Konoha Notes

Chapter 31 Tea Mountain Gang

"Lady Tsunade, you are so rude!" After Shuuji left, Shizune finally couldn't help but complain, "You said such things right away and even hit me."

"Hey! That brat wasn't exactly being polite either!" Princess Thousand Hands waved her hand. "Besides, the brat himself doesn't seem to care, so don't complain."

Go back to the village…what good would it do? Tsunade's gaze fell on the swaying bamboo stalks in the courtyard. It would only mean facing those heavy gazes again, those silent, scorching expectations. What could someone who couldn't even bear the sight of blood do? She couldn't shoulder anything, she couldn't bear anything.

So she wanted to see Shuji to confirm whether the child truly possessed that power.

The brief conflict in the courtyard did not cause a stir outside. When Shuji came out, Wasabi Jirocho was still standing respectfully under the veranda, his face bearing just the right amount of humility, as if the muffled sound of the stone slab breaking was just a piece of tile blown off by the wind. He led Shuji through the winding corridor to an elegantly furnished reception room in the front house.

"Does Mr. Wasabi have any more specific information about the Tea Mountain Gang?" After taking his seat, Shuji got straight to the point, not mentioning Tsunade, and steered the conversation back to the mission.

Jirocho sat upright, his expression serious. "The terrain of Nochapo is complex, and it has always been a hiding place for ronin and fugitives. In the past, it was not a large area, and my family and the Kazuki family would regularly send people to clean it up, barely maintaining the peace of the trade route." He paused, his brows furrowed. "Until four months ago, the situation suddenly changed. A wandering samurai suddenly appeared, and with forceful means, he consolidated all the forces entrenched in Nochapo, rapidly growing in strength, and even openly built a stronghold on the hillside."

"At that time, both our families realized that the situation was serious and that we could not solve it on our own. We sent a request to Konoha to exterminate them, but there was no response for a long time." Jirocho's tone was tinged with helplessness. "With no other choice, we could only do our best to send more people and strengthen patrols on the main trade routes to barely keep things going."

“The turning point happened half a month ago,” he said, his voice lowering. “The Hejie family suddenly announced that they had successfully wiped out the bandits of Yechapo! At the same time, they claimed to have recruited a group of elite guards to ensure the safety of Chujie Port. Almost simultaneously, the Daming Prefecture sent an envoy who severely reprimanded our family for ‘poor governance, allowing bandits to grow stronger,’ praised the Hejie family for ‘eliminating violence and maintaining peace, which is a great achievement for the local area,’ and transferred the port management rights for the next four years to the Hejie family.”

"After gaining the approval of the daimyo, the Kazuki family appointed a man named Jubei as the castle's garrison commander."

"As for what happened next, I'm sure you understand, Mr. Xiu Si. Those newly recruited guards were actually the original members of the Tea Mountain Gang, and the Beast Guard was the wandering samurai who integrated them."

Shuji listened quietly, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the smooth edge of the low table. The situation was more complicated than he had anticipated.

"How strong is that Jubei?"

Jirocho's expression was grave, and he spoke cautiously: "This man is extremely dangerous and ruthless. As for his specific strength... I'm sorry, we've tried our best to find out, but we've only obtained some vague rumors. It's said that he displayed superhuman strength and speed during bandit suppression, and some even mentioned that he might possess some kind of 'technique'-like ability. But we haven't been able to obtain any conclusive evