Konoha Notes

Chapter 109 Undercurrent
The morning light pierced the night, bathing Daming Prefecture in a light golden hue.

Masamune was dragged all the way here by Higashimaru. This nobleman, who had been ambitious not long ago, was now ashen-faced, his magnificent robes covered in dust, and there was even a dark water stain on the hem.

He almost collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down his face, uttering broken cries of sorrow to his elder brother who sat in the main seat.

"Brother! Spare me... spare me! It was all Kazuma's doing! He manipulated me with illusions! I didn't know anything... I didn't know anything at all!"

Enmazu's voice sounded particularly jarring in the empty hall.

The daimyo looked down at him, his usual gentle expression vanishing completely. He turned slightly to Shuji, who stood silently to the side, and said, "Junior Ninja Shuji, I wish to speak with my younger brother for a few moments. May I...?"

Shuji, understanding the daimyo's request, left. Of course, the situation wouldn't escalate to the point where Masamune suddenly turned on his brother while talking to the daimyo, because Higashima stayed behind.

The only one we need to avoid is Shuji, a ninja from Konoha.

The palace doors closed gently behind him, shutting out Masamune's increasingly desperate cries.

The daimyo slowly rose, walked to Masamune, looked down at his disheveled appearance, and said in a voice that revealed neither joy nor anger: "Masamune, raise your head."

Masamune kowtowed even harder, his forehead turning red, and he stammered incoherently.

"Masamune, why would you believe such delusional talk? Why would you think it's a viable path?"

"Kill the Hokage and have the Daimyo directly command the Konoha ninja... How could such a plan possibly succeed?"

“Since the establishment of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, Kazuma had mentioned this matter to me. I did not agree, nor did I investigate further, thinking it was just a momentary arrogance and that his loyalty was misplaced. I never expected that he would actually persuade you.”

Masamune simply kowtowed, incoherently repeating "illusion" and "forced."

The lord sighed softly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the palace roof and landing on the distant past.

"The Third Hokage is already quite easy to get along with. Masamune, your father never told you about the Second Hokage, did he?"

Masamune's sobs gradually subsided, and as if sensing something, his body trembled even more violently.

"At that time, after the First Hokage died, the power that suppressed the world disappeared, and my grandfather... briefly considered trying to reclaim some of that power."

"Masamune, have you heard of Konoha's 'Anbu'?" The daimyo's tone was chillingly calm. "Its full name is... Assassination Tactics Special Forces."

"During that time, the most loyal and outstanding samurai retainers in the daimyo's mansion disappeared one after another. Silently, without a trace. For a long time, my grandfather... even though he was surrounded by guards, he often felt uneasy and unable to eat or sleep, as if the shadow was everywhere."

"In the end, it was my grandfather who took the initiative to approach the Second Hokage and request that ninjas be dispatched to protect the Daimyo's residence."

"From then on, everything returned to peace. The boundaries were drawn—the Daimyo was responsible for governance and supplies, while the Kage was responsible for war and protection. Each performed their duties and did not interfere with the other."

"Isn't this kind of balance and peace good?" The daimyo withdrew his wandering gaze and focused it back on his trembling younger brother, his tone filled with confusion.

"Since we lack power, we focus on what we excel at: farming, trade, and governance. Everything a ninja needs for survival and combat—food, funds, supplies, mission rewards—doesn't require the Land of Fire to provide?"

"We provide them with everything they need to survive and fight, and naturally, within the rules, we can harness their power to ensure our safety. This is the way to last."

"Sigh, there are still too many Guardian Ninja Twelve."

"Dongmao".

"exist."

"From now on, I'll have to ask you and Beizi to take good care of things."

"As ordered."

Daiming no longer looked at his younger brother on the ground.

"Be careful not to hurt him too much."
-
Shuji wasn't interested in what the daimyo intended to say to his brother. He walked out of the palace gate and down the steps. In a corner of the courtyard, a patch of scarlet flickered in the dim light.

Sarutobi Asuma squatted there, a dozen cigarette butts scattered at his feet, his whole being shrouded in grayish-white smoke and an even heavier sense of dejection.

“Asuma-senpai.” Shuuji approached.

"No, don't call me that." Asma took a deep drag and stubbed out his cigarette on the flagstone. "I've already embarrassed myself too much."

Shuji leaned against the railing and asked, "What kind of person is that Kazuma?"

Asma looked up at the sky, his Adam's apple bobbed, and after a long while he said, "At this point, there's no point in talking about him anymore."

Xiu Si readily agreed and closed his eyes to rest. He had stayed up all night and was exhausted.

This nonchalant attitude, however, made Asuma feel inexplicably anxious.

He took out another cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

"He is a man whose convictions are far stronger than mine."

“At this point, there’s not much point in you talking about him anymore.” Shuuji repeated Asuma’s words with his eyes closed. “Cough cough…” Asuma choked and smiled wryly, “You really do hold grudges.”

