On the other side of the arena, in the VIP stands, there was sincere joy and profound relief on Sarutobi Hiruzen's old face.
He let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had just been lifted from his shoulders.
That child, Uzumaki Naruto, had truly shown extraordinary growth.
However, before he could truly relax and enjoy the moment, a shadow suddenly appeared silently beside him.
It was one of his trusted ANBU members, wearing an animal mask.
The ANBU leaned closer to Sarutobi Hiruzen's ear and whispered in a low but urgent voice,
"Hokage-sama, there's an urgent message from Kakashi-senpai. He reports that he will arrive at the arena shortly with Uchiha Sasuke. They are a little... late. And... for now, there has been no news or signs of Orochimaru's movement detected around the arena."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned.
The news of Kakashi and Sasuke coming was good news, but the lack of news from Orochimaru actually made him more vigilant.
He glanced calmly towards the Fourth Kazekage who sat arrogantly beside him, his face hidden behind a hat and cloth.
"If we let these spectators and important guests wait any longer without certainty, the situation might become very troublesome and could cause dissatisfaction."
"I understand, Hokage-sama." The ANBU nodded slowly.
"Most of the ninjas and foreign representatives present here today were sent by the Daimyō and officials from other countries. Their main purpose for coming all this way to Konoha, besides watching the Chunin Exams, is to see firsthand the abilities of the last known orphan of the legendary Uchiha clan, Uchiha Sasuke. Hokage-sama, with all due respect, why don't we just announce now that Uchiha Sasuke has lost his qualification for not being present on time? It would be safer for Sasuke himself."
Konoha, and especially Hiruzen, actually didn't want to expose Sasuke Uchiha too much.
After all, he was now the only known orphan of the famous Uchiha clan, and he might be the only remaining heir to the pure Sharingan in the entire ninja world (besides Kakashi who had a transplanted eye, and Itachi who was a fugitive).
Anyone who knew Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, would surely know how strong and dangerous the Sharingan eye was.
Kakashi's name itself had long been on the list of dangerous ninja identifications in other countries.
If they could get Sasuke or even just his Sharingan, it would be a significant qualitative improvement for the military strength of other countries.
And that would be a great threat to Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed faintly, smoke escaping from his pipe. "In that case, it seems we really have to..."
"Let's just postpone the match between Uchiha Sasuke and my son, Gaara, until it's the last match of the day."
Suddenly, the Fourth Kazekage, who had been silent all along, took over the conversation with his characteristic hoarse and cold voice.
The ANBU who was still standing beside Hiruzen was slightly surprised and unconsciously shifted his gaze towards the Kazekage next to him.
A slight glint of hostility and vigilance that couldn't be hidden appeared in his eyes, concealed behind the mask. How dare this Kazekage interfere in Konoha's internal decisions?
Sarutobi Hiruzen himself was not too surprised. With Kage-level sensory abilities, he thought it would be very strange if the Kazekage couldn't hear his hushed conversation with the ANBU earlier.
He just waved his hand calmly, signaling the ANBU to retreat and return to his post. After the ANBU disappeared, Hiruzen turned and looked at the Kazekage with a faint, unreadable smile.
"Lord Kazekage, it seems you are very interested in Uchiha Sasuke, yes?"
"Hehe..." The Kazekage chuckled sinisterly twice, his laughter sounding dry and unpleasant.
"As your ANBU said earlier, Hokage-dono, most of the ninjas and important guests present here did indeed come all this way to witness the greatness of the Uchiha name. And I, of course, am no exception. So, I am also very eager to see how my son, Gaara from our village, will fight and perhaps 'test' the extent of the legendary Uchiha's Sharingan strength."
"A test... you say?" Sarutobi Hiruzen took another deep drag from his pipe, his eyes narrowing slightly, his mind beginning to calculate various possibilities and risks.
According to Sarutobi Hiruzen's characteristic leadership style, which always prioritized stability and caution, if he could hide Sasuke any longer, he certainly wouldn't hesitate to expose him so grandly in public like this. After all, Sasuke was now not only a target for other countries hungry for the Sharingan's power, but there was also a real threat from Orochimaru, that dangerous Sannin traitor, who was known to still be hiding somewhere within Konoha.
