Gekkō Hayate stood in the arena, staring dumbfoundedly at everything before him.
When he first saw the giant wind blade Baki unleashed, he had intended to face death alongside Aoki Yoru to resist it, but he hadn't expected Aoki Yoru to disperse it so easily.
That Baki, who had driven him to despair, was actually defeated so effortlessly. One must realize that even a Special Jonin squad might not necessarily escape unscathed from Baki!
"Whoosh! Whoosh!!"
The commotion from the battle finally alerted the Anbu and the Police Force, who rushed to the scene and quickly surrounded the area.
Gekkō Hayate snapped back to his senses and recounted everything that had just happened.
At the Sarutobi Clan grounds.
The Third Hokage, who had been hurriedly awakened, listened to the Anbu's report. His lips twitched, and he couldn't help but reveal a gratified smile.
"Is that so? Jonin Aoki saved Hayate! Since he has gone back, there's no need to disturb him; we know the process anyway."
"Then what about Baki? His injuries are very severe right now, and the Anbu medical Ninjas are treating him."
At the mention of Baki, the smile on the Third Hokage's face vanished instantly, and he said with a grave expression:
"Give him full medical treatment first. Notify Inoichi to read all the intelligence from him. Since he is the Kazekage's confidant, squeeze him dry."
"But there is a seal in his mind; the core information cannot be read at all," the Anbu member said hesitantly.
The Third Hokage nodded. "Read as much as you can."
"Then what about the Chunin Exams? And the Ichibi Jinchuriki?"
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe and said after a moment of contemplation, "The Chunin Exams cannot stop. The Daimyo, the nobles, and the major merchants have all agreed to come watch the matches. If we stop abruptly, the damage to the Village's reputation would be too great.
As for Gaara and his two siblings, keep them under surveillance for now. Once the Fourth Kazekage arrives, I will have a good talk with him."
"Yes," the Anbu replied and then withdrew.
Watching the departing Anbu, the Sandaime made no move, but the frown on his face grew tighter and tighter.
"What exactly is Rasa's objective?" the Third Hokage couldn't help but mutter to himself, unable to fathom the reason for Rasa's boldness.
He then shook his head, clearing the doubts from his mind. Regardless, he would deal with whatever came his way; Konoha now had the confidence to handle unexpected events.
Aoki Yoru's strength was growing ever stronger; to defeat an elite Jonin so easily, it wouldn't be long before he could take over the mantle of top-tier combat power.
When the time came for Konoha to be guarded by him and Kakashi, his old bones wouldn't have to be so anxious anymore.
Thinking of this, the Third Hokage showed a knowing smile. He hadn't felt this relaxed since Minato and his wife passed away.
Deep within the Forest of Death, on the outskirts of Konoha Village.
In a crude basement surrounded by dense Sealing Techniques, Aoki Yoru was busy at a simple earthen platform.
After the previous lesson, he had abandoned the idea of building a fully functional laboratory and instead used Earth Release to create a disposable basement.
As for the surrounding seals, he had to thank Uzumaki Ming's gift.
Though they were all basic techniques, they were the most authentic and detailed basic Sealing Technique teaching materials of the Uzumaki Clan.
It started from the very basics, explaining the composition principles of runes, the ways to sense Chakra flow, and the core logic of Sealing Techniques so thoroughly that it was like a master teacher giving hands-on instruction.
It was completely different from Konoha's disorganized study materials that required one to figure things out for themselves, making up for his weakness in lack of fundamentals.
As for more advanced Sealing Techniques, he would find a way later; once the foundation was solid, he could create Sealing Techniques according to his own needs.
At this moment, a wisp of obscure, cold energy with a bizarrely distorted feel hovered at Aoki Yoru's fingertips—it was the Evil God Energy that had nearly cost him his life.
He held his breath and focused, immersing his entire mind into it, using his formidable spiritual power to analyze the essence of this bizarre energy layer by layer.