"Your silence and hesitation have added a lot of work for me, Asuma-senpai." Shuji's voice was calm and even, without any hint of accusation, simply stating a fact.

Asma's fingers, holding the cigarette, paused. He lowered his head, staring at the ground, and after a long while, finally exhaled a long, trembling puff of smoke from his lungs.

"Feel sorry."

His face was blurred in the smoke, and his voice became ethereal: "I just can't understand why the village is always trapped in this cycle? War, compromise, sacrifice, then a brief period of peace, then war again... it never ends."

"Kazuma said it was because the 'Jade' was not unique. The Land of Fire had two leaders, the Daimyo and the Hokage. Their wills could not be unified, so their strength was scattered and they suffered internal strife, which ultimately gave the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of them."

"He chose the daimyo as the only 'jewel' that should be revered. Seeing that the current daimyo had no interest in this, he thought... to assist a willing daimyo to take the throne."

Shuji opened his eyes and looked at Asuma, the meaning in his eyes was self-evident: The Third Hokage is your father, and you're choosing the daimyo too?
"Many comrades sacrificed themselves in the mission to protect the daimyo. My father scolded me, saying that I didn't know what was important and that I disregarded the lives of my comrades."

"I don't understand. If protecting the daimyo results in the death or injury of my comrades, is it my mistake, is it that I made the wrong choice?"

"Then why would Father sacrifice Hyuga Hizashi, who did nothing wrong, just to appease the anger of Kumogakure? Wasn't Hizashi a Konoha ninja, one of our comrades?!"

“If I’m wrong, then Father… he…” Asma couldn’t finish his sentence. He just took a deep drag of his cigarette, as if trying to crush all his chaotic thoughts into his lungs.

"I didn't understand, so I left the village."

Shuji listened in silence. Only after Asuma's emotions had calmed down slightly did he slowly speak: "Now, what do you think of Kazuma's behavior?"

Asma gave a wry smile and shook his head: "A fool who went down the wrong path. The belief may have been real, but the method was completely wrong, even... unscrupulous, which led to an irreparable tragedy."

At this point, he said to Shuji, "There's something I need to tell you. It's about the disturbance at the Temple of Fire."

"The one who caused that commotion was a child named Sora."

"He is Kazuma's...son. It seems that the Nine-Tails' chakra is sealed within that child!"

"It was Sora's sudden outburst that completely tied me and Jiraiya to the Temple of Fire, preventing us from escaping."

Nine-Tails chakra? Shuuji instantly stood up straight.
"Asuma-senpai, please wait here for a moment."

Xiu Si hurried back to the hall, just as Dong Mao pushed open the door and came out. She nodded slightly to Xiu Si and stepped aside to make way for him.

The hall had returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

"My lord, there's been some trouble at the Fire Temple. Please allow me to take my leave and go check on things."

Daimyo nodded slightly, not delving into the matter: "In that case, Jonin Shuji can go on his own. I have Hokuto and Higashimao to protect me."

Shuji bowed again, quickly left the hall, and returned to Asuma: "Asuma-senpai, take me to the Temple of Fire. Now."

Asma nodded: "Okay."

The two figures quickly disappeared outside the gates of Daming Prefecture.

The damage to the Fire Temple far surpassed that of the Daimyo's residence. Amidst the ruins, monks were silently clearing the battlefield and treating the wounded.

Di Lu stood in front of the main hall, his face showing undisguised fatigue and worry.

Upon seeing Asuma return with Shuji from Konoha, Jiraiya went to greet him.

"How is Dilu? Is Kong alright?" Asuma asked anxiously.

Di Lu blushed and said, "I was just about to send someone to tell you that Kong has disappeared."

"What?!" Asuma exclaimed in astonishment. "Missing? How could that be? Wasn't he unconscious?"

Jiro sighed heavily, his brow furrowing with worry: "That's the strange thing. I had my men examine him carefully, and the evil chakra within Kong's body had vanished without a trace."

"It was as if that power had never existed."

"Kong remained unconscious, and the temple suffered heavy casualties and was in complete chaos. Although I arranged for people to guard the room, I never expected that... during a brief break to change the dressing, when I went to check again, the room was completely empty."

"Judging from the traces left at the scene, Sora didn't wake up and leave on her own; she was forcibly taken away."

Asuma slammed his fist into the charred, broken pillar beside him, his face darkening with rage: "It's Kazuma! It must be him! He's still not giving up!"

"He took Kong away, he definitely wants to continue using the Nine-Tails' chakra within him!"

Shuji listened in silence, his gaze sweeping over the ravaged temple, and said, "Senior Asuma, let's search the area around the temple and along any suspicious paths to see if we can find any clues."

"If not, this matter needs to be reported to the village immediately."

(End of this chapter)