Konoha Notes

Chapter 197 Undercurrent
"Mr. Shuji, you look much more tired than you did a few days ago."

Shuji did not deny it: "Reaching an agreement with Sunagakure is not an easy thing, Miss Samui."

Then, continuing the conversation about the food in front of them, they said, "Speaking of which, if we have to pick a special place in Konoha worth trying, Ichiraku Ramen is definitely one. Many villagers like to come here."

After reaching a preliminary understanding with Maki that they would "discuss further with a concrete plan next time," Shuji had fewer things to deal with.

Today, he accompanied Samui on another outing. After visiting most of the tourist attractions in Konoha that were open to ninja from other villages, he asked Samui if she was interested in trying some food at famous shops in Konoha.

Samui did not refuse, so the two went to Ichiraku Ramen.

This is a genuine Konoha specialty. Konoha was destroyed by Pain's Almighty Push, but Ichiraku Ramen is still standing.

It is also the food that the future savior loves most.

"The flavor is unique, and the broth is very rich," Samui commented, pondering the information Shuji had conveyed to him.

Konoha and Sunagakure reached an agreement...

It is implying that even without deep cooperation with Kumogakure, Konoha is not without other alternatives and still has other formidable opponents to choose from.

Sunagakure is also a major ninja village, and compared to Kumogakure, it is easier for Konoha to influence, coordinate, or even control it to a certain extent.

From a purely commercial performance and entertainment perspective, the puppet shows of Sunagakure, renowned throughout the ninja world, with their ingenious structure and unique manipulation techniques, are certainly a compelling attraction and could easily be incorporated into some form of performance or demonstration.

Of course, considering the overall cost, advanced puppets are expensive to build, and the cost of repairing or rebuilding them if they are damaged in intense combat is staggering.

It's far less profitable than ninjas fighting each other.

However, these are also the parts that can be covered by the event's revenue.

Samui quickly weighed in her mind what changes and competition might arise in the bilateral cooperation that Kumogakure and Konoha were planning if Sunagakure adopted a more proactive stance or even made some concessions in exchange for deeper involvement.

As she was carefully considering her words, preparing to give a response that was neither too eager nor too impatient, two more customers walked in.

They are ninjas from Konoha, one male and one female.

"Boss, ramen... Hmm? Shuji?" Sarutobi Asuma looked at Shuji and the female ninja next to him.

“Asuma-senpai.” Shuuji nodded to him as a greeting, “It seems you’ve returned from your shift at the border.”

Then, he turned his gaze to the black-haired, red-eyed female ninja, nodded in greeting, and said, "Senior Red."

Asma coughed lightly and suddenly didn't feel like sitting down anymore.

Kurenai knew about Shuji, since among her friends, Might Guy had once formed a temporary team with Shuji and carried out missions together. Asuma's departure and subsequent return were also related to Shuji.

"Hello, Shuji." Kurenai Yuhi responded with a smile, then her gaze naturally fell on Samui beside Shuji. "And this is?"

"An envoy from Kumogakure, a Jonin named Samui," Shuji introduced. "The village has assigned me to receive him."

Kurenai Yuhi had already calmly taken her seat and asked questions, so Asuma had no choice but to suppress his unease and sit down as well.

The two greeted Samui, and the female ninja from Kumogakure politely replied, swallowing back the response she had been about to give to Shuji's earlier words.

"The ramen at this shop is really delicious," Kurenai said to Samui with a smile.

“Yes, indeed,” Samui briefly agreed.

Seeing that Shuuji seemed to have no objection to their presence, Asuma continued the previous topic, explaining, "Well, the routine duty shift at the border just ended, so I'm going back to the village to rest." He omitted the real reason behind it—in order to deal with the possible complex situations that might arise during the upcoming Chunin Exams, the village intentionally transferred some of the most capable Jonin back to the village temporarily to strengthen the defense of the core area.

Given the presence of envoys from other villages, he naturally wouldn't reveal much about the specific details concerning the village's internal defense adjustments.

The atmosphere at the small ramen shop counter became somewhat subtle. Shuji, however, seemed oblivious, contentedly eating the remaining noodles in his bowl, casually chatting with Asuma and Kurenai about everyday village matters.

Occasionally, he would steer the conversation toward the local customs and culture of Kumogakure, asking Samui some trivial questions, such as Kumogakure's dietary preferences or common weather conditions.

Although the two Konoha ninjas didn't quite understand why Shuji, who was carrying out important official duties, would shift the main conversation to them instead of the Cloud Village envoy, they tried their best to keep the atmosphere from getting awkward.

Samui could only occasionally agree, trying her best not to think too deeply about the topic of "Konoha and Sunagakure reaching an agreement" that Shuji had mentioned earlier.

She quickly finished her bowl of noodles, and after Xiu Si also put down his chopsticks, she suggested that it was getting late and she hoped to return to the inn to rest.

Xiu Si immediately stood up and offered to escort her back.

Watching the two figures disappear behind the curtain, Kurenai Yuhi turned her head and looked at Asuma with a playful smile: "You seemed a little afraid of Shuji just now?"

“That’s not true.” Asuma retorted repeatedly, looking somewhat embarrassed. Then he sighed and lowered his voice, saying, “The last time I saw him, I made a huge fool of myself as a senior.”

"I've caused trouble for his mission."

That's why I felt a little awkward.

Hong chuckled softly: "You even instinctively want to turn around and run away as soon as you see someone?"

"Ahem..." Asuma coughed tactically. "Speaking of which, that guy is really busy."

"It seems that he is still in charge of the affairs of Sunagakure and Kirigakure, and also has to deal with the affairs of Kumogakure in private."

Hong nodded, her smile fading. "Just now, she was probably putting pressure on the people from Yunyin, which is why she seemed to be neglecting that guest, while talking non-stop to us."

Asuma paused for a moment: "Is that so...? This guy is still the same, very thoughtful."

Kurenai said, "Asuma, as a senior, you can't say things like that. But Kakashi too, he hasn't shown up for a long time since he was assigned a new mission."
-
After Danzo handed over a list of spies and an intelligence warehouse, Kakashi stayed at the Root base.

That was a list of intelligence agents that the Root organization had been stationing in other countries for many years.

That list was supposedly a list of Root's intelligence agents stationed in the other four major countries and related smaller nations over the years. The warehouse, on the other hand, stored information gathered by Root through various channels—information that was partly true, partly false, and mostly based on hearsay about the ninja world. It wouldn't be accurate to say it was important; yet, it did contain some potentially useful information.

As for whether it contains everything hidden in the Root, Kakashi once again used the Heavenly Treasure Positioning Method. As long as there is no part about the Wood Release experiment or Orochimaru, it means that the things in this warehouse are still scraps.

The verification results were exactly as he had expected.

Danzo Shimura did retain something truly important. Therefore, by extension, the completeness and authenticity of the spy list he handed over also require serious questioning.

After confirming these facts, Kakashi requested to meet with Tsunade to report.

When he entered the Hokage's office and saw that Shuji was also there, he was not surprised, nor did he try to hide anything. He directly and truthfully reported the current progress and assessment.

"Based on the current investigation results, it can be confirmed that Danzo Shimura still retains a considerable portion of Root's core intelligence network and classified files."

“There is an even deeper part at the root.”

　Chapter Two will be a little later, maybe half an hour later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)