Konoha Notes

Chapter 287 Commission
Temari wakes up very early, and Gaara is a light sleeper, always spending more time awake than with his eyes closed. So, the only one who has ever needed to be woken up is Kankuro.

But today, while Kankuro had already come out to eat, Gaara had not appeared for a long time.

"Gaara, he's not even eating?" Kankuro looked at the empty chair opposite him.

"I'll go take a look." Temari stood up.

"Hey, Temari..." Kankuro instinctively tried to stop her, but was glared at by his sister.

Temari walked to Gaara's room, stopped, took a deep breath, and then slowly pushed open the door.

The room was dimly lit, and the curtains were drawn tightly. She saw her younger brother leaning against the wall, his head tilted to one side, his short, soft red hair falling down, partially obscuring his face, and his eyes closed.

"Gaara, it's morning," Temari said softly, thinking her younger brother simply didn't know the time.

Gaara did not react at all.

Temari approached with extremely light steps, almost tiptoeing.

"Gaara, at least eat first..."

She tried again, lowering her voice even further, with a coaxing tone.

Then, Temari heard it.

The sound of light, steady breathing.

"Is she...asleep?"

Temari squatted down and moved closer little by little.

Gaara remained motionless, allowing her to approach and examine him. In the dim light filtering through the crack in the door, she could see the very slight rise and fall of her brother's chest.

Really, I'm asleep.

She stretched out her hand, very slowly.

The sand that always protected Gaara did not rise, and Temari touched the sleeping Gaara.

Temari grew a little bolder. She carefully adjusted her posture, putting her arms under Gaara's armpits and behind his knees, trying to lift him up.

My younger brother's body is lighter than I expected.

Lifted by Gaara's weight, Temari swayed slightly. Gaara, seemingly startled by the movement, moved his hand and uttered a muffled murmur.

Temari's body stiffened instantly, and her heart almost stopped beating.

But it was only for a moment. Gaara unconsciously nuzzled his head against the crook of her neck, and his breathing quickly returned to its previous steady and long rhythm.

Temari's lips trembled, and her eyes welled up with tears. She held them back, preventing them from falling, and instead held the weight in her arms even tighter, walking step by step toward the bed.

She gently placed Gaara on the bed, pulled the blanket over his chest, and carefully tucked it in.

After doing all this, Temari stood by the bed and watched quietly for a long time. Her younger brother's sleeping face had lost its usual indifference and hostility, revealing a rare tranquility for his age.

"Get some rest, Gaara," she said in an almost inaudible whisper, gently closing the door and locking that moment of tranquility inside.
-
Shuji's stay in Sunagakure was shorter than expected. On the third day, an uninvited guest interrupted his journey.

"The daimyo's envoy has arrived in the village, hoping to meet with ninjas from Konoha." Ebizo personally delivered the message, his cloudy eyes revealing no emotion. "Perfect timing, I also have some matters to report to the daimyo. I will accompany you to the City of Wind."

When the envoy saw Ebizo, who was traveling with Shuji, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but under Ebizo's calm gaze, he ultimately dared not say anything more. The Land of Wind possessed the most expansive territory in the entire ninja world, and the journey to the capital was not short. In addition, the envoy's entourage slowed them down, taking a considerable amount of time.

The daimyo of the Land of Wind was a portly middle-aged man, even more rounded than the daimyo of the Land of Fire. His eyes were small, and the light shining through the slits when he squinted did not appear kind.

His gaze swept past Shuji and landed on Ebizo, who had come uninvited and hadn't even been summoned.

"It's truly remarkable that you still have so much energy at your age, traveling around so much."

Ebizo bowed respectfully: "I always have plenty of motivation to meet Your Excellency, the Daimyo."

The daimyo gave a light snort and turned to look at Shuji: "This must be Shuji, the Jonin of Konoha, right? Thanks to Konoha's reinforcements, we were able to eliminate the Stone Statue Army in this allied operation."

"The reason I invited you here today, Mr. Shuji, is that I wish to issue a request to Konoha in my personal capacity."

“My younger brother will soon be setting off for the City of Fire to discuss matters between our two countries, so I hope you can assist with the guard duties.”

Before Shuji could speak, Ebizo interjected, "Your Excellency, Sunagakure is equally capable of handling the escort duties, and there will be no chance of failure."

Da Ming waved his hand, and the flesh on his round face jiggled.

"Since we are going to the Land of Fire, it is more appropriate for us to be escorted by Konoha ninjas, which is also in accordance with etiquette and custom."

"Ebizo, Sunagakure should focus on border defense and village affairs."

Shuji met the Daimyo's gaze, thought for a moment, and then agreed: "Konoha accepts the mission."

“Very good.” The daimyo showed a satisfied smile. “The specific itinerary and payment details will be discussed with Shuji-kun later.”

After the meeting, Shuji and Ebizo left the main hall.

As soon as he stepped outside the hall, Ebizo asked in a deep voice, his tone more serious than ever before: "Shuji brat, you don't know what this means, do you?"

Seeing him accept the commission so readily, Ebizo's expression became particularly solemn.

"It's nothing more than a warning to Sunagakure." Shuji glanced at him. "You didn't submit that 'ambitious' first draft plan to the daimyo, did you?"

Ebizo's expression instantly darkened, and his silence was tantamount to acquiescence.

“Konoha isn’t that interested in the share of missions from the Land of Wind,” Shuji continued. “It’s too far here. The time it takes to go back and forth is enough for a regular team to complete three or four missions with the same reward within the Land of Fire. If they are simple D-rank missions, they could even take on ten or more.”

"Temporary deployment is fine, but if ninjas are required to leave the Land of Fire environment for a long time, the cost of stationing them here is not low, so it is not the best choice for the village."

"Therefore, there is no need to worry about anything unnecessary, Consultant Ebizo."

"However, I hope you and the Fifth Kazekage can understand one thing—a plan that benefits Sunagakure may not necessarily benefit the entire Land of Wind."

"At least on the matter of national reconstruction," Shuji concluded, his tone carrying a subtle undertone, "it seems that Konoha and your daimyo have a rare consensus."

Having confirmed this, and with Gaara's presence, he felt that he had gained enough from his trip to Sunagakure.

It's time to go back.

"Now that I've accepted the Daimyo's request, I won't be returning to Sunagakure. For any further questions regarding tree species or other matters, please send a message directly to Konoha." He nodded slightly to Ebizo as a farewell, then turned and merged into the crowd in the Land of Wind.

(End of this chapter)