Because of this incident, the third exam was temporarily postponed. Representatives from Iwagakure and Kirigakure arrived together in a room in the tall tower. In addition, Hanzo, the representative and teacher from Amegakure, also came.
The representatives from Iwagakure and Kirigakure suspected foul play regarding Amegakure's ability to have candidates qualify for the third exam, which is why Hanzo had to be there.
Honestly, Hanzo was also somewhat surprised that his students passed the exam. Although they were skilled, they were not strong enough to stand out against the Five Great Shinobi Nations. If he hadn't known that he had no dealings with Konohagakure, from an outsider's perspective, he might have also suspected something was amiss.
However, Hanzo's students had indeed made it to the tower. Since he had a clear conscience, he had to defend his students and not allow Iwagakure and Kirigakure to bully Amegakure just because of their strength!
Hanzo's gaze swept coldly over the representatives of the two villages. Both felt a chill run down their spines and watched Hanzo warily.
Iwagakure and Kirigakure were both among the current Five Great Shinobi Nations. Furthermore, the Land of Earth, to which Iwagakure belonged, was a victorious nation in the Shinobi World War.
Regardless of which side, they both felt a sense of superiority over the Land of Rain. Yet, at this moment, the representatives of the two villages felt a dangerous aura emanating from Hanzo, which was truly incredible.
—This person is by no means an ordinary ninja.
This thought flashed through the minds of the two village representatives. They hadn't expected such a ninja to emerge from Amegakure. Although his exact strength was unknown, the pressure he exuded indicated that he was a master, even within Iwagakure or Kirigakure.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, the door to the room opened. The first person to enter was someone all three were very familiar with, as his stone statue was prominently carved into the rock face of Konohagakure: the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Following him were Fumori Masaki and Shimura Danzo.
The importance of this matter compelled Tobirama to personally intervene. After reviewing the information gathered by Shimura Danzo and organized by Fumori Masaki, he knew there were no major issues.
Konohagakure's conscience was clear in this regard. All that remained was to get the representatives of the other two villages to accept it.
"Lord Hokage." The representative from Iwagakure first bowed to Tobirama. During the Shinobi World War, Konohagakure and Iwagakure were allies, and he considered their relationship to be relatively close.
Thus, he indignantly declared, "It's impossible for no one from Iwagakure to pass. There must be something fishy going on. Perhaps someone secretly interfered, disrupting the fairness of the Chunin Exam.
Lord Hokage, Konohagakure is the host of the Chunin Exam; you cannot show favoritism!"
"Are you implying that Konohagakure committed fraud?" Tobirama asked, his face expressionless.
"No, that's not what I mean. I'm saying that some people might have secretly tampered with things for their own selfish reasons." The Iwagakure representative, of course, dared not directly blame Konohagakure.
"Then you're mistaken. We Konoha ninjas are very disciplined, and we will not hesitate to punish those who violate the rules," Shimura Danzo said coldly.
"After my investigation, I can confirm that there was no fraud involved, just a rare occurrence."
"No need to rush. After seeing this, both representatives will understand why." Fumori Masaki handed over the investigation scroll before the other party could react.
The representatives from Iwagakure and Kirigakure quickly took the scrolls and began to read them. When Hanzo took his, his gaze briefly met Fumori Masaki's.
Seeing the latter nod slightly, the last trace of doubt in his heart vanished, and he began to read the scroll with a relaxed demeanor.
"What?"
"How could this be!"
The two men exclaimed one after another, looking shocked at the information written in the scroll.
They couldn't believe it. If what the scroll said was true, then the fact that no one from Iwagakure or Kirigakure qualified for the third exam was truly not a conspiracy, but merely a pure accident.
The reason for this lay in an old grudge during the Shinobi World War, where the Second Tsuchikage Mu and the Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki became entangled, ultimately leading to their mutual destruction.
With the highest leaders of their villages dying in such a manner, Iwagakure and Kirigakure developed an irreconcilable hatred. Whenever both sides were present, they would inevitably provoke each other.
The young and impetuous candidates from the two villages, unlike adults, could not suppress their emotions. Their strong sense of village identity led them to unanimously decide to eliminate each other in the Chunin Exam.
Thus, in the Forest of Death, the candidates from Kirigakure and Iwagakure immediately sought each other out and began to duel.
Just as the Second Tsuchikage and Second Mizukage ended in mutual destruction, the candidates from Kirigakure and Iwagakure also fought to a draw, both too injured to collect any more scrolls.
One group of Kirigakure candidates was then ambushed by Amegakure ninjas, who easily took their scrolls and successfully qualified for the third exam.
"This can't be! These Amegakure ninjas must have done something! Otherwise, how could this have just happened?" The Kirigakure representative found it hard to accept this outcome, speaking incoherently, which made Fumori Masaki and Shimura Danzo shake their heads slightly.
The Iwagakure representative's face was ashen. He also wanted to accuse them like the Kirigakure representative, but he had long understood the problem and had managed to hold back. However, others couldn't remain indifferent.
"So what? We can't interfere with the rules. In this reduced battlefield, any strategy is legitimate. Even if one side incites another to fight, is there anything in that which violates the rules?" Hanzo shook his head and said to Tobirama.
"No, there's no violation of the rules. In that forest, as long as it's by one's own ability, whether it's strategy or strength, achieving victory is permissible," Tobirama said.
"You see, even Lord Hokage says so. Although my students did indeed pass the exam by sheer luck, it's not for you to accuse them of cheating, because their actions were all within the rules," Hanzo chuckled.
"You bastard!" The Kirigakure representative glared at Hanzo with hatred.
Hanzo looked into the other's eyes and sneered, "What, are you thinking of making a move? You know where this is, don't you? But even if you really want to fight, I'm not afraid."
