Konoha Notes

Chapter 204 New Directions
Kakuzu's gaze swept over the two newcomers.

One was a white-haired, red-eyed man brought back by Xiao Nan, with a gloomy expression. The other was a burly man brought by Jue, wearing a fake, kind smile.

One is a Konoha ninja who defected years ago, and the other... whose name can't even be found in the black market.

He quickly flipped through the list of wanted bounties in his mind, and combining the two faces, he concluded that their value was limited.

If we reorganize the squad as usual, assigning that guy named Hiruko to me wouldn't be bad.

Kakuzu pondered. This guy still had some numbers on the bounty list, but his strength was only average; he could easily slip through during missions.

"Orochimaru."

Payne's voice echoed in the empty cave, interrupting Kakuzu's thoughts.

"You are paired with Kakuzu."

Kakuzu's heart, which had just become slightly active due to his scheming, sank instantly.

Orochimaru is difficult to kill accidentally; although he's valuable, he's hard to sell for money. Teaming up with someone like him means the option of accidentally killing someone is basically useless, and one less source of income is lost.

“Since we’re allowing newcomers to join,” Kakuzu said somberly, trying to make a final effort, “why not promote the substitute, Tobi, to a permanent position?”

He remembered how that noisy newcomer had lent him a hand before. He didn't like owing favors, so he took this opportunity to repay them.

“He’s not ready yet,” Payne rejected. “Hiruko. The reason you’re recommended is your thirst for power and the techniques you’ve developed. The organization will give you support once, and only once.”

Hiruko's red eyes coldly glanced at Orochimaru standing to the side. He had been hiding well, focusing on perfecting his Oni-Garaku Jutsu, when suddenly he was confronted with a demand to join the Akatsuki. There was no room for refusal.

Shennong's gaze also carried a subtle scrutiny and dissatisfaction.

Orochimaru paid no attention to the two gazes. His entire focus was on Pain—or more precisely, on Pain's eyes.

Samsara Eye.

And that face...

What an amazing coincidence, Jiraiya... The child you took in in the Land of Rain has become the owner of these legendary eyes.

Upon first meeting Pain, Orochimaru, captivated by the legendary eyes, immediately launched an attack, only to suffer another crushing defeat at the hands of Pain's eye techniques.

"This is the last time, Orochimaru."

Payne declared this in a cold voice.

The world is about to start moving again.

Having personally experienced the power of those eyes, Orochimaru was absolutely certain of it.

“Hiruko, you are paired with Pipa Juzo.”

"Shennong, you are paired with Jue."

Payne issued the final grouping order.

"Act independently before receiving the assembly order."
-
It was a slight mishap, according to Shuji after trying the butter fondue.

While the milky aroma is strong, the base flavor still feels somewhat thin even with added salt. Besides enhancing the original flavor of the high-quality beef, a richer taste experience still largely depends on the dipping sauce.

"Delicious! Shuji, this butter fondue is really good!"

Unlike his meticulous appreciation, Mitarashi Anko ate with a satisfied expression, fine beads of sweat appearing on her nose. Sitting next to her, Uchiha Itachi, while still maintaining his refined eating manners, seemed to be accepting of the novel flavor quite well, judging from the frequency of his chopsticks.

The elimination rounds in the Forest of Death have concluded smoothly without any major mishaps. Shuji was allowed to return to the village to rest for the night, and the three members of Team 5 reunited at Anko's ninja apartment.

Xiu Si didn't say anything, but silently got up, went to the kitchen, and prepared two extra dipping sauces for himself. One was mainly sour and spicy, while the other was more savory and salty.

“Speaking of which,” Hongdou swallowed the sweet beef in her mouth, took a sip of cold tea, and suddenly spoke up, “Shuji, I would like to apply to join the Dark Division.”

This remark caused a subtle pause in the atmosphere at the dinner table.

Shuji placed the bowl of prepared dipping sauce in front of him, sat back down, and looked at Anko: "Why?"

"It's just... I suddenly feel a bit lost. Simply cultivating doesn't seem to be able to break through my current bottleneck." She poked at the food in her bowl with her chopsticks, her voice lowering, "It's too comfortable."

If the three members of the team continue to stay together like this, there's nothing wrong with it.

However, Itachi joined the Anbu to fulfill his duties, and Shuji also had things to do. It seemed that there was no end in sight to either the village's or his personal training.

She continued to stay in the team, occasionally carrying out missions, and eventually became a Jonin, or rather, a Special Jonin, which wouldn't have been a problem.

What I was reluctant to part with was a new home. But now, even though we're not in the same team, the three of us... will still get together like this.

“Perhaps… we can find something different in the missions and environment of the Dark Side,” Hongdou said, without looking into their eyes.

Shuji placed several beautifully textured slices of beef into the bubbling butter at the bottom of the pot, watching as the edges of the slices quickly changed color and curled slightly.

He will have less and less time to go on missions in the future, and at least until he completes the Tailed Beast Chakra experiment, he will have to focus most of his energy on this.

Occasional trips are also assigned tasks by the village.

If Anko prefers a relaxed environment, staying in Team 5 wouldn't be bad. As for her desire to kill Orochimaru, it seems to have faded away in this kind of life.

Even if it's not downplayed, this is still a goal with no end in sight.

However, since she still has aspirations for her ninja career, joining the Anbu is indeed an option.

"I understand." Xiu Si picked up some beef and put it in his bowl. "I will submit the application for you."

"As for your cultivation direction, I will find a way."

Without relying on the cursed seal left by Orochimaru, Anko must continue on her journey...

Since Hongdou was able to adapt to the curse seal, it indicates that she also has some degree of adaptability to natural energy. In other words, she may possess a certain talent in the cultivation of immortal arts.

But her chakra reserves... may not be enough to support independent training.

Did he rely on the live slug to transfer chakra to her and guide her into the path?

There seems to be a problem here. Orochimaru's cursed seal was created by extracting Jugo's bodily fluids, while Jugo's innate Sage Body is more similar to the template of Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode. Its power lies more in the enhancement and modification of the physical body.

Unlike Mount Myōboku, and unlike my own approach which purely focuses on numerical values...

If he helps Anko train here, will the final result be similar to the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave...?

Furthermore, what different effects will Orochimaru's cursed seal have on his training?

It seems... there's another topic that needs to be studied.

He looked at the beef coated in golden fat in the bowl and silently dipped it in the hot and sour sauce.

(End of this chapter)