Konoha Notes

Chapter 274 Run

smell.

Sniff sniff...

"What are you doing again?"

“There’s no strange smell.” Tsunade circled around him, even tugging at his collar to take a look. “Looks like he didn’t sacrifice too much.”

"Have you gone back to adolescence? Your mind is full of these things now." Shuuji raised his hand and gently pushed away the Hokage who was getting too close.

"At least he's much better than some guy who looks so weak and indifferent." The Fifth Hokage wasn't annoyed by being pushed away. He left his workstation and casually slumped into the comfortable sofa next to him, even kicking off his shoes and curling his legs up on it. "Youth, Shuuji, where exactly did you waste your youth?"

She did not ask about the outcome of Shuji's communication with the female ninja from Kumogakure.

There's no need to ask any more questions. Judging from the way he returned, completely unfazed and without even raising an eyebrow, it's clear that things are progressing as planned, and at least the negotiations haven't broken down.

Then, during formal negotiations, the Cloud Village's attitude wouldn't be too hasty, lest it lose room for coordination.

"Can't people who ask such questions have a little self-awareness first?" Shuuji straightened his crooked collar and walked towards his desk.

I will not be attending the formal meeting with Kumogakure tomorrow.

"Oh," Tsunade replied lazily.

"The preliminary list for this year's Special Jonin has been drafted. I'm going to the Ninja Academy to take a look."

Should we notify Ebisu?

"Yes, even if you're promoted based on your educational expertise, you'll still have to undergo some kind of assessment."

"There is also a demonstration class for older students to learn how to use ninjutsu in actual combat."
-
"Naruto!"

A piece of chalk hit Naruto on the forehead, jolting him awake from his sleep. Amidst suppressed snickers, he sheepishly stood up and walked confidently to the corridor outside the classroom.

Not long after, two more people were ejected from the game.

Shikamaru yawned, and Choji was half asleep.

Academic classes are just too soporific.

Naruto muttered to himself.

As the three stood in a row, staring blankly into the empty corridor, a teacher came from the other side of the corridor. He glanced at the three of them, then gently opened the classroom door and silently pointed outside.

Iruka told the students to study on their own for a while, then came out and glanced at the three people outside the door before sighing.

"Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, go inside and stand at the back of the classroom."

"Yes--"

He was met with three weak, drawn-out voices.

The three of them, heads hanging low, shuffled into the classroom and walked to the back wall to continue their standing reflection.

However, after standing there for a short while, Iruka clapped his hands, attracting the attention of the whole class.

"Unexpected notice: the observation class originally scheduled for the afternoon on the playground will be moved to the village's seventh training ground."

A small commotion arose in the classroom.

"The village will have an experienced ninja who will provide on-site guidance to graduating senior students on tactical choices in ninjutsu battles."

At this point, Iruka's expression became extremely ferocious.

"This afternoon, all of you must strictly abide by the rules!"

He no longer wanted to be criticized.
-
The seventh training ground.

Originally, this was just a regular instructional lesson for upperclassmen. However, after informing Ebisu about the upcoming special Jonin exam, Ebisu mentioned to Shuji that the lowerclassmen had been observing the upperclassmen's combat matches every week for the past year, and the feedback had been positive.

Since Shuji happens to have this ninjutsu instruction class today, could we consider letting students from other grades observe and learn as well?

After a brief consideration, Shuji agreed to the proposal.

So when the students of Iruka's class entered the seventh training ground led by Iruka, they saw Shuuji and a black-haired girl already standing in the center of the field.

"Ah! It's Brother Xiu Si..."

Naruto was about to shout it out when, in the next moment, Iruka's gloomy face came closer, his eyes lifeless and the veins on his forehead throbbing.

“Naruto, do you remember what I said?” “Yes…yes! Iruka-sensei!” Naruto shrank back.

Naruto took a step back, then felt a surge of malice behind him. The red-haired girl was staring intently at him.

"Karin...it's so scary."

At this moment, Shuji's voice rang out from the arena. "Generally speaking, the choice of ninjutsu in battle should be based on the techniques one has mastered, and the elemental advantage/disadvantage relationship should be considered to make the optimal judgment."

"But the actual combat situation is often more complex."

"Spring, Fire Release."

The girl nodded obediently, her hands quickly forming hand seals: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Xiu Si did not dodge, but simply raised his hand and formed a few simple hand seals.

"Water Escape·Water Formation Wall."

A thin and fragile wall of water rose up, blocking the fireball.

The steam burst violently and instantly dispersed, casting a thick white fog over a large area and obscuring visibility.

“When water and fire collide, they produce a lot of steam.” Shuji’s voice cut through the fog. “Blocked vision means that if the enemy is prepared, they can use the cover.”

"To launch a follow-up attack, they may throw kunai, set traps, or use tactics such as creating clones."

"The same applies to team coordination. Without sufficient tactical training, rashly using water-style techniques to counter fire-style techniques can lead to team members losing contact, which is worse than simply dodging attacks."

"Therefore, the application of ninjutsu must be matched with corresponding tactics..."

Naruto listened, scratching his head.

He did take these tactical theories to heart, but...

Teacher Iruka once said that Shuuji is a hero of the village, and few can match the power of his magic...

Sasuke turned his face away, his gaze inadvertently meeting Naruto's. He then snorted coldly and turned his head away again.

"Are there any more questions about the ninjutsu tactics and coordination?" Shuji's voice rang out again, and the fog gradually dissipated.

As Naruto listened to one question after another, he finally couldn't resist and suddenly raised his hand, jumping out before his name was called:
"Hey! Hey! Is that all the ninjutsu that Shuuji-nii-san can do?"

"Naruto!" Iruka's expression changed, and he hurriedly tried to stop him, but the words had already left his mouth. He immediately stepped forward to try and pull the outspoken Naruto back.

"What brother..."

Shuji didn't seem to care and raised his hand to signal Iruka to stop.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Perfect timing. As a final addition to this lesson, let me mention one more thing."

"When you encounter ninjutsu on the battlefield that is far too powerful and exceeds your current ability to deal with it, the first and most important tactical choice is..."

"Please get ready."

"What I'm about to demonstrate isn't exactly a high-level ninjutsu."

"Tu Eun Tu Bo."

He formed a mudra with his hands, his movements simple and concise.

next moment--

The ground of the entire seventh training ground seemed to come alive in an instant, beginning to undulate and shake violently and erratically! The originally hard earth and stone ground transformed into surging waves in the blink of an eye, and every foothold became like a deck violently tossed about in a storm, making it impossible to maintain one's balance!
"Wow!"

"I can't stand up anymore!"

"What's going on?! Was it an earthquake?!"

Naruto was thrown off balance almost immediately, fell to the ground with a thud, and his body rolled uncontrollably as the ground shook violently.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that even the usually calm Sasuke was the same. Even though he jumped up immediately to try to find a stable point, he lost his balance again the moment he landed and fell down in a sorry state.

At this moment, all the students and teachers in the seventh training ground truly felt as if the whole world beneath their feet was shaking wildly, and the heavens and earth were collapsing.

this……

The hero's skills...

Amidst the screams and chaos, only Shuuji's body remained as steadfast as a rock amidst the waves, his calm voice piercing through this man-made disaster:

"run."

"Run with all your might, without looking back. This is the first and wisest choice when dealing with any technique you cannot directly counter."

Naruto gripped the ground tightly with both hands, which undulated like a living thing, his fingernails almost digging into the soil.

He looked up at the unmoving figure in the center of the field, his small head filled with immense bewilderment.

This kind of technique, it's said to be about running...

But how am I supposed to run now that the ground is like this?!
(End of this chapter)