He carefully sensed its distorted fluctuations, which differed from ordinary Chakra, dismantling the bizarre operational laws and evil source bit by bit, attempting to thoroughly research this mysterious and dangerous Evil God power.
After a long time, Aoki Yoru sighed and resealed the wisp of energy.
"Sigh! As expected, it's not that easy."
After spending nearly a month, his gains were limited; he only knew that this energy was neither Chakra nor Natural Energy, but a type of wicked life energy originating from an unknown existence.
He then composed himself and walked toward the Village. The third stage of the Chunin Exams was approaching, and as the chief examiner, he had to prepare.
Returning home, Aoki Yoru took Nao toward Ichiraku Ramen; he hadn't yet fulfilled his promise to make it up to her from last time.
Lifting the curtain, Aoki Yoru saw two familiar figures slurping noodles vigorously.
"Jiraiya-sama, you're back!"
Saying this, he led Nao to sit on the stools. "Boss Ichiraku, two bowls of super deluxe miso ramen, please."
Jiraiya took a sip of soup and turned to look at them. "It's Yoru. Looking at your face, you seem to be fully recovered."
He then looked at Naruto, who was fighting his noodles. "It's been a long time since I've been back. I came to take a look; the Village hasn't changed much these past few years."
"Is that so? It really hasn't changed much."
Aoki Yoru followed his gaze and knew his purpose. If it weren't for Naruto, Jiraiya wouldn't have come back; all of the Sannin were utterly disappointed with the higher-ups.
Sometimes he even wondered, if the Third Hokage weren't the teacher of the Sannin, would they have staged a coup?
Then Jiraiya revealed a lecherous smile and took out a scroll from his robe, handing it over.
"Yoru, you have no idea how popular those two books are. Publishers were scrambling to give this Great Immortal money."
Aoki Yoru opened the scroll, and seeing the numbers inside, his expression turned to shock as he blurted out, "How can there be so much?"
Looking at the figure of 156 million Ryo, even though he had previously expected it to sell well, he hadn't expected this much money.
Seeing Aoki Yoru's shocked expression, Jiraiya looked satisfied. "You don't know how hot these two books are. Once the first one, 'The Gatekeeper Grandpa,' was published, it swept through the Land of Fire. Demand exceeded supply, causing a paper shortage in the Land of Fire."
He then puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Especially after I changed the title to 'The Gatekeeper Sarutobi Grandpa,' it sold throughout the entire Ninja World."
"And the second book, 'The Young Wife Bai Jie,' didn't even need warming up; it was sold out as soon as it appeared. Countless people were waving cash to buy it at a higher price."
"Unfortunately, the royalties for the first book were snatched by Tsunade. Otherwise, you could have gotten at least another hundred million Ryo this time."
Hearing this, Aoki Yoru's heart twitched, and he felt even more pain. That amount could make Kakuzu kneel and call him father.
Suddenly he snapped back to his senses. The Gatekeeper Sarutobi Grandpa?
Aoki Yoru looked at Jiraiya speechlessly. Is it really okay to disparage your own teacher like this?
No wonder it sold throughout the Ninja World; apparently, everyone wanted to see the Third Hokage made a fool of. He wondered if the Third Hokage would beat this rebellious disciple to death after finding out.
Aoki Yoru glanced at Naruto, who was still slurping noodles, and asked, "Naruto, how are your preparations for the third exam? Neji's strength is not that simple."
"Of course! The Pervy Sage taught me a very powerful move. I'll definitely blow that guy away." Naruto patted his chest, full of confidence.
"Is that so! Then I wish you success in becoming a Chunin."
At this moment, the Third Hokage, who was being teased by Aoki Yoru, was actually bleeding from his nose, his eyes glued to the pages of a book while letting out a lecherous laugh. He had completely projected himself into the character of The Gatekeeper Sarutobi Grandpa in the book.
He kept muttering to himself, "Jiraiya still understands me, his teacher, best!"