Chapter 280. Subtle Influence
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Today was a rest day.
And tomorrow...
It would be the final match of the Chunin Joint Exam, where all the participating ninjas from different villages would engage in one-on-one battles.
Aside from the slight peculiarity of the second round, this Chunin Joint Exam was essentially no different from past ones.
However—
The Iwagakure team that came to participate in the exam was feeling quite uneasy.
Especially the leading ninja, Kitsuchi. Seeing the changes in the ninjas from other villages only made him more anxious.
After all, while other villages were undergoing major transformations, Iwagakure alone remained the same as ever. As a Jonin of Iwagakure, how could he not be concerned?
Particularly when the matches ended and all the online discussions were filled with praise for victorious ninjas from other villages—it made him even more upset.
There were barely any posts about the Iwa ninja participants!
As one of the Five Great Ninja Villages... Iwagakure now seemed completely isolated.
Kitsuchi recalled how, when they first arrived in Konoha, they'd driven in with a second-hand car they'd bought outside, while the Kumogakure team had arrived in a grand, imposing convoy—luxury cars custom-made in the Land of Lightning. In comparison, their second-hand car looked like a tiny chick among a flock of eagles.
So small. So shabby.
And they'd even had to fight with that convoy of cars for parking space?!
Utterly humiliating.
You know, Iwagakure is also one of the Five Great Ninja Villages—with considerable strength!
Yet now, they didn't even seem much better off than Sunagakure—the once-impoverished ninja village.
Crossing his arms, Kitsuchi wore a grim expression as he looked at the Iwa ninjas who had accompanied him. After a brief silence, he asked, "What do you all think?"
They hadn't forgotten the Third Tsuchikage's mission.
They had to investigate the current state of all the villages.
"Kitsuchi-sama," one of the Iwa ninjas hesitated before saying, "Maybe the situation isn't as bad as we think. From this Chunin Joint Exam, we can see that... the strength of each village is still about the same. In fact, due to the convenience of various tools, the ninjas from many villages have actually seen a decline in certain skills."
For example, reconnaissance abilities and tracking skills.
"So maybe these things aren't as important as they seem."
As soon as he finished speaking, the group began whispering among themselves.
Kitsuchi frowned slightly, deep in thought. He didn't believe the other four Great Ninja Villages would invest in useless things.
Didn't they see the convoys from Kirigakure and Kumogakure?
But seeing everyone lost in their own thoughts, Kitsuchi wasn't sure what else to say for the moment.
Coming to Konoha this time...
He had certainly seen many strange and unusual things.
This filled him with both admiration and deep unease.
After a moment of silence, he said, "Continue gathering intelligence. Make sure we collect information on everything that Iwagakure doesn't have. Also... anything that can be brought back, take it all."
After saying this, he let out a sigh, picked up the Yuto milk tea beside him, and took a big gulp. "The next decision will be up to Tsuchikage-sama."
There was no point in overthinking it here.
"Understood!"
The others agreed—after all, their primary goal this time was to gather intelligence. What happened afterward would depend on how the village decided to act.
"Then, for tomorrow's final match, Iwagakure must do its best as well! We need to show everyone that even without all those unnecessary things, Iwagakure is still one of the Five Great Ninja Villages!" Kitsuchi nodded, then continued, "For tonight's dinner—"
Before he could finish—
"I already ordered takeout," said the same ninja who had earlier claimed the new trends didn't affect Iwagakure. "Ichiraku Ramen. Should be arriving soon. Oh, and I saw online that the Land of Rain's salamander is surprisingly cheap! Unfortunately, it takes a week to be delivered. You guys—"
He paused, noticing the way his comrades were staring at him in silence, and asked—word by word, in confusion, "What's! Wrong?!"
"..."
Kitsuchi and the others fell silent once again, staring at the Iwa ninja with blank expressions.
At that moment.
For some reason.
Suddenly.
They felt a terrifying sensation creeping over them.
…
The next day.
The final exam began.
However...
While the other villages were eager and ready for battle, Iwagakure remained unusually silent.
Especially when they saw their own students—each holding a cup of Yuto milk tea. Some, who had more money, had even bought a phone, taking pictures with one hand while holding their drinks in the other. This sight left them even more speechless.
It all felt ridiculously absurd!
Before long, with the host's whistle, the matches began. The Iwa ninja could only suppress their growing sense of absurdity and focus on the fights.
Meanwhile...
On Yuto's side...
After reviewing recent records and noticing the spending patterns, they were stunned to find that the Iwa ninjas' expenditures far exceeded those of the other villages.
Some had even bought phones.
Did they not realize their village didn't even have network coverage yet?
"They probably didn't think about that. It's rare for them to see these things, so the kids got curious and bought more than they needed," Hyuga Hanabi frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Unlike here... even if something isn't available in Konoha, people can still order it from Yuto Mall and get it shipped from elsewhere."
Sometimes, she had to admit—Uchiha Yuto had really created something impressive.
If Boruto were here...
He'd definitely be thrilled. After all, he often complained that Konoha lacked games from other regions.
"And Iwagakure's ninjas... seeing so many strange and novel things, they naturally bought more. Of course..." She rubbed her chin. "It could also be for intelligence gathering. After all, the only ones still without internet access now are those stubborn old people."
"Looks like... that pyramid scheme incident caught Iwagakure's attention too," Yuto narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling how, when they first tried to bring internet access to Iwagakure, they were outright rejected.
Maybe it was because the Third Tsuchikage had been crushed too hard by Uchiha Madara back in the day. The moment he heard that the President of Yuto Group was from the Uchiha clan, he refused without hesitation.
Even when they explained that their president was merely a Uchiha outcast, it was useless!
Their vigilance was quite serious!
Thinking about it, Danzo was pretty ruthless too... If Iwagakure hadn't caught on, he might've ended up swindling all of the Land of Earth. And then...
Once the "three-year deadline" arrived, Danzo would've returned, backed by the wealth of an entire nation, ready to challenge Konoha's business world once again.
Yuto chuckled helplessly, shook his head, and turned his attention back to the matches.
Time passed by little by little.
More than half of the battles had concluded. Unsurprisingly... all three—Itachi, Izumi, and Honoka—had advanced. Once they received their Chunin protectors, they would officially become Konoha's new Chunins.
However...
As the president of Yuto Group, Yuto couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them...
With the drastic drop in mission volume, if there weren't enough tasks to go around, they might just end up delivering packages or working as food delivery workers instead.
The thought alone was bittersweet...
It really felt like ninjas were losing their worth.
On the other hand, Hanabi was absolutely delighted. Seeing her students all advance, she grinned, raised a fist in excitement, and hooked her left arm around Yuto's neck. "Amazing! Amazing! Did you see that? They all made it! Those are my students!"
"Technically... they're your seniors."
"It doesn't matter! We have to celebrate tonight!"
"Whatever," Yuto shrugged, not bothering to argue. Instead, his gaze shifted downward...
The next match was one he was particularly interested in.
Konoha's hero, Uchiha Obito's student—Uchiha Jun—was about to face off against...
He glanced at the opponent's side.
Oh?
A chuckle escaped him.
A Kumo ninja. And a girl, at that...
Not just any girl—she seemed to be Nii Yugito's student.
With a sigh, he shook his head. "So this is what they call... fate~"
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