There was no benefit for Sasuke to appear and become the center of attention at a time like this.
However, besides those security considerations, there was another thing he also needed to think about carefully, which was Konoha's pride and reputation in this Joint Chunin Exam.
After all, this event concerned the honor of a major ninja village.
If Uchiha Sasuke, one of Konoha's most anticipated Genin, failed to appear without a clear reason, everyone present, especially the guests from other countries, might feel very disappointed and might even look down on Konoha.
Konoha was still known as the number one ninja village in the world, and sometimes, there were moments when they couldn't back down or appear weak, even if it meant taking risks.
Thinking about all these things, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out another long sigh, but this time there was a firm smile etched on his old face.
"In this case, Lord Kazekage, it seems your proposal is quite reasonable. Let's postpone the match between Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara, and make it the final and culminating event of today."
'And if that damn Sasuke and Kakashi still haven't arrived by then,'
Hiruzen swore inwardly,
'I will definitely transfer Kakashi to guard the most remote and boring border post, perhaps on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, so he knows how it feels!'
Below, in the middle of the arena, Shiranui Genma's eyes moved slightly as he received a brief message from the Third Hokage.
He nodded faintly to show that he understood the instruction. Then he looked back at the surrounding spectators who were starting to whisper due to the rather long pause, and said in a loud voice,
"Since Uchiha Sasuke, as one of the finalists, has not yet arrived in the arena, his match against Sabaku no Gaara will be postponed until it is the last match of the day. If Uchiha Sasuke, as a participant, still has not arrived by the time the last match is about to begin, then he will be considered to have forfeited and will be automatically disqualified."
After that, he didn't pay much attention to the reactions or whispers from the spectators or the other finalists, and immediately announced the continuation of the event,
"Next is the third match of this Chunin Exam final round! From Konoha Village, Aburame Shino! Against... from Sunagakure, Kankuro! Both parties please proceed immediately to the center of the competition field!"
Above, in the contestant waiting area, upon hearing his name called, Aburame Shino showed no hesitation at all.
He calmly placed his right hand on the balcony railing and with a light leap, prepared to jump directly into the arena below.
Then at that very moment, Kankuro from Sunagakure, who was sitting not far from Shino, suddenly raised his hand with a grim and slightly... annoyed expression on his face?
"Wait a minute, Mr. Referee! I... I forfeit!"
"!!!" Shino, who was halfway through his jump and his body almost over the railing, stopped abruptly with a slightly awkward movement.
He managed to catch himself and was now hanging all his weight on the railing with one hand, yet still, no expression was visible on his face, which was mostly covered by his dark sunglasses and high jacket collar.
He just calmly looked towards Kankurō next to him, waiting for an explanation.
Kankuro forced a very insincere smile and said in a feigned regretful tone,
"Sorry, it seems there's a slight problem with my Karasu puppet. I intended to fix it before participating in this competition, but it seems I overestimated my own abilities and didn't have enough time. So... well, I'll just forfeit."
This was, of course, a fabricated excuse and sounded very false.
His prized puppet was named Karasu.
Now, this Karasu puppet was actually in the best condition he could prepare it.
There were countless secret weapons and deadly mechanisms he had added to it that absolutely couldn't be brought out or used in an open battle like this Chunin Exam, such as various poisoned needles, smoke bombs, and electric shocks.
Most of the poisons he used were also very potent and had no antidote that could work in a short time.
Such deadly contraptions were more suited for life-and-death battles on the battlefield or secret assassination missions, not for merely playing house or showing off in a competition field watched by thousands of people.
Besides, if all the secret weapons inside Karasu were accidentally exposed now, their grand plan (the invasion of Konoha) would likely be immediately suspected and could fall apart.
So, the best choice for him right now was to just forfeit and save his strength for the 'main event' later.
"Is that so?" Shino asked in his characteristic flat tone, apparently not doubting or questioning Kankuro's true intentions too much.