Chapter 356: I Predicted Your Prediction!

Chapter 356: I Predicted Your Prediction!

Shikaku stared at the ninja named Umi. Now, it was no longer a matter of whether he was competent enough for the position, but rather, he had to be competent and solve the problem.

Now, his brain was running fast.

After all, this matter was too strange.

Konohagakure and Iwagakure did not have any dealings in the first place; you could even say they were in a hostile state most of the time.

Based on this situation and logical thinking...

There was no need for Iwagakure to come over and conduct joint Chunin Exams with Konohagakure!

Moreover, Iwagakure was still at war with Kumogakure!

If you think about this matter, you will feel something was wrong. There was a big problem with it!

Shikaku was almost certain that Iwagakure had a purpose in doing this. However, he did not know what the other party's goal was.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with it!"

Umi smiled and shook his head. He had already recovered from the initial fear at this time and was not so scared anymore.

"The Chunin Exams have always been held jointly by multiple villages. These Chunin Exams caught up with the war, but there was no war between our Iwagakure and Konohagakure, so we could hold the Chunin Exams jointly. Our Tsuchikage-sama is also very willing to see such a thing happen." Umi said.

"Iwagakure is in at war. How can you take the Chunin Exams?" Shikaku narrowed his eyes slightly, his eyes flashing and suffused with a cold chill.

"Konohagakure wouldn't directly send Genin to participate in this level of war, right?" Umi suddenly smiled. He didn't directly respond to Shikaku's words, but the meaning of his words was still very clear.

"You mean... you want Iwagakure ninjas to come to Konohagakure and participate in the Chunin Exam?" Shikaku still narrowed his eyes. He had already deeply smelled the scent of conspiracy. Every sentence of this person was transmitted with a message that made him feel abnormal.

"Since the Chunin Exams are held jointly, of course, we have to go to the exam together. How can we take the exam together if the ninjas from our Iwagakure don't come to Konohagakure? " Umi sneered and said.

"Alright!"

Suddenly.

Hiruzen's voice rang out.

The conversation between Umi and Shikaku was interrupted.

Suddenly.

The people in the office all focused their eyes on Hiruzen.

"I understand."

Hiruzen slowly opened his mouth. His voice was very magnetic, giving people a very deep feeling.

"There is less than a week before the Chunin Exams begin!"

"If you, Iwagakure, really want to hold the Chunin Exams with us, Konohagakure..."

"Are you able to make it in time?"

Hiruzen's meaning was conveyed very clearly. It was that Konohagakure would not make changes in the Chunin Exams time just because of Iwagakure's words.

"We can make it!"

Umi nodded, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He then said, "As long as Hokage-sama agrees to the joint Chunin Exams of the two villages, we will immediately return to Iwagakure and report this matter to Tsuchikage-sama!"

"Then it's fine."

Hiruzen nodded and agreed to this matter. When he said these words, he had already decided after careful consideration. When Shikaku was talking with Umi just now, he calmly weigh the pros and cons.

"Then we will go and report to Tsuchikage-sama. Before the Chunin Exams begin, we will definitely arrive, and Tsuchikage-sama will also come!" Umi bowed to Hiruzen. After that, he immediately winked at several Iwagakure ninjas and left the office one after another, stepping back on the road back to Iwagakure.

After Iwagakure ninjas left.

Shikaku looked at Hiruzen doubtfully. There were several questions in his heart, and he wanted to ask Hiruzen, but he didn't know how to speak.

"Shikaku, if there are some things you don't quite understand. You can ask me, and I will explain it to you." Hiruzen immediately looked at Shikaku. His serious face revealed a smile, and then he said, "Because you just became a staff officer. I didn't ask for your opinion on this matter. In the future, if you have any different opinions, you can voice them at any time."

"Yes!"

Shikaku immediately nodded. He did not feel sad at all because Hiruzen had decided on this matter. Now, he was more moved because Hiruzen was respecting his opinion.

"Sandaime-sama, I don't understand why you agree to Iwagakure's request. Even if they want to participate in the Chunin Exams organized by our Konohagakure, but... um... there is no need to let them go so smoothly! "

Shikaku tried to control his tone as much as possible so that there would not be too many things that did not sound good.

He did have a lot of things that he did not understand.

For example, it was obvious that the other party was asking for a request, but why Hiruzen agreed so readily without even procrastinating?

What's more, Iwagakure's doing this was obviously premeditated, and it was definitely not as simple as the Chunin Exams, but why did they agree?

