Konoha Notes

Chapter 118 The Box of Bliss
After leaving a Flying Thunder God mark, Shuji continued to follow the Kusagakure team, trying to glean more information.

The squad had been traveling for a while when one of the young grass ninjas, seemingly unable to contain his frustration, spat under his breath.

"This is really troublesome. He's just a Chunin-level defector, but he's so difficult to deal with."

"The order is to capture, not kill. Given the circumstances, it's normal for some unexpected things to happen," another slightly older Kusagakure ninja replied.

“Capture them alive, capture them alive… Lately, all we get are these kinds of troublesome orders.” Others started complaining too. “It’s not just our village’s; we can only capture rogue ninja from other villages. How long will this take? We can’t exchange them for bounties like we used to. We can only send them to Hozuki Castle.”

"That's enough." The ninja from Kusagakure, who appeared to be the team leader, stopped the grumbling within the squad. "We are ninjas, we just need to carry out the village's orders, that's all."

Shuji seemed to be deep in thought. Capturing them alive, yet being unable to kill them, was intriguing in itself, suggesting that Kusagakure's objective went beyond simply gathering intelligence.

In the ninja world, death is never the only way to keep a secret, and often it's not even the most effective way. If it's not for information, then it must be for something else.

For money? Hozuki Castle might receive some subsidies for detaining other transferred prisoners, but actively capturing rogue ninjas is not only costly, but also risks being seen as a provocation by other ninja villages if it involves some sensitive figures.

This also contradicts the traditional diplomatic stance of Kusagakure. It would be better to simply kill them and send them to the underground gold exchange.

So, it's for the sake of the ninjas themselves.

What is the value of a ninja? One is the unique secret techniques or bloodline limits they master, and the other is their very being.

As life forms containing chakra, ninjas are a resource in themselves. In particular, ninjas can be excellent experimental subjects, offerings for certain rituals, or even fuel to power special ninja tools... the possibilities are many.

Adding to this, the fact that Karin's mother wasn't sent to Hozuki Castle, mentioned by the Kusagakure squad, led Shuji to speculate about Kusagakure's motives.

The squad knew only a limited amount of information, and there was no further meaningful conversation. They returned to an ordinary ninja settlement and dispersed to rest.

Shuji arrived here as well, but he was unable to obtain any further information from the other Kusagakure ninjas. He only confirmed that several teams from Kusagakure had indeed been carrying out similar missions at the same time recently.

With the trail broken, Shuji decided not to investigate any further. Instead, sensing the Flying Thunder God Technique seal placed in the building, he chose to return.

Back at the building, Shuji deactivated the shadow clone and confirmed that nothing new had happened inside.

He walked out of the room, and Hongdou immediately came up to him.

"Captain, what's the situation?"

After confirming that the surrounding area was safe, Kotetsu and Izumo Kamizuki also stood guard nearby.

Shuji said, "We've made some discoveries, but the core purpose of Kusagakure remains unclear."

"What is certain is that they have been capturing a large number of rogue ninjas and wandering ninjas recently. Their actions are frequent and unusual."

The expressions of the three of them became somewhat serious.

Regular ninja villages will take action against rogue ninjas, and sometimes they will also target wandering ninjas, but if it's a large-scale operation involving capture, it's too unusual.

Kusagakure is too close to Konoha, and their unusual actions could very well have an impact on Konoha.

Shuji said, "Let's call it a day for tonight and get some rest. We'll see how Kusagakure responds to the invitation tomorrow."

"The primary task remains to fulfill the invitation to the Chunin Exams."

Just as Shuji's squad was holding back for the time being, deep within Kusagakure, in a secluded underground chamber, a high-level meeting of the village was taking place. This was not one of the more conspicuous buildings in the village center, but a far more hidden location.

Hayami, the Jonin who received Shuji during the day, stood respectfully to the lower seat, reporting the details of his contact with the Konoha envoy.

"The Chunin Joint Selection Exam? Is it another attempt to use our young people to showcase their power?" An elder immediately knew what was going on.

As a ninja village within Konoha's sphere of influence, they've experienced this many times and are already quite experienced. The so-called joint exams are nothing more than Konoha's geniuses beating up the ninjas of their small country, to show off to the daimyo of other nations.

As a small ninja village, sending outstanding and promising genin might attract the attention of Root; sending mediocre ones would bring shame to the village.

No matter what choice you make, you're unlikely to gain anything substantial.

Another high-ranking official said, "What Konoha's purpose is not important; what is important is that we cannot refuse. Refusing Konoha's invitation without a valid reason will only attract unnecessary suspicion and attention. At this stage, we must avoid any unforeseen complications."

The leader of Kusagakure, Tsutaka, nodded slightly, agreeing with the latter's assessment: "Yes, that's right. Konoha is busy with the exams, and their attention will be drawn to internal affairs, which is actually an opportunity for us."

