagakure that needs our help… If we continue to get bogged down in these formalities, then Sunagakure will perish.”

Uchiha Tokumitsu chuckled and said nonchalantly.

The war between Sunagakure and Iwagakure continues.

Although Uchiha Tokumitsu encouraged Hanzo of the Salamander's Amegakure to expand westward, threatening the Land of Birds, the logistics base of the Iwagakure expeditionary force, the stubborn Iwagakure did not back down. Instead, they countered by sending more ninja troops, forcing back the Amegakure's spying.

According to intelligence from Sunagakure, the Iwagakure expeditionary force, which is operating within the Land of Wind, is making slow progress but is maintaining a steady pace. They are forging strongholds and engaging in a protracted war against Sunagakure, who are known for their swift and unpredictable nature, thus gradually shrinking Sunagakure's strategic living space.

For this reason, Sunagakure began to be dissatisfied with the military sales support from the shogunate and began to seek more direct assistance from the shogunate and even Konoha.

For example, the shogunate participated in the war.

"Then we will do as you say."

Hatake Sakumo also realized this key point, and stopped being so insistent on these formalities.

……

The Konoha ninjas weren't idle either.

As the main venue for the Chunin Exams, both ninja clans and ordinary ninjas look forward to their disciples dominating the exam and showing their prowess.

Even the Hyuga clan, which is accustomed to keeping a low profile, began to select promising genin within the clan for intensive training, driven by the atmosphere, in order to showcase the Hyuga clan's prowess in the Chunin Exams.

The Senju clan was the Konoha ninja clan most concerned about this matter.

The Senju elders also made a decision that went against their ancestral teachings: to pass on all the basic ninjutsu techniques of the clan to the younger generation of genin in order to stimulate their strength in a short period of time.

Their expectations weren't high; they just wanted one Uchiha ninja to be eliminated in the combat phase of the Chunin Exams.

After all, although the reorganized Senju clan appeared to be powerful, the reality of a lack of successors did not change much in a short period of time.

Meanwhile, the police preparatory school entered the intensive training phase before the exam.

Although Uchiha Tokumitsu did not make exceptions for them by lowering the difficulty level or leaking the questions in advance, just because most of them were junior genin from the Uchiha clan, he subtly pointed out the core of this year's Chunin Exams to the head instructor in charge of the police training school—a contest of strength.

The head instructor naturally understood and immediately rushed back to the police academy to gather all the Uchiha ninjas who were planning to participate in the Chunin Exams and put them through grueling training.

As a member of the ruling ninja clan of Konoha, the head instructor felt that even missing a single ranking would be an insult to the clan, so he spared no effort in training the genin who participated in the training camp until they were all screaming in pain.

Just as the Konoha ninjas and the ninjas from various participating villages were all eager to fight, the police department finally issued a notice about holding the Chunin Joint Exams.

"Exams start next Wednesday...we've arrived just in time!"

On the same day the exam notice was released, the largest group of Kirigakure genin, with the most participants, finally arrived in Konoha.

The leading Jonin also saw the notice about the exam time on the bulletin board of the West District Police Station.

"This is the first time I've ever seen so many ninjas from other ninja villages in one place!"

"This was said by a Sunagakure genin participating in the competition."

The prosperity and wealth of Konoha, bustling with people, deeply impressed the Sand Village ninja who had just withdrawn from the front lines of the battlefield.

Although most Konoha ninjas are indifferent to the current state of their village, Konoha is an enviable paradise to other ninja villages, especially Sunagakure, which is currently at war.

Instead of envying others, strengthen yourself.

The Sand Village's Jonin, leading his team, encouraged his subordinates, saying, "Those who excel in the Chunin Exams will be qualified to learn a village's secret techniques! This is something money can't buy!"

"We will fight for the glory of Sunagakure!"

A group of Sand Village genin responded loudly and enthusiastically on the main street of Konoha.