Hokage Building.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the pipe in his hand and glanced at the three individuals seated below—Shimura Danzo, Hamura, and Koharu.
"Tell me your thoughts. Why did that guy Onoki agree to hold the Chūnin exam in Konoha so easily?"
"Hmph."
Shimura Danzo snorted and said nothing. Thinking about what Sarutobi Hiruzen had done to him before, he felt extremely angry. Now that Hiruzen needed him again, it was laughable.
Hamura pondered for a moment. "I can't quite figure out Onoki's plans, but I doubt he has good intentions."
"That's right," Koharu nodded in agreement. "Each Chūnin exam was conducted separately in the past. Now, Onoki suddenly wants a joint Chūnin exam? Something about this doesn't sit right."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment. What Hamura and Koharu said was correct, but they didn't get to the core of the matter. It was obvious Onoki had ulterior motives—there was no need to state the obvious.
Instead, he turned to Shimura Danzo and asked, "Danzo, what do you think?"
Shimura Danzo, noticing Hiruzen's gaze, looked to the side and replied coldly, "Why are you asking me? I am no longer the Hokage's assistant and have no business discussing the village's security."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. Danzo was still holding a grudge over his dismissal. "Ahem, your position as Hokage assistant has been reinstated—I just forgot to tell you. Now, give me your opinion."
Hearing this, Shimura Danzo silently grumbled, "So you just reinstate me as you please? No consideration for my pride at all?" But since Hiruzen was the Hokage, he decided to let it slide.
"Hmph." Shimura Danzo snorted before saying, "Since Onoki agreed to hold the Chūnin exam in Konoha, he likely just wants to show off in front of us. This is Konoha—he can't cause any real trouble here. His real goal is probably to use the Chūnin exam to let his Genin outperform ours. If they succeed, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth might be impressed and increase Iwagakure's military funding."
After speaking, Danzo looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Hiruzen thought for a while. Danzo's reasoning made sense. This was Konoha—Onoki wouldn't dare make a move here, but his Genin might still try to prove themselves.
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to Hamura and Koharu. "What do you think of Danzo's opinion?"
"I agree with Danzo," Hamura nodded.
Koharu also agreed. "So do I."
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen knocked on the table, then stood up. "Very well, the Chūnin exam will proceed as planned."
The next day.
After submitting his form and registering, Chiba stopped worrying about the Chūnin exam. His strength was already beyond that of most Genin. Even if there were some prodigies participating, they were nothing exceptional. After all, not everyone was the reincarnation of Indra or Asura.
Chiba activated the reverse summoning technique.
Shikkotsu Forest
Chiba had grown familiar with this place and quickly found Katsuyu's clone waiting for him.
"Katsuyu-sama, I'll be troubling you again today," Chiba said with a slight bow.
"It's no trouble. I get bored in the Shikkotsu Forest anyway, so this gives me something to do," Katsuyu replied.
Hearing this, Chiba nodded, then removed his upper garments and applied the prepared Katsuyu mucus to his body before sitting cross-legged.
Time passed slowly. When the mucus on his body was about to dry, Chiba was about to reapply it when, suddenly, he sensed a strange energy. Realizing what it was, he concentrated fully.
It was natural energy.
Excited, Uchiha Chiba attempted to absorb it. As the natural energy entered his body, he quickly refined his chakra to merge with it.
However, just as he was about to complete the fusion, a sharp blow landed on his head.
Bang!
"Chiba, you're being too impatient," Katsuyu said, retracting its stick.
Snapped out of his trance, Chiba touched the back of his head and opened his eyes. He noticed traces of petrification on his chest, but thanks to Katsuyu's intervention, it was already fading.
"Thank you, Katsuyu-sama," Chiba said gratefully.
"It's fine, but Chiba, you've only just begun to sense natural energy. You need to familiarize yourself with it before attempting to absorb it."
Chiba nodded. In truth, he had other plans, but with Katsuyu watching, he had to play it safe. Now that he could sense natural energy, he wouldn't need to train in Shikkotsu Forest much longer. He could just feign entering Sage Mode in front of Katsuyu.
"Let's stop here for today, Katsuyu-sama. I'll go back now and reflect on my experience."
"That sounds wise. You can return to Shikkotsu Forest anytime you need to train."
"Thank you, Katsuyu-sama. I'll take my leave now."
"Goodbye, Chiba."
After bidding farewell to Katsuyu, Uchiha Chiba returned to Konoha. But instead of resting, he went to the Forest of Death.
Activating his sensory abilities, he confirmed that no one else was around. Sitting down cross-legged, he closed his eyes.
Immediately, he noticed something unusual—the natural energy concentration here was vastly different from that of Shikkotsu Forest.
"The difference is enormous," Uchiha Chiba murmured. "If Shikkotsu Forest's natural energy is like a torrential downpour, then the energy here is nothing more than a light drizzle."