Konoha Notes

Chapter 189 Slacking off
The several large boxes of documents that Tsunade had brought over were somewhat useful, but not many.

Aside from some changes made to the wilderness survival elimination rounds during last year's Chunin Exams, Konoha's Chunin Exam mechanism has remained largely unchanged for many years.

She's just making trouble for herself.

Shuji sat in his study, several scrolls and reports spread out in front of him. He picked up the top one, which was the financial report for the past three years.

It clearly lists the income and expenditure items related to the Chunin Exams.

Ticket revenue is negligible; the main economic boost comes from spending by daimyo and wealthy merchants in the village during the games.

As for the benefits of negotiating mission quotas, it's not true that every Joint Chunin Exam results in an increase in mission quotas. In most cases, the existing quota is maintained.

For a long time, Konoha, the host of the Chunin Exams, has generally seen negative direct economic benefits from the exams. After all, the post-war restoration of the Forest of Death, the establishment of barriers for outsiders to enter and exit, and the arrangement of patrols and security... all of these are considerable expenses.

Looking at it this way, Kumogakure (the Hidden Cloud Village) is truly clever. By eliminating the wilderness survival test, they've removed a major expense from the Chunin Exams.

Building a dedicated venue might seem like a one-time expense. However, even if they stop organizing the Chunin Exams and instead hold ninja tournaments, they won't actually waste the venue.

"Shuji, Itachi is here."

Grandma Taohua spoke from outside the study.

Xiuji put the report in his hand aside, stood up, and walked out of the study.

Itachi stood in the corridor, dressed in a dark blue casual outfit, carrying a box of exquisitely packaged sweets in his hand.

"Excuse me, senior."

The two sat down on the edge of the corridor. The afternoon sun slanted down, spreading warmth across the wooden floor.

After bringing hot tea, Granny Taohua quietly left, leaving behind the soft sound of the wind rustling through the leaves in the courtyard.

"Some things happened to the Uchiha clan while you were away, senpai," Itachi said, his voice slightly lower than usual.

"I see."

Itachi lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on the light green liquid swirling in the glass: "The day before yesterday, during the clan meeting, the clan members expressed their dissatisfaction with Father handing over twelve clan members, including Meng Huo, to the Anbu.

Even if we know they committed the wrong first, even if we are nominally in charge of their supervision.

“Even those clansmen who actually benefited from the reforms showed similar sentiments at this time.”

Itachi raised his head and looked at Shuuji, his black eyes filled with confusion.

"Senior, even if we successfully imprison Yanren and Menghuo this time, will the subsequent reforms proceed as smoothly as we imagined?"

"The mind of the clan had been steadily beginning to be liberated, but it regressed because of an incident."

This is what he's worried about. Itachi understands the inevitability of friction and conflict.

But if every outbreak of internal conflict leads to a more conservative and closed-off atmosphere within the clan, how can the deep-rooted problems between the clan and the village be completely resolved?

His brows furrowed unconsciously, forming a small "川" (river) character.

Shuji reached out and poked his forehead with his finger.

Itachi paused for a moment, and Shuji smoothed out the wrinkles between his brows with his fingers.

"Don't even think about slacking off, Itachi." Shuji withdrew his hand.

"The current situation is normal. People's mindset doesn't change overnight."

"Even the Senju clan, which disbanded long ago, will have members who want to rally together to fight for their interests if they feel that their interests may be harmed. How much more so the Uchiha clan, which has always maintained its clan's livelihood."

Shuji's gaze fell upon the courtyard, watching the light and shadow dance among the branches and leaves.

"However, these things will change over time."

"For example, as someone in the Anbu, your future prospects are entirely in the hands of the Hokage." "Those who enter the Administrative Affairs Department will have their evaluations and promotions determined by the opinions of the two advisors..."

“Under these circumstances, as long as the clan leader does not deliberately use force to maintain the closed structure of the past, then the so-called ‘clan’ mentality will naturally fade away for the sake of personal future and a better life.”

"Ninjas are human too, and so are the Uchiha clan."

"As human beings, we all yearn for a better life, broader opportunities for development, and a more promising future."

"The fewer people who can survive by relying on the Uchiha clan, the fewer people will be limited to the mindset of one clan."

“As for the problems that arise in this process,” Shuuji turned to look at Itachi, “they are destined to be unavoidable.”

"We must face it."

"This will be a problem you'll have to deal with for a long time, so don't expect to solve it once and for all, Itachi."

"All solutions that seem to solve problems quickly often hide unbearable costs behind them."

Shuji picked up a piece of sweet that Itachi had brought; it was filled with red bean paste, but not very sweet.

After finishing his snack, Shuji patted the crumbs off his hands.

"Is there anything else going on today?"

"No, today is a holiday."

"Well, perfect timing, I don't have any vacation time." Why not take advantage of a able-bodied man who's come knocking on our door?

Shuji opened the study door, and Itachi glanced inside, seeing several open boxes and scattered document scrolls.

"These are probably some confidential documents, right?"

"It's okay, you can watch it."

"...Senior, are you slacking off?"

"No, it's about sharing, just like you're sharing your troubles."

Unlike some overworked office workers, Itachi didn't resist his work; he wasn't averse to it. After confirming there was no risk of leaking information, he followed Shuji into the study.
-
Danzo considered many solutions, but he rejected them himself.

He cannot shake off the four guards from the secret service unless he uses force directly.

But that would mean rebellion. Even during the Third Hokage's era, when Root was at its most unbridled, they dared not directly disobey the Hokage's orders.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi came knocking on his door again.

“Uchiha Madara… he really is an Uchiha.” Danzo said. “Hiruzen, since it was Uchiha Madara’s doing, those Uchiha are also untrustworthy.”

The Third Hokage replied, "The Uchiha clan members in the village are trustworthy; there is no doubt about that. Fugaku has personally taken action and handed the clan members involved over to the Anbu for processing."

"Is there any information about that 'Ban' and that strange person named 'Ze'?"

Danzo remained silent for a moment, then narrowed his one eye slightly. "There's no clue about the masked one."

There is a record of the strange person who was associated with pitcher plants.

"Just like last time, Kirigakure hired wandering ninjas to attack the border of the Land of Fire. He was the one who contacted those desperados."

"Hidden Mist, huh..."

"Kigakure..." Hiruzen Sarutobi repeated softly. This direction coincided with Tsunade's previous speculation.

However, just last year, Kirigakure and Konoha signed a peace treaty, and relations between the two sides appeared to have eased on the surface...

Just as he was pondering, Danzo suddenly spoke again, his voice devoid of any discernible emotion:
"Hiruzen, I agree to your suggestion from last time."

(End of this chapter)