Thanks to the swift action of the Hidden Leaf Village, the unease caused by the explosion incident was almost entirely dispelled.
The public once again ventured onto the streets, and though it hadn't returned to its previous bustling state, it was gradually recovering.
The Hidden Leaf's high-ranking officials saw this as a positive sign, and precisely because of this, the Security Force and Anbu were instructed to pay even closer attention to subsequent developments.
Should another incident of similar impact to the explosion occur, the Hidden Leaf Village's credibility would suffer a significant blow.
Under the combined efforts of the Anbu and the Security Force, no further incidents occurred within the Hidden Leaf Village, and the day of the Joint Chunin Exams arrived smoothly.
In front of the examination grounds, ninjas from various countries gathered, creating a lively atmosphere.
The Joint Chunin Exams adopted a three-person team format.
Since Tsunade would not be participating in the Chunin Exams, Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizo alone couldn't form a team.
Therefore, after careful deliberation, Uchiha Kagami decided to have Hyuga Kazuya join them, while his two younger relatives would not participate in the Chunin Exams.
Although it might seem a bit strange for the prestigious Uchiha clan not to have a team competing, considering that even the Senju clan's little princess wasn't participating, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
The reason Hyuga Kazuya was chosen as the third member was because the Hyuga clan's Byakugan possessed excellent reconnaissance capabilities.
For Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizo, who were individually powerful, the most needed companions were those who could provide support, and they welcomed Hyuga Kazuya's addition.
Fumori Masaki had duties as an exam proctor, so his wife, Satomi, stepped in for the teacher to escort the three into the examination grounds.
The fathers of the three, naturally, wouldn't just stay at home; after escorting their children to the exam, they met Satomi.
Upon learning that she was Fumori Masaki's wife, the fathers of Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizo immediately expressed their gratitude, mentioning how much she had looked after their children over the years.
Hyuga Kazuya's father, however, felt a bit awkward.
After all, Hyuga Kazuya had joined at the last minute, and Fumori Masaki hadn't really taught him anything.
At best, during joint training sessions, Fumori Masaki had offered some guidance on Hyuga Kazuya's techniques.
Satomi had heard about this situation from Fumori Masaki and had already planned how to handle it.
She naturally started chatting with him about Hyuga Kazuya, subtly linking him to Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizo.
This way, Hyuga Kazuya's father could also join the conversation.
Adults have their common topics, and children have theirs.
Looking at the three in front of her, Tsunade placed her hands on her hips and said, "The Chunin Exams are about to begin.
Teacher Kazama said there are three stages.
You absolutely must make it to the end; don't get eliminated in the first round!"
"No problem, right? The first round seems to be a written test, which is a characteristic exam of our Hidden Leaf.
People from other countries should be the ones worrying," Hatake Sakumo said.
"Yeah, which other country's ninjas have to study literature in the Ninja Academy like ours?
Even if you have the strength to become a ninja, if your cultural studies aren't up to par, you can't graduate," Hyuga Kazuya shrugged.
"Speaking of which, this system was proposed by Mr. Kazama.
I wonder why he wants to train ninjas this way."
"I once heard Teacher Kazama say that ninjas are by no means just tools for harming others.
They should also possess the ability to think independently and distinguish right from wrong, and these are all things that can only be mastered through learning," Hatake Sakumo said.
"Ah, there's a similar theory in the Shinobi Sect's teachings, isn't there?" Hyuga Kazuya recalled.
The Hyuga clan, which had always adhered to aristocratic traditions, was not averse to reading and literacy.
Among all ninja clans, they were also one of those most interested in Shinobi Sect philosophy.
The Shinobi Sect scriptures they passed down contained a section annotated by Kana and Fumori Masaki, expressing the self-dignity and value of humanity.
"All in all, as ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village, you shouldn't lose to other villages.
You must do your best!" Tsunade pumped her fist.
"Hmph, easy for you to say.
Why aren't you participating in the Chunin Exams?" Just then, Tsunade heard the voice of an annoying fellow.
"Do you think I don't want to participate?
If it weren't for Grandpa Tobirama, I would have signed up long ago!" She glared at Jiraiya, who had appeared behind her.
"That's what you say, but isn't it really because you don't have the strength?
After all, you're just a medical ninja, completely defenseless," Jiraiya made a face.
"This guy..." Tsunade felt the veins on her forehead bulging.
Because of their unpleasant first meeting, the two would bicker every time they encountered each other, and others were used to seeing this scene.
However, the next scene made Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizo a little alarmed.
She stretched her hands, clenched one fist, and said, "How about we give it a try?"
