Konoha Notes

Chapter 254 Daily Life by the Pot

The rising steam from the hot pot blurred the windowpanes, keeping out the chill of the winter night. Inside the ninja apartment, the three former members of Team 5 sat around a table.

"Shuji still likes to add a little spice when he eats hot pot." Mitarashi Anko frowned, staring at the glaring bright red in Shuji's bowl. "Wouldn't it be better to just dip it in some egg yolk?"

Xiu Si didn't even look up, focusing intently on adding another spoonful of chili sauce to his dipping sauce dish, his voice mixed with the bubbling of the broth, "Precisely because it's hot pot, spiciness is an indispensable element."

Of the three people present, two are sweet lovers, with Anko being an incurable, absolute sweet lover. She's the type who can pair sweets with sweet soups. Itachi is a regular sweet lover who uses mild, even slightly bitter, tea as a neutralizer when pairing sweets.

“Heretical, Captain.” Anko showed a disgusted expression. “Now I know why the team fell apart, Itachi.”

“Senior Anko,” Itachi calmly picked up a slice of mushroom, “theoretically, you are still holding down the fort. You and I are already in the Anbu ranks.”

"Huh?!" Red Bean's eyes widened immediately. "The guy who ran away first is now acting like a good subordinate?!"

She reached out, picked up a piece of beef, and placed it in Xiu Si's bowl.

"Shuji! Look closely, who is the one who proves their loyalty through actions!"

Xiu Si lowered his gaze, looking at the extra slices of meat in the bowl. He silently picked one up, rolled it thoroughly in his bright red chili sauce dish, and then carefully placed it back into Hong Dou's bowl.

"Not enough sincerity. Show more."

"Hmm..." Hongdou's expression froze instantly as she looked at the meat, now stained red and covered in chili sauce. "This..."

"The bowl is no longer usable," she announced painfully.

“Speaking of which, Itachi, I went to the Ninja Academy today,” Shuuji said. “Sasuke got beaten up again.”

"Again..." Itachi put down his chopsticks, a hint of helplessness on his face. "Is it Karin Uzumaki?"

"Ah, that child!" Hongdou's attention was immediately drawn, and she temporarily forgot about what was in the bowl. "When I brought her back from outside two years ago, I really didn't expect her to be so...lively."

She smiled mischievously and leaned forward: "Hey, hey, Captain... Itachi's little brother, did you cry this time?"

“He didn’t cry. He didn’t fight back,” Shuji recalled. “He just stood there, frowning, as if he was thinking about why he had been hit again.”

Shuji described the scene: Iruka was in class, Karin got good grades, and Sasuke stepped up to show his talent.

“Sasuke is a gentle child,” Itachi said.

"Was he stunned after being hit?" Anko had a different opinion. "Itachi's younger brother is actually the type who actively shows off his talents."

“Completely different from you, Itachi.”

She suddenly laughed and nudged Shuji next to her with her elbow: "Hey, could it be that the arrival of our 'hero who slew the Kazekage' and 'successor of Wood Release' has ignited a strange competitive spirit in the little guy?"

Shuji picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth: "Probably not."

He changed the subject: "Speaking of which, how's the work of the Dark Division going lately?"

"I'm so busy. My main task lately is to hunt down the Root members who have been hidden by Danzo Shimura."

Hongdou hesitated for a moment, looking at the meat in the bowl, but finally picked it up, closed her eyes and swallowed it. After a while, she started panting.

“The original Root members can’t be used at a time like this, so it’s all done by people from the Dark Side. We have to keep an eye on the exam venue security while also finding people from Root…”

"Itachi... hurry up and get me a bottle of water..." Anko slapped her lips as she ordered Itachi to get a carbonated drink. "I've sacrificed too much, Shuuji." "Yes, yes..." Shuuji replied casually.

"In short, since Danzo was already dead, most of the Root members who had gone into hiding did not put up much resistance, and the few die-hards were killed on the spot."

"However, there were three other people who were very skilled. In the end, Kakashi had to step in and show the Hokage's order to get them to put down their weapons."

She frowned, trying to recall the names: "One seemed to be called Terai, one was from the Yamanaka clan, and the other was from the Aburame clan. They should still be at the interrogation department."

Does the mountain wind and the avocado take roots...?

Even these two have been dug out, so the base of the roots has been dug up quite thoroughly.

As for the remaining part, we'll assign a small team to keep an eye on it for a while longer, and that should be about it.

The hot pot continued to boil, and the conversation shifted from the heavy topic of work to lighthearted chatter.

After dinner, Hongdou sprawled out on the tatami mat without any regard for appearances, rubbing her belly contentedly.

Xiu Si got up to clear the dishes. As he passed by her, he gently nudged her with his toe: "If you collapse right after a meal, the chances of becoming rounder will increase significantly."

"Hey... it's okay, the amount of exercise in the Dark Division is so much." Hongdou muttered, but still obediently got up. "Speaking of which, I heard from the people in charge of the exam venue that recently, after every exam, someone has been crying loudly outside the venue."

Itachi, who was also helping with the dishes, chimed in, "You're not an examinee, are you, Anko-senpai?"

"Huh—you guessed it right away."

Shuji drained the washed dishes and put them back in the cupboard: "Most of the test takers who cared about winning or losing are probably lying on hospital stretchers right now. The only ones who still have the energy to cry are the ones who placed bets."

“Binggo! It’s the person who placed the bet!” Red Bean snapped her fingers. “Because of the sudden appearance of Dahe last year, many guys who thought they had a keen eye bet on the unknown examinees and lost everything.”

Hmm, a pattern has been discovered. However, those who cut in line from Konoha aren't so easily spotted by laymen.

"However, I've also heard that some individuals cooperate with the person who runs the bookies."

Shuji dried his hands, unsurprised by this.

After all, someone will always choose the option that is more advantageous to them.

We can screen the dealers one or two more times later; some things can't be left to develop unchecked.

After packing their things, Shuji and Itachi said goodbye to Anko. One went home, while the other had to go to his office in the Hokage Building.

After spending most of the day doing rehabilitation exercises at her desk, Tsunade recovered from her listless state.

"Oh, so Lord Shuji actually remembered to come back." As soon as she saw him, she put on an unhappy expression.

"Based on logical judgment, the more reasonable place for me to go right now is the western suburbs, not here, Your Excellency the Fifth Generation."

Tsunade crossed her arms: "For the time being, at least until the end of this year, this will be your home!"

Then, his tone became more serious: "Iwagakure sent a message that they want to talk."

"Regarding the Chunin Exams, there's also the matter of 'exchange activities'."

(End of this chapter)