Konoha Notes

Chapter 211 Distance
For Konoha, the host of the Chunin Exams, the joint Chunin Exams involving four villages present not only severe security pressures but also significant challenges in providing medical support.

Konoha Hospital was operating beyond its capacity during that period, not only treating its own village's ninjas but also taking care of participants from other villages.

Hagi Uzumaki, who works odd jobs at the Hokage Building, always feels her heart skip a beat whenever she hears news of a shortage of staff at the hospital.

Perhaps, I'll be used again.

She couldn't help but think that way.

This thought persisted until the end of the exam, and it seemed as if Konoha had forgotten about her. Only then did Hagi feel relieved.

But this year, she couldn't help but start to worry again. Not about herself, but about Karin, who was about to start school.

Two years ago, Tsunade gave her some books so that she could teach Karin some knowledge. Later, she would occasionally visit them to see how the mother and daughter were living in the village.

Overall, things are alright. Although there are still some unruly children who occasionally tease Karin about her red hair, life there is much more peaceful than in Kusagakure.

What should I prepare for going to school...?

"Ms. Hagi."

"Yes..." Hagi responded subconsciously, only to realize there was another person in front of her. "You... Mr. Shuji."

"Is there a problem?" Shuji asked casually when he encountered Uzumaki Hagi, who looked dazed, in the corridor.

"No, I'm so sorry." Hagi quickly bowed her head and apologized. After hesitating for a moment, she finally mustered up her courage and said, "Um, Mr. Shuji..."

"Lady Tsunade said that Karin can take the entrance exam for the Ninja Academy next month, but I don't know what the exam will test."

"Ninja Academy is different from ordinary schools, isn't it?"

“It’s different, so there’s no need to prepare anything. The Ninja Academy only tests physical fitness and chakra, and Karin has no problem with that,” Shuuji said.

At that moment, an ANBU member wearing a hood appeared and lowered his voice: "Jonin Shuji, the Hokage has ordered you to come immediately."

Nodding to Uzumaki Hagi, Shuji turned and left with the ANBU member.

After taking a few steps and getting out of Hagi's sight, Shuji raised his hand without warning and swiftly brought down his palm blade.

The member of the secret service reacted quickly, ducking his head, but was still hit in the head.

"Pretending." Shuuji withdrew his hand.

"Hehe." The ANBU member removed his mask, revealing Anko's grinning face. "We've been discovered?"

"whats the matter?"

"A message came from Sunagakure, inquiring about this year's plans."
-
The Country of Wind, Sand Hidden Village.

The Chunin Exams, which concluded not long ago and were organized solely by Sunagakure, extinguished the brief enthusiasm that had been fueled by the benefits of last year's joint exams within the village.

The small loss was negligible, considering that the biggest waste was in manpower, so it couldn't really be considered a cost, and Luo Sha didn't take it to heart.

What really bothered him was some of the discussions he had overheard in the village recently.

When will Konoha hold another exam this year?

"Yes, we haven't received any notification yet this year. We were thinking of asking someone to help us bring some things back."

"I wish I could go with the group. Prices in the Land of Fire are so much cheaper than in the village..."

In Sunagakure, everything is indeed expensive. Even though the prices of daily necessities have been kept as low as possible, they are still higher than in the Land of Fire, not to mention other items that are not subject to strict price controls.

Ninjas are not allowed to leave their villages at will, and most foreign mission quotas are injected into Sunagakure through financial contributions and are centrally allocated by the higher-ups. Currently, the longest-running mission that Sunagakure ninjas can obtain is to participate in the Joint Chunin Exams.

Especially after the Chunin Exams were reformed, participating teams were required to depart two months in advance.

This also means that Sunagakure ninjas can stay away from home for much longer, and candidates who go out to take exams can have a better life experience with less money.

This is perfectly reasonable, and bringing back some good quality and inexpensive foreign goods is not a problem. However, similar voices have become increasingly numerous and clear.

Luo Sha summoned Hai Bi Zang.

"Did you hear what people in the village are saying?"

The old man, wrapped in a heavy, windproof robe, had deep-set eyes: "I heard it. The Land of Fire is too prosperous."

A shadow crossed the Fourth Kazekage's eyes. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Advisor, do you believe Konoha did this intentionally?"

Previously, Luo Sha could have gotten the answer immediately.

Konoha did it on purpose, and then terminated cooperation with Konoha in the Chunin Exams, or demanded a reduction in frequency.

Given the high profits from these events, it's understandable that Konoha would increase the frequency of the Chunin Exams. Even after the disappointing results of organizing them themselves this year, he still hopes to continue doing so.

There are benefits for everyone.

But things aren't looking right now.

The ninjas who stayed in the village continued to live a hard life, while the genin who could go out to compete for several months each year experienced a completely different and more comfortable life.

This will bring new problems.

Ebizo couldn't answer the question; whether it was true or not, he couldn't find a solution.

Unless we turn against each other.

Rasa also understood that unless he turned against Sunagakure and obtained a fertile piece of land for the village, he had no truly useful measures to address the current situation.
-
Someone is spying on the organization.

Obito knew who it was. Uchiha Shisui's chakra had already been marked by Black Zetsu, who knew this when Shisui appeared as a member of the investigation team.

Hyuga Iboro's Byakugan isn't always active, but Black Zetsu's senses, which allow him to burrow underground at any time, never cease.

"Shall we make a move, Obito?"

"Jiraiya and Shisui are not easy opponents to deal with." Even when he cooperates with Nagato, it's still the same.

Not to mention, his cooperation with Nagato was not exactly seamless.

The result of their cooperation is probably not one plus one equals two, but one plus one is less than two, or even worse.

After discovering that Konoha had dispatched such a team, Akatsuki began to shrink its operational scope. Even when it was still carrying out a mission, all routes were arranged in advance by Zetsu.

The meeting point has also been changed.

Before the secret of Amegakure was exposed, having that identity allowed them to do many things.

However, we cannot allow Jiraiya to continue this investigation.

The existence of Akatsuki is not a secret, whether it is the current Akatsuki or the Akatsuki of the past.

Moreover, Konoha even sent Shisui, so their target was clearly more than just one mercenary organization.

The target should be Uchiha Madara.

"Is this information extracted from Uchiha Enjin's mind...?" Obito pondered.

Konoha indeed discovered the connection between Akatsuki and him.

How to deal with this specifically is another problem. Given the current situation in the ninja world, Obito can't find a suitable entry point for the time being.

Orochimaru……

Having once been one of the most prominent figures in Konoha, knowing most of the village's secrets, what are his thoughts on the current situation...?

(End of this chapter)