Konoha Notes

Chapter 24 The Shadow of a Thousand Hands
"If I had to say, it would only be that clan."

"The Thousand Hands Clan".

Thousand Hands?

Lost in thought, Itachi took off his shoes, leaving the paper bag of his indigo combat uniform in the shadows of the entryway. Walking down the corridor, the sliding door to the tatami room was silently pulled open a crack, letting in a soft, warm light that illuminated Fugaku Uchiha's figure.

"You're back?" Fugaku's voice rang out in the quiet mansion, less solemn than usual as a clan head, and more gentle like a father.

“Yes, Father.” Itachi stopped in his tracks.

Fugaku's gaze fell on the paper bag: "Did you buy something?"

"A gift from my senior." Itachi picked up the paper bag and handed it over.

Fugaku took the bag, his fingers rubbing the fabric against the paper bag, then hefting it in his hand. "Oh, this must have cost quite a bit." He looked up at Itachi. "Did you only buy this for you?"

"Senior Red Bean also has one."

"Is that so?" Fugaku handed the paper bag back, his movements steady. "Since it's a gift from the captain, accept it properly." He paused. "I'll arrange a return gift later."

“Father,” Itachi’s voice rang out, tinged with inquiry.

"Ok?"

"The Senju clan," Itachi looked directly at his father, "where has the Senju clan, who were once on par with our Uchiha, gone? There's no record of their clan's territory in the village."

The last vestige of gentleness on Fugaku's face vanished, replaced by a deep solemnity. He remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "They, the Senju, are outside the clan territories of all the other ninja clans."

Itachi's pupils contracted.

Fugaku continued, “That clan declared its disbandment during Hashirama's time, so naturally, ‘Senju Clan Territory’ is not on the village's map.” His gaze was profound. “However, every outstanding ninja you’ve met who isn’t from a major clan could potentially be of Senju blood.” He paused, his tone becoming even more serious. “Even Tobirama’s disciples, the current advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado… it’s hard to say…”

"Father, do you mean the Senju clan hasn't actually disbanded?" Itachi's voice was very soft.

Fugaku slowly shook his head: "The disbandment is a fact. It was overseen by Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama, and all the ninja clans witnessed it at the time, decades ago." He then changed the subject, "But after Lord Tobirama's death, there was still a very prestigious figure among the former Senju clan. Therefore, there is a connection between them... an invisible but strong connection."

"Is it Lady Tsunade?" Itachi asked.

“No,” Fugaku denied the guess, “Tsunade has been away from the village for a long time.” He took a deep breath, his gaze deep, “She was the former deputy of the two Senju lords, Senju Momoka.”

Peach Blossom...

The name stirred something within Itachi's heart. He instantly recalled his father's seemingly casual inquiry when receiving Shuuji-senpai—"I've heard that you've always lived in the old house on the western outskirts of the village? And were you personally raised and taught by Lady Momoka?"

The trajectory suddenly became clear.

“Senpai…” Itachi’s voice carried a hint of confirmation. “If nothing unexpected happens,” Fugaku’s gaze fell on Itachi’s face as if it were a physical object, “the person who can still maintain those connections and influence after Lady Momoka…” He paused, each word clear, “should be your captain.”

The air in the room seemed to freeze, the lamp wick crackling softly. Fugaku leaned slightly forward, his voice deep and powerful:
"Itachi, this is an opportunity for the Uchiha clan."

As dawn broke, the thin mist above the third training field pierced through, casting a pale gold hue over the sand. Several days of tactical practice had imprinted the field with the marks of the "Shuji Squad."

"Left flank! Itachi, disrupt! Don't let that guy form hand seals!" Red Bean's voice carried a long-lost sharpness. Her swift figure left afterimages on the sand, the hood of her brand-new dark purple trench coat billowing like a leaping bolt of purple lightning. Her fingertips flashed with hand seals, "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!" Three grayish-brown venomous snakes shot out from her sleeves, not directly targeting the wooden stake, but cleverly blocking her left and right escape routes.

