Konoha Notes

Chapter 225 Question
"She is the envoy of Kumogakure, a Jonin, Miss Samui."

“Samui Jonin…” Iruka repeated subconsciously.

Samui's gaze lingered on Iruka's face for a moment. She still vaguely remembered the Konoha genin who stood somewhat lost next to Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki during last year's Chunin Exams team tournament.

After all, the other two members of the team were highly skilled, and the one standing there dumbfounded was quite conspicuous.

"Iruka Umino, you've also been promoted to Chunin from last year's Chunin Exams."

"Did Iruka-sensei also participate in the Chunin Exams?" Naruto immediately turned to look at Iruka, his eyes wide open.

“Yes, yes. Samui, a Jonin.” Iruka responded to Samui first, then lowered his voice and said to Naruto, “Promotion to Chunin requires an exam... Naruto, don’t interrupt! It’s very rude.”

Naruto shrank back: "Okay, I know..."

"This isn't a formal occasion, don't worry about it, Iruka," Shuji waved his hand.

It's strange that these words came from a seventeen-year-old and were said to a teenager.

But coming from him, it sounded surprisingly natural.

Upon hearing this, the boy made a face at Iruka, then looked at Shuuji: "Is your brother's name Shuuji? Why does Iruka-sensei call you Captain? Aren't you Sasuke's brother's captain?"

"Because I was the one who took him to the Chunin Exams last year."

"So, is Sasuke's brother also one?"

"No, I was a Jonin in his squad."

"Shikamaru said that Shuuji is a big shot, even bigger than the Hokage?"

"No, Nara Shikamaru's father, Shikaku-san, is a much bigger figure than me. I'm just an ordinary ninja who happens to be in charge of some missions."

Naruto had a lot of questions, and Iruka was on pins and needles. The more questions Naruto asked, the more uncomfortable Iruka felt, but he didn't dare to leave without permission.

Only after Samui finished eating his noodles did Shuji get up, settle Iruka and Naruto's bills, nod, and leave. Iruka finally let out a long sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping.

"That Shuuji-nii is a good person!" Naruto said with certainty, looking in the direction Shuuji had left. Then he looked at Iruka with confusion, "Why does Iruka-sensei seem so scared? He even treated us to ramen!"

Iruka slumped weakly onto the table: "Naruto, you wouldn't understand..."

I haven't been able to properly teach a single class for the team leader yet. There were two accidents during my classes, and I feel like I'm always in a state of being potentially expelled.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, why do you all look about the same age, but Shuuji-nii is such a big shot?"

“Captain Shuji… he has done a lot for the village.” Iruka sat up straight, his expression becoming serious. “Moreover, his strength is far beyond my reach.”

"Is he stronger than Sasuke's brother, and that other guy, Yamato?" Naruto thought of the champion of the Joint Chunin Exams, something everyone had been paying attention to lately.

“Of course, Naruto. Captain Shuji’s techniques are unmatched even in Konoha.”

However, Captain Shuji is still very busy. He is not only a research specialist at the Ninja Academy, but also has to entertain the envoys from Kumogakure.

Are they discussing the joint Chunin Exams two months from now?
-
A bowl of ramen is never enough as a return gift.

Even if he were not particularly sensitive to the matter of gift-giving, Xiu Si could understand that he simply couldn't think of anything to give.

So he simply took Samui and wandered aimlessly through the streets of Konoha, hoping to catch a glimpse of her interest from her reactions.

The female ninja from the Cloud Village beside him walked steadily, her gaze calmly sweeping over the shops and vendors on both sides of the street, without lingering on any of the goods.

"Mr. Shuji, is there any other mission?" she suddenly asked. "The Fifth Boss has arranged for us to conduct research at the school."

Are you busy with school matters today?

"Ah."

She asked the questions casually.

Xiuji replied sentence by sentence.

“Mr. Shuji,” Samui spoke again.

“Miss Samui?” Shuuji turned his head.

"There is a personal issue."

“If it’s not too private…” Xiu Si replied, “you can ask him.”

Samui stopped and turned to face him, his blue-green eyes filled with inquiry:

"Who is that Karin to you?"
-
"Based on the cross-referencing of existing intelligence, the most likely hiding place for Yakushi Nonou is Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village)." Kakashi stood in front of the Hokage's desk, his voice sounding somewhat deep through his mask.

"Iwagakure?"

“At the time, Iwagakure was considered to be on the verge of a large-scale operation,” Kakashi said. “Yakushi Nonou may have been recalled as a result.”

"Re-enlisting without updating the records means this operation wasn't officially authorized by the village." Tsunade pondered for a moment. "What do you think of Yakushi Nonou?"

This is a problem she has to consider.

A retired Jonin, who runs an orphanage, deserts his post without orders from the village and infiltrates another country...

“Before coming here, I had already spoken with the Third Hokage, and he acknowledged Yakushi Nonou’s loyalty to the village.” Kakashi raised his eyes. “After investigating the orphanage’s accounts, we discovered that several years ago, the orphanage was in the midst of a serious financial crisis.”

"Yakushi Nonou submitted a formal application for assistance to the village at that time."

"The third generation has agreed, and the process has been completed and the approval has been finalized."

“However,” Kakashi’s tone shifted slightly, “the funding was delayed for quite some time. According to the records, this was due to certain ‘document circulation issues’.”

Tsunade understood: "In other words, someone deliberately withheld this funding. And Yakushi Nonou's subsequent actions were likely not out of loyalty to Danzo personally, but rather because she was forced to accept the conditions in order to solve the orphanage's survival problem?"

“That’s a reasonable assessment,” Kakashi nodded. “So, as long as we can find her and explain the current situation of the village and the truth of what happened back then, the probability of getting her cooperation is very high.”

"As for her specific whereabouts and mission details... based on my contact with the two people in charge of the orphanage, they are not completely unaware of what happened to Yakushi Nonou."

"I'm just wary of the village."

The two people in charge of the orphanage had also received some training, making it difficult for them to easily extract information.

Wakano was truly loyal, and Kakashi didn't want to use harsh methods against the people at the orphanage.

“Therefore, I need an official document from the village proving that the funds currently used to maintain the orphanage come entirely from the village's finances and have nothing to do with any individual,” Kakashi proposed. “At the same time, I will clearly explain the current situation to those two officials—”

"Shimura Danzo is no longer an advisor or elder of Konoha."

(End of this chapter)