Yuji's group settled into the accommodations Minato had arranged.
After giving instructions to his subordinates to maintain watch and getting Shira's group of younger members properly situated, Yuji set out with Shimizu to formally begin the village tour with their Konoha hosts.
Minato led them through the various districts of the Leaf Village, introducing a bit of the village's history along the way.
Of everything in Konoha, what drew Yuji's attention most was the iconic Hokage Rock. At this point only three faces were carved into it. The Fourth Hokage's likeness was apparently still in the process of being sculpted and had not yet been completed.
Locations like the Uchiha clan compound were obviously areas Minato made a point of steering around.
Along the route Yuji also observed Konoha's ongoing reconstruction efforts. The village was beginning to take on something resembling its appearance from the original story's timeline, though the population was still smaller than it would eventually become, shaped by the war's toll, and the energy was not yet as lively.
During the tour they passed by the hospital, the ninja academy, the outdoor examination grounds, and took a brief look at several clan headquarters within the village. None of these were classified locations and there was nothing particularly worth concealing about them.
After going around much of the village, Minato finally led Yuji into Konoha's marketplace district.
And there Yuji saw the legendary Ichiraku Ramen.
Exactly as he remembered it. A modest two-story building standing alone along the market street, its entrance hung with a fabric curtain.
Yuji walked in on his own initiative. Minato and the others hurried to follow.
"Welcome," came a voice full of robust energy the moment Yuji stepped inside.
He looked up to see the shop owner standing behind the counter, dressed in his classic white chef's attire, with a young girl who had not yet grown up working beside him.
"You are treating your guests to this place?" Yuji turned and said to Minato with an amused expression.
"Ha ha. Of course," Minato said with a laugh.
He had not expected Yuji to actually want to stop here of all places.
The village had originally prepared a formal welcome banquet for the Sand Village delegation.
"One seafood noodle bowl," Yuji said, taking a seat and placing his order.
Minato saw the situation and gestured for everyone to sit down as well. Today it seemed he would just have to cover the entire bill. He ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen for himself.
"I hear you are expecting a child. Congratulations," Yuji said while they waited for the food.
"Thank you," Minato said with a quiet smile.
"This exchange gathering between our two villages, who do you think will come out ahead?" Yuji shifted the topic.
"I have considerable confidence in our village's younger generation," Minato replied.
"Is that so?" Yuji raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Then I suppose we will see."
This inter-generational exchange gathering was nominally a diplomatic event, but it was equally a significant demonstration of each village's strength. Neither side was willing to lose.
Konoha had taken real damage in the war and its vitality had been severely affected. But looking at peak combat power specifically, it was not obviously weaker than the Sand Village.
The Sand Village's current strength rested primarily on its comprehensive medical system, its puppet corps soldiers, and a foundational ninja population that far exceeded the other villages in number. But in terms of Kage-level combat power, Konoha had two living Hokage and the Three Legendary Sannin. Even though Tsunade could not participate directly in combat, she could still contribute meaningfully.
On the Sand Village's side, Kage-level fighters currently numbered only Yuji, Sasori, and Rasa. Chiyo had not yet reached that threshold.
By that count, Konoha appeared to have more Kage-level fighters than the Sand Village.
Of course, among Kage-tier fighters strength still varied considerably. At minimum, the Fourth Kazekage alone represented a threat to Konoha that no ordinary Kage-level fighter could match.
In terms of mid-tier combat strength, the Sand Village and Konoha were roughly even at this point. Previously the Sand Village would have had no chance against Konoha in this comparison.
But after the village's talent recruitment initiatives, the number of bloodline limit users within the village had grown considerably, and Shimizu's group with their Sharingan transplants had become genuinely formidable.
Minato also noticed Pakura, who had entered the village alongside Yuji, and the transplanted Byakugan she was carrying.
Unlike Shimizu and the others whose transplanted eyes could be mistaken for naturally restored vision under casual observation, the Byakugan on that woman was unmistakably clear.
Minato knew Pakura's name.
Before the Sand Village withdrew from active frontline operations in the Third Great Ninja War, Pakura had consistently served as the Sand Village's primary force against the Hidden Mist Village, compiling a remarkable combat record with extraordinary strength.
She had even made the top of the Hidden Mist Village's internal assassination priority list. She had also been the Sand Village's exceptional case for early promotion to Jonin rank, apparently the fastest female ninja in the Sand Village's history to reach that rank.
Of course, compared to Konoha's own Kakashi, she was still slightly behind.
In the Land of Rain later, Pakura had also demonstrated terrifying combat strength. It was fair to say that among all the Sand Village personnel who had accompanied Yuji into Konoha, this woman was the one who warranted the most careful attention.
Beyond her, when it came to the lower tier combat strength comparison among the newer generation, the Sand Village did not appear to have a significant structural advantage over Konoha. Because right now, many of Konoha's prominent clan successors were clustered at a particular level and still carried considerable future promise.
The exchange gathering was primarily going to be determined by the competition among newer generation fighters. On this point, Minato still felt quite confident.
Before long, Pakura's seafood noodle bowl was brought over by the young girl working in the shop.
Yuji thanked her and began eating.
It had to be said, the shop owner's culinary skill was genuinely not bad. The flavor was considerably better than what Yuji's village typically produced. Though it did not reach any level that could be called extraordinary.
The real reason he had stopped in to eat the noodles, beyond wanting to mentally check a box, was the hope of getting a look at the cheerful old owner he remembered.
After all, the man was a story character.
If he remembered correctly, there had even been speculation in his previous life that this particular man carried Otsutsuki clan bloodline.
After finishing their meal, Yuji thanked their hosts for the hospitality and the group left the shop.
When they returned to their accommodations, they found the atmosphere there carrying a somewhat unusual charge.
As it turned out, in keeping with the exchange principles of the gathering, Konoha had deliberately arranged for some of the newer generation who would be participating in the competition to meet their Sand Village counterparts in advance, to get a feel for each other before the formal matches began.
But both villages' younger fighters understood the real meaning of this exchange gathering. They were opponents. Combined with the accumulated grievances and conflicts between the two villages, there was simply no way to expect two groups of people to transform hostility into warmth so quickly.
So the moment the conversation between the two sides developed even a minor friction point, things had escalated directly to physical confrontation.
Yuji and Minato arrived to find two Jonin from their respective villages each physically restraining their own village's fighters.
The one causing trouble on Konoha's side was the Third Hokage's son, Sarutobi Asuma.
The one causing trouble on the Sand Village's side was Yuji's student, Yashamaru.
The tension crackling between the two of them was palpable.
If the Jonin had not intervened first, those two would likely already be trading blows.
"Lord Hokage."
"Lord Kazekage."
Hearing approaching footsteps, everyone present bowed respectfully.
"Youth is a wonderful thing, all that passionate energy," Minato said with a cheerful laugh, smoothing things over.
"Keep that fire inside for now. Plenty of time to let it out when the official matches begin. Since you two seem so eager to fight, consider it settled. The exchange gathering starts soon enough, and I will arrange for you two to be matched against each other," Yuji said with an easy smile.