Jiraiya, unaware that Tsunade could use her monstrous strength, said with a death wish, "Come on, come on! Your weak, powerless fist won't hurt your Lord Jiraiya!"
Long after, every time Jiraiya recalled this incident from the past, he would feel a chill of fear.
If Satomi hadn't intervened in time, he, completely unaware, would have probably been forced to withdraw from the Chunin Exams on the spot.
But the current Jiraiya, of course, didn't know this, and just like in the past, he brazenly provoked Tsunade.
"Tsunade, don't interfere with the exam." Just as Jiraiya was about to face the fate of withdrawing from the exam, Satomi's voice rang out.
"You got lucky." Tsunade, hearing this, expressionlessly lowered her hand and said, "I'm quite curious to see what rank you'll get in the Chunin Exams."
"Don't worry, it'll definitely be higher than yours!" Jiraiya burst out laughing.
Watching Jiraiya's smug expression, his teammates Orochimaru and Asumi couldn't bear to look.
Asumi whispered, "She didn't even participate in the Chunin Exams, so of course her rank won't be as good as yours.
What a sophist, that Jiraiya."
"Idiot," Orochimaru said succinctly.
"Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Asumi, right?" Satomi said the three names, bent slightly, and smiled, "I hope you all get good ranks in the Chunin Exams."
"Don't encourage that guy, Sister Satomi," Tsunade pouted.
At the same time, the entrance time for the examination grounds arrived, and Satomi said no more, instead watching the students enter the examination grounds.
The subsequent matters were beyond their interference and depended on the students' own abilities.
As the host, the Hidden Leaf Village would maintain basic fairness, arranging exam items that favored Hidden Leaf ninjas, but in terms of rules, it would not give Hidden Leaf ninjas preferential treatment.
As Fumori Masaki's wife, she was aware of some of the Chunin Exam's content, so she knew that only the first written test was the sole advantage for the Hidden Leaf Village.
Because Hidden Leaf ninjas received cultural education from a young age in the Ninja Academy, primarily focusing on Shinobi Sect philosophy, it wasn't entirely unfair to people from other countries.
After all, Shinobi Sect scriptures had long spread throughout various countries through booksellers, and would have more or less of an influence.
Satomi had asked Fumori Masaki why he arranged a written test for the first round of the Chunin Exams.
Fumori Masaki, in turn, asked her to consider why he arranged cultural classes in the Ninja Academy, and then she would understand the reason for the written test in the Chunin Exams.
Yes, Fumori Masaki's goal was to emphasize Shinobi Sect philosophy.
As the origin of the ninja world continent, Shinobi Sect philosophy should become the common ideology of the ninja world, a set of values that everyone must understand and endorse.
As the initiators, his and Kana's annotations had already infused humanistic spirit into Shinobi Sect philosophy while maintaining its original appearance.
When the entire ninja world began to accept it, humanism would become the theory to subvert the feudal system.
Since it was a Joint Chunin Exam co-hosted by the Five Great Nations, and the main venue was still the Hidden Leaf Village, Fumori Masaki naturally had to export the ideology believed in by the Hidden Leaf Village.
This was actually the method adopted by the Hidden Leaf Village in the original work, except that back then, it was the traditional Will of Fire of the Hidden Leaf Village that was exported, whereas now, it was the Will of Fire infused with humanism.
In a certain room at the examination grounds, Fumori Masaki looked at the crystal panel in front of him, which displayed images of the written test examination hall.
This was a secret technique used for observation, similar in principle to Gaara's Sand Eye and the Rinnegan's shared vision.
It involved observing through a certain tool as a medium, one could say it was the ninja world's form of a camera.
"Captain Kazama, if people from other countries can't pass the written test, and only our Hidden Leaf ninjas do, won't that have a bad impact?" Yamanaka Takuma, who was flipping through the exam questions, asked.
"When discussing the holding of the Joint Chunin Exams, I hinted that there would be questions testing Shinobi Sect philosophy.
As the leader of a village, it's impossible not to understand.
If they truly don't understand, then there's nothing I can do," Fumori Masaki said.
"This really gives our village a huge advantage," Yamanaka Takuma said.
"If someone from our village doesn't pass, that would be truly inexcusable."
"If such a person appears, it only means that the Ninja Academy didn't conduct the graduation exam properly, or the teachers' education is lacking.
They can only be sent back for retraining," Fumori Masaki said.
"It's fine for us older generation ninjas, but the new generation of ninjas must be people who can understand Shinobi Sect philosophy.
Only they can bring about the future."