"Lord Kazekage. In the next Great Ninja War, our Sand Village will eventually end up at war with Konoha again. Do we really want to let them come to our village and learn from us?"
Half a day later, back at their accommodations, Shimizu voiced the question directly.
Allowing Konoha to strengthen its medical system was not necessarily a good thing.
"The Fourth Hokage's initiative in establishing diplomatic relations with us this time is itself following our pharmaceutical playbook," Yuji said with a quiet smile.
"Konoha has presented an extremely low-profile posture to put us at ease and lower our guard. In Konoha's assessment, our Sand Village is currently riding high momentum and the village may be developing a degree of expansionist tendency. This gives them an angle to exploit."
"The Fourth Hokage's entire plan to establish relations with us was from the very beginning preparation for the next Great Ninja War. Minato's mind is genuinely sharp."
Shimizu frowned slightly upon hearing this.
Yuji continued.
"As the relationship between our two villages eases and interaction increases, Konoha will be able to study everything our Sand Village has an advantage in. Even if they cannot learn the essence of it, at minimum it allows a reconstructed Konoha to close the developmental gap with us and strengthen its internal capability and strength."
"That way, when the next Great Ninja War comes and Konoha turns against us, they will have several more degrees of power to bring to the fight."
"Minato understands clearly that the next Great Ninja War is still very far away. The intervening time is more than sufficient for them to make the corresponding preparations."
"Outward kindness hiding inner calculations," Shimizu said, understanding the situation now.
Putting on a friendly face while quietly sharpening a blade behind it.
"Given that," Shimizu started cautiously.
"There is nothing to worry about. We use their scheme against them. Whatever they study, they can only ever learn the surface of it. And with Konoha taking the lead, the other major hidden villages will follow and try to imitate as well.
Now that the ninja world has entered a period of peace, people coming from various places to study at our Sand Village means not only that they pay us money, but that it also indirectly elevates our medical system's influence across the entire ninja world."
"Money is never something to turn away. The village has projects and operations opening up everywhere right now and everything costs money. More importantly, building temporary cooperative relationships with the other hidden villages also works in our favor."
"Large numbers of outside visitors flowing in will also stimulate our village's and the Land of Wind's economy," Yuji said.
After saying this, Yuji allowed himself a quiet private smile.
He had originally half-expected that meeting Tsunade for the first time would prompt her to ask about certain medical ninjutsu techniques he had demonstrated in Konoha. Including Yin Seal.
But Tsunade had not asked about any of it from beginning to end.
This had mildly surprised Yuji.
Information about his combat capabilities was essentially public knowledge across the ninja world at this point. Konoha's senior leadership and Tsunade herself could not possibly be unaware of what he could do.
The only explanation was that there had been intelligence leaks from within Konoha at some point. But other medical ninjutsu could be explained away. The Yin Seal was absolutely something that should never have been disclosed.
Perhaps because diplomatic relations between the two villages were only just being established, raising such a sensitive question openly would be tactically counterproductive. Better to avoid the confrontation and keep things smooth.
After the Sand Village delegation arrived in Konoha, they rested for two days before the exchange gathering commenced.
This meant the head-to-head competition matches between the two villages' respective representatives.
The Sand Village's visiting group could not stay in Konoha for an extended period. They had come in response to Konoha's invitation for a visit, nothing more. From arrival to departure, they would barely be there for a full week.
Both Kage had pressing matters waiting for them at home.
So the sooner this trip concluded, the better.
That said, although this was nominally an exchange gathering, Konoha had specifically prepared an open-air outdoor combat arena for the inter-village competition, and had invited a large number of village residents to watch.
On all four sides of the combat ground stood high walls, and above those walls the observation gallery was packed densely with spectators.
In terms of home-ground advantage, Konoha clearly held the upper hand.
By contrast, the Sand Village's fighters would be under considerably more psychological pressure.
Yuji and Minato sat shoulder to shoulder in their respective Kage robes, with Konoha's other senior figures seated alongside them.
"Quite the lively atmosphere," Yuji said, looking out at the densely packed crowd filling the gallery, with a quiet smile.
This exchange gathering was not only about both villages assessing each other's newer generation strength. It also carried implications for the direction of the next Great Ninja War's winds. Both sides understood this clearly.
Because in the next Great Ninja War, today's competition participants could very well be the frontline forces on the battlefield.
Anyone who performed with distinction would draw special attention from the opposing side. Beyond that, the Sand Village and Konoha were currently the two highest-tier forces among the Five Great Hidden Villages. The emerging talents from both villages, assuming they survived to develop, would to some degree determine a portion of the ninja world's future top-level combat power arrangements.
It was fair to say that this exchange gathering's significance extended well beyond just the Sand Village and Konoha.
The intelligence gathered from this exchange would also attract the attention of the other three great hidden villages.
For both villages' newer generation fighters, this was a stage where they could display their talents to the ninja world at large.
By comparison, Yuji's own generation had never had an opportunity like this. They had been forced to carve their reputations out of actual battlefield killing.
After a short while, both sides' competitors finished their preparations.
Yuji and Minato each delivered brief opening remarks.
Then the competition officially began.
The first group of matches featured students who had not yet graduated from either village's ninja academy, fighters who could not yet formally be called ninja.
This was the children's division.
A warmup event, so to speak.
After all, this was an exchange gathering where the emphasis was on exchange. The proceedings were not as formal as an official competition.
The Sand Village's representative for this group was Shira's squad members.
Konoha's side brought out two characters Yuji recognized immediately.
One was Kabuto. The other was Uchiha Itachi.
Kabuto was seven years old. Itachi was five.
Itachi stepping out to compete was something Yuji had half anticipated. But Kabuto's appearance genuinely surprised him a little.
"Danzo's arrangement?" Yuji glanced almost unconsciously toward Shimura Danzo sitting not far to Minato's right.
Kabuto had already been noticed by both Danzo and Orochimaru and marked for cultivation. Without that backing, he would not have had the opportunity to participate. But the problem was that as a future intelligence operative, having Kabuto appear openly in a competition like this was not exactly ideal for someone being groomed as a spy.
"So even his fate has changed," Yuji thought, pulling his gaze back and studying the situation.
Danzo was trying to intimidate the Sand Village delegation. He wanted to use this competition to vent the frustration that the Sand Village had built up in him, directing it outward through his chosen fighter.
And the very first match-up was rather pointed. Kabuto versus Amaru.
Both of them were destined to grow into medical ninja archetypes in later years.
Furthermore, Kabuto was visibly older than Amaru.
This demonstrated that Danzo had specifically researched the Sand Village's competition participants before selecting his representatives.
When the referee called the match and Kabuto stepped onto the field, the Konoha crowd erupted in loud cheering.
By contrast, when Amaru walked into the arena, she was greeted by a harsh chorus of jeers.
This made even Minato, sitting beside Yuji, visibly uncomfortable, his expression going awkward.
Because for a little girl only a few years old, this was more than a little intimidating.
And indeed it showed. Amaru's small face had gone completely pale, her expression tense.
Kabuto and Amaru exchanged polite bows of greeting.
The referee's whistle sounded.
The fight began immediately.