Konoha Notes

Chapter 186 Chess Game
It's surprising that it was exposed so quickly; Uchiha Enjin is a piece of trash.

How much does Konoha actually know about the hidden story behind Uchiha Enjin's betrayal? Obito couldn't be sure, but the fact that the Third Hokage personally went out to deal with him, along with Uchiha Shisui, clearly indicates that this lineup wasn't just for dealing with a rogue ninja.

To forcefully deal with this situation, perhaps the only option is to have Payne take action.

After all, illusions have no effect on Pain.

However, the whereabouts of the nine tailed beasts have not yet been fully ascertained. It would be a loss to prematurely expose Pain's abilities for the sake of those few guys like Uchiha Enjin.

Therefore, the only thing to consider is how to extract the last bit of value from these pieces that are about to be discarded.

Should we select the best individuals and recruit them into Akatsuki? The organization still has quite a few gaps...
-
"Captain Xiu Si, what's this?" Moonlight Gale looked at his team leader as he returned to the camp carrying a large bag.

Shuji pulled out a can of protein powder and tossed it to Gekko Hayate.

"Specialty product, Gale, time to build muscle."

"Cough...cough cough." Jifeng coughed even more heavily, clutching what he was holding. "My condition is not caused by insufficient muscle mass."

“This thing is useless to me, Captain Shuji.”

"Then let's leave it to Xiyan."

Upon hearing this, Moonlight Gale silently hugged the jar in his hands tighter: "I... I'll keep it for myself, thank you, Captain."

It's good to check the ingredient list since it's certified by the Fourth Raikage. Even though Shuji has plenty of strength, it might come in handy.

Just before heading back to his room, Shuuji paused, took another can out of his bag, and tossed it to Gekko Hayate once more.

Seeing the deepening bitterness on his subordinate's face, Shuji added, "This jar is for Iruka."

Actually... I could give him the one I have here.

Moonlight Gale swallowed those words, worried that Xiu Si might have other profound ideas.

Back in his room, Kumogakure's enthusiasm made Shuji realize that the competitive Chunin Exams seemed to have an even higher commercial value for the ninja villages.

Even for Yunyin, whose economic situation is already relatively affluent, it can generate such great attraction.

So, what about those ninja villages with even more limited resources? And what about Konoha itself?
During the Chunin Exams, he was busy with other things and wasn't working at the Hokage Building, so he didn't get to see the relevant financial reports.

If the benefits are truly so substantial, then Konoha could certainly learn from, and even optimize, the Cloud Village's model.

As for potential drawbacks, such as the possibility that excessive commercialization might lead to a decline in the professionalism of the selection process, these can be completely resolved by adding an internal pre-selection assessment.

For example, the focus will be on teamwork and wilderness survival, and given that the commercial value of these aspects is not yet fully realized, they will be treated as an internal preliminary competition.

The written test can also be arranged by the village itself.

After all, the Chunin who are ultimately promoted are their own ninjas, so it is reasonable for the village to conduct a rigorous screening of their professional qualifications first.

Once you get back, you can suggest to Tsunade that you try to reform the Chunin Exams mechanism in September as well.

As for what the Hidden Cloud Village will think when they find out? The actual impact won't be significant.

Even if the joint Chunin Exams are held frequently, it still cannot meet the demand of ordinary people to watch ninja battles. Moreover, such inter-village joint exams may only happen a few times a year.

This might be a blue ocean with considerable potential...
-
Hiruzen Sarutobi was very patient. Even after seeing the daimyo request a change of guards under the hypnosis of genjutsu, the Third Hokage did not take immediate action. He simply sent a message back to the village to inform Tsunade.

Could this lead to further problems? For example, what if the Daimyo becomes dissatisfied after realizing something is amiss? The Uchiha ninjas weren't too ruthless in their work, and the Daimyo didn't clearly remember giving such an order.

If there are genuine concerns, then we can try to appease them. Can't be appeased? There's no situation where appeasement is impossible.

However, even after the Uchiha group received their orders and prepared to return to the village, Uchiha Enjin showed no signs of contacting any suspicious individuals.

"Could it be... just his own reckless solo plan?" This thought involuntarily surfaced in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.

Uchiha Enjin was unaware of Hiruzen Sarutobi's doubts; he simply felt that everything was progressing very smoothly.

The only strange thing is that the pitcher plant monster who called himself Zetsu never appeared again.

He has no way to contact anyone, neither to Jue nor to the masked man.

"I will find you when the time is right."

That's what "Ban" said at the time.

"Konoha's barrier can't stop me."

If the other party is indeed the legendary person, or is connected to that person, then it is only natural for them to possess this ability.

Now, the Fierce Fire team has successfully forged the Daimyo's will.

Once back in the village, he would request a private meeting with the clan chief, allowing "Ban" to use his absolute power to suppress the clan chief... At that time, Meng Huo and the others would naturally be able to accept "Ban's" return.

As for Shisui... faced with the fait accompli, he could only choose to accept it in the end.

Having meticulously planned everything, Yanren quietly returned to the location in his mission report after confirming that Menghuo and the others had embarked on their journey back to the village.

He then set off back to Konoha, bringing with him the information Zetsu had previously provided about the theft of the Sharingan.

As soon as he stepped into the village, Yanren was taken directly to the Hokage's office.

Have you found any relevant clues?

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Flame Blade bowed his head in response. "Based on the information I gathered from a wandering ninja, the previous attack on the team and the suspected theft of the Sharingan may be related to Orochimaru."

Tsunade was somewhat surprised: "Where's that wandering ninja?"

The casualties of that Uchiha squad were indeed related to Orochimaru, but whether the Sharingan was stolen... let's leave that aside for now. The fact that Uchiha Enjin knew that the incident was related to Orochimaru itself proves something else—he didn't plan all of this alone.

There really is someone else behind this guy.

However, that person never contacted him again after Yanren left the village for his second mission.

Besides Orochimaru and Danzo Shimura, the only other people who might know that Orochimaru had joined a mercenary ninja army are the people who hired Orochimaru.

That is, the people of Kirigakure...

Unaware of how much information he had revealed, Uchiha Enjin continued, "That wandering ninja... I accidentally killed him during the battle."

"Is that so... I understand. Go back to the Anbu and report for duty." Tsunade waved her hand.

Watching Uchiha Enjin turn and leave, Tsunade's gaze deepened. This guy really brought back quite a few "surprises."

Well, although the big fish we most wanted to catch didn't show up, the other gains were quite substantial.

Overall, he's a pretty nice person.

(End of this chapter)