Konoha: My peaceful life was betrayed by the system.

Since we're already back at the Hokage Building, I might as well go to the office and see what I need to do.

If not, I'll just make my escape.

"Hokage-sama! Did I just see the Tsuchikage-sama and the others? We didn't even prepare a welcoming ceremony!"

The secretary ran into the office with a look of utter despair on her face.

"Why are you so excited? I personally greeted them. Isn't that more prestigious than a welcoming ceremony? Besides, they're all old acquaintances, and they came in a private capacity. There's no need to be so alarmed."

"Eh? You went in person?"

Chapter 543 New Year Arena

Since we're already back at the Hokage Building, I might as well go to the office and see what I need to do.

If not, I'll just make my escape.

"Hokage-sama! Did I just see the Tsuchikage-sama and the others? We didn't even prepare a welcoming ceremony!"

The secretary ran into the office with a look of utter despair on her face.

"Why are you so excited? I personally greeted them. Isn't that more prestigious than a welcoming ceremony? Besides, they're all old acquaintances, and they came in a private capacity. There's no need to be so alarmed."

"Eh? You went in person?"

Qu Feng nodded: "The guard called to report, so I'll go take a look."

"Not only the Tsuchikage, but also the Kazekage and Mifune have arrived and settled in. You can send someone over to ask them what they need."

The secretary replied, "Yes, Lord Hokage, I'll go right away."

He then pushed open the door and went out.

With nothing much to do in the office, Qu Feng left the puppet there to keep watch and returned to the Cloud Clan's territory.

Upon entering the courtyard, I found Yahiko and Konan training in the small training ground, looking very focused.

But Minato and Kushina were nowhere to be seen; they were probably out having fun somewhere.

"Yahiko and Konan, come here."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately stopped their cultivation and ran to Feng's side.

"What's wrong, Master? Is something the matter?"

Toruka nodded: "That's right. The Kazekage and General Mifune just came to Konoha Village, along with a little boy who is about your age. He's the grandson of the First Kazekage."

"I heard from the Kazekage that the child is the most talented puppeteer in Sunagakure. I'd like you two to have a match with him and learn from each other."

Taking the wind wasn't meant to intimidate the Kazekage; it was simply to show his two disciples the strength of genius ninjas from other villages.

The battles they are currently experiencing, and the enemies they are facing, are mostly bandits and the like. Now that the ninja world is stable, there are fewer and fewer wandering ninjas.

The training for the new generation of ninjas is not very sufficient.

There was nothing that could be done about this, and it was unknown how long it would be before the next major war.

But given the current situation, there will definitely be fewer and fewer bandits and wandering ninjas in the future, giving ninjas even fewer opportunities to hone their skills.

Although I'm very worried, there's no solution. I can't just create enemies out of thin air to kill them.

The only option left is to spar with ninjas from other villages. This kind of battle against equals is much more convenient and faster than killing bandits.

Yahiko and Konan were very interested after hearing this: "The grandson of the First Kazekage and the disciple of the Third Kazekage? That's quite a powerful opponent."

However, neither of them showed any fear. Yahiko and Konan believed that they were definitely no worse than other people their age.

Even among disciples of the same Shadow, there are differences between them, and the two of them have just upgraded their equipment.

This is a good opportunity for a test.

"Don't worry, Master, we're sure to win."

Qu Feng was quite confident about this, but he felt that it was a bit unfair to just let the three of them compete, so he needed to gather more people.

It would be good to hold a small competition a few days before the Lunar New Year to liven up the village.

After having this idea, Tsuchikage immediately called the Tsuchikage and Kazekage. The two Kage were very supportive of the idea, and the Tsuchikage also planned to have his son participate. He immediately called his son from the Land of Earth to come to Konoha.

This was something Qu Feng hadn't expected. The two shadows were cooperating so well, which meant they knew Qu Feng didn't intend to belittle them.

Afterwards, Tokifumi called Mifune, who, like the Tsuchikage, called his apprentice and summoned him from the Land of Iron.

Now there are five contestants. It's a pity that the Mizukage didn't come, otherwise it would have been even more exciting.

Back then, Toruka also had a match like this with the Mizukage.

"Yahiko, Konan, it seems you have quite a few opponents this time. The Tsuchikage's son and Mifune's apprentice are both participating, and I plan to have all eligible ninjas from Konoha participate in your competition, with a maximum age difference of three years."

But the two of them remained unfazed: "No problem, Master. Even if you call on more people, we will still win."

"You have a lot of spirit! I hope you can win the championship in this competition."

Since it's a competition, there must be prizes. Luckily, Qu Feng has a lot of unusual things, so giving him anything is fine.

After making the decision, Toruka called his secretary again: "Hello, are you at the Hokage Building?"

