Konoha Notes

Chapter 222 Gifts
"Seeking great power is not the way to get out of our current predicament."

Earth Nine relayed Orochimaru's message.

Danzo remained expressionless. He understood this principle perfectly well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have placed his hopes on the dragon vein.

So, what could Orochimaru possibly do by contacting him first? And what does he want?
“Orochimaru wants manpower and freedom of movement in the Land of the Rising Sun. Although the application to establish the Hidden Sound Village has been approved, his going there would be useless in the current situation,” Chiku replied.

As expected, the move he made before being placed under house arrest ultimately came in handy.

As long as Orochimaru is unwilling to give up the name of a recognized ninja village, he still has the leverage to control this snake.

"Furthermore, Lord Orochimaru claims that he has taken control of the remaining forces of the Land of the Sky. He states that this force is at your disposal."

Those ninjas with flying abilities? Although they're useless once they land, they can still be of some use.

In this way, you'll have almost collected all the pieces you need.

All that's missing is news from Yakushi Nonou.
-
In mid-September of the 57th year of Konoha, Nara Shikaku concluded his long exchange mission in Kumogakure and returned to the village with his participating team, weary from their journey.

"This kind of mission is really tough." As soon as they arrived at the Hokage Building, Shikaku couldn't help but complain when he saw Shuji leaning against the window in the corridor. "Shuji, next time we have a mission to Kumogakure, I'll still give it to you."

“Mr. Shikaku, in a few years, you can hand it over to Shikamaru. Just be patient a little longer.”

“That kid has a long way to go.” Shikaku sighed and rubbed his forehead. “You’ve made quite a deep impression on the people of Kumogakure… By the way, the Raikage asked me to pass this on to you.”

He gave a sly smile: "He asked if you've built up your muscles yet?"

Shuji silently accepted the jar. The jar was made of cold, dark metal with a prominent "A" printed on it, and a small "pro" next to it.

The version has been upgraded?
He weighed the jar in his hand, said nothing, and, carrying the jar, walked into the Hokage's office with Nara Shikaku.

Regarding the final steps of this exchange activity, this strategist from Konoha still needs to give a final report.

"...The above is a detailed breakdown of the benefits from this practical exchange activity with Yunyin. Yunyin will send a special person to deliver our share after the calculation is completed."

Nara Shikaku opened a scroll: "In addition, the Cloud Village has put forward a formal proposal regarding future practical exchange activities."

"They want to rename the event to facilitate promotion and to further standardize the competition content."

He paused, then continued, "The Cloud Hidden faction believes that, in the current closed arena environment, the most visually appealing and entertaining matches are physical combat and the clashes between the five elemental escape techniques: wind, fire, lightning, earth, and water."

"Therefore, they formally proposed that future competitions should mainly revolve around these two categories, restricting the use of other secret techniques, bloodline limits, and unconventional ninjutsu, in order to enhance the excitement of the competitions and attract more viewers."

Shuji's gaze swept over the upgraded protein powder in his hand.

Which village has the most secret techniques? The answer is Konoha. According to this restriction, among the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Nara's Shadow Imitation Technique and Yamanaka's Mind Transfer Technique would probably be limited, while Akimichi's Multi-Size Technique could perhaps be barely classified as a taijutsu.
Then there are the Aburame clan's insect techniques and the Uchiha clan's Sharingan genjutsu; these are probably all within the scope of restrictions.

However, this isn't entirely without merit. Excluding all unconventional methods simplifies the complexity of the game to some extent and reduces its unpredictability. The competition will then focus more on basic physical strength, chakra manipulation, and the depth of mastery of the five major elemental techniques.

Even if Kumogakure might gain a relative advantage on the field through this, it is not unacceptable for Konoha.

After all, it doesn't prevent Hinata from going up to fight. Inuzuka bringing the dog... well, that's still up for discussion. It's unclear whether the dog can still be brought up for the Fang-Piercing later, or if Inuzuka will have to use the Fang-Piercing alone.

Overall, the situation is still under control.

Tsunade rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, and nodded: "Okay, I agree to their proposal in principle. As for the specific details, I'll have to trouble you to follow up and negotiate with them again, Shikaku."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Nara Shikaku accepted the order, bowed, and left the office. Shuji, carrying the gift he had received, also prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute." Tsunade called out to him, tilting her chin slightly and pointing at the metal can in his hand, her face a mixture of curiosity and disdain. "Really drinking it?"

"Want to drink?" Shuuji's tone was a little uncertain. "So much time has passed, and the Raikage is still thinking about it."

"Moreover, the data from my last full-body checkup showed that there is indeed room for improvement in my physical functions."

"I'm planning to consult Mr. Kai about increasing the intensity of my physical training."

Princess Thousand Hands' expression became even more complicated: "You can't even learn the Eight Gates Formation..."

"But it's good to find Kai. Even if his method is not suitable for you, it can still have some effect. After all, there is no better taijutsu ninja in Konoha than him."

Xiu Si nodded: "There are still several cans of protein powder that I brought back from Yunyin. They'll make a perfect gift..."

"...You," Tsunade sighed, "those things, you've probably kept them for a year now."

"The shelf life is two years."

Given Kai's training intensity and high metabolic needs, those protein powders will most likely be consumed before their expiration date.

"Every time you go on a business trip, you buy local specialties and then pile them up. What are you thinking?" The Fifth Hokage thought of his bottle of perfume, which had been sitting for two years and was now in its third year as a return gift.

“We’ve arrived at our destination, so we should bring something with us…” he replied. “Besides, it’s not like we’re leaving it on purpose.”

"After buying the perfume, considering that you were a bit of a ninja even though you were wandering around before, it wouldn't be good if the scent was too strong, so I kept it."

Upon hearing the words "wandering" and "how many," Tsunade's eye twitched.

“Protein powder…is not suitable for many people.” The subordinates who could be “persecuted” had already been persecuted by then. “Mr. Kai was on a mission at the time, and when he came back, I was doing experiments.”

"He's probably never eaten anything like this before," Tsunade said weakly.

There's not much difference. If all else fails, just find Kai's destined, passionate disciple for him ahead of time.

Anyway, Lee is currently at the Ninja Academy.

Speaking of which, is Xiao Li really not Kai's biological son? ...I'll check the files when I have time...

With this thought in mind, Shuji went home to get his things and found Kai.

As it turned out, aside from not immediately recognizing who Xiu Si was, Kai showed great enthusiasm for the gift he received, and even burst into tears on the spot.

"Shuji... This, this is the echo of youth! It's proof of the bonds forged in passion!"

Kai clenched his fists tightly, tears welling in his eyes that reflected a dazzling light in the setting sun.

"I truly received this powerful sentiment!"

“Oooooohh ...

"Shuji! Now, at this very moment! Let us repay this great gift with our burning youth! The 500-lap running training around Konoha, let's begin now!!"

(End of this chapter)