Konoha Notes

Chapter 107 Launch
Even delivering a message within the Land of Fire is met with ambushes; the mission of this envoy is becoming increasingly promising.

Seeing that Shuuji didn't respond, the long-haired guardian ninja became impatient, raised her hand to form a hand seal, and opened her mouth to unleash a burst of fire.

A scorching breath swept through the forest, and a raging fire dragon materialized, its mouth snapping open to bite, turning the surrounding trees a fiery red, the heat oppressive.

Instead of retreating, Xiu Si advanced, taking two steps forward to meet the fire dragon, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.

Water Escape · Water Breaks Waves!
Suddenly, Xiu Si spat out an extremely thin and incredibly fast stream of water.

The water line was silent yet incredibly sharp, slicing through the air in a straight, cold light before piercing the dragon's head. Due to the elemental conflict, the scorching dragon was split in two, exploding into countless sparks.

The long-haired guardian ninja's sinister grin hadn't even faded when a deadly glint appeared in his pupils. The next instant, he felt a chill on his neck, and his vision suddenly spun.

Everything happened too fast. Only when the head rolled to the ground, the horrified expression completely frozen, did the headless body fall heavily to the ground, blood gushing out and soaking the dry earth.

"Yanshi!"

The masked guardian was filled with shock and rage, but he did not panic despite the instant death of his companion. He moved like a ghost, taking advantage of the moment when Xiu Si finished his spell to get close to him.

The short sword flashed a chilling arc, aiming straight for Shuji's throat.

Shuji swiftly reached into his ninja tool pouch with his left hand, but found no kunai and narrowly managed to parry upwards!
The clang of metal on metal was deafening, and sparks flew!

The masked ninja possessed immense strength, his blade striking with deadly force. Shuji parried with a kunai in his left hand, his body forced to slide back half a step.

However, in the instant he blocked the fatal blow, Shuji had already quietly brought his right hand to his waist, gathering and compressing a massive amount of chakra.

The masked ninja, having failed in his first strike, pressed his blade down, changing the slashing motion into a sweeping cut, aiming for Shuji's open chest and abdomen.

He was certain that his opponent's left hand was completely restrained by his knife strike—

But then she suddenly met Xiu Si's calm, unwavering eyes.

The next instant, Xiu Si clenched his right fist and threw a punch.

There was no grand scale, only a low, explosive sound as the air around the fist was compressed and torn apart by extreme force.

The masked ninja's pupils contracted sharply. A strong premonition of death made him instinctively want to withdraw his sword and defend, but it was too late!
That fist, imbued with terrifying power, struck first despite being behind, ignoring his blade aimed at his chest and abdomen, and with overwhelming force, directly imprinted itself on his face!

Bang!
A muffled thud, not from metal, but from the agonizing cry of flesh and bones unable to bear the weight.

Red and white things scattered and splashed everywhere.

The headless corpse remained in a forward-charging, knife-wielding posture, staggered forward two more steps, and then collapsed heavily to the ground, the short knife clattering as it rolled away from the hand.

Shuji slowly withdrew his right fist, shaking off the filth that had settled on his hands. He glanced at the two rapidly cooling corpses on the ground, his gaze calm.

The enemy has gone so far as to intercept the Konoha envoy, revealing their murderous intent. If they were to return to the village for reinforcements as originally planned, by the time the reinforcements arrived, they would likely be facing Masamune, who had successfully staged a coup, and the righteous cause he controlled.

If Konoha were to take action at that time, it would no longer be to quell a rebellion, but to attack the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

This could prompt other powerful daimyo to feel a sense of shared vulnerability and deplete their resources to support their own ninja villages, leading to another collective siege of Konoha.

As for acknowledging the new name...

Given the refusal of Konoha's assigned teams and the attitude of these rebellious guardian ninjas, even if Konoha accepts the new daimyo, the originally stable situation will be thrown into turmoil again.

What Konoha needs right now is stability.

In the blink of an eye, Xiu Si made his decision. He turned and sped off towards the City of Fire.

Return to the capital immediately and try your best to preserve the current daimyo. If you can't... then kill the traitor before he takes the throne and replace him with a new one.

Just a few steps after he took that, a powerful, violent, and hateful chakra suddenly shot into the sky from the Fire Temple, which was not far from the City of Fire.

Shuji paused slightly, glancing at the direction of the chakra burst, his brows furrowed, but he didn't slow down at all, continuing towards the Daimyo's residence.
-
"What?! The sealing barrier has been breached?!"

Di Lu abruptly stood up, the table thudding as he did so. His usually calm face was unusually filled with shock and anger.

"Yes...yes, Lord Jiraiya! An extremely evil chakra broke through the seal, and the casualties within the temple are...heavy!"

"I'll go back immediately!" Without further hesitation, Jiroku turned and strode towards the daimyo's residence.

Almost simultaneously, Asuma arrived, his brow furrowed. He had been restless all night, the increasingly sharp divisions within the Guardian Shinobi, especially Kazuma's heated words, echoing repeatedly in his mind.

"The Land of Fire needs a unique 'jewel,' Asuma! The current situation where the Daimyo and the Hokage coexist is the root cause of the nation's decline!"

"Konoha has long lost its edge and only knows how to compromise and retreat! Only by completely bringing its power under the Daimyo's command can the Land of Fire be revitalized!"

Asma couldn't make a choice, nor did he want the village's young descendant to be drawn into the conflict.

