I, Konoha's Sage of Life-Chapter 186: Damn It, I’ve Become the Scapegoat!

"Jōnin Kyoichi, your student must've awakened the Sharingan, right?"

"You tell me..."

Kyoichi glanced at A.

As expected of someone who specializes in speed—his grasp of timing and reflexes was impeccable. Besides, bringing it up now might just be a way to throw Shisui into the fire.

The Sharingan...

And in someone so young.

Everyone's eyes turned red with envy.

A genius like that...

Why are they always from Konoha?

"Konoha has geniuses every generation. It's really something to envy," Yahiko sighed.

He wasn't being sarcastic—his admiration was genuine. But at the same time, he understood why Konoha had so many prodigies.

A thriving economy, strong education, and a deep foundation.

Take Nagato, for instance.

Without question, Nagato was a bona fide genius.

But...

If they hadn't met Jiraiya, the three of them would've never had access to high-level ninjutsu. Even if they were lucky enough to become elite shinobi in Amegakure, their achievements wouldn't come close to where they stood now.

Because the educational and ninjutsu systems in Amegakure...

Were an utter mess.

And then there was the problem of the lower- and mid-tier shinobi...

The skill gap was massive.

Plenty of Konoha's chūnin, if sent to Amegakure, could easily qualify as jōnin. But over here, they were just average chūnin or maybe tokubetsu jōnin.

That's the power of a major shinobi village.

A deep-rooted foundation capable of nurturing an even stronger next generation.

As long as that cycle of education continues without breaking, Konoha will never truly decline. Even if one generation falls short, it can hold out until a new crop of talent rises again.

Amegakure...

Achieving that would be a distant dream.

Those thoughts swirled in Yahiko's mind.

Many other team leaders shared Yahiko's perspective. But as the one who had just been on the receiving end of Shisui's assault, A appeared oddly calm.

After all, in this kind of exam, it's every shinobi for themselves.

Yugito Nii didn't dare sabotage Konoha's side—but Shisui did. And he pulled it off.

That's real strength.

What A was actually thinking now was...

Konoha's use of the Body Replacement Technique and its variants seemed unusually refined.

The Three Basic Techniques—Clone, Transformation, and Body Replacement—were standard for every shinobi.

Everyone knew that. But the more fundamental a technique, the harder it was to teach well.

Yet Konoha's genin all seemed exceptionally skilled in the basics.

Could it be...

That they were all taught by Kyoichi?

How the hell did he pull that off?!

He was inwardly full of amazement.

At this point, few still cared about the exam itself. This kind of test focused on team synergy, strategy, and overall group strength—individual power wasn't nearly as decisive as in a one-on-one duel.

With the second-tier resources of the Kumo ninja destroyed, all that remained were tools that couldn't be blown up.

Which meant...

From the Kumogakure's perspective, they'd basically lost their chance to compete with Konoha for victory in the third zone. As for Sunagakure and Iwagakure, they were even less qualified.

And Kirigakure...

They were too greedy. They split their forces trying to seize two resource points, only to end up stretched too thin and failing to secure the third point entirely.

Meanwhile, Konoha had secured one full supply cache—solidly and completely.

With food pills and explosive tags restocked in abundance, and the other villages left practically empty-handed, everyone could already see what was coming: a one-sided slaughter.

Honestly...

If surrender were an option, they'd have thrown in the towel the moment the third zone began.

So—

Everyone's focus had already drifted away from the exam itself.

"Tsunade-senpai, Jōnin Kyoichi, I wonder if next year's Chūnin Exams will still follow this large-scale format..."

"These large-scale exams are a huge loss, you know. All these supplies from Konoha cost real money! To be honest, both Kyoichi and I were against it, but the Hokage insisted it was a good way to foster ties between villages, so we had no choice but to follow his lead!"

Tsunade sighed and dumped the blame squarely on the Third Hokage.

He wasn't here, after all.

Everyone fell silent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi...

Who's she trying to kid?

There's no way that guy would come up with such an elaborate setup.

The true masterminds were obviously Kyoichi and Tsunade—and everyone could guess the real ringleader was none other than Kanda Kyoichi.

As for the so-called "losing money," well...

Frankly, no one quite believed it.

Those nobles were all loaded. A close-quarters shinobi tournament like this—usually off-limits to the public—had likely raked in a fortune just from ticket sales alone.

"Konoha probably isn't that interested in hosting again next year. We can't be the only ones doing this all the time, right? Wouldn't that make it a one-village show? For a Chūnin Exam involving the entire shinobi world, I think it's better to rotate hosting duties."

Tsunade added casually.

Though she wasn't officially in charge of Konoha yet, she already held the reins in practice.

The other villages didn't know that, of course.

But now the real show was about to start.

Kyoichi straightened up in his seat. This was exactly what he'd come to discuss—he didn't trust a clone to handle something this sensitive.

"Rotate hosting?"

Everyone hesitated.

Hosting something like this wasn't cheap.

Small villages couldn't afford it, and even the great villages weren't necessarily eager—this was a hot potato.

Of course...

That was most people's thinking.

Ebizō, however, was secretly overjoyed.

They didn't want it?

Even better!

He could accept the task "reluctantly," while quietly basking in his own brilliance.

He already had it all planned out: take on the responsibility, then go back and request funding from the daimyo for infrastructure projects. Once the exam site was built, they'd be able to keep using it long after the exam.

