Konoha Notes

Chapter 300 Illusion? When?
The air currents tugged at his robes, and the wind pressure whipped his cheeks. Onoki's gaze pierced through the thin clouds, landing on the endless forest below.

Deidara rode on the back of a giant clay bird, which flew beside him.

The blond boy leaned out, his hand across his brow, gazing at the ground.

"We've arrived in the Land of Fire, hmm!"

At that moment, a point of light flickered in the forest.

Then came the second, the third—the points of light lit up one after another along their flight paths, forming intermittent dotted lines between the canopy.

"Old man."

“I see it.” Onoki stopped flying and hovered in the air.

Below, as the lights flickered, Konoha ninjas began to appear in the forest clearing.

Deidara's hand had already reached for the ninja tool pouch at his waist. He picked up a lump of clay with his fingertips and began to knead it.

"Should we go down and say hello, hmm?"

Ohnoki didn't answer.

At this moment, two ninjas dressed in what appeared to be Iwagakure uniforms appeared in the Konoha ninja group, presumably explaining something. After a short while, the Konoha ninjas who had gathered dispersed.

But the light flashed a few more times; this time it was a universal signal from the ninja world, meaning that passage was permitted.

Onoki's lips twitched slightly.

Air defenses have already been set up, Konoha.

Although the specific defensive measures are unknown, the approach of aerial units has at least been detected.

Even now, there's not a moment's relaxation.

"Walk."

Onoki activated his ninjutsu again, and his body floated forward.

Deidara pursed his lips, and the giant bird flapped its wings and followed.

The two continued flying. The forest below gradually thinned out, and cultivated farmland began to appear, followed by roads, and then scattered houses.

The number of ninjas in Konoha is increasing.

They appeared on rooftops, stood on treetops, and hid in the shadows by the roadside. There was no hostility, no obstruction; they simply marked the paths of the two figures in the air.

Until he saw another ninja appear in the canopy of a tall tree.

"Land, Deidara."

"Aren't we heading straight to the Konoha arena area? Hmm..." Deidara noticed it too, "It's that guy."

He had a deep impression of the people who had made Onoki suffer—especially the day he was inexplicably scolded.

Thinking about this, my fingertips started itching again.

“You’re no match for him,” Onoki said with a sneer. “So go ahead and try.”

"His technique can disrupt the flow of air. Just throw the clay down like that, Deidara, let me see."

Upon hearing this, Deidara was not afraid at all and immediately opened his ninja tool pouch.

Then Onoki punched him on the head.

"What do you want to do!"

"Damn it... old man, didn't you tell me to try it? Hmm!"

"Why aren't you usually this obedient!"

Onoki grabbed Deidara by the back of his collar and dragged him downwards. The giant clay bird turned into white smoke and dissipated, leaving the two on the clearing next to the cedar tree.

Shuji leaped down from the treetop: "Lord Tsuchikage, you must be tired from your journey."

"The Raikage, Mizukage, and Kazekage have all arrived and settled in the stadium area."

The main reason is that the Raikage, who arrived first, stayed in the stadium area, so the two Kage who arrived later naturally wouldn't make any other choice.

The same applies to Onoki today.

"Take me directly to the Iwagakure base."

Shuji took two steps and asked, "What are your hobbies, Lord Tsuchikage?"

Onoki became wary: "Oh, Konoha is being so attentive?"

"Konoha provided the Raikage with fitness equipment and the Kazekage with fishing gear and a fishpond. It wouldn't be fair to favor one over the other."

Upon hearing this, Onoki asked curiously, "Where's the Mizukage?"

"Shuiying has no requirements."

Onoki was silent for two seconds. Was the request for the item due to a closer relationship? Or was it a test of Konoha's attitude?

"Then prepare some meatballs for this old man."

"Ok."
-
Wenya was already waiting, but Onoki didn't say anything to Shuji while he was there. Just as the group headed towards the Iwagakure headquarters, Deidara stopped fussing about being punched and instead began to look around the entire arena with great interest. It wasn't until they entered the headquarters' living room and Shuji took his leave that Onoki sat down in a chair and tapped his fingers on the table.

"What happened after the other three shadows arrived, before I arrived?"

Wen Ya bowed: "The Raikage arrived first and entered Konoha Village that same day before coming out."

"After arriving, the Mizukage remained at the base and never left."

"The Kazekage went fishing at the fishpond prepared by Konoha, and did not communicate with the Hokage either."

Kirigakure and Sunagakure are not currently contenders for the hosting rights; there's no need to discuss them with Konoha. But the Raikage…

Just then, Onoki noticed that someone was missing from the room.

The Third Tsuchikage closed his eyes.

He can't even sit still in a meeting of the four Kage... Fine, let him suffer a loss. Since this is the first time the Five Kage Summit is being held on their own territory, Konoha won't really hurt anyone.
-
Deidara realized that Onoki was talking to Bunga and didn't have time to pay attention to him, so he quietly slipped out of the Iwagakure camp and landed in a small alley. He looked around.

But he found a person wearing a white cat mask watching him from the corner.

Konoha's Dark Side...

Deidara pursed his lips, turned around and left. He walked through the alley and came to the main square, looking up at the huge stadium.

His eyes gradually brightened.

this……

It's so much prettier than the one in the village.

Lines, structure, soaring dome, the curvature of the audience seating—everything screams for explosive art.

But remembering the Third Tsuchikage's warning before he set off, Deidara gritted his teeth, forced himself to look away, and walked into the arena.

He strolled along the passageway, his gaze sweeping over the locations of the load-bearing columns, the joints of the beams, and the routes of the ventilation ducts.

Mark the suitable locations for blasting in your mind one by one.

Just then, that feeling of being watched returned.

He turned his head sharply.

The person behind the white cat mask was standing by the railing in the upper audience section, looking down at him.

whispering sound……

Annoying guy, ugh...

It's just a small warning, it should be fine, right?
Deidara's hand slid into his ninja tool pouch, and his fingertips pinched out a small lump of clay. He turned his back, quickly sculpted a spider shape, and infused it with chakra.

The movements were stealthy and extremely fast.

The tiny clay spider slipped from his palm, silently crawling towards the ground and moving along the shadows toward the audience.

Deidara's lips curled into a smile.

If the power is controlled... it'll just make the Anbu look bad...

The spider climbed the steps, approaching the standing feet. Deidara counted down in his mind—

three.

two.

"It would be better if the guests looked at it more carefully."

The voice came from behind.

Deidara froze.

He turned his head sharply—the shadowy figure behind the white cat mask stood a step behind him, its red eyes, adorned with three magatama, looking at him through the holes in the mask.

Please don't hurt yourself.

The world shattered like glass.

Deidara blinked.

He was still in the alley next to the Hidden Stone Village, having just taken his first step. The ANBU member with the white cat mask was still standing in the corner, quietly watching him.

Everything that had just happened—the square, the stadium, the stands—had vanished.

Only one clay spider was perched on his shoulder.

Cold sweat slid down his forehead.

"Illusion...when did it..."

The weasel's voice was soft, yet piercingly clear:
"The venue area will not be fully open during the Five Shadows Conference. Please register before leaving."

"guest."

(End of this chapter)