Konoha Notes

Chapter 250 Vision
Kabuto Yakushi was exceptionally talented. Without ever attending a ninja academy, he mastered a high level of medical ninjutsu solely through the tutelage of Nono Yakushi.

Afterwards, he probably only received some basic training at the grassroots level, and he became an excellent spy.

However, it will take another year or two before he can be put to good use, since what he did before was not what Xiu Si wanted him to do in the future.

Therefore, after Kabuto expressed his willingness to continue as a ninja, he first transferred him to Konoha Hospital, and then arranged for further training and follow-up.

This person, who was considered the pinnacle of bloodline-less ninjas in the original timeline, was not the only visitor on Shuuji's schedule today.

The Jonin representatives from Kumogakure who led the team to participate in the Chunin Exams also scheduled a meeting.

Shuuji stood up and stretched his limbs, which were stiff from sitting for a long time, his bones making a slight cracking sound.

He strolled to the sofa on one side of the office and slumped down for a while.

It wasn't until the knock on the door that Xiu Si sat up straight again, regaining his calm demeanor.

“Mr. Shuji, he doesn’t seem to be injured.”

“I value my life, so I am extremely careful on the battlefield, Miss Samui.”

Shuji invited the female Jonin from Kumogakure to take a seat.

Samui continued to look at Xiu Si, carefully turning over him several times before sitting down.

"What Mr. Shuji said is completely different from the news coming back from the outside world."

"It is said that you led the Konoha troops to relentlessly attack the Sunagakure defenses within the Land of Rivers, causing the main force personally commanded by the Fourth Kazekage to suffer repeated defeats."

She said, "By combining the fact of Sunagakure's defeat with the rumors, Mr. Shuji, you are lying."

The cattle and horses, who had been working continuously for several days, sighed: "This is too exaggerated, Miss Samui. No matter how much energy you have, you can't work non-stop for a whole day."

"After you finish playing, take a break. There's always time."

"Therefore, I personally believe that Miss Samui is too arbitrary in her accusation that 'I lied'."

Samui nodded slightly: "Perhaps. In that case, I am willing to apologize, Mr. Shuji."

"The main purpose of this visit is to convey Lord Raikage's views on future cooperation."

Shuji made a listening gesture.

"The exchange activities between Konoha and Kumogakure have been more successful than expected, proving that the benefits of in-depth cooperation between allies are even greater than those of war."

"Therefore, Lord Raikage hopes that Konoha will consider expanding its participation, for example, to Sunagakure, with whom it has already restored its alliance."

After saying that, Samui just sat quietly, watching Shuji deep in thought.

The Hidden Cloud Village wants to help the Hidden Sand Village.

Shuji reached a conclusion.

This time, Sunagakure will definitely not be able to bring anything back with them from the Joint Chunin Exams.

That's the case at least this year.

However, since the exchange tournament proposed by Kumogakure is a new proposal, it will not be included in the previous negotiations between Konoha and Sunagakure.

This means that it could become an additional source of revenue for Sunagakure next year... Is this a move to balance the situation and alleviate Sunagakure's predicament?

To be fair, this proposal did not harm Konoha. The necessary punishment had already been carried out; they couldn't really push Sunagakure to the point of complete loss of control due to extreme poverty.

Even if the Sand Village's leadership remains rational, once their control over the lower-ranking ninjas is significantly weakened due to resource scarcity, the pressure on the Land of Fire's borders will increase dramatically.

After all, a major ninja village has its own set of concerns when it comes to doing things. However, rogue ninjas who have abandoned their status as regular ninjas due to extreme poverty may have fewer such concerns.

Given the high mobility of ninjas, even if these rogue ninjas could be hunted down afterward, the damage they caused to the region's production and daily life could not be made up for in the short term.

If such incidents occur frequently, Konoha itself will inevitably be affected and suffer losses. After all, food and supplies do not appear out of thin air.

“A very valuable suggestion,” Shuuji nodded. “Sunagakure has just experienced a major upheaval, and being able to reintegrate into the alliance system in this way would benefit both sides.” “We’ll discuss the details after the Sunagakure representatives arrive.”
-
"Karin, Lord Shuji has returned to the village." Ino informed Karin of the latest developments.

The children received information much later than the adults, but after learning about the situation from her father, the Yamanaka family's daughter told Karin about it as soon as she arrived at school the next day.

News of the war came slowly to the school but went quickly. After the news of the battle between Konoha and Sunagakure in the Land of Rivers spread throughout the village...

Even at school, the atmosphere was unusually tense.

Especially after being in a standoff with Iwagakure at the border, this means that it could trigger more chain reactions.

The senior students at the Ninja Academy may soon be entering a fast-track graduation process.

Even if they are not directly deployed to the battlefield, they still have to deal with the surge in requests due to internal manpower shortages.

Especially C-level commissions involving clearing out bandits and maintaining national security.

Karin's situation also underwent a subtle change. She was the "source" of the minor conflict between her and Sasuke.

News of Shuji's defeat of Sunagakure, and even the death of the Kazekage, reached Konoha.

His social standing among the students shifted from being the superior of his idol brother to becoming a hero in the village.

“Speaking of which, Lord Shuji looks quite young.” Ino rested her cheek on her hand, her tone slightly wistful.

"Ino... Ino?!" Karin hadn't even had time to be happy about the news when she saw Ino's expression and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Yamanaka Ino chuckled: "I'm quite the womanizer, you know. There's nothing wrong with liking outstanding, handsome men, right?"

"Just kidding~"

"Sasuke is still more handsome. He will definitely become a very powerful ninja in the future."

"Right, Sakura?"

"Yes, Ino."

Seeing Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno snuggled together again, engrossed in their little world, Karin lowered her head and silently ate a bite of her own lunchbox.

Now no one is ostracizing her anymore, but she feels that it's become more difficult for her to get noticed.

"Ino, Sakura."

"Captain, will you become Hokage someday?"

Ino dropped her joking expression.

“Dad never mentioned this. But that person is someone much more distant than Sasuke, Karin.”

"Even after graduation, it's not easy to become his direct subordinate."

Karin's head seemed to droop even more.

Ino smiled again and leaned closer: "You can't give up so easily, Karin! Speaking of which, the current Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, is a medical ninja. If you become an excellent medical ninja, even a hero like Shuji would need you, right?"

Medical Ninja...

"I……"

Her mother's arm flashed through her mind again, only to be replaced by Tsunade's image.

She still remembered how Shuuji and Tsunade were together; it was a distance she could never reach.

"I will become an excellent medical ninja!"

Karin said so.

(End of this chapter)