Konoha Notes

Chapter 202 August
The research on emptiness continued until August, when teams from various ninja villages arrived in Konoha once again.

The written test portion of the joint exam has been officially cancelled and is no longer included in the joint exam schedule. Instead, it is used as part of the selection process within each ninja village.

Out of caution, Konoha maintained the assessment in the Forest of Death, to at least gauge the strength of the personnel sent by other ninja villages.

To avoid affecting the entertainment value of the subsequent main competition and the players' performance, the Death Forest assessment was arranged ahead of schedule. Red Bean was also temporarily reassigned as one of the examiners for this stage.

As for Tianzang, since it was already decided that he would participate in the competition, he was temporarily removed from the Dark Division sequence.

It is now known as "Yamato".

Inside the Hokage's office, Shizune was holding a thick document, giving her final presentation. Ton-Ton sat quietly at her feet.

"Sunagakure sent 33 participants, Kirigakure 9, Kumogakure 30... Kusagakure 18, Amegakure 15..."

Tsunade sat behind her desk, while Hiruzen Sarutobi sat on the sofa beside her, his pipe long since extinguished, though he habitually held it in his hand. Advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were also present, their expressions focused.

"There are a total of 10,000 seats in the audience." Shizune turned a page. "Except for the reserved area for the Daimyo and his entourage, all other tickets are sold out."

She gave a rather impressive figure regarding the estimated total revenue from ticket sales.

Tsunade's lips curved slightly upwards, and Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a soft "hmm," a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. Even the two advisors seemed to relax their tense expressions somewhat.

Money in the ninja world seems to come easily; Asuma is worth 35 million, and Jiraiya is worth 30 million.

A shuji... oh, he was removed from the black market bounty list, a victimized bounty hunter expressing strong indignation at the exchange's irresponsibility.

He didn't provide the information that Shuuji was a Wood Release ninja for free—after all, it was worth quite a bit of money.

He simply used some method to make the management of the gold exchange understand that the original reward of ten million taels was absolutely a joke.

Kakuzu has been cooperating with the gold exchange for many years, so he still has basic professional ethics.

Until a new bounty with a higher value and better suited to the target's capabilities is offered, the black market has chosen to remove the old, unreliable bounty.

Getting back to the main point, ninja heads are indeed valuable, but killing a high-bounty ninja is not an easy task, nor is it a reliable one.

The ninja villages, which directly represent the pinnacle of violence in this world, will not easily resort to force against ordinary merchants—until the existing order completely collapses.

They have more sustainable ways of generating income. Whether it's through regular funds allocated by the daimyo government or the quota requirements for tasks assigned to nobles and wealthy merchants, a relatively stable process has been established.

This is more effective than direct robbery in maintaining order in production activities and in protecting long-term interests.

While robbing someone with a knife may feel exhilarating, the other party is not a lamb to be slaughtered and will inevitably take corresponding countermeasures.

Furthermore, to become a wealthy merchant in the ninja world, who doesn't have the backing of a ninja clan or similar power?

Taking Konoha as an example, the Nara clan has been engaged in deer breeding and medicinal herb business for generations. They are not only one of the founding families of the village, but also have influence in many affairs of the Land of Fire. Their ability to accept and undertake tasks assigned by the village is one of the cornerstones for maintaining the operation of the ninja village.

But if the ninja village takes the lead in breaking the rules... and tens of thousands of ninjas completely lose control, it will be a chaotic world even darker than the Warring States period.

This is not good for anyone.

Therefore, an event that can make ordinary people willingly spend money and open up new sources of income outside of traditional channels is something they can't help but take seriously. "All the participating teams from each ninja village have arrived and are currently resting at their designated accommodations next to the arena outside their villages, awaiting the official start of the exam. Shuuji has led a team to handle the reception and coordination work." Shizune closed the document and summarized.

“Yes,” Tsunade nodded, “The reception must be in place, but the patrol and security forces in and around the competition area cannot be relaxed in the slightest.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up: "From today onwards, I will be responsible for the security of the surrounding area along with the Anbu."
-
The area surrounding the newly built, massive stadium outside the village was already bustling with activity. The makeshift market was teeming with people, and the tents of merchants, tourists, and nobles from all over the country dotted the landscape.

Shuji, accompanied by several Chunin temporarily assigned to him, shuttled between the temporary bases of various ninja villages, carrying out routine coordination and confirmation work.

He first checked on the Amegakure team, making sure there were no people with black sticks stuck in their faces, before heading to greet the teams from other villages.

Among the participants from Kusagakure this time, neither Muku nor Ryuzetsu were present. Considering the losses Kusagakure suffered in the Paradise Box incident, they wouldn't suppress their ninja levels.

The Takigakure team seemed unremarkable, and no one stood out.

The Jonin leading the Kirigakure team was Zabuza, while the one leading the Sunagakure team was Maki.

Finally, he stopped in front of the Cloud Village's encampment.

"Miss Samui."

"Mr. Shuji."

The female ninja from Kumogakure remained calm and unchanging, offering her usual greeting.

But when he saw her, Shuji hesitated for a moment because the aura emanating from her was a bit strange.

"I'm very sorry?" he said tentatively.

Samui replied, "Mr. Shuji should indeed apologize. When discussing topics like myths and legends, he used the titles of novels currently popular in your country to give a perfunctory response."

She paused, then emphasized, "This is not a reciprocal form of etiquette."

"After I got back, I specifically asked Mr. Tsuchida to bring me a copy of 'Icha Icha Paradise.' He thought it wasn't suitable for me to read. So, it really does contain some obscene content, right?"

The female ninja from Kumogakure looked at Shuji and added, "Furthermore, as far as I know, Mr. Shuji is not yet eighteen years old, and logically he is not among the group suitable for reading that kind of books."

Shuji said, "I haven't read that book."

Samui lowered his gaze: "Judging from the fact that he mentioned it subconsciously, such a statement is not credible, Mr. Shuji."

"I only blurted it out because I knew the author and his great fame," Shuji replied calmly. "After all, I was in a relaxed state at the time, just chatting casually, and I didn't consider many issues related to etiquette. It was my oversight."

Samui remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the veracity of his words.

Finally, she nodded slightly: "I will take these words as an acceptable explanation for now. I accept Mr. Shuji's apology."

Setting aside the part about "Icha Icha Paradise," the Jonin leading the team from Kumogakure steered the conversation back to the main topic: "So, regarding this Chunin Exams, has Konoha finalized the specific arrangements and procedures for the competition, as well as the group draw time for each team?"

(End of this chapter)