Yamanaka Takuma didn't quite understand what Fumori Masaki meant by "future," but he trusted that Fumori Masaki was a visionary.Everything he was doing now was for the prosperity and strength of the village, especially the method of cooperation between the village and merchants, which greatly solved the problem of ninja villages' financial dependence on daimyo and brought great benefits to ninja families.Therefore, Yamanaka Takuma decided in his heart to follow Fumori Masaki, knowing that Fumori Masaki would not mistreat those who followed him."Oh, they're coming in now."
Fumori Masaki watched as the examinees entered the examination room one by one, forming small circles divided by country and team.Even partners from the same ninja village were competitors in this place; the only ones they could trust were those in their own team.Over three hundred people took this exam, most of whom came from small ninja villages.The proportion of ninjas sent by the Five Great Ninja Villages was very small.The reason behind this was that small ninja villages knew their own strength was lacking, so they tried to send as many examinees as possible, relying on quantity to make up for the lack of quality, while the Five Great Ninja Villages sent only elites, naturally in smaller numbers.
Fumori Masaki paid attention to the Cloud Hidden Village ninjas.This time, there were two teams, a total of six people, participating in the Chunin Exam.He remembered Rimi saying that one of the teams had a conflict with his students.Soon, he saw one team get up and approach Hatake Sakumo and the others.Since this secret technique could not transmit sound, Fumori Masaki didn't know what they were saying, but it looked like nothing more than a provocation.Hmm, the teacher of this team seemed to be Sora.Were the grievances between the teachers going to be resolved through their students?However, the one being provoked was that child, Hirazou.
To some extent, he was even more dangerous than Sakumo.This thought slowly drifted through Fumori Masaki's mind.Then, he focused his attention on the image.At this moment, the examiner had appeared on the podium, asking everyone to sit down quietly."Alright," he thought, "let me see what kind of results these years of effort have yielded."Fumori Masaki did not want only Konoha ninjas to pass the written exam; that would only prove that his ideological revival movement was a failure.
Therefore, he was very much looking forward to the results of the written exam bringing him a surprise.As the examiner handed out the test papers, most of the examinees' faces showed expressions of surprise, presumably shocked by the content of the questions.Fumori Masaki had no intention of adopting the original written exam rules that tested information gathering.This time, he truly intended to test the examinees' ideological level.
Konoha ninjas would basically have no problem; the focus was on examinees from other countries.His requirements were not that high; even if the test score was failing, if they passed the ideological theory questions and the questions mimicking the tenth question of the original work, the examinees could still be considered Passed (passing).
The written exam lasted one and a half hours.Fumori Masaki watched the crystal panel expressionlessly, not missing any change in each examinee's expression, estimating in his mind how many people could pass the exam.Just as the crucial tenth question began, Fumori Masaki's attention became even more focused, and he only relaxed after the exam ended.
After a while, Fumori Masaki chuckled softly.Yamanaka Takuma, surprised, looked at the panel and said, "Captain Kazemori's questions are quite difficult.I didn't expect nearly half of the people to remain.""Ah, I didn't expect it either.It seems my efforts weren't in vain," Fumori Masaki said.Konoha Village's policy in recent years has been to balance the great nations and win over the small nations.Small ninja villages like Yugakure have received Konoha Village's backing, and in return, they have actively accepted Konoha Village's values.This was Fumori Masaki's compromise for unification, establishing a Fire Alliance with Konoha Village at its core.Of course, to avoid making the great nations feel a sense of crisis, Konoha Village's measures were not so urgent but slowly infiltrated, mainly through the spread of ideas.
Now, it seemed, the effect was very good.Fumori Masaki looked at one of the teams, which was from Amegakure.The teacher of this team was Hanzō, while all other teams were eliminated.Seeing this result, he couldn't help but smile slightly."The first stage of the Chunin Exam has successfully concluded.Once the examinees have rested, they can prepare for the second stage," Fumori Masaki said, turning to Yamanaka Takuma.
"Yes." Yamanaka Takuma nodded and went to arrange the second stage of the exam.Fumori Masaki glanced at the now-empty examination room, then left the room and headed towards the Hokage Building.In the office, he reported the results of the first stage of the exam to Tobirama.Tobirama nodded slightly upon hearing this and said, "The results are not bad.It's somewhat surprising that all the ninjas from the great nations passed the test.""Perhaps there was an element of luck, or perhaps it was just rote memorization, but either way, it's something to be happy about," Fumori Masaki said."The subsequent exams will show how well the ninja villages cultivate their students."