"No, Lord Hokage, I was just settling the guests in. Is there anything you need me to do?"

Qu Feng cleared his throat: "I've written a notice, could you help me post it on the bulletin board in a bit?"

Upon hearing the secretary's agreement, Qu Feng hung up the phone and then remotely controlled the intelligent puppet to draft the announcement.

The notice was posted in less than twenty minutes, and the villagers all gathered around to see it immediately.

"Konoha Village New Year's Tournament?"

"To celebrate the New Year, the Hokage, together with the Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Shogun Mifune, is hosting a New Year Ninja Tournament. Ninjas aged 10 to 14 can participate, and the winners will receive prizes from the Hokage."

The villagers were a little confused. Was this a baby contest? Why were all the contestants children?

At this stage, the ninjas have just graduated, and they are all genin, so their battles are not very meaningful.

"Is the Hokage testing the younger generation of Konoha? I heard that the Kazekage brought his student, the most talented puppeteer in Sunagakure!"

"I see, so the Hokage wants to see the strength of the new ninjas of Konoha!"

Opinions were divided. Some villagers thought the competition was pretty good, since they had nothing else to do and could pass the time, plus they could see the strength of the younger generation of Konoha Village, which was great.

Some people felt that since they were all genin, there was no point in fighting each other, and it would be better to stay home and rest, since it was still very cold outside in the middle of winter.

But that's just right, since the number of villagers that the site can accommodate is limited, and it's impossible for everyone to visit.

Many people find it uninteresting, which conveniently leaves empty seats for those who want to watch.

However, no matter what the villagers said, they just treated it as entertainment, since they couldn't participate themselves.

They could only sit in the stands and watch as Konoha's new fighting force battled.

Chapter 544 Reactions of Various Races

Some people felt that since they were all genin, there was no point in fighting each other, and it would be better to stay home and rest, since it was still very cold outside in the middle of winter.

But that's just right, since the number of villagers that the site can accommodate is limited, and it's impossible for everyone to visit.

Many people find it uninteresting, which conveniently leaves empty seats for those who want to watch.

However, no matter what the villagers said, they just treated it as entertainment, since they couldn't participate themselves.

They could only sit in the stands and watch as Konoha's new fighting force battled.

Meanwhile, the various families were sweating profusely.

Large clans certainly have ninjas of the appropriate age, but if they send them to participate in the competition and win, that would be fine, as it would give face to their clan head.

If we lose, it will be very embarrassing, since the strength of the major clans in Konoha Village has never been truly ranked over the years.

But this time the arena seems to be able to directly help them rank up, so every major clan that received the news started to take action.

They want to find a talented member of the clan who meets the requirements and is also exceptionally strong to participate in the competition.

The once peaceful and harmonious Konoha Village has suddenly become a hotbed of tension.

Large families value their reputation, and losing a match won't affect them much, nor will it cost them anything.

However, you'll lose face, and when you argue with other families in the future, they'll always have a weakness that others can use against you.

No clan leader would be comfortable with this.

……

Inside the Sarutobi clan's territory, Hiruzen was instructing his two sons in the training grounds. His eldest son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, was fourteen years old this year.

Sarutobi Asuma, who is standing next to him, is only five years old and will be able to attend the Ninja Academy next year.

As a child of a large family, he had already cultivated chakra, which was why he was able to listen to his father's lectures at the training ground.

"Chief! Something terrible has happened!"

A member of the tribe ran over, panting, and said...

Hiruzen patted him on the back: "Don't rush, speak slowly, I won't run away."

"Yes...that's right, Chieftain!"

He quickly explained the details of the announcement to Hiruzen in a clear and thorough manner.

Hiruzen's eyes darted around after hearing this. His eldest son was exactly fourteen years old and could participate, and the age range was 10 to 14.

What a coincidence! If it had been another seven or eight days, Shinnosuke might not have made it to the tournament!

"Alright, you can go and rest now."

After his clansmen left, Hiruzen said to Shinnosuke, "Did you hear that? Your Uncle Torifu is going to hold this tournament. We're not counting on you to win, but you should at least be in the top three, right?"

Shinnosuke isn't the kind of ninja who flaunts his abilities. He's similar to Hiruzen in personality, being rather calm and collected.

"Father, there are many powerful ninjas in the village. All I can say is that I will do my best."

Hiruzen didn't say anything about his son's modesty. He remembered that Minato was exactly 15 years old this year and definitely couldn't participate in the competition.

As for Yahiko and Konan, although they are quite talented, they are too young, only eleven years old, three years younger than Shinnosuke.

Hiruzen felt that his son still had a good chance of winning, even though his old friends might laugh at him for winning dishonorably.