In addition to absorbing chakra, the Dorokudoumu also has an effect similar to the Eight Trigrams Seal, converting foreign chakra into one's own use. It is impossible to steal the chakra of the tailed beasts using this earth escape barrier.

With Jiraiya watching from the side, Mizuki couldn't find an opportunity to take action.

After completing the mission without any danger, Mizuki said hello to Jiraiya and returned to Konoha Village in an instant.

It was a bit troublesome to come here, but it only took a blink of an eye to go back.

After feeling the chakra in his body, he found that the situation was still good. Naruto suppressed his transformation into a tailed beast by borrowing the opponent's power.

Summoning the Triple Rashomon has little effect on Mizuki, and there is no need to worry about the Rasenshuriken.

"The Land of Hot Springs is still a little too far away. The cost is even greater than coming back from the Land of Wind."

Mizuki walked into the gate of the security department with hesitation.

"Uh, Deputy Minister Shuimu, you're back?"

"It's you. Do you want to talk to me?"

The man had a thick bandage wrapped around his head, covering his eyes. With a forehead protector blocking his eyes, it was unclear whether this guy could still see.

This Chunin named Tobako is actually a little older than Mizuki.

"Gang Zitie and Shen Yue Chu Yun, who are guarding the gate, always complain that Deputy Minister Shui Mu often passes through the gate without any records, which makes them feel a little embarrassed. So sometimes they ask colleagues who are passing by to check on you. This time I happened to be going on a long trip, so I came to check on you!"

"Really? Then please tell me that things are a bit urgent recently, so I'm sorry, I will pay attention next time."

"Then I won't bother you anymore."

Watching the flying bamboo dragonfly leave, Shuimu pushed the door and walked into the office.

"The inspection at the gate has been strengthened. It seems that the internal alert level has been raised."

A few months ago, Shuimu often came and went freely, but no one checked whether he was in the village.

Even if it is just a routine matter, the necessary procedures will not be missing. It was ignored before because we did not take it seriously. Now it seems that we really need to slowly shift to a wartime rhythm.

Mizuki picked up the paper and pen on the desk and scribbled down the mission report. After organizing it a bit, he went to the Hokage's office and handed it to Tsunade.

The mission this time is very simple, it only takes a trip. As long as you handle it properly, a Nine-Tailed Fox with half of its power cut off will not be able to cause any waves.

"I'm glad you're okay!"

Tsunade nodded.

"Did Jiraiya ask anything special?"

"What do you want to ask?"

Shuimu responded casually.

"Forget it if there is none!"

It was something that everyone knew. Tsunade knew Jiraiya's character better than Mizuki. Some things didn't need to be made too clear.

"Jiraiya also said when he would be back?"

"I should be able to return by the middle of next year, before the Chunin Exams."

"Got it, you go down first!"

There are a lot of things going on in the village right now, but there are not that many missions that require powerful jonin to take action.

In peacetime, administrative work far outweighs combat missions. Ninjas who struggle with mountains of books and oceans of literature are more tired than ninjas fighting on the front lines. Tsunade is the one who has experienced this most deeply.

…

In the Land of Wind, the second round of the Chunin Exam ended in peace on the first day amidst the sudden rise of sandstorms in the evening. Many Genin hid in safe places to rest and prepare for the battle tomorrow.

Unlike the Chunin Exam held in Konoha, the Death Forest was able to take all parties into account and ensure at least fairness. The Sand Village did not have such conditions. In the vast sea, there were desert flowers that emitted hallucinogenic gases and mutated cacti that could shoot poisonous needles. On the first day, the candidates suffered heavy losses. The weak Sand Ninja natives were frequently hit, not to mention the foreign Genin candidates who were unfamiliar with the place.

Non-combat casualties became the main reason for candidates to be eliminated.

Outside the examination room, Asuma Sarutobi, who had been waiting for half a day, couldn't help it anymore and took out a cigarette and lit it.

After patrolling for a whole day, nothing unusual was found and several of the senior ninjas became a little slack.

"None of the unexpected situations that Lady Tsunade had us watch out for occurred."

"Peace is a good thing, Asuma, stop complaining! Also, smoke less!"

"Well, just smoke one!"

The bearded man, who was craving for cigarettes, couldn't bear it when he had nothing to do.

Might Guy looked at the bad weather outside and said helplessly:

"It looks like it will last two or three days, so it's better for us to take turns on duty."

After some discussion, Asuma Sarutobi and Might Guy were in charge of the first night.

Kurenai left first, and soon after, Asuma Sarutobi also left, leaving only Might Guy who forced himself to stay.

Under the cover of night, several stealthy figures leaped over the isolation wall outside the examination room. Might Guy, whose chakra perception was not very sharp, looked at the dim night in confusion. The moonlight and starlight were extremely dim in the sandstorm. At a distance, they could not be seen clearly even during the day, let alone at night.

"Is this an illusion?"

Might Guy looked around with doubts in his mind, but did not find any suspicious signs, so he had to give up in the end.

Several ninjas wearing black scarves and masks, whose affiliations could not be identified, moved around in the dust like ghosts.

Demon's Desert - the location of this Chunin Exam, a famously dangerous place in the Land of Wind.

The reason why the Demon Desert, which is considered a daunting place, is sparsely populated is because it is the place where the climate in the Kingdom of Wind changes most dramatically. Especially in the summer, when the temperature changes greatly between morning and evening, inexplicable sandstorms often occur.

What is even more unbearable is that there are always a few times every year when extremely strong convective weather causes super-powerful sandstorms to sweep through, and only powerful jonin can barely navigate through them.

As for the candidates for the Chunin Exam, only a handful of them can survive.

Gaara is not yet on a firm footing, and if an accident occurs during the Chunin Exam that causes a large number of deaths, it will not be easy to explain.

Without the monk Hoichi who could seal the One-Tail Shukaku, it was impossible to directly arrange the assassination of Gaara. Therefore, undermining Gaara's reputation and preventing him from becoming the Kazekage became the next best goal.

"Is this really okay? If an accident like this happens, not only will the Jinchuriki suffer, but the entire village will suffer as a result!"

If something goes wrong in a grand event like the Chunin Exams, it will definitely not be a trivial matter. Konoha is a lesson learned.

"What's the point of saying this now? A big sandstorm is about to come, and the long-distance perception barrier of the headquarters has been disturbed. It's too late to stop now. This place was arranged when it was chosen as the location for the Chunin Exams a few months ago. There can be no mistakes."

The idea that one must first stabilize the country before fighting against foreign enemies is still very popular. It is inevitable that a few people will disregard the overall interests and do some inappropriate things.