Chapter 187 The Meeting

Two days before the Chunin Exams' finals.

The news that the finals would be open for public viewing had spread far and wide. After the matchups were announced, everyone in the village were abuzz with discussions about who would face whom and what unique techniques the village's geniuses might display.

Amidst this atmosphere, underground gambling rings had already started taking bets, with countless options ranging from predicting individual match winners to the overall champion. With Konoha crowded with people these days, the amount of money being wagered was staggering.

Recently, Logan had been deeply immersed in the techniques of the Divine Bird Clan. If he were to know about the underground betting situation... well, would he exploit his knowledge of the match outcomes to amass a fortune? Bet everything on Naruto, waiting for the protagonist to pull off a stunning upset against Neji?

Of course, he is not this kind of person. As Ninja from modern society, he often pursues deeper things. Moreover, he would probably be recalled by Akatsuki immediately after this incident, leaving little time to cash in on large bets.

At home, Logan sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, quietly meditating.

Invisible Natural Energy in the air was slowly drawn towards him. After a long while, Logan furrowed his brow, and the natural energy returned to tranquility. He opened his eyes and murmured to himself, "Watching it in the Anime didn't seem that hard, but trying to control Natural Energy firsthand is really difficult."

During this period, Logan had primarily been studying the Senjutsu belonging to the Divine Bird Clan at home. The most important thing is of course the Sage Mode, which is a state that allowed the user to harness Natural Energy. In this state, the user's physical body can be greatly increased with the help of Natural Energy, significantly boosting their agility and defense. Moreover, the user can use Natural Energy to increase their physical attack range and perception.

In short, activating Sage Mode grants a super powerful BUFF, greatly enhancing one's abilities. Naruto's later Sage Mode from Mount Myoboku had distinctive toad traits, while the Ryuchi Cave's Sage Mode had snake traits, while Logan's... Well, let's just say it had bird traits. It sounded odd, but these 'side effects' when using Sage Mode indicated an imperfect balance. If Natural Energy and one's own Chakra were perfectly balanced, there would be no noticeable change in appearance, as seen with Naruto.

However, after Logan tried it for a while, he found that it was extremely difficult. It was also very dangerous to train Sage Mode alone. If he was not careful, he would be swallowed up by the Natural Energy and become one with nature. Therefore, Logan was cautious every time he trained, not daring to do anything big.

'It seems that I have to go back to the Paulownia Forest. I hope there is a help tool similar to toad oil.' Logan sighed. Each type of Sage Mode, while similar, had unique nuances. He hoped that Paulownia Forest held some secrets. Having just signed the summoning contract, he hadn't communicated much with his Summoned Beasts yet.

"But the Divine Birds there are so few. Akiyama, for one, definitely won't be welcoming..."

Logan's Summoned Beast Clan were quite unique. After signing the contract, he found out that Paulownia Forest, a vast place, was home to only three permanent residents: Kotonami, Akiyama, and the old clan leader...

Logan thought, 'No wonder Kotonami wanted to go outside. Any bird would get bored to death here. If I had come any later, there might not be anyone left for me to summon for battles.'

Imagining the Divine Bird Clan all leaving, leaving only the elderly clan leader, Logan thought of calling a powerful summon during a heated battle, only for the old clan leader to hobble out with a cane and squinting through the reading glasses, asking, "Sa, Hattori, tell me who the enemy is..." The image was too sad to contemplate!

Fortunately, over the past month, Logan had grasped the basics of Natural Energy, laying the groundwork for Senjutsu.

Naruto had learned it quickly, but that was with the Author giving him all sorts of advantages. Normally, it wasn't that easy, after all, haste makes waste.

…

After taking a break for lunch, a Ninja came to Logan's home and informed him to attend a meeting.

When Logan arrived at Hokage Tower, he found that almost all available Jonin were present. Everyone was crowded into the conference room. Naturally, Kakashi was there too. Knowing Kakashi best, Logan joined him and inquired about the meeting's agenda. He learned that this meeting was to assign security duties for the upcoming finals.

Soon, Hiruzen appeared, accompanied by the perpetually stern-faced Takeshi. The atmosphere was serious. Hiruzen reiterated the importance of the Chunin Exams following the murder of Gekko Hayate, emphasizing the need for vigilance, and then comes to the main topic.

The finals the day after tomorrow would be open to the public, which means that ordinary people and off-duty Ninjas can watch it too. What Hiruzen conveyed here is that the Jonin should not relax. Each Jonin should pay attention to a small area that day, be alert for abnormalities and be ready to be dispatched if necessary.

Beneath the façade of camaraderie and inclusivity in the selection exams, the deep-seated animosities and rivalries among the Great Ninja Villages persisted. Alliances were often as fragile as paper, while interests remained eternal. After the Konoha's Jonin nodded solemnly, Hiruzen, having said all he needed, announced the meeting's conclusion and dismissed everyone.

Logan received instructions to oversee a specific area during the finals: Section E, rows six to ten. He noticed that Kakashi was assigned Section E, rows one to five, indicating that the two of them were considered part of the 'same team'.

The finals of the Chunin Exams would be held in a large arena, with a central competition area surrounded by spectator stands. Logan's designated area formed a rectangle, and together, their areas covered a small fan-shaped sector, while numerous Jonin divided the entire circumference.

As everyone dispersed, Logan spotted an old acquaintance, Hyuga Aida, whom he hadn't contacted in some time.

"Kakashi, I'm going to say hello to my senior. See you later." Logan said, patting Kakashi on the shoulder.

"Oh, goodbye."

Kakashi watched Logan approach a composed middle-aged man, shrugged, and walked out of the conference room.

"Hey, Kakashi." A voice called from behind. Kakashi turned to see Asuma, Kurenai, and Giu approaching. Asuma had a twig in his mouth and remarked, "That person just now is your team's second teacher, right?"

"Yes." Kakashi replied, slowing his pace to walk with his peers.

"He has the special title called 'teaching assistant', you know." Kurenai said with a teasing tone, covering her mouth with a smile, "There are not two leading teachers in the same class."

Bad news travels fast. The phenomenon of Team 7 having two teachers was quite well-known among the new generation of Ninja graduates. It had been a topic of conversation since the team was first formed, but Kakashi had long since gotten used to it.

Guy clenched his fists hard and frowned in distress, "It's really awkward. Someone has intervened in my and Kakashi's rivalry!"

Kakashi glanced at Guy with disdain and, as usual, chose to ignore him.