Konoha Notes

Chapter 114 Game
Hot winds swirled sand and grit, stinging my face slightly. As far as the eye could see, there was an endless expanse of ochre, with undulating dunes like solidified giant waves stretching to the horizon where they met the horizon.

"So hot."

Izumo Kamitsu felt the air she was breathing was scorching her throat, and the weight on her body was several times heavier than usual.

The situation with steel wasn't much better.

"You two are so useless, you've only just arrived in the Land of Wind." Red Bean mocked the two who had just joined the team mercilessly.

"It's definitely hotter this time than last time," Xiu Si said fairly.

It's also possible that the situation last time was too urgent, leaving no time to pay attention to the environment of the Land of Wind.

For this mission, only Anko was brought along by the members of Team 5. Because of the complicated situation in the village, Itachi was not allowed to go on the mission with them, but was instead asked to stay in the village.

Before setting off, he specifically instructed Itachi that if any special circumstances arose, he could go to Tsunade with Uchiha Shisui by his side.

That way, even if he's not in the village, nothing will go wrong.

As for Tetsuo and Izumo, the risk level of this mission is much lower than the previous one, and it has a certain training aspect. The village needs to cultivate a new generation of talent, and letting them experience missions in different environments is a necessary part of their growth.

“What Xiu Si says makes sense,” Hong Dou immediately chimed in, echoing Xiu Si’s assessment.

Izumo and Kotetsu rolled their eyes listlessly, trying their best to adapt to the environment of the sandy land.

When that familiar, enormous canyon came into view, Xiu Si raised his hand, signaling the group to stop.

Compared to the last time I came, the number of visible and hidden sentries from Sunagakure here seems to have decreased considerably.

Is there a problem with the internal troop deployment of Sunagakure? Or is it because the alert level has been lowered after the new alliance with Konoha was implemented?

A group of Sand Village ninjas appeared from the canyon. The leader was not Maki, whom they had seen before, but a young ninja who looked only a few years older than Shuuji.

"An envoy from Konoha?" The Sand Village ninja's gaze swept over Shuji and his companions, finally settling on Shuji. "I am Yura, a Jonin from Sand Village, and I have been ordered to receive you all here."

"Konoha Jonin Shuji".

It's the same identity verification process, only it's been simplified considerably compared to last time.

Verification complete.

Unlike last time, when the Sand Village confined the Konoha group to the narrow rock chamber of the One-Line Sky, they were led directly through the treacherous canyon and into the interior of the Sand Village, where clean and tidy rooms were even arranged.

"Everyone from Konoha, please rest here for now."

"Lord Kazekage has been very busy lately. Jonin Shuji and advisor Ebizo will meet with him later."

"Thank you for your trouble." Shuuji nodded.

Yura said nothing more, turned and left, leaving two Sunagakure ninjas to guard outside the inn.

Hongdou was a little surprised: "That's it? That's much more polite than last time."

"Things are different."

Last time, Sunagakure had the mentality of taking advantage of the situation and exerting maximum pressure, so they naturally made things difficult for them at every turn.

"Izumo, Kotetsu, how are you feeling now?"

"It's much cooler inside Sunagakure now," Izumo Kamatsuki replied, and Tetsuya Koko also said there was no problem.

"Take a break and adapt as quickly as possible. Hongdou, you're in charge of the first shift of guard duty."

After making the arrangements, Xiu Si sat down in a chair, closed his eyes to rest, and sorted out the possible situations he might encounter.

About two hours later, a Sand Village ninja came to inform Ebizo that he wanted to meet with an envoy from Konoha.

The advisor from Sunagakure was much the same as when they last met, still with that slightly hunched but capable appearance.

"Sit down, kid from Konoha." He raised his eyelids as a greeting, his gaze sweeping over the three people behind Shuuji. "Hmm? That quiet brat from last time didn't come; two boys came instead."

Izumo and Kotetsu, who were called upon, immediately became nervous, unsure of what to do with their hands and feet. This reaction seemed to please Ebizo, who let out a low, hoarse "hoho" laugh.

"They really are two honest kids. Hey, you little purple-haired girl, where's the other brat? Could he have gotten into trouble somewhere during your Konoha's secret mission?"

“He went back to school,” Hongdou said, making it up without batting an eye.

Having gleaned no interesting information, Ebizo pursed his lips and muttered, "The two new lads are still the normal ones."

Shuji said, "After all, I'm facing the advisor of Sunagakure, so I'll be very cautious."

Ebizo revealed a knowing expression: "That's it, this is what makes the kids from Konoha so interesting."

"Alright, tell me, what brings Shuji, the envoy from Konoha, to Sunagakure? He's not here just to visit this old man, is he?" "I've come on orders to invite Sunagakure to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams held by Konoha."

