69novels Chapter 76 Sense of Crisis
Chapter 76 Sense of Crisis
Upon returning to his clan's territory, Akaishi was immediately summoned by the clan chief...
"Hmm? I heard you injured your eyes?" Kensei looked at Akaishi's intact eyes with slight surprise.
"Lady Tsunade treated me, and I'm fine now," Akaishi nodded.
Kensuke nodded with a slight sigh of relief, but then, remembering it was "Tsunade," he instinctively rejected the idea, saying, "Yes, Tsunade's medical ninjutsu is indeed superb. After all... the more people a medical ninja kills, the more skilled they become. She's killed many people!"
Akaishi:……
Akashi felt that this logic was not very sound, but since it was said by the clan leader, an old Uchiha, it was not surprising.
"Remember to protect your eyes during battle!" Jian Cheng instructed.
"Yes," Akaishi replied.
"How is the situation in the Land of Waves? Did you encounter any unexpected events during this mission?" Kensei asked.
This was also the main reason he summoned Akaishi.
Akaishi, of course, did not hide this from him.
The Hokage hadn't mentioned keeping it a secret...
Even if it's mentioned, Akaishi will now "quietly" tell the clan chief.
……
"Expanded influence at sea... but only to the Land of Waves? There aren't many islands there." Kensuke said, shaking his head dismissively, as if mocking the Third Hokage for only focusing on superficial projects.
However, he didn't say it directly in front of Akaishi.
"Okay, go and rest. Remember to copy the ninjutsu as soon as possible," Jiancheng said.
"Yes," Akaishi replied.
"Red Stone." Lan Yu called out to him, then instructed, "There's only a month and a half left until the Chunin Exams. It's going to be quite a lively event, so make sure you're well-prepared."
Akaishi was slightly surprised to hear this, but he couldn't figure out why.
The Uchiha clan doesn't usually pay much attention to the Chunin Exams, so is there something special about this one? They even specifically emphasized that it would be "lively"?
Since he couldn't figure it out, Akaishi didn't think about it too much and just went home to rest.
This trip was not only tiring, but also resulted in injuries. Although the physical fatigue has subsided, the mental fatigue remains. Akaishi did not even "immerse" himself in the experience, but instead slept for a whole day.
……
The next day, Minato treated everyone to ramen, and Akaishi condescended to accept the invitation.
When Akaishi arrived at the ramen shop, he discovered that "Ino-Shika-Cho" was also there.
"Hey, Akaishi, your eyes are all better now?" Nara greeted him.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade's medical skills are superb," Akaishi said.
"Do you Uchiha people also eat such common food as ramen?" Akimichi asked curiously.
In the mountains nearby, I quietly nudged him with my elbow—I couldn't even say something like that when I was deliberately provoking him!
"I'm just keeping you company!" Akaishi said matter-of-factly.
Minato, Nara, Yamanaka: ...
Why don't you two just have a fight?
"Huh? You're actually a pretty nice person." Akimichi looked at Akaishi with surprise.
"Then take a look!"
"Yes, only those who can sit down and eat together are true partners... but you can't take the last piece of char siu from my bowl."
Minato, Nara, Yamanaka: ...
So how did these two people communicate so naturally? And they even seem to get along quite well?
At this moment, Lan Wu, who arrived last, came in.
"Sorry I'm late," Lan Wu said as she entered.
"You didn't... secretly go to study, did you?" Akashi noticed that Lanwu was still wearing glasses.
Lanwu: ...
"Just reading some books." Lan Wu then remembered to take off her glasses.
She only wears glasses when reading, mainly to relieve eye strain. Now, her primary task is to finish reading the medical books whose table of contents are taller than herself!
Gollum-
Seeing that Akimichi hadn't eaten for half an hour, and now that everyone was here, they started ordering ramen.
"Minato, is it really all-you-can-eat?" Akimichi asked specifically to confirm.
"Of course, didn't we make a lot of money this time? Don't be shy," Minato said.
"Ten bowls of char siu noodles, three times the amount of char siu!" Akimichi said directly to the boss.
"You should at least be a little more polite to me..." Nara said helplessly.
"Luxury Ramen for Nobles," Akaishi said reservedly.
……
After everyone finished eating ramen, they chatted in the shop.
If it were anyone else, they would probably be disliked by the ramen shop owner, but...
With Akido Choza there, the boss's service quality has improved significantly!
"By the way, have you heard about the Chunin Exams this year?" Yamanaka said at this moment.
"Is there something special about it?" Akaishi immediately perked up his ears.
"Yes, I heard from my family that the Hokage will invite other villages to participate in this year's Chunin Exams," Yamanaka said.
"Hasn't it always been like this?" Akaishi asked, puzzled.
That's why the security forces are extra busy during the Chunin Exams.
Nara, standing to the side, shook his head and said, "No, it's different from usual. This time... I heard they'll be inviting other great hidden villages to participate."
Akaishi was startled upon hearing this: "They're coming?"
During the Chunin Exams, the hidden villages that participate are usually small, nearby villages, which is itself a manifestation of submission.
"I think so... I suspect Iwagakure will come. Given the Third Tsuchikage's personality and ideals, even if he doesn't agree to the alliance, he'll come if invited. And Kirigakure, which we've now established a relationship with, will likely accept the invitation during the negotiations," Nara guessed.
With the major hidden villages in the ninja world now stirring up trouble, there are likely more than just one or two that want to win over allies or simply want to see the strength of Konoha.
After hearing this, Chishi finally understood what the clan leader meant yesterday.
If that's the case, then this Chunin Exams takes on an extraordinary significance—selecting a few Chunin becomes less important.
"Now that you mention it... we really need to prepare well for the Chunin Exams," Akaishi chimed in.
Akaishi originally thought that no matter how the Chunin Exams were conducted, it was impossible for him to be eliminated. However, now it's not a matter of being promoted to Chunin!
Instead, it's about giving face to Konoha... and even about building up its deterrent effect.
and……
It's easy to imagine that this Chunin Exam will be extremely strict, since it's deliberately designed to impress others and show that "look, this level of skill would only qualify as a Genin in Konoha."
It would be really tough if we got eliminated in the end.
Especially if Minato and Ranmai pass while he is eliminated, Akashi will be in a terrible mood. He'll have to go home and apply to transfer to the Security Department, and then whoever wants to do these stupid missions can do them...
……
After their mission in the Land of Waves, Team 7 will not only have a week of rest, but their subsequent missions will also be much more relaxed.
On one hand, Jiraiya considered that they needed to calm down and train before the Chunin Exams; on the other hand, it was also because, from the perspective of "gaining knowledge", Team 7 had already gained a lot of knowledge!
Both real combat and training are essential for a ninja to improve their strength. Without real combat, one cannot realize their shortcomings, but training should not be neglected either...