Tobirama leaned back slightly in his chair, closed his eyes, and pondered for a moment, then said, "Do you have high hopes for our village's examinees?""It's hard to say, but I don't think they'll be bad," Fumori Masaki replied."A bit cautious.However, ninja battles aren't always won by the stronger party, so it's understandable not to make any guarantees," Tobirama said."But basic strength is still necessary.Strategies can only bridge a certain gap; ultimately, it still comes down to a direct confrontation to know the outcome."Then, Tobirama suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, Masaki, it's been a long time since we trained together, hasn't it?And I haven't asked about your training progress.
Have you made any new advancements in the Sage realm?How powerful are you now?""Hmm?" Fumori Masaki didn't expect Tobirama to ask about this."What's wrong?Years ago, you used a merchant caravan going abroad to search for the barren land mentioned by our ancestor Asura, hoping to further your Sage Art.Surely, you haven't gained nothing all these years, have you?" Tobirama chuckled.After realizing the relationship between Six Paths Sage Art and Tailed Beast Chakra, Fumori Masaki began to consider how to obtain Tailed Beast Chakra.
Initially, he planned to seek out the nearest Nine-Tails Chakra, but after seeing the underground chakra mentioned in the secret scroll—which should be the Ryūmyaku of the Land of Rōran—he changed his mind.According to Asura, the Ryūmyaku chakra was left behind by the Ten-Tails or the God Tree, and perhaps due to some unforeseen circumstances, it existed in a state between natural energy and chakra.Ordinary people would mistake it for chakra, but Asura, with his deep understanding of Sage Art, could naturally discern the true nature of the Ryūmyaku's power.According to Fumori Masaki's theoretical speculation, there was a certain conversion relationship between chakra and natural energy.
The revival mechanism of the Tailed Beasts might adhere to this rule, but Tailed Beast Chakra was genuinely chakra.Perhaps the essence of the power was different; at least on the surface, it was chakra, and there was no natural energy present.Fumori Masaki felt that he should first try to make contact with the Ryūmyaku chakra, which was between the two.If he could gain something from it, it might also help his understanding of Tailed Beast Chakra.
Thus, many years ago, Fumori Masaki obtained Tobirama's consent, infiltrated a merchant caravan, and traveled to the Land of Rōran—a location determined by the description in the secret scroll, and Fumori Masaki naturally knew this was correct.Nearly a month later, Fumori Masaki returned from Rōran.Tobirama had asked him if he had gained anything, and Fumori Masaki said he still needed time to study it, so he didn't give an immediate answer.
"No.I did make some progress." Fumori Masaki could now give Tobirama an accurate answer.When he arrived in Rōran that time, he felt the immense power hidden underground.Perhaps those skilled in chakra sensing could also feel it, but only when this power became active.Sage Art users would be even more sensitive, able to feel it flowing quietly even when this power was dormant.Rōran was a small country near the Land of Wind.Because of its close proximity, its location was also a desert area, and its population was not large.
The country was governed by a queen, which was a rare example similar to the Land of Demons—female rulers were not unheard of, but Rōran had been ruled by queens for generations, reportedly because the queen possessed the power to communicate with the earth, thus holding such a position.Although the queen was said to have the power to communicate with the earth, Rōran's national strength was not great, and other countries couldn't discern what this so-called earth power was, so they just regarded it as Rōran's unique culture and paid little attention.Because Rōran was a country that had to be passed through on the Land of Wind's trade routes, even though it was a small country,
it gradually gained some status in recent years with the trade activities between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.And Fumori Masaki entered it without any pressure.Using the merchants' gifts to the royal family, Fumori Masaki was able to meet the queen who ruled Rōran.This queen should have been Queen Sara's grandmother, possessing the same red hair as Queen Sara.Because of the unique nature of the Rōran Queen and her red hair, Fumori Masaki somewhat suspected whether the royal family had any connection to the Uzumaki clan, for example, a branch of the Uzumaki clan leaving the Land of Whirlpools for some reason and establishing the Kingdom of Rōran here.Well, it was a bit fanciful; one couldn't say that red hair automatically meant they were from the Uzumaki clan.The Kingdom of Rōran was not wealthy,
but as it became an important part of the trade route, it gradually prospered.This was also due to the silent guidance of Konoha Village.Therefore, the Queen of Rōran welcomed the merchants' arrival and even held a banquet for them.As an important member of the merchant caravan, Fumori Masaki was naturally invited to the banquet.
Taking this opportunity, he silently observed the architectural structure of the palace, and when presenting gifts to the queen, he secretly slipped a note to her.Subsequently, when he saw the queen notice the note, he knew his mission was accomplished.After the banquet ended, he easily bypassed the palace guards and arrived at the queen's bedchamber, gently knocking on the door, matching the secret code conveyed on the note.Then, he waited for the queen to open the door.