After seeing Hiruzen's operation, Shikaku had a lot of questions in his mind. However, he was more thinking that these things might be Hiruzen's own plans.

As Shikaku raised the question in his heart.

Hiruzen nodded slowly.

"Actually, from the tone of that Iwagakure ninja just now, I can tell that they have already made preparations to participate in the Chunin Exams, so I simply agreed directly. This will help us resolve the crisis that might appear in the future." Hiruzen explained.

"A crisis that might appear in the future?!" Shikaku's heart sank. He immediately confirmed his conjecture. That was that Hiruzen had his own thoughts. There was definitely a story behind this.

"Iwagakure has already launched an attack on Kumogakure. Regardless of whether it is Kumogakure or Iwagakure, they do not want us, Konohagakure, to be inserted into the battlefield at this time. Kumogakure already has a grudge against us, so I feel that Iwagakure's decision to take the joint Chunin Exams with us, Konohagakure, is to make friends with us and unite with us. However, denying the joint Chunin Exams may make Iwagakure think we do not want to make friends with them. Perhaps the war will spread to Konohagakure." Hiruzen slowly explained. At this time, he was still trying to avoid the possible war, using his method to separate Konohagakure from these dangers.

"This..."

After hearing Hiruzen's explanation, Shikaku suddenly felt a little strange.

He did not know how to continue.

In fact.

In his heart.

He did not agree with Hiruzen's judgment.

But...

He had just become a staff officer of the Hokage's office.

He had no experience at all.

It was not very clear whether his own judgment was correct or wrong.

Therefore, he did not dare to say anything rashly.

"Is there a problem?" Hiruzen looked at Shikaku. He had already seen the obvious scruples that the latter had when he spoke. This was also what he did not want to see.

"Sandaime-sama, my opinion is a little different. I think Iwagakure came here not for the alliance but for some conspiracy!" Nara Shikaku said in a deep voice.

"No!"

Hiruzen directly shook his head and denied it. He looked at Shikaku next to him and said, "Iwagakure is fighting with Kumogakure. They won't be willing to split up their force and fight with our Konohagakure!"

"Is that really the case?" Shikaku frowned. He didn't know if he was thinking too much. Moreover, in this regard, it could be said that he was the new one. He had no experience, so he was not confident to say anything too tough.

"Shikaku, you will know slowly. A ninja village will not choose to fight with multiple ninja villages at the same time. If that happens, there will be too many variables. Amegakure in the Second Ninja World War is an example." Hiruzen said in a low voice as if he had already understood these things clearly.

"Yes! I will study slowly!" Shikaku nodded repeatedly. He knew he did not have any qualifications, so it was better to sink and think more about studying.

"Shikaku, I will leave the Chunin Exams' matter to you. Prepare for the possibility of Iwagakure ninjas taking part. In the third round, you can invite daimyos from various countries. Even if there is a war, you must make the Chunin Exams beautiful." Hiruzen said to Shikaku.

"Yes!"

Shikaku responded again, and his face turned serious. Now, the Chunin Exams had changed into another nature. It was not the same as before.

...

An entire morning passed.

Soon, it was over.

Aoba sat on Ramen Ichiraku's chair, his right palm dragging the hem of his shirt, his left hand continuously tapping on the table.

However, he did not use too much strength.

There was no sound.

"The ramen is ready!"

Teuchi placed a bowl of steaming hot ramen on Aoba's table and said with a smile, "Aoba, this is your wages for making noodles all morning."

"I have become a worker here..."

Aoba smiled helplessly. He directly pulled over the bowl of steaming hot ramen. After half a day of hard work, he was really a little hungry. Now, he had to eat well.

"How could that be!"

After hearing Aoba's words, Teuchi immediately waved his hands to deny it, and a smile appeared on his angular face.

"We are good friends!"

"How can working be called friends?"

"You are just here to help me, and I have cooked a bowl of ramen for you!"

"That's all!"

"There is no money transaction between us!"

Teuchi said with a smile. He was not arguing with Aoba; he was chatting with Aoba.

"Brother Teuchi, I won't dare to come again if you say so!" Aoba said with a smile. When he spoke, he directly began to eat the ramen.

"Do you dare not to come?"

When Teuchi heard Aoba's words, he immediately revealed a disdainful smile and said, "If you have the ability, then don't come again!"

"..."

When Aoba heard Teuchi's words, he was speechless.

Step, step, step...

However.

Just at this time.

The sound of footsteps came from Ramen Ichiraku's entrance.

