Konoha Notes

Chapter 119 Fantasy
The Konoha ninja left in the morning, and several Kusagakure ninja, as was customary, followed them at a distance for a while. After confirming that the guests had truly left the village's sphere of influence, they returned to the village.

Kusagakure knew that Shuji was a Jonin, and it was generally acknowledged in the ninja world that Konoha's regular Jonin were stronger than those of other ninja villages, especially smaller ones.

After all, there are many ninja clans in Konoha, and the competition for Jonin is fierce.

As the host, it's fine for Kusagakure to follow along for a while, but if they stay too long, they can't guarantee that Shuuji won't notice and become suspicious.

After receiving news of the Konoha ninja's departure, the leaders of Kusagakure waited for a while longer to confirm that there were no more traces of Konoha ninja around Kusagakure before taking action.

Squads of Grass Village ninjas quickly assembled after receiving orders and set off from the village one after another.

Such a commotion was also witnessed by Karin and her daughter in the wooden house on the outskirts of the village.

Uzumaki Hagi leaned against the window, her already pale face now almost transparent. Even though she tried to control her emotions, her eyes became increasingly vacant.

As a long-used medical tool, she was well aware of what such a large-scale operation meant.

This means that in the near future, far more wounded than usual will be sent back. And what awaits her will be even more frequent and relentless devouring and exploitation.

Hagi's gaze involuntarily drifted to her daughter in the corner—Karin was curled up with her knees drawn up to her chest, her small body trying to hide herself.

Can she hold on this time? If she can't hold on and dies prematurely, what will happen to Karin?
Her daughter will become the new "medicine".

Escape? The daughter's pleas still seemed to echo in his ears.

How can I escape? This is Kusagakure, and the surrounding area is full of Kusagakure ninjas.

If they don't escape, the ninjas of Kusagakure will maintain basic etiquette, won't mistreat them, and will still provide them with food and shelter, allowing them to survive.

Even if it's so difficult, if Karin can still live and become a ninja, then my daughter still has a chance to escape this cage and get rid of her fate as "medicine".

So... it's not enough yet...

We can't give up yet...

I must... hold on a little longer.

For Karin's sake, at least let her suffer all of this a little later, much later...

Hagi took a deep breath, trying to suppress the sob in her throat, walked to her daughter's side, and gently hugged the small, thin body into her arms.

"It's alright, Karin, nothing will happen."

"Don't be afraid, Mommy is here, Mommy will protect you."

Karin buried her face in her mother's arms and gave a muffled reply, still clutching the piece of wood in her hand.

"If you want to leave, then try to live."

"This was just a chance act of kindness. If you really want to seize the opportunity, hide it and live on."

The stranger's words echoed clearly in my ears.

Karin quietly broke free from her mother's warm embrace and slowly moved to the window, carefully observing the grass ninja. She opened her eyes wide, trying hard to identify each figure and sense the flow of chakra.

no……

That unfamiliar face wasn't there...

There was also no calm and unique chakra...

The person who gave her the wood chip was not among them.

Could it be... that was just a dream that was too realistic? A hallucination caused by excessive longing?

The slight pain in my palm and the hard feel of the wood chip refuted this idea.

Not a dream...

Hope... perhaps it really exists...

It just needs to... wait...

Meanwhile, outside Kusagakure, Shuji's figure quietly appeared in the dense canopy of a tall tree. His calm eyes reflected the figures of yet another group of Kusagakure ninja rushing out.

This was the fifth group of people he had observed leaving the village in a short period of time. Such frequent movements indicated that Kusagakure was eager to complete their plan as quickly as possible.

It's time to go in and take another look.

Using the Flying Thunder God Technique formula he had left in the village's buildings beforehand, he once again silently infiltrated the interior of Kusagakure.

The village was noticeably emptier than before due to the large number of people being sent out. Shuji used his transformation jutsu again, turning into an ordinary grass ninja, and stealthily made his way back to the meeting room where he had met with Hayami.

This time, it seems he came to the right place.

At the entrance to the conference room, Hayami, the Jonin who had received them during the day, was talking in hushed tones with an elderly man dressed in elder's robes with a serious expression.

Shuji hid behind the shadows of the pillars, listening to the fragmented conversation.

"The pace of stockpiling must be accelerated; we must seize the time..." the old man instructed.

"Yes, we've increased manpower, but Elder, capturing them alive is far more difficult than killing them, and it takes much more time..."

"This is no excuse!" the elder interrupted him sharply. "For the future of the village, this is a mission that must be accomplished! At all costs!"

"Yes, Elder." Sujian bowed his head and replied.

Then, after a moment's hesitation, he added, "Also, regarding that woman's condition, her recent decline has been quite severe..." The man addressed as Elder frowned: "How could that be?"

