Konoha Notes

Chapter 272 Thunder Shadow
Since the reappearance of the Sky Ninja, the Hidden Cloud Village, built against the mountains and defended by the continuous mountain range, has been paying attention to this matter.

Iwagakure has the Light-Heavy Rock Technique, as well as other methods of flight. At least while Onoki was alive, there wasn't much need to consider how to fight in the air.

The Sand Village's sand manipulation ninjutsu, along with its powerful wind release, can also handle ordinary flying units.

The Hidden Mist Village is isolated overseas, and its Mist Concealment Technique, when used on a large scale, is enough to blur the ground and completely obscure visibility.

Having faced the Sky Ninja head-on, Konoha has likely already put the technology to crack them on the agenda.

Ai will not ignore this problem.

Therefore, when Sunagakure was defeated and in dire straits, Kumogakure was the first village to step in, offering them a helping hand under the guise of "inviting them to participate in joint military exercises." Simultaneously, Kumogakure was also the mastermind behind the clandestine pursuit of the Sunagakure fleet across the vast seas, attempting to intercept and analyze the core technology of the Sky Ninja.

One yard owned by a yard.

However, directly acquiring the technology is quite difficult, so Yunyin can only focus its efforts in multiple directions simultaneously.

The strengthening of the air defense system and the development of secondary flight wing technology are also progressing simultaneously.

"The Chakra Cannon project has achieved the expected damage targets against stationary targets and slow-moving units."

"Its effective range, according to calculations, is sufficient to pose a substantial threat to most of the currently known high-altitude flying units."

Mabuyi, holding a report document, said: "But for highly maneuverable targets, especially those with the ability to change direction instantly in the air, the existing tracking and locking capabilities are still insufficient to guarantee an effective hit rate."

"Based on the latest flight speed and tactical mobility demonstrated by the Sunagakure air force, the interception capabilities of the existing chakra cannon system are probably quite limited."

The secretary of Yunyin presented the current assessment conclusions of the technical department.

"As for flying wing technology," she continued, "we have achieved short-distance gliding and stable low-altitude flight at this stage."

"However, whether it is loiter time, flight altitude, speed, or payload capacity, there is still a considerable gap between them and the ideal tactical equipment that can seize and maintain air superiority."

Ai simply instructed the technical department to continue investing resources in Mabuyi's report, which was not particularly exciting. His impatience never manifested as harsh criticism of his subordinates.

After the technical issues, there are other things that need to be addressed.

He led Mabuyi to the meeting room, where Samyi and Tutai were already waiting.

"Lord Raikage."

“The joint military exercise is scheduled for July. You should take your teams there first,” Ai said. “The important thing is something else.”

"When we brought in Sunagakure, we didn't expect that Shuuji would be able to drag Iwagakure into the joint exercises as well."

"Of the original alliance members, only Kumogakure and Konoha had the capability to host the event. The previously agreed-upon rotating hosting model may change after this year's martial arts tournament, especially with Kirigakure getting involved as well."

He didn't even need to think twice; when they negotiated this year, Iwagakure was so easy to talk to. Like Sunagakure, they only wanted a share of the ticket profits, probably just to do him a favor.

Once this year's Konoha event concludes, that shrewd old man, Onoki, will definitely raise different opinions regarding the ownership of the hosting rights for next year and beyond.

Now that all five major ninja villages have been drawn into this alliance, the issue of hosting rights will only become more complicated in the future.

As the most geographically advantageous party in this alliance, Konoha's resolve might waver, and it might change its original tacit understanding with Kumogakure in order to win over more allies. This is a crucial question that must be confirmed in advance.

The Fourth Raikage's voice was deep: "So, the first thing we need to do this time is to confirm whether Konoha is still willing to honor its commitments, and what Konoha's stance will be next year when that old man Onoki makes demands for the hosting rights. Will they support maintaining the status quo, or will they prefer... a reshuffling?"
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The covert operations targeting various police departments failed before they even truly began.

Several Uchiha clan members involved were captured on the spot by ANBU agents lying in ambush while attempting to infiltrate key facilities within the arena. Everything began in silence, and ended in silence.

All of this seemed to have nothing to do with Itachi.

Although some members of his clan from the police headquarters did come to his door, asking him in a curt tone about his recent whereabouts and movements.

It's likely that he suspected that, having become the captain of the ANBU, he might have informed the village about the internal situation of the Uchiha clan.

There is no doubt about that.

Itachi had already said what he needed to say, but during his leave, Shuji instructed him to temporarily suspend his supervisory duties within the clan.

But nowadays, it's not just him and Shisui who are observing everything within the Uchiha clan. There are Uchiha clan members who have passed the Anbu selection for three consecutive years and been promoted to other departments, Uchiha clan members who are allowed to stay in the village to perform duties, and even Uchiha clan members whose family members work at the Ninja Academy.

Of these clansmen scattered across various departments, how many truly support this reckless and untimely action?

More or less, it doesn't matter.

The village already had more than just those two sources of information.

Those who came to demand an explanation eventually left dejectedly.

After the minor turmoil within the Uchiha clan subsided, Itachi prepared to return to his post.

He stepped into the Hokage Building, walked towards that familiar office, announced his arrival, and then pushed open the door to enter.

Shuji's voice came through shortly after, seemingly talking to Tsunade.

"Kakashi was initially reluctant, but he participated quite actively in the subsequent evaluations of 'Asuka'."

"Without any mission, simply flying is a pretty good way to relax."

The Fifth Hokage scoffed, "Did you go there with the intention of making Kakashi relax from the start? You really went to great lengths, Shuji-sama."

Seeing Itachi walk in, Tsunade, who had been sitting in a slightly casual posture, adjusted her posture and regained some of the Hokage's dignity.

"How did the tutoring for Quan go?" she asked, turning the conversation back to business.

"The phased guidance has been completed as planned."

"Izumi's ninja tool throwing skills and basic combat adaptability have improved."

"But what kind of results we can ultimately achieve in the competition is still not guaranteed."

Itachi gave a cautious and conservative answer.

"At the Genin level, it's enough if a few standout performers emerge," Shuji continued. "At the Chunin level, maintaining the usual standard is sufficient."

"Moreover, this is not the focus of this year's joint military exercise."

The primary goal is to ensure the smooth running of the event.

But after the event came to a successful close, the real challenges that needed to be faced began.

　It's so cold, time to get up. It's so hard to untie the blanket.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)