Then a few people came in.

"Aoba, I knew you were here. I guessed right!"

A voice full of joy sounded from the entrance. Even without listening carefully, Aoba could tell that the person who came in was Uchiha Fugaku.

Two people were following Fugaku.

They were Nara Saki and Akimichi Rin, who were standing together on the branch yesterday.

The three of them walked in one after another.

"What kind of person he is, has to be judged by me personally. What others say is useless!"

Aoba turned his head, stared into Saki's eyes, and said something that exceeded the other party's understanding of this world.

"Everyone is complicated. In the face of different people and things, they will behave differently. Just like in this world, there is no such thing as black or white. The vast majority of people are in the middle."

After Aoba finished speaking.

He turned his head back.

It was as if he had already chatted to death.

"En..."

Saki nodded. She did not know why Aoba had suddenly become so profound. Perhaps it was to prove that everyone was complicated.

For example...

What is this person like?

She also needed to redefine herself.

She couldn't rely on other people's judgment of Aoba to come to any conclusions!

...

Step, step, step, step...

Hurried footsteps sounded at Ramen Ichiraku's entrance again, clearly entering everyone's ears.

After that.

A person walked in first.

"Saki, Rin, so you guys are here. It's so easy for me to find you!"

When this person's voice came out.

Everyone present had already guessed who he was.

It was Nara Shikaku of the Nara clan.

"Brother Shikaku?!"

Saki was stunned for a moment. She looked at Shikaku with doubt in her eyes. She was very confused. Why did Shikaku come here?

The same confusion was also in Fugaku's eyes now.

As for Rin.

She did not want to think about those messy things, especially if Saki was beside her. As long as she supported Saki, it would be enough.

As for the other things...

That would depend on intuition!

"Saki, I have something important to tell you. You..."

Shikaku looked around and found that in addition to Saki and Rin, there was Yamanaka Aoba, who signed up with them, and the other was Konoha Military Police Force's Uchiha Fugaku.

Strictly speaking.

They weren't outsiders who couldn't listen to these things.

"Let's talk here."

Shikaku immediately made a decision. If it were before, he would still drag it for a while. But now, he had no time. There were still many things waiting for him to do. Therefore, if he could save a little time, it means being able to say a few more words.

"It's like this..."

"Iwagakure envoy has come to Konohagakure today, and they are going to come in with our village to join the Chunin Exams!"

"Now it has been approved by Sandaime-sama!"

"That is to say..."

"This year's Chunin Exams is not the easiest one. So if you decide not to participate now, I can still withdraw your registration form as the chief examiner!" Shikaku stared at Saki and said

His voice was not loud, but anyone could hear the urgency in his tone. It was obvious that he knew what kind of danger this meant.

Saki just finished listening to Aoba's words.

Now she saw Shikaku like this.

For a moment.

Her heart was still a little touched!

No matter what Shikaku did that made her feel dissatisfied, there was one thing that she was sure of, and that was Shikaku was sincerely thinking about her well-being!

This was a good brother!

"Brother Shikaku, you didn't rush over immediately after receiving the news, right?" Saki was quite moved. So she stared at Shikaku and asked.

"I guess so." Shikaku nodded and said, "You are not a fool. Iwagakure's ninjas came to Konohagakure to participate in the Chunin Exams. I think you can think of what this means. If you don't want to participate in the Chunin Exams, I can withdraw it for you."

"No! Brother Shikaku! I want to participate in this year's Chunin Exams!" Saki said firmly. Of course, she knew what this meant. On the contrary, the arrival of Iwagakure's ninja made her even more excited. She really did not decide to participate because it was the easiest exam but just happened that it was the weakest one. Now, she could take the Chunin Exams with Iwagakure's ninja. She still had a little expectation in her heart.

After hearing Saki's words, Shikaku stared at Saki without saying anything.

After a long time.

Shikaku nodded.

"I got it."

Shikaku turned to look at Aoba and narrowed his eyes slightly. He was very unhappy with Aoba, so when he saw Aoba, he felt very depressed.

"Aoba, if you are afraid of death, it is not too late to quit now. This time Chunin Exams are different from what you imagined. It is not the kind that you can pass just by messing around." Shikaku pointed the spearhead back at Aoba. His thoughts were still very clear. If he could directly persuade Saki, then he would directly complete his goal. If Saki did not agree, then it would only be Aoba because Rin would always follow Saki's decision. The two of them advanced and retreated together.