Those stingy types wouldn't shell out money normally—but for something as grand as this?

They'd have no choice!

As for ticket revenue?

That was a separate issue. Whoever could swindle a few more bucks, did.

He was just about to step forward.

But then...

A spoke up, "Do we have to follow these same rules for the Chūnin Exams?"

"You'll have to ask Kyoichi," Tsunade replied, not answering directly.

This wasn't her area of expertise.

"The rules just need to be generally fair," Kyoichi said. "Some specifics don't matter. We used this setup because Konoha has lots of forests. But if the Kumogakure hosts, you don't have to find a forest, right?"

"Exactly."

A grinned, cracking his knuckles. "In that case, the Kumogakure would be interested."

"No rush," Kyoichi said. "If we talk about this now, people might get impulsive or hesitant. Plus, not all villages are on equal footing. If everyone does this, what happens to the smaller villages?"

Yahiko's heart surged.

Exactly!

Those words struck a chord.

If becoming a Chūnin required this level of exam every year, the great villages could manage—but the smaller ones would be crushed under the pressure.

Even Amegakure didn't have any advantage in such a competition—let alone the truly small fry.

Asano Nariki, on the other hand, was a bit skeptical.

Is Kanda Kyoichi really this considerate?

Ebizō was briefly stunned. He couldn't quite figure out what Kyoichi was aiming for.

No more shinobi world exams?

"What do you mean, exactly?" A asked directly.

He knew better than to waste time guessing—if you didn't get it, just ask.

"My suggestion," Kyoichi said, "is to hold regional exams first. Then, once those are done, select the best teams to participate in a world-level exam."

Everyone froze for a few seconds.

Regional exams? Shinobi world exam?

For a Chūnin test?

Was that really necessary?

Most of the smaller villages didn't get it.

But—

The great villages sure did.

The Chūnin Exams were more than just a test—they were a platform for diplomatic exchange outside of war. And this approach balanced both small-village inclusion and big-village engagement.

However...

"This is a good idea, but over time, it might lead to less interaction across the shinobi world," A pointed out.

"No need to worry," Kyoichi said. "For the world-level exam, the participating Kumo-nin be sponsored collectively, with each village contributing something symbolic—like ninja tools, weapons, or puppets that represent their heritage."

"Is that so?"

A and Ebizō fell into thought.

That angle was interesting, especially the special reward part.

Symbolic value—

So, more ceremonial than practical. It wouldn't involve any sensitive secrets, and the regional exams would better serve the small villages' interests.

After thinking it over, Ebizō spoke: "Fair enough. But how do we decide where to host?"

"Volunteer system," Kyoichi said. "If there are multiple interested parties, we vote. If no one wants it... Konoha's willing to take the hit."

"In that case, I support it," Ebizō said after a moment's thought, nodding first.

A and Kurotsuchi (representing Iwagakure) couldn't figure out what he was planning. But whether it was them or Yagura, everyone sensed Ebizō had deeper motives.

And those motives...

Money?

Trying to copy Konoha's model?

They could guess it was money-related—but had no clue what Ebizō's exact play was. They exchanged glances, unsure of what to make of it. After a moment, Yahiko spoke up:

"Amegakure agrees in principle, but we're too small. I wonder if Sunagakure would be interested in co-hosting?"

"Sunagakure is more than willing to engage with the Ame-nin. Without external contact, staying inward only stunts growth," Ebizō said, giving Yahiko a silent thumbs-up in his mind.

Perfect!

He'd been wondering how to win over Amegakure.

Now he completely understood Kyoichi's intentions. Regional exams would naturally encourage the concept of a "shinobi village alliance."

By hosting joint exams, villages like Sunagakure and Amegakure would develop stronger ties.

"If nothing unexpected happens, of course," Yahiko smiled.

Kurotsuchi frowned, realizing things weren't as simple as they appeared—but for now, she couldn't grasp Konoha, Sunagakure, and Amegakure's true agenda.

Yagura thought for a moment and said, "Kirigakure agrees. But we're surrounded by ocean and don't have any nearby shinobi villages. Would it be possible to partner with Konoha?"

"Are you sure?" Kyoichi asked, half-smiling.

Honestly, the whole reason he was pushing regional exams was to stop Konoha from "fishing with dynamite"—overwhelming everyone and ruining the game.

But...

If Kirigakure insisted on offering itself up, he wouldn't say no.

Yagura glanced at the monitor. Seeing Konoha's genin moving in tight, precise coordination—despite being only genin—they were clearly a well-oiled machine...

"Uh, never mind. We can host our own, same as before. Of course, if any other villages want to partner, Kirigakure would be more than happy."

Nope. Not messing with that.

He chickened out!

A looked at Kurotsuchi, grinned, and said, "Iwagakure, interested in teaming up?"

"Uh..." Kurotsuchi was speechless.

Team up with Kumogakure? That's like a lamb walking into a lion's den!

No way.

She quickly shook her head and looked over at Takigakure's delegation.

But...

The leader of Takigakure glanced toward Konoha, hesitated, then turned to Yahiko and said:

"Jōnin Yahiko, we smaller villages aren't really qualified to host on our own. How about we pool our resources and do it together?"

"You're absolutely right... I can't believe I didn't think of that. Thank you for the invitation—Amegakure would be honored!"

"Eh?!"

Oh no!

I've become the scapegoat!

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