Konoha Notes

Chapter 228 Border Intelligence
In the ruined Loulan, a Flying Thunder God Kunai sealed away a powerful force hidden underground.

Orochimaru squatted down and examined the technique on it.

Yellow Flash is best known for his Flying Thunder God Technique, but his sealing techniques are equally outstanding.

"Should we destroy it?" Jue asked, half of his body emerging from the shadow of the half-stone pillar beside him.

Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight smile: "Minato Namikaze's technique not only sealed the dragon veins, but also maintained their stability. To achieve the organization's goals, directly destroying his seal won't work."

"Shimura Danzo actually sought cooperation with you." White Zetsu's thoughts jumped around. "Having lost power, even someone like him has learned to betray Konoha?"

Orochimaru remained silent, not even glancing at it.

Betrayal? In Shimura Danzo's mind, which was filled with ambition and the Konoha supremacy creed, this was never betrayal.

It was simply a transaction where each party got what they wanted. Of course, the collaborator, who believed he was always in control, would be even more convinced that it was all for the future of Konoha.

Black Zetsu interrupted White Zetsu's incessant chatter: "How long will it take to break the seal?"

Orochimaru stood up: "I've already said it, this seal is to maintain the stability of the dragon veins."

"Unsealing is the same as breaking a seal; the commotion it causes will only attract the attention of Konoha."

"The key now is how to open a gap while maintaining the seal and draw out the power of the dragon vein."

"And how to get this power into the hands of the right people, that's your job, absolutely."

"Whether it's Danzo, Shennong, or the Dragon Vein."

“I have proven my worth; now it’s the organization’s turn to prove its capabilities.”

Black Zetsu said in a deep voice, "The organization has already made contact with the people. All you need to do is do what you're supposed to do."

"Two days." Orochimaru stuck out his long, thin tongue and licked his lips. "Just two days."

Having received a reply, Jue's body sank into the ground and disappeared into the shadows.

Orochimaru watched him disappear, a mysterious smile on his face.

Danzo was somewhat reserved; the intelligence report made no mention of the Loulan royal descendant who was said to be able to guide the dragon veins to a certain extent.

But since he chose this place, Orochimaru could naturally guess the hidden plan that Konoha's Dark Side had prepared.

The nearby Loulan tribes have long since migrated away. Where are they now?
-
"...That's the situation." Kakashi finished his report and gently placed a document on his desk.

Faced with the official village documents provided by Kakashi and the clear news of Danzo's downfall, the two heads of the orphanage finally relented and revealed the general whereabouts of the director, Yakushi Nonou.

Although they couldn't directly contact Nono, the orphanage revealed that people come every now and then to request the latest photos of the children. This connection remains unbroken.

“Currently, the Dark Division has monitored the bases receiving the photos, and is also tracking the route of the hawks and investigating all suspicious outposts along the border.” Kakashi’s finger moved across the map. “Preliminary investigations indicate that there are four outposts with unusual personnel movements and material transfers.”

"Three of these locations are in the direction of the Land of Grass, and the signs of activity are consistent with our expectations for the infiltration mission to Iwagakure."

His fingertips finally stopped at a point near the border of the land of rivers.

"But in this area... in the past few weeks, the flow of people and the throughput of goods have surged abnormally, far exceeding normal border defense needs."

Tsunade's gaze followed Kakashi's fingertips.

"The Country of Sichuan..."

"Yes," Kakashi affirmed.

"You have confirmed that Yakushi Nonou's hidden target is Iwagakure."

“That’s right, that’s why those three outposts in the direction of the Land of Grass are acting strangely; they point towards the Land of Earth. But this one…” Kakashi pointed at the outpost in the Land of Rivers, “its anomaly cannot be explained by its actions against Iwagakure.”

There is only one major ninja village that borders the Land of Rivers and deserves Konoha's vigilance. "Yakushi Nonou has infiltrated Sunagakure?" This was the only conclusion Tsunade could draw.

“It’s impossible to confirm. It could also be Kabuto Yakushi. According to the orphanage, he was sent out before Nonou,” Kakashi said cautiously. “But what is certain is that someone is trying to do something using this passage.”

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

After two light, symbolic knocks, the door opened. Shuji, who had just finished dealing with matters at the Ninja Academy, walked in. He noticed the seriousness in Tsunade's brow and Kakashi's gestures as he examined the map.

His gaze instantly locked onto the location highlighted on the map—

The border of the Land of Rivers? That direction... Sunagakure Village?

Even if Rasa is restless, given the current situation in the ninja world and the strength of Konoha, he shouldn't be making any moves.

"Tsunade-sama."

"Kakashi-senpai."

"Something happened in Sunagakure?" he asked directly.

“No, it’s Kakashi who has made new discoveries in his investigation of the remaining Root forces.” Tsunade briefly explained the situation, pointing to the map with her finger. “Danzo may be planning something in the direction of Sunagakure.”

Unlike Kakashi, she didn't use the vague term "someone." Even without conclusive evidence, the number of people capable of bypassing the Hokage and causing such an unusual commotion among the border troops is extremely limited.

Koharu Utatane and Ero would never do such a thing.

The Third Hokage is busy lately, and there's no need for him to do this.

Only Shimura Danzo, who had retired and was staying at home, remained.

Shuji remained silent, his mind racing. Having lost the main force of Root, what could Danzo possibly do to Sunagakure with only his remaining mobile squads?
Completely betraying Konoha? That's not like him.

Or perhaps Danzo planned to emulate Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan, achieving three goals at once.

Do you take down both the Kazekage and the Hokage, and then have him reappear?

Even with Hiruzen Sarutobi still around, without Tsunade, Danzo's chances of regaining power would indeed increase greatly given the dramatic changes in the ninja world.

"Has there been any unusual activity in Sunagakure recently?" Shuji asked Tsunade for confirmation.

"Everything is normal. We just submitted the list of candidates for this Chunin Exam a while ago."

Is this normal...?

"Do you have any information about Orochimaru?" Shuji asked Kakashi.

"No, there is currently no sign of Orochimaru's activities in the ninja world."

no……

He has been keeping an eye on Mizuki's situation, but Otogakure is still just a nameplate.

“As far as Sunagakure is concerned, unless a force emerges that the Fourth Kazekage can recognize as capable of overturning the status quo, he will not act rashly.”

"He's a fairly shrewd person."

"Therefore, there is still crucial intelligence that we haven't yet grasped," Shuji concluded. Given the current known strength of the ninja, what factors could trigger a drastic change in the situation...?

Only one other hidden force remains.

"The Akatsuki," he looked up, "what's been going on lately?"

(End of this chapter)