Now, due to the unexpected event, he has temporarily put aside those worries.

The two were stopped by Kitako outside the bedroom door. Jiraiya took a deep breath and bowed to the closed door: "Daimyo-sama, the Fire Temple has suffered a great calamity, the seal has been broken, and the situation is critical! I beg you to allow me to return immediately to deal with it!" Asuma also volunteered: "Please allow me to go and help as well! I will return as soon as I have quelled the chaos."

He had a good relationship with Di Lu, and now was a time when he was unsure of what to do, so he felt that leaving temporarily would make it easier to sort out his thoughts.

Inside the gate, the daimyo unconsciously twirled his sleeve. Jiraiya's request was perfectly reasonable, but... why tonight of all night? Not long after the Konoha envoy left, undercurrents were stirring within the Guardian Shinobi...

Jiraiya and Asuma's positions are ambiguous... especially Asuma, whose past relationship with Kazuma has been too close, and whose attitude has always been ambiguous. Letting them leave now might actually make the mansion a little cleaner and reduce variables.

He was also guarded by four people, including Bei Zi, and the Konoha envoys had already set off. At the latest, the Konoha team would be able to reach the Fire Capital by dawn.

It should be fine...

"In that case, Jiraiya, return to the Temple of Fire immediately. You must stabilize the situation and suppress the evil." The daimyo's gentle voice came through the door. "Asuma, you go with us and do your best to assist. Return as soon as you are done."

"Yes!" Di Lu replied in a deep voice, turning and leaving without hesitation.

Asuma's lips moved, but he ultimately couldn't utter the warning. He only glanced deeply at the palace door before quickly following Jiriku. Perhaps, resolving the immediate crisis was more important.

Hearing the footsteps receding outside the door, the Daimyo remained silent for a moment, then whispered, "Kitako, be on high alert tonight until Konoha sends someone."

“Yes, sir.” Outside the door, Bei Zi, with his mohawk, responded in a deep voice, gripping the three-section black stick leaning against him. His sharp gaze swept across the shadows under the corridor, and he gave a wary gesture to his three companions—Nan Wu, Xi Du, and Dong Mao.

The daimyo mansion returned to silence, but it was a tense, suffocating silence.

Inside the bedchamber, the daimyo removed his outer robe, preparing to retire for the night. However, he had barely blown out the candles and lay down for a moment—

Suddenly, a violent explosion and the booming sound of buildings collapsing came from outside the hall.

"Enemy attack! Protect the daimyo!!" Kitako's roar tore through the night.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Strike!"

Outside the palace, a battle erupted instantly and escalated into a brutal conflict. Four figures suddenly attacked the four people guarding the sleeping quarters, including Kitako. Leading them was none other than Kazuma.

The attack came too fast and too fiercely! They clearly had an excellent understanding of the positioning and capabilities of the four members of the Kita group.

Before Nanwu could even fully draw his kunai, the shadow beneath his feet suddenly twisted and boiled, and a dark figure darted out, a short knife in his hand piercing into his chest, all the way to the hilt.

Nan Wu's body jolted, and the second blow followed immediately. Another attacker's dagger ruthlessly sliced ​​open his throat. Blood splattered onto the pillars. The shock and disbelief in Nan Wu's eyes froze instantly, and his body collapsed heavily to the ground.

On the other side, Xidu reacted slightly faster, rapidly forming hand seals: "Lightning Release: Lightning..."

"too slow!"

A long stick pierced his heart.

Xi Du opened his mouth but failed to make a sound before collapsing to the ground.

There was no time for Beizi and Dongmao to be shocked or saddened. Two weeks of lightning flashed, forcing back the attackers who tried to take advantage of the situation.

The three-section black staff danced in Bei Zi's hands, emitting a whooshing sound as it cut through the air, wrapped with leaping blue arcs of electricity, firmly protecting him and Dong Mao in the center.

Dong Mao held a kunai in each hand, lightning crackling on them, and his eyes were sharp as knives as he stared intently at the four enemies surrounding them.

"Kita, Higashi, abandon your futile resistance." Kazuma's voice was calm. "For the true future of the Land of Fire, the Jade needs to be reshaped. After tonight, this country will be reborn."

Bei Zi spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, the tip of his stick pointing directly at He Ma, crackling with lightning: "Haven't you said enough of your utterly stupid things yet!"

“You would never understand, Kitako.” Kazuma shook his head, slamming his long staff on the ground. “You wouldn’t understand how much I’ve sacrificed.”

"It was because I knew the source of chaos in this world that I abandoned everything and chose this path."

"If Lord Daimyo is willing to cooperate, we will not have to commit murder tonight," he said loudly, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed door of the bedchamber.

As if in response to his words, the heavy palace doors creaked open slowly from the inside.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire, dressed in plain nightgown, stood inside the gate.

His gaze swept over the horrific scene under the corridor, lingering for a moment on the corpses of Nanwu and Xidu, before finally settling on Kazuma.

"And the horse."

"My lord," Kazuma bowed slightly as always, "have you changed your mind?"

“You’re the one who truly doesn’t understand.” The Fire Country Daimyo barely suppressed his fear. “Why did the monarchs who ruled the world decades ago ultimately relinquish their position to the ninjas?”

“If you turn back now and stop this madness, I may forgive your sins.”

"Otherwise, the final outcome will not be the rebirth you expect, but rather you and that fool Masamune dragging everyone... toward destruction."

　Try two chapters of 6K
　　
　
(End of this chapter)