Konoha Notes

Chapter 111 Dumpling Curse and Conversation

Hongdou's one-bedroom apartment is the default gathering place for Class 5.

Although both the Uchiha clan leader's mansion within the Uchiha clan compound and Shuji's old house in the western suburbs are much more spacious than here, the Ninja Apartment is still the most suitable place for a truly relaxing and unrestrained feeling.

Therefore, with the consent of everyone in the team, Shuji used a portion of the public funds to complete the items that were originally missing from Aoko's place.

On the second day back on vacation, Shuji, as the organizer, arrived at the apartment earlier than Itachi.

He brought a bag of glutinous rice flour, a bottle of milk, as well as brown sugar, white sugar, honey, roasted peanuts, and white sesame seeds.

He always bought ready-made meatballs from the village, but today he suddenly had a whimsical idea and suggested that they try making them themselves, perhaps they could come up with some different flavor combinations.

The suggestion was immediately met with enthusiastic support from Hongdou.

"Glutinous rice flour, you have to use hot water to mix it..." Hongdou pulled out a bowl, looking a bit flustered.

"It seems like I added too much water..." Shuji looked at the overly wet, pasty substance in the basin.

"Then add some more powder!"

After dawdling around like this, the large glutinous rice dough was kneaded, and then it was rolled into the appropriate size and put into water to boil.

After some rather clumsy and less-than-skilled kneading, I finally managed to knead a smooth, white dough. Next, I rolled the dough into small, evenly sized balls and dropped them into boiling water to cook until they floated.

Shuji prepared a wide variety of toppings, allowing the dumplings to be enjoyed in many ways: drizzled with brown sugar syrup, honey, or sprinkled with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds...

"Mmm! The ones I made myself tasted really good!" Hongdou's cheeks were stuffed full, and her eyes were squinted happily, as if she were in a paradise made of dumplings.

"Speaking of which, how's your cultivation progressing lately?"

"Speed ​​and strength have steadily improved, the release speed and power of Snake Ninja Technique are also much stronger than before, and I have also mastered several key moves..." Red Bean reported as she chewed.

However, as she spoke, her tone became hesitant, and the joy on her face faded slightly.

"And... there's the cursed mark Orochimaru left on me." Her voice lowered, and she subconsciously touched the back of her neck. "He once said that it seemed to be the seed of some kind of power."

She turned around, her back to Shuuji, and slightly opened her collar to reveal the curse mark on her neck.

"However, the Third Hokage has personally helped me seal it."

"However... occasionally, when I encounter things related to Orochimaru or get close to him, this mark will still faintly heat up and I will feel something."

The Cursed Seal of Heaven is a cursed seal technology developed by Orochimaru based on Jugo, who possesses the innate Sage Transformation ability.

It can enhance the power of the cursed user. However, in the original work, the cursed seal on Anko's body never seems to be able to allow her to enter state one and state two, which is an early version developed by Orochimaru.

It has no power; it can only be used to sense Orochimaru's presence.

Another point is that the Heavenly Curse Seal is also a backup Orochimaru used for resurrection. We'll have to figure out how to deal with it later.

As Shuji was pondering, a gentle knock broke the brief silence on the apartment door. Anko quickly went to open it, and standing outside was Uchiha Itachi, who had arrived right on time.

"Sorry I'm late." Itachi's voice was calm as his gaze swept across the room, landing on the tempting mochi balls on the table.

"You've come at the perfect time, Itachi!" Anko immediately perked up and pulled him into the house. "Try it, we made this ourselves!"

The three sat around a small table, sharing dumplings of different flavors, and the atmosphere became relaxed again.

After enjoying the simple tea and snacks, Shuji and Itachi got up to say goodbye.

"Itachi, the news about the Chunin Exams should be officially announced in about a month and a half."

"Yes, senior."

Shuji continued walking, his gaze fixed ahead, his tone calm: "Please inform Mr. Fugaku that I will be waiting for him at the old house in the western suburbs two days from now."

Itachi paused for a moment: "Yes, I understand."

"How's the investigation going with those people?"

"The primary targets have all been preliminarily verified."

"The next step is to start reaching out to the most ordinary members of the police force, especially those in clerical and logistical positions. There's no need to rush; we can proceed step by step."

"Yes, senior."
-
Two days later, at the old house in the western suburbs.

Fugaku Uchiha first entered the mansion that had existed since the village was founded.

As he was led into the inner room, his pupils contracted slightly when his gaze swept over Tsunade, who was sitting in the main seat, and Shuuji, who was sitting on the other side.

When Shuji relayed the meeting through Itachi, he did not mention that Tsunade would also be present.

His last meeting with Shuuji had left a deep impression on him with his ruthless, seemingly polite but actually rude sharpness. This time, Tsunade was also there...

Fugaku Uchiha was mentally prepared.

