Five days passed in a blur of blood, sweat, and desperation. The second stage of the Chunin Exam had finally come to an end. Those without the requisite skill or luck had been weeded out in the brutal confines of the forest. Only eight teams remained, a total of twenty-four Genin who had managed to survive.

They gathered in the central arena of the tower, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood before them, a satisfied smile on his face.

"First and foremost," he began, his voice warm, "congratulations to all of you for passing the second exam."

The Genin in the audience looked around, their minds racing with their own thoughts.

Nara Shikamaru: "So many people are still left. What a drag."

Choji Akimichi: "I'm starving. Can't we just go get some barbecue first?"

Ino Yamanaka: "Oh, Sasuke or Sai… who should I choose? Wait, what if they both fall for me? This is so stressful…"

Tenten: "That white-haired Jonin next to Guy-sensei must be his rival. Heh, he's definitely losing in the style department."

Rock Lee: "But Guy-sensei is the most youthful of all the teachers! Look at him shine with the power of youth!"

Neji Hyuga: "…"

Kankuro: "Those three from Madara-gakure finished even faster than we did. Hmph, looks like they're the real deal."

Gaara: "I… will kill them."

Temari: "They're all so handsome…"

Akamaru: "Woof…"

Hinata Hyuga: "Huh? What's wrong, Akamaru?"

Kiba Inuzuka: "That guy leading the Sand team… the smell of blood on him is overwhelming. Akamaru's terrified of him. Damn, I've got a bad feeling about this."

Naruto Uzumaki: "Wow, so many people passed! Grandpa Hokage is here, and Kakashi-sensei… and Bushy-Brow-sensei too! Huh, where's Dad?"

"Alright, quiet down!" Anko Mitarashi shouted, her voice cutting through the chatter. "Lord Hokage is about to explain the third exam. Everyone, listen up!"

Hiruzen coughed lightly, taking the pipe from his mouth. "Next… the third Chunin Exam will begin. But before I explain the details, there is something I must make clear to all of you."

"That is, the true purpose of inviting our allies to participate in this exam."

The Genin were stunned. "Purpose? Isn't the purpose to select Chunin? What else could there be?" one of them whispered.

Hiruzen smiled faintly. "Haha, that is certainly one of our goals. But the most important one… is to reduce conflict between nations."

"If you look at history, you will see that the nations who are now our allies were once rivals, competing for strength. In order to prevent our countries from wasting precious resources on meaningless wars and to avoid mutually assured destruction, Konoha created these joint exams."

The candidates were taken aback. Although they didn't fully grasp the political complexities, they couldn't help but nod in understanding. "Oh, so that's what this is all about. Lord Hokage is really thoughtful."

"Hmph…" Looking at the admiring expressions on the faces of the Konoha Genin, Shiro sneered inwardly. He makes it sound so noble. In reality, they just want to show off their strength to the Daimyo and annihilate our Uchiha clan in the process.

Shiro, Sasuke, and Izumi exchanged a look of tacit understanding.

"Alright, I have said all that needs to be said," Hiruzen announced. "Everyone, prepare yourselves. The third Chunin Exam… will begin shortly!"