Konoha Notes

Chapter 185 Abandoned Son
How much did they actually earn? That made Kumogakure, which had only reached a peace agreement with Konoha, so willing to fulfill its obligations as an "ally" and proactively elevate the relationship between the two sides to a higher level.

Shuji couldn't help but be curious, but he didn't ask directly. Faced with Samui's suggestion of a fixed joint exam format, he only gave a cautious response: the specific cooperation framework would need to be discussed and finalized after he returned to Konoha, formally reported to the Hokage, and obtained permission.

However, the enthusiastic attitude shown by Yunyin gave him a new direction for thinking.

What truly attracted Kumogakure was not the Chunin Exams, but the benefits generated by the ninja combat competitions.

The core lies in the commercial value and influence of the competition, rather than the administrative function of selection.

However, although there are some vague ideas, a clearer outline and plan are still needed.

The lack of an immediate positive response from Konoha did not disappoint Samui. For her, the more important initial achievement was that the Kumogakure's desire to participate in Konoha's Chunin Exams in September had been essentially tacitly approved by the Konoha leader.

This means that the next time the Hidden Cloud Village initiates a joint exam invitation, the Hidden Leaf Village will most likely not refuse out of courtesy.

Having made some progress, she granted Konoha's envoys more freedom of movement—specifically, the authority to move freely within non-core areas of Kumogakure, accompanied by Kumogakure personnel.

Shuji did not refuse and immediately expressed his wish to take a walk around the village.

Since it was she who extended the invitation, Samui naturally became the one who accompanied her.

Shuji has seen quite a bit of the architectural style of Kumogakure during his recent visits.

They were already quite used to seeing ninjas throughout the village who were noticeably more robust than their Konoha counterparts.

It wasn't until he entered the commercial district that he truly grasped the atmosphere of Kumogakure. There were not only shops specializing in ninja tools, but also several stores selling various protein powders and fitness supplements, and they were all thriving.

"Miss Samui, does Lord Raikage need new protein powder?" a shop owner greeted her familiarly.

“No, it’s Konoha’s allies who are interested in this place,” Samui replied calmly.

The word "ally" warmed the shopkeeper's expression. He turned to Xiu Si and looked him over: "Young man, you look a bit thin."

"A real man should have a strong physique and solid muscles!" he said, deftly taking several jars of different colors from the shelf. "My products are personally certified by the Raikage! If they don't work, the Raikage himself will come and smash up the store!"

"Want to get a membership card?"

"The gym next door has a partnership with our family, and members can enjoy discounts."
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The regular guard teams assigned to a daimyo typically consist of nine to thirteen people. The standard composition is led by a Jonin, supported by one or two Special Jonin, with the rest being Chunin.

The Uchiha guards dispatched by Konoha to the Land of Fire this time were clearly beyond the norm in terms of scale. Three full-strength squads, three Uchiha Jonin, nine Chunin, and Uchiha Shisui himself as the leader, were enough to wage a localized conflict between the five great ninja villages.

The Uchiha clan, who were "recommended" to come to the City of Fire during the current police force reform, are considered to be among the groups that resist the policy changes the most.

And they did not disappoint that judgment.

"Even members of the Aburame clan have been able to join the police force," a Uchiha man said in a low voice.

"Such expansion is diluting the influence of our clan and is a harbinger of seizing control of the police force."

"What new opportunities? It's just another way to isolate us..."

Complaints and resentment intertwined in the oppressive space. They felt their place and glory were being stripped away by an invisible hand, yet they were powerless to stop it.

Uchiha Enjin waited until his comrades' emotions had built up to a certain point before speaking.

"We must go back; we must seize this opportunity."

“With Shisui gone, a single hint will suffice. Let the daimyo request a replacement guard from the village; the village has no reason to refuse.” “As long as we can return to the village…”

Yanren looked at the Uchiha clan members; their eyes still held fighting spirit, they hadn't been completely tamed. As long as they could return, there was still a chance to fight back.

In the shadows unseen by them, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shisui Uchiha, along with two carefully selected teams of ANBU members, were quietly observing this secret gathering of the Uchiha.

He deviated from his planned mission and infiltrated the City of Fire to secretly contact other ninjas on an important guard duty...

Regardless of how many merits Uchiha Enjin had made for the village in the past, this series of actions constituted a conclusive and irrefutable crime.

Now, there are sufficiently reasonable reasons to deal with these radicals in one fell swoop.

There's no need to resort to the death penalty; simply imprisoning them is enough to resolve many potential problems.

But it's not the right time yet. The real target hasn't appeared yet; it's not time to alert them.

"Shisui, their actions won't affect the other Uchiha," Hiruzen Sarutobi reassured Shisui.

"I assure you that as long as they do not violently resist during the arrest, the final course of action will be detention."

"Now we need to patiently wait for the real enemy to appear; only then will all this be worthwhile."

Shisui's feelings were complex and hard to describe, but he knew the gravity of the matter and replied in a low voice, "I understand, Lord Third Generation."

The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, personally explained the situation to him. Even the Third Hokage, who had long since retired, returned to work to carry out field missions, which showed that the village believed that there were indeed Uchiha clans operating outside, damaging the relationship between the village and the clan.

Therefore, we must be patient now.

"Fire Gate, are there any other unusual chakra reactions nearby?" Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to the member of the Hyuga branch family in the ANBU squad.

"No chakra sources other than those of known Uchiha members were found inside the target building," Hyuga Himon calmly reported, maintaining his Byakugan vision.

"As for the outer areas... the Fire City is densely populated, and there are too many sources of chakra interference. I can only focus on monitoring whether there are any unfamiliar or threatening chakra sources actively approaching Uchiha Enjin."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Continue to monitor and remain vigilant. Pay extra attention, especially when Uchiha Enjin is alone."
-
"Uchiha Enjin, it seems he has been completely exposed."

Black Zetsu's voice rang out. With his perception and stealth abilities, very few people could escape his detection in an environment without barriers.

In the original storyline, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto and Killer Bee were detected by Black Zetsu, who was fighting the Mizukage, shortly after they broke free of the barrier.

Such perception is truly unmatched in the ninja world.

Since the year before last, Obito has accumulated considerable experience in dealing with situations where his plans have repeatedly failed and the actual results have fallen far short of expectations.

Last year, in particular, the sudden loss of control over Kirigakure made him even more cautious in his actions.

Moreover, unlike Kirigakure, if Konoha launches a surprise attack now, he alone could really be wiped out.

After all, Shisui Uchiha's reputation as the strongest genjutsu is too widespread, and there are few situations where Kamui cannot handle it. This is one of the few areas where we need to be careful.

The location of the Fire Capital happens to be where Uchiha Shisui has long been stationed. Naturally, he wouldn't show himself rashly, but would first send Zetsu to scout out the situation before deciding on his next move.

"The Third Hokage has appeared, Obito, what are we going to do next?" White Zetsu's voice interrupted.

(End of this chapter)