"Quickly reply to the Konoha envoy first thing tomorrow morning: Kusagakure agrees to participate in this Chunin Exam."

"Yes!" Hayami bowed and accepted the order. The elder who spoke first had fervent eyes: "Hmph, let them be smug for a while longer! As long as this plan succeeds... our Kusagakure will never have to depend on others again."

"We will gain the power to change everything and completely free this land from its fate as a battlefield!"

Tsutaka's gaze swept over everyone present. Within Kusagakure, there had long been two factions: the pro-war "Kusa no Higanbana" and the anti-war "Kusa no Hana." But on this matter, the two factions had reached a rare consensus.

They all longed to change the village's fate of serving as a buffer zone and passively taking hits for years.

And hope lies in that legendary treasure—the ninja tool from the era of the Sage of Six Paths, containing the power to change the world, the Box of Bliss.

It was sealed deep within Hozuki Castle, which was under the jurisdiction of Kusagakure.

Opening the Box of Bliss requires a massive amount of chakra and a vast amount of life energy as offerings.

At that moment, a ninja in charge of intelligence rushed in and reported in a low voice: "Lord Tsutakawa, elders, the pursuit team has sent word that they have discovered the whereabouts of Kazuma, the former guardian ninja who is wanted by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. He is accompanied by a child."

An elder said, "Kazuma was once a guardian ninja of the daimyo, so his strength is not weak, and he must have excellent chakra. To capture him, we must take action ourselves."

Tsutakawa finally gave the order: "Everything should proceed as planned and at an accelerated pace. We must complete the initial preparations before the official start of the Konoha Chunin Exams."

"Yes!" A deep and firm response rang out from the secret chamber.

The following morning, Hayami arrived at the guesthouse and informed Shuji that Kusagakure had agreed to participate in the Chunin Exams.

Shuji expressed his gratitude on behalf of Konoha, without showing any unusual expression, and then led his team away from Kusagakure.

Before leaving the gates of Kusagakure, he sensed the Flying Thunder God mark he had left for Karin and confirmed that its location had not changed.

As the team moved forward, Xiu Si would seemingly unintentionally place a specially made wooden marker in a hidden corner every so often, using the terrain as cover. The distance between these markers was exactly within his effective teleportation radius.

Just before officially crossing the border and entering the Land of Fire, Shuji stopped in his tracks.

"Izumo, Zitetsu." He turned to the two team members, "You two immediately take the reply from Kusagakure and the report on their unusual behavior, and return to the village as quickly as possible to report directly to Lady Tsunade."

As we approach the Land of Fire, our safety will be greatly enhanced. Thanks to Konoha's network of border outposts, the message will surely be transmitted smoothly.

Then, Shuuji turned to Anko: "Anko, you stay here. I have plans for you later."

Although they weren't clear on Shuji's purpose in making these arrangements, Izumo and Tetsuo didn't question it. Shuji had completed the village's tasks admirably on both trips, even gaining some extra rewards. The two now held their classmate in high esteem.

The two gatekeepers accepted the order and left, their figures quickly disappearing in the direction leading to Konoha.

"Shuji, what mission?" Hongdou blinked.
"Last night, I found two people in Kusagakure Village. They were remnants of the Uzumaki clan."

"The Uzumaki clan?" Red Bean tilted her head, trying hard to recall the somewhat unfamiliar term. "Oh! It's that clan that's very skilled in sealing techniques, and they used to be allies of the village, but it seems they've already..."

"So, what does Shuuji want to do?"

"I plan to take them back to the village."

"Huh?" The female ninja didn't understand at first. "Bring them back to the village? She...they, are they two women?"

A hint of suspicion crept into her eyes. Although Xiu Si had never acted like that kind of person... his act of specifically kidnapping people from another village was truly beyond her expectations.

“Captain…” she sighed deeply, patting Shuuji on the shoulder, “You’ve finally reached this age.”

Before she could finish speaking, her cheek was mercilessly attacked by two fingers, which pinched it and gently pulled it outward.

"Ouch! Ouch! I was wrong! I was wrong, Captain!" Red Bean immediately raised her hands in surrender, begging for mercy incoherently, "Just kidding! It was definitely a joke!"

Shuji released his grip and said expressionlessly, "They are a mother and daughter. There is compassion in their taking people away, but there is also value in their own right." He did not shy away from his attitude.

Red Bean rubbed her cheeks, still not quite understanding, but since Xiu Si had explained it all, she smiled and said, "Anyway, Xiu Si, there must be a reason for your decision. So, what do you need me to do?"

"Wait in this area, lie in wait and provide cover. Keep hidden. I will bring the person out after about two days, depending on the situation."

"Understood!" Hongdou's figure flashed and disappeared into the dense forest beside her.

After Hongdou left, Xiuji closed his eyes to sense the Flying Thunder God mark, and his figure suddenly disappeared.

(End of this chapter)