"Recently, there have been frequent missions and an increase in wounded soldiers. Her health has been severely depleted, and her recovery rate is far from keeping up."

"Fool!" the elder scolded Sujian. "Now is the time to capture a powerful ninja, not to ruin that woman."

"Pass down the order: from this moment forward, no ordinary wounded soldier is permitted to receive treatment from her!"

"Also, provide her with the best food and herbs so she can recover as quickly as possible, understand?!"

"We must guarantee its quality; we absolutely cannot allow any mishaps at a time like this!"

Su Jian immediately bowed and said, "Yes! I will arrange it right away."

"And..." the elder seemed to remember something else and said, "Start arranging basic ninja training for that little one too. Train her well, so she won't end up like her useless mother."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two walked one after the other deeper into the building. Their voices gradually faded and eventually disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Xiu Si did not choose to follow. Going further in would increase the risk of exposure, and it was not advisable to alert the enemy at this time.
-
Meanwhile, in another desolate and remote border region of the Grass Country.

A brief but intense battle is drawing to a close.

Kazuma, the former guardian ninja of the Land of Fire, was now in a terrible state. He stood protectively in front of his son, Sora, his body bearing multiple wounds and his breathing rapid.

The Daimyo has put a bounty on his head, and Konoha's Anbu are hunting him down. Staying in the Land of Fire any longer is no longer a realistic option.

However, as someone who was trying to initiate change, Kazuma had a fairly good understanding of the geography of the Land of Fire. After barely escaping the Land of Fire, he planned to travel through the Land of Grass and escape westward along the border of the Land of Earth.

That place is a paradise for rogue ninja, a corner untouched by Konoha. There, Kazuma can safely nurture Ku, allowing him to completely merge with the Nine-Tails' chakra. At that time, he can return to the Land of Fire and initiate another revolution.

What Kazuma didn't expect was that he would be intercepted by the ninjas of Kusagakure.

"Give up your futile resistance, villain and horse." Kusagakure leader Tsutaka stood not far away, his voice cold. "Your crimes will be judged by Kusagakure, and you will be sealed and imprisoned in Hozuki Castle."

The leader of Kusagakure is using words to weaken Kama's will to resist.

He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his face full of arrogance and resentment.

Imprisoned in Hozuki Castle? What a joke! So many of his like-minded comrades paid the ultimate price, and he himself has endured humiliation to survive until now, placing all his hopes on Sora, in order to overthrow Konoha and reshape the future of the Land of Fire!
How could they be imprisoned in Hozuki Castle by the ninjas of Kusagakure?

Moreover, Konoha probably already knows that Ku is the Nine-Tails' chakra vessel. Once Kusagakure captures them and leaks the information to Konoha, those guys will definitely put pressure on them and then take Ku away.

Without Kong, what have all the sacrifices he's made and all the pain he's endured meant?! They've all lost their meaning!

Gripping his weapon tightly, Kazuma's gaze swept over the Kusagakure ninja led by Tsutakawa.

They worked together seamlessly, and the sealing techniques they used were particularly troublesome, greatly restricting his movements and abilities.

Conventional earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique that can be used to escape attacks) is also difficult to be effective under such an attack.

Kazuma's gaze fell on Sora behind him, and a crazy idea popped into his head.

There is no way out.

For ideals, for the future...

Empty, please forgive me.

Kazuma suddenly turned around, his five fingers forming claws, and pressed hard on the thin, empty belly!

The next moment, a dark red chakra suddenly burst forth from Kong's thin body.

"This...this is?!?"

Tsutakawa was shocked and took a step back, instinctively adopting a defensive stance.

But then, the shock on his face was quickly replaced by an unbelievable, almost manic joy!

So vast! So pure! So powerful!

He stared wide-eyed at the small figure enveloped in ominous chakra, as if admiring a priceless treasure.

"Hahaha... Hahaha!!"

"Found it! This is it! This is the most perfect! The best energy source!!"

This chakra is better and more suitable than the one prepared for the child.

Yes, it must be that the Sage of Six Paths was also tired of this ninja world where powerful nations acted with impunity, and that's why he bestowed this ultimate gift upon Kusagakure at this moment!
With this child and this power, we will surely be able to open the Chest of Bliss!

By making a wish upon the contents of the box, Kusagakure will be able to rise above the Five Great Ninja Villages and rule the entire ninja world.

This era is destined to belong to Kusagakure!

Driven by fanatical fantasies, Tsutaka's eyes flashed with murderous intent. The next moment, a fierce attack was launched against Kazuma, who was already at his last gasp.

With a short, agonizing scream, the horse's life came to an abrupt end.

"father!"

Having witnessed her father's tragic death and tormented by the violent energy within her, Sora let out a mournful cry.

The dark red chakra, as if responding to his emotions, became even more turbulent and ominous.

(End of this chapter)