Konoha Notes

Chapter 152 Orochimaru

Orochimaru waited for several days, but when he discovered that the chakra coming from the other end of the sensing technique was not from the person he was expecting, he gave up and decided not to waste any more time.

He had plenty of patience, but the person opposite him was not one whose mind could be easily swayed. This time was enough for Shuji to review the data and complete the investigation.

In the end, neither the data nor what was behind it moved him.

Now that the bait had been seen through, continuing to wait was pointless. Orochimaru was never lacking in patience, but he also knew when to adjust his strategy. Orochimaru departed with the small team left behind by Danzo.

The failure to gain a breakthrough from Shuji only intensified Orochimaru's interest in the Uchiha clan. The combination of Senju and Wood Release had enabled him to transform an ordinary, talented ninja into someone Orochimaru found troublesome in such a short time.

So, what about the power of the Uchiha clan...?

Moreover, the fact that they returned to the village so quickly even after discovering his intentions at least shows that, in Shuji's eyes, as long as the warning was completed, the squad's current strength was sufficient to deal with his attack.

Were they Uchiha who joined the Anbu? Orochimaru already knew about these extremists; they didn't have that kind of power.

The only possibility is Uchiha Shisui.

In just this short time away, Konoha has become so interesting.

Leading this silent Root squad, Orochimaru headed towards the eastern coast. Just as they were about to arrive, a Root member reported that they had discovered a place with signs of battle.

“Traces of Wood Release…and Lightning Release, Wind Release, Fire Release, quite a fierce melee.” Orochimaru crouched down, picking up a piece of charred wood shavings with his fingertips. “Shuji-kun, the guest you’re entertaining here is quite strong.”

He searched carefully and found several dried and blackened bloodstains in a patch of turned-up soil.

Although it's suspected that these might not have been left by Shuji, Orochimaru still collected them first—who knows, he might just win a prize?
Having gathered all the valuable clues, Orochimaru was not in a hurry to find the Uchiha squad. The information Danzo had provided before his house arrest was outdated, and blindly searching the vast coastline would be too inefficient.

"Go to the land of waves."

Orochimaru issued a new order. He needed to gather more information, especially about the movements of the Hidden Mist Village ninjas; perhaps he could gain some interesting insights from them.

The group crossed the sea silently and infiltrated the Land of Waves. However, after a thorough reconnaissance, they only found some traces that the Hidden Mist ninja had not completely erased after their hasty retreat; the main force had long since disappeared.

"A complete retreat?" Orochimaru personally reviewed the reconnaissance results and fell into deep thought.

The Hidden Mist's actions were somewhat strange.

He noticed a Root ninja silently recording this information in cipher, but did not stop him. Although he was ordered to assassinate the village's ANBU, it didn't mean that Root would sit idly by when they discovered information useful to the village.

Those who have been brainwashed by Danzo genuinely believe that their actions are more beneficial to Konoha.

After sending most of the Root members out to expand their search area and find more clues, Orochimaru remained alone in the abandoned camp, trying to piece together more clues from the ruins.

Just then, about a hundred meters away from Orochimaru, a strangely shaped pitcher plant slowly emerged from the ground, its black and white body appearing and disappearing in the shadows.

"That guy is Orochimaru, an S-rank rogue ninja from Konoha."

"Why are you here...?"

“Isn’t our Mizukage looking to hire some ‘capable’ rogue ninja to do his bidding? This one of the Legendary Sannin is the perfect candidate.”
-
The succession ceremony for Hokage is not complicated; the core is gaining the trust of the Jonin team.

The successful hosting of the joint Chunin Exams created a more favorable external environment for the village. Coupled with breakthroughs in dealing with the thorny Uchiha problem and her own prestige, Tsunade's proposal to succeed as the Fifth Hokage encountered almost no resistance.

The biggest potential opponent is currently "busy" carrying out a classified mission and cannot come out for the time being. The formal succession ceremony is still two days away, but the core power transition has already been quietly completed while Tsunade is handling government affairs ahead of time.

Changes naturally followed. Shizune was officially transferred from Konoha Hospital to serve as the Hokage's secretary, where she began assisting Tsunade with her increasingly heavy daily tasks.

She originally wanted two secretaries, but the other one disagreed and insisted on being the Jonin who led the team.

The two then faced off for a while longer.

Becoming the Hokage's secretary? This means that for the next few years, he will spend most of his time in the village, surrounded by endless documents.

In contrast, maintaining the status quo would allow him to travel around the ninja world on missions, giving him much more freedom. He could also occasionally apply for a vacation and rest for a month or two.

Therefore, his attitude on this matter was exceptionally firm.

"Why don't you consider adding a support team composed of professional civilian ninjas?" Shuji tried to change the subject.

Before, when he wasn't Hokage and was in the process of taking over, he definitely couldn't delegate his work to others. Now it's different; there's no need for him to do so much himself.

Tsunade was also annoyed and said, "The administrative departments have already handled the matters that could be delegated! The ones that end up here either involve village secrets or must be reviewed by the Hokage himself."

"Even if sealing techniques are used, the people who handle these documents are not strong enough, and the confidentiality cannot be guaranteed."

“Those who are capable enough are either not suitable for these tasks, or they have other tasks to perform.”

After a moment's thought, Shuji said, "Perhaps the village should consider allocating some resources to specialized training. As the situation gradually stabilizes, the demand for pure combat ninjas may become saturated."

"On the contrary, professional ninjas who are good at research, analysis and management will become the key to supporting the development of the village."

"Especially since ordinary people stopped participating in the Shinobi World War, the world has developed very rapidly. Lady Tsunade should have experienced this."

From the Warring States period to the Ninja Village period, only a few decades passed, and things like radio communication and ovens appeared.

Tsunade understood this perfectly well, and she looked at Shuuji with annoyance: "Since you have such ideas, why don't you stay at the Hokage Building!"

"There are still many things to deal with, including the subsequent allocation of village resources. It's not something that can be changed so quickly."

Shuji wisely kept silent, since those things weren't urgent and were just a concept.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Tsunade knew that she couldn't force him, and waved her hand impatiently: "Fine, fine, if you don't want to be an assistant, then don't be one."

Even if there's a mission to catch him, Shuji won't run away.

But letting him go like that left her with a lingering sense of unease. She casually pushed a thick stack of documents awaiting review towards him, almost touching Xiu Si's nose.

"We'll worry about the future later; let's get through this difficult time first! Don't leave until you've finished reading this!"

Shuji looked at the pile of documents, then at Tsunade's "try refusing" expression, and finally sighed resignedly, reaching out to take the documents.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

(End of this chapter)