Almost the instant she made her move, Itachi's figure appeared like a ghost in the blind spot behind the wooden stake. His two-tomoe Sharingan silently activated, and without a word, a short genjutsu was unleashed! The shadow clones simulating enemy ninjas beside the wooden stake froze abruptly.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Shuuji's voice rang out calmly, but his position had already shifted from the initial command point to the optimal attack angle. A massive, blazing fireball, accompanied by a whoosh, slammed precisely into the shadow clone, whose escape route was blocked by venomous snakes and whose illusions had been disrupted!
boom!
Flames erupted, the intense heat distorting the air, and the shadow clone vanished as white smoke. The tactical coordination was executed flawlessly.

"Stop," Shuuji signaled. Anko stopped, panting, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her initial dejection was gone, replaced by the gleam of a ninja in her eyes. Itachi deactivated his Sharingan, his breathing steady. He walked to the sidelines, opened his leather notebook, and quickly jotted down the details of their previous coordination and chakra consumption.

"The snake's attack angle could be made a little more tricky, compressing the opponent's hand seal space," Shuuji commented as he walked over to Anko. "If the hood of your trench coat obstructs your vision during high-speed movement, you can fix it or remove it; practicality is paramount." His gaze fell on Itachi's notebook. "The notes are very detailed. The timing of the genjutsu release is good, and the chakra consumption is more stable than yesterday."

Red Bean tugged at her trench coat hood and muttered, "Okay, I'll be more careful next time." Her tone, however, lacked any resistance. Itachi softly hummed in agreement and continued refining his notes. The past few days of working together had been like an invisible file, gradually smoothing away the initial awkwardness and distance.

"Take a 15-minute break." Shuuji walked to the shade of a tree and sat down cross-legged. Anko immediately ran to get her water bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls, then grabbed a biscuit and chewed on it. Itachi, on the other hand, sat quietly to the side drinking water, his eyes fixed on his notebook, repeatedly considering several tactical points.

Xiu Si closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his body. These past few days, he had led the team in training during the day, but his nightly cultivation had never ceased. His attempts to draw natural energy from his wooden clone continued with an extremely high failure rate; seven or eight out of ten times, the clone's structure would become unbalanced, lignified, and ultimately petrified by the violent backlash of natural energy. But each failure gave him a slightly deeper, albeit vague, sense of that omnipresent, and elusive power of heaven and earth.

Natural energy... it is not like chakra, which originates from the spirit and body of life itself, but rather more like the more primal and grand "foundation" that constitutes this world. It is violent, yet it also contains an ineffable vitality.

"Perhaps... the direction is right, but to complete the cultivation, something is still missing..." Xiu Si pondered in his heart.

The Senju bloodline and Hashirama cells endowed him with a foundation far exceeding that of ordinary people, but there was still a gap between him and the ability to absorb and transform natural energy...

“Senior,” Itachi’s clear voice interrupted his thoughts, “Regarding the cooperation just now, if the opponent is a sensory ninja who avoided the genjutsu in advance, should the subsequent fire-style suppression points be adjusted?”

Shuji opened his eyes and took the notebook Itachi handed him. It contained a simple formation diagram and analysis, clearly drawn on it. "Very good question. The contingency plan needs to be expanded..."

Training continued with repeated refinement of tactical details and simulated combat. The sun gradually rose higher, shortening the shadows of the three on the sand. Anko's Snake Ninjutsu and Itachi's Sharingan genjutsu flowed more seamlessly together, while Shuuji's ninjutsu support always appeared at the most crucial moments. A rough but effective tactical system, based on mutual understanding and trust of each other's abilities, was slowly taking shape.

As the midday sun grew scorching and blinding, a figure appeared silently, as if blending into the light, beneath the shade of a tree at the edge of the training ground. The newcomer wore an animal mask and the standard uniform of the Dark Guard, his aura almost imperceptible.

"Jonin Shuji." The flat voice came through the mask, not loud, but clearly drowning out the training sounds.

Shuji stopped correcting Anko's taijutsu movements and turned to look. Itachi and Anko also immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at the newcomer warily.

"The Hokage summons you," the ANBU ninja said succinctly. "Please proceed to the Hokage's office immediately."

(End of this chapter)