Makoto Makoto wasn't the only one caught off guard. The entire room erupted.
The Hidden Mist Village, separated from Konoha by open sea, had been locked behind closed doors for decades.
Nobody knew what was happening inside those borders. The infamous reputation of the 'Village of the Bloody Mist' echoed through every corner of the shinobi world.
What the hell was the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, thinking? Did he get that much pleasure out of brutalizing his own people?
Granted, Konoha's own Elder Council wasn't exactly above backstabbing their allies, but at least they had the decency to do it in the shadows.
Yagura did it in broad daylight.
Kakashi's brow furrowed deep. Not long ago, he'd led Squad Seven against Zabuza Momochi, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
He understood better than anyone that the Bloody Mist was still very much alive and well.
So why would they suddenly want to participate in Konoha's Chunin Exams?
Sarutobi Hiruzen drew on his pipe, exhaling a slow curl of smoke. "According to the Mist's official explanation, they wish to strengthen diplomatic relations with neighboring nations."
Every jonin in the room frowned.
Not a soul in this building bought that for a second.
The Land of Water sat in geographic isolation, separated from the rest of the continent by vast stretches of ocean. Their only trade contacts were tiny maritime nations like the Land of Waves.
Strengthen relations. With whom? To what end?
Kurenai Yuhi ventured a guess. "Hokage-same, could the Fourth Mizukage be looking to end the Mist's isolation? Perhaps this is his way of testing our reaction first?"
Hiruzen took two more puffs. "That's possible. But what they're truly after, only they know."
His gaze swept the room. "What do you all think?"
The chamber burst into heated debate.
Some were in favor. A perfect opportunity to gauge the Mist's current strength.
Others refused outright. Who knew what that lunatic Yagura was planning? The incident nine years ago was still fresh, when the Hidden Cloud had sent a diplomatic delegation to sign a ceasefire, only to kidnap Hinata Hyuga under cover of night.
Neither side would budge.
Then Makoto spoke. "Let them come."
Every head in the room turned. The Hokage's prized student had the floor.
Hiruzen regarded him with interest. "Oh? Let's hear your reasoning, Makoto."
"If we refuse, it looks like my sensei is afraid of them." He said it with a perfectly straight face, as if stating the obvious.
"The risk is too great," countered Hyuga Tokuma, a jonin from the Hyuga clan. "What if they're plotting something? Nine years ago, the Cloud Village..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
The kidnapping of Hinata Hyuga. The clan being forced to surrender Hizashi, head of the branch family. It was the single darkest chapter in Hyuga history.
Airing that in front of this many people wasn't exactly a proud moment.
"Doesn't matter."
Makoto's tone was light, almost bored, as his gaze drifted across the assembled jonin.
"I'll handle it."
Hyuga Tokuma stared at him, speechless.
The rest of the room went quiet.
"...Confident kid, I'll give him that." Asuma took a long drag on his cigarette.
"That's nothing." Yuhi smiled. "You were worse at his age. And you didn't have half his talent."
Asuma rolled his eyes and looked away without a word.
Hiruzen considered Makoto's reasoning and found it rather compelling.
That's right. He, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the strongest Hokage in history, couldn't afford to look timid.
He brought his hand down on the armrest. "Then it's settled!"
Watching the old Hokage puff up with bravado, the two elders who'd been sitting off to the side in chilly silence, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, exchanged a wordless glance.
It's a different story altogether when you have a top-tier workhorse leading the charge.
"That said, we should still prepare countermeasures in case the Mist has ulterior motives." Makoto spoke up again.
He reached into his equipment pouch and produced two kunai, offering them to the elders with practiced deference. "Honored Councilors, please keep these Flying Thunder God kunai on your persons. If anything goes wrong, I can be at your side in an instant."
Koharu and Homura broke into warm, gratified smiles.
Look at that finesse.
If Sakumo Hatake or Shisui Uchiha had shown this kind of awareness back in the day, would things have needed to go so far?
Watching them accept the kunai, Makoto smiled to himself. He drew one more and presented it to Sarutobi Hiruzen with both hands. "I know Sensei's strength is unmatched, and the odds of anything going wrong are slim to none. But please accept this small token of your student's concern."
"Heh heh. Well, since you insist, Makoto, this old man will graciously accept."
Hiruzen hadn't expected the boy to find a way to flatter him even in this, and his face crinkled with undisguised delight.
"Kiss-ass," Asuma muttered, watching his father beam like a fool.
Yuhi shrugged beside him. "Maybe if you hadn't spent your whole childhood picking fights with the Third Hokage, you wouldn't be so bitter."
Makoto was pleased too, though for entirely different reasons.
Sorry about this, dear Elder Council...
I won't be able to sleep soundly until you're all dead.
Hiruzen had treated him well enough, that was true. But the moment Makoto chose to steal Sharingan eyes on the Night of the Massacre, they'd been set on a collision course.
The only regret was that he couldn't take out Danzo, the "Scapegoat Hokage," in the same stroke.
That paranoid old bastard would never accept a kunai from him. Not after Makoto had spent years making an enemy of the man.
No matter. He could run, but he couldn't hide forever.
The meeting moved to its next agenda item.
Makoto, Kakashi, Yuhi, and the other jonin each recommended their students for the upcoming Chunin Exams.
True to form, Might Guy and Iruka raised objections, arguing it was too soon for fresh graduates. They should train for at least a year first, the way Guy's team had.
Kakashi brushed them off with characteristic nonchalance, expressing full confidence in his squad.
Makoto listened from the side, screaming internally. Sure, Kakashi. Real convincing. If Sakura wasn't still limited to the Three Basic Jutsu, I might actually buy that bluff.
Every time he remembered that in the original story, Sakura had entered the Chunin Exams knowing nothing beyond academy fundamentals, it boggled his mind.
What was Kakashi's angle there? Was he actively trying to get the girl killed?
...
The meeting adjourned, and the jonin dispersed.
Makoto made his way to the dessert shop run by Mrs. Yukinoshita. It had become the regular meeting point for him and his students.
After relaying the news about the Chunin Exams in one month, he looked at the three girls. "So? Want to give it a shot?"
They exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.
He smiled. "Good. Ran, stay behind after this. Megumi, Utaha, keep following the training regimen I gave you."