"Are you finished?" Aoba said indifferently. If not, because there were a few people here, he would not even be willing to pay attention to this Nara Shikaku.

"What do you mean?" Shikaku narrowed his eyes, a fierce light flashing in them. He had already tolerated Aoba for a long time. Now, he wished that he could also participate in Chunin Exams. This way, he could teach Aoba a lesson.

"If you are finished speaking, you can go. I'm quite busy. Don't waste my time." Aoba said indifferently, directly issuing the order to evict the guest. He was too lazy to say another word.

"Good! Good! Good! Aoba, don't say that I didn't warn you. This year's Chunin Exams is not simple!"

After Shikaku said this, he suddenly turned around and left. It could be said that he left with a belly full of anger.

Following Shikaku's departure.

Ramen Ichiraku became silent.

"Aoba, do you want to..." Fugaku hesitated for a moment and asked. His eyes were always fixed on Aoba. As Aoba's friend, when he recommended Aoba to participate in the Chunin Exams, there was a big reason. Because it was the simplest Chunin Exam. But now that it had become difficult, he began to worry about Aoba.

"Brother Fugaku, you should worry less. Konoha Military Police Force has so many things; is it not chaotic enough?" Aoba said helplessly. How could he not know what Fugaku was thinking? He was the first to push him to participate in the Chunin Exams; now, he wants him to back down. Even he felt very uncomfortable with this.

"Aoba, if you don't want to, we won't make things difficult for you. After all, the Chunin Exams have changed, and it is no longer the same as when we signed up yesterday." Saki took a deep breath and said. She hoped that Aoba would stay, but she still had to say this.

"Are you full?" Aoba asked doubtfully.

"No! No! No! I haven't finished eating yet!" Rin's anxious voice suddenly sounded. She was the only one whose mouth was blocked by noodles.

"Then let's eat."

Aoba looked at Saki and then looked at Fugaku. The meaning of what he said was very clear. Since he had signed up, he would not retreat halfway.

At least...

He wanted to enter the Chunin Exams and be eliminated in the way he wanted. Not back down without entering...

"Alright!"

When Fugaku thought about how he still had to treat them, he immediately felt a headache coming on. However, he had already gotten Aoba's clear answer, so he didn't ask any more questions.

"Aoba, do you think we need to familiarize ourselves with each other and practice cooperation?" Saki thought for a moment and asked.

"There's no need at all. The exams in front of us are not difficult, and there are no problems with the group events. The main thing is your solo battles. You just need to focus more on this." Aoba said indifferently.

"Huh?!"

After hearing Aoba's words, Saki suddenly had an illusion, as if Aoba was not here for them to carry, but to carry them in the Chunin Exams.

"Alright!"

Saki didn't say much.

'Maybe he was provoked by Brother Shikaku!'

'So let him be a little arrogant!'

'Give him a little bit of face.'

'I won't expose him!'

...

Half an hour later.

The gathering ended as Rin ate the last ramen and burped.

"Saki, Rin, on the day the Chunin Exams begin, let's gather here and then go to the Chunin Exams venue together. As for the time before the exam, you should practice more personal combat. If there is nothing important, don't look for me."

Before Aoba left, he spoke to the two girls. After yesterday's incident, he could already confirm that the two people already knew his dormitory's location.

During this time, he nominally wants to stay in the dormitory every day.

Although it will be a shadow clone who watches the house.

But...

He can't stand to be found too often.

That was why Aoba gave such an explanation.

"I understand."

Saki nodded. She still felt that things were strange. Just now, Shikaku had clearly said that the Chunin Exams were even more difficult this time. But it felt like it was even simpler in Aoba's mouth.

After Aoba explained the matter, she left Ramen Ichiraku and walked toward the Anbu dormitory.

Soon.

Aoba returned to his room in the Anbu dormitory.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(Shadow Clone Technique)!"

Aoba immediately formed a seal with both hands and used Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(Shadow Clone Technique). Suddenly, a shadow clone that looked exactly like him appeared in front of him.

"This pen is for you. Don't be idle when you are here to watch the house. Write the story of Binbin, a Teenager From the Ninja School."

After Aoba threw the pen in his hand to the shadow clone, he immediately connected with the Flying Thunder God Formula in the tall tower and used Hiraishin no Jutsu(Flying Thunder God Technique). His figure disappeared in a flash.

Watchtower.

Aoba sat on the edge of the watchtower and looked at the lush trees around him. His head quickly thought about the earlier matter and silently whispered, "Why did Iwagakure come to participate in this Chunin Exams."