"Fugaku, although I have been back in the village for some time, I have not seen you yet."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. It's been a long time since I last greeted you." Fugaku nodded slightly, his manners impeccable, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Alright, enough with the pleasantries." Tsunade displayed a completely different, sharp attitude. "Fugaku, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and his wife perished. Is the Uchiha clan involved in this incident?"

The question was asked directly, and before answering, Fugaku Uchiha looked at Shuuji. Was this a Senju custom? So, within the Senju, the First Hokage was considered an anomaly?

He composed himself and met Tsunade's gaze. This time, he didn't mince words: "It's related. But it wasn't done by the Uchiha clan in Konoha."

"As far as I know, within the clan today, only Uchiha Shisui has the potential to reach that level of eye power."

"But Zhi Shui's whereabouts that day are clear, so it couldn't have been him who did it."

He still kept the matter of his eyes a secret. Although he believed that he had reached a preliminary consensus with Senju, there were still some things that needed to be kept confidential.

This answer softened Tsunade's sharp gaze slightly.

The fact that Fugaku Uchiha was able to say "related" instead of continuing to distance himself from the Uchiha clan at least shows his sincerity in communicating at this moment.

"On the night of the Cloud Village Messenger incident, did the Uchiha clan's territory and police forces discover any traces of unusual or suspicious individuals?"

These two events are the most impactful to the village in recent years.

If not handled properly, it could drag Konoha into the abyss of destruction.

"Similar to the events following the Nine-Tailed Night, I personally checked the movement of internal personnel and patrol records on the day of the incident and afterwards, and found no clues or suspicious traces that were worth reporting."

Tsunade asked again, "If that's the case, who are your suspects?"

Fugaku did not answer directly this time, but pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Uchiha... Madara."

Tsunade's brows furrowed instantly: "He was already killed by his grandfather, Father, at the Valley of the End."

"Madara had been away from Konoha for many years before he was killed by Lord Hashirama, and we don't know if he had any other preparations."

Fugaku Uchiha did not support Madara; he always believed that Madara had made the worst choice for the Uchiha clan.

If it weren't for him, the Uchiha clan, as the founders of the ninja village, wouldn't have been burdened with such an inescapable shackle of original sin.

Tsunade's fingertips tapped lightly on the table unconsciously as he fell into deep thought.

While this answer may sound somewhat far-fetched, involving someone who has been dead for many years, it is not entirely impossible considering Madara Uchiha's terrifying strength and the unpredictable nature of the Sharingan.

In any case, so far, her conversation with Fugaku Uchiha has been satisfactory.

"Whether it is or not, it's difficult to confirm at the moment." After a moment, she spoke, "but the village will investigate this clue. Given that the opponent may possess the Sharingan, or even a higher-level eye technique,"

"The Uchiha clan needs to send capable personnel to participate in this investigation."

"In the identity of the Dark Division."

"This is not a discussion, it is an order."

It was also a reward, as no one from the Uchiha clan had ever entered the Anbu, which was directly under the Hokage's command.

In fact, the Anbu was one of the methods the village used to control the Uchiha clan.

Back in the Second Hokage's era, it was the Konoha Anbu who discovered the signs of Uchiha Setsuna's betrayal and captured him in time.

Fugaku Uchiha remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he felt much more relaxed as the strategy that Shuji had mentioned to him before began to be implemented.

"How many people does the village need the Uchiha to send?" Fugaku asked.

"It's initially planned as a small team of four," Tsunade stated clearly. "Go and prepare a list of candidates. The final selection will be made after review."

"I understand."

Princess Thousand Hands continued, "As a price for promoting the four to join the Dark Division, the police force needs to give up a squad's quota."

"I think you already know that, Fugaku."

After much deliberation, Fugaku finally nodded.

After Fugaku Uchiha left with complicated and indescribable feelings, Tsunade looked at Shuji.

"How likely is it that what he said is related to Ban?"

I'd say it very well, though I'd like to say it directly.

Shuji said, "I don't know if it's related to Madara, but the core demand of the Uchiha in the village has never been to destroy Konoha, but to truly possess Konoha."

Tsunade agreed with this.

To be fair, the status that Konoha bestowed upon the Uchiha clan was already the highest treatment a powerful ninja clan could receive under the ninja village system.

Other ninja villages also have their own ninja clans and original shareholders, so it's impossible for them to offer the same price as Konoha.

Otherwise, even if they had long felt ostracized, the Uchiha clan would not have remained steadfast in their pursuit of supreme power within the system for decades without ever considering defection.

"Hopefully this time, we can achieve results."

Shuji calmly stated, "The Dark Division has numerous missions involving long-term infiltration, cross-border investigations, and tracking high-risk targets."

"In comparison, the police force is too idle, giving them time to think about all sorts of things."

(End of this chapter)