"The Chunin Exams? The Joint Selection?" Ebizo's white eyebrows twitched, and then he let out a low, ambiguous laugh. "Heh... Konoha's in high spirits, just catching their breath and already stirring up these big events."

He slowly picked up the teacup beside him, blew on it, and took a sip: "However, we Sunagakure have no time to play these kinds of games with you."

Shuji said, "This exam is not a game."

"The aim is to promote exchanges and sparring among the genin of various ninja villages, and to jointly improve their combat capabilities and adaptability. For Sunagakure, this is also a good opportunity to showcase the strength of the new generation to the outside world."

Ebizo put down his teacup: "Stop talking nonsense. A good opportunity? Participating in the Chunin Exams held by Konoha on Konoha's territory, what good opportunity is there?"

"Give me something useful, Shuji."

Shuji's tone remained calm: "So what do you want to hear? Advisor Ebizo, is it because of some pressure from the western front that Sunagakure can't even field a few teams qualified to participate in the Chunin Exams?"

Considering Iwagakure's shift in strategy last year, the reduction in forces at Ichisen, and the current courtesy shown to them, Shuji probed the possible current situation of Sunagakure.

Ebizo scoffed, "You can say that to me again when that old geezer Onoki can finally set foot on the sands of the Land of Wind!"

Shuji calmly replied, "The Third Tsuchikage probably has no interest in the Land of Sand, but he is interested in everything outside of it."

The Sand Village advisor's face immediately turned gloomy.

Izumo and Kotetsu looked at each other in bewilderment. The tension had risen so quickly from the start; it turned out the envoy was acting this way.

Wait a minute, are they going to get killed? The two glanced at Hongdou and saw that she still looked calm and unfazed, so they were somewhat relieved.

Ebizo didn't delve deeper into the issue of Iwagakure, but instead started calculating another matter: "Sending out several elite genin squads would require experienced jonin instructors to provide guidance and protection throughout the trip. Such a trip would be quite costly, with no visible benefits. Our poor village can't afford it."

"As the organizer, Konoha will naturally not let guests who have come from afar worry about food, lodging, and travel expenses," Shuji replied.

"What are you being sarcastic about! Sunagakure can afford to feed and entertain a few people as well." Ebizo slammed his hand on the table. "Come on! Since you're here, today we'll show you what real Sunagakure cuisine is like! So you won't think we don't even know how to treat guests!"

This sudden invitation surprised even Hongdou, let alone the tense and on edge Kanzuki Izumo and Kotetsu. They were just arguing a moment ago, and now they're having dinner together?
However, Ebizo had already started making arrangements without saying a word. A moment later, the group moved to a simply furnished dining room.

During the meal, Ebizo seemed to have forgotten his earlier unpleasantness and even enthusiastically wanted Shuji to have a sip of wine.

“Underage.” Shuuji refused.

"Give it a try," Ebizo warmly invited.

"Of the three prohibitions for ninjas, alcohol is one of them."

"That's Konoha's rule."

"..."

After some back and forth, Ebizo suddenly said, "Konoha's desire to hold a joint exam is probably related to Tsunade, right?"

"This is to promote the development of each village..." Shuji continued in formulaic language.

"Alright! Let's get straight to the point, you troublesome brat."

"What benefits does Sunagakure have from participating in this Chunin Exams? Especially that brat from before, who didn't come this time, Uchiha Itachi, right? He's a genius of the Uchiha clan."

"Stay in Konoha and prepare for the Chunin Exams?"

"Your Konoha has prepared a stage for your own people. No matter how resilient or outstanding a Sunagakure ninja is, it will be difficult for them to rise to the top. They might even become stepping stones for Konoha ninjas." Ebizo's words were sharp. "What if so many excellent genin fall into decline in the future?"

"If I really participated, how will the losses be calculated?"

"The ninjas we invest heavily in training are not meant to pave the way for others."

It has to be you, Ebizo, how could you say something so shameless?

Sunagakure is notorious for not training genin, relying entirely on brute force to grow up, and its ninja academy is practically nonexistent.

Even though the surviving Chunin and Genin were quite skilled in combat, they all lacked stamina, resulting in a pitifully small number of outstanding high-level ninjas.

Shuji's eyes held a lot of information, some of which Ebizo gleaned, but he didn't care.

He had only one goal: to make Konoha explode with gold coins.

Iwagakure has gone mad, investing so much military force in the desolate west. Sunagakure, for the sake of its western interests, has no choice but to follow suit.

“Kid, don’t think I can’t see through this.” Ebizo lowered his voice. “The biggest beneficiary of holding this joint exam is the host, Konoha. It can showcase our strength and also get a clear picture of the younger generation in other villages. You can’t deny that.”

“Therefore, without a substantial offer, Sunagakure will never send a team to support you.” He leaned back, adopting a posture of waiting for an offer. “Want us to participate? Sure. But we have to see something worth the risk.”

(End of this chapter)