As he spoke, a powerful chakra aura emanated from Hanzo, causing the Kirigakure representative's face to change drastically, and even Tobirama couldn't help but glance at Hanzo.
This chakra aura was far beyond what an ordinary person could possess. The Iwagakure and Kirigakure representatives had previously guessed that Hanzo's strength could be considered that of a master, but now, it seemed Hanzo's strength was close to the pinnacle of their village.
Of course, they couldn't imagine Hanzo's strength being comparable to a Kage.
Just as Hanzo was coldly staring at the other party, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder, startling him slightly. He quickly turned around to see Fumori Masaki beside him.
Fumori Masaki shook his head slightly and said, "Hanzo, this is our territory. Outsiders should just observe. We will certainly uphold justice."
"That's good." Hanzo's body relaxed slightly, no longer releasing that astonishing killing intent. He crossed his arms over his chest, stepped aside, but his gaze shifted to Fumori Masaki.
When Fumori Masaki appeared beside Hanzo just now, Hanzo hadn't felt any chakra presence. It was worth noting that he was already in a combat-ready state at the time and wouldn't miss any movement.
From Fumori Masaki disappearing to reappearing, not even a breath of time passed. Hanzo himself could achieve such speed, but it would require concentrating chakra for explosive movement, which would inevitably release a powerful chakra.
However, Fumori Masaki's movements were completely silent.
—It felt as natural as the wind blowing, his actions perfectly blending with the environment.
Hanzo had never fought Fumori Masaki before, but to be given the title of 'Demigod' by various nations—though not yet at this point—his strength and insight were excellent.
He immediately recognized Fumori Masaki's power; such a level was beyond what ordinary ninjas could possess.
While Hanzo was silently contemplating, Fumori Masaki said to the two representatives, "I think you should understand now. If you still think there's a problem, we will, of course, continue to investigate.
However, I think it's unnecessary. You just need to ask your own candidates."
The two representatives exchanged glances, both knowing that they had no choice but to accept this. As long as they got proof from their candidates, they would understand that this was truly just an accident.
If they continued to be unreasonable, they would not only receive no compensation but also lose a great deal of face in Konohagakure.
—We can only accept our losses.
After realizing this fact, the Iwagakure and Kirigakure representatives stopped dwelling on the fraud and instead began to glare at each other.
Ultimately, this outcome was because the other side's candidates provoked their own—at least, that's what both of them believed.
Seeing this, Tobirama said, "Since that's the case, let's not waste time here. Prepare to begin the third exam." He then gave an instruction to Fumori Masaki and left the room. Shimura Danzo also didn't linger and followed him out.
"Please return, both of you." Fumori Masaki said to the two representatives after receiving the order.
The two representatives also found it awkward to stay there any longer, as this misunderstanding had caused both villages to lose some face. They quickly left the room.
The remaining Hanzo nodded to Fumori Masaki and said, "Thank you for defending us."
"It's nothing, it's just what the investigation results showed. If you really had cheated, we wouldn't cover for you. The overall fairness of the exam still needs to be guaranteed," Fumori Masaki shrugged.
"This time, it was due to good luck that they qualified for the third exam. In the third exam, they probably won't have such luck," Hanzo said. "However, qualifying for the third exam is already very satisfying, considering the outcome, and should be explainable to the village."
"Indeed. I hope in the future, you can cultivate even more outstanding candidates who can achieve better results in the Chunin Exam," Fumori Masaki said with a smile.
"Better results?" Hanzo recalled the situation in Amegakure, smiled, and said, "I hope so."
Then, the two also left the room, spreading the news that the third exam was about to begin to every candidate. The candidates quickly perked up.
Because the exam was postponed, the candidates who had rushed in late had finally gotten a chance to rest, but now they had to prepare for the exam.
There were five teams that qualified for the third exam, three people per team, totaling fifteen individuals. The third exam adopted a one-on-one competition format, meaning there would be a two-on-two duel, which also meant one person would receive a bye.
This could only be considered a preliminary round for the third exam. From the perspective of the Chunin Exam's purpose, fifteen people were still a bit too many. If it were for the dignitaries to watch, it would drag on for too long.
"Even fifteen people are considered too many. Looking at the number of participants, the elimination rate for this exam was very high. Should I say they are too excellent, or that the difficulty of the exam is not enough?" Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the high platform, looking at the fifteen candidates below, and said.
"Of course, they are too excellent. This era's requirements for ninjas have not yet been lowered," Fumori Masaki said, walking over to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.
Looking at the somewhat excited Jiraiya among the candidates, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and said, "Honestly, I thought that kid Jiraiya might have some trouble, but now it seems he's quite capable."
"You might be underestimating your students a bit. In terms of achievement, Jiraiya might just be the most remarkable one," Fumori Masaki said.
"Him? Impossible. If you said Orochimaru, that might be possible." As soon as Orochimaru was mentioned, the smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face grew wider. He also cared deeply about his other two students, but ultimately, he still favored the exceptionally talented Orochimaru the most.
"Hmm, he should also be able to achieve something. I think he could go to the Research Department, what do you think?" Fumori Masaki asked.
"Research Department? Ah, that guy might really have the talent for it. You've reminded me. If he can truly become a Chunin, I'll transfer him there," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.
"Hiruzen, don't forget the main purpose of the Research Department," Fumori Masaki reminded him.
"I won't forget. It's just that the village's support for research in this area isn't strong. Besides you and sensei, who would think this is valuable research? Honestly, I don't have much confidence," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Fumori Masaki nodded silently. It was truly not easy to make a group of people willing to invest a lot of energy into something that seemed empty, but he believed that in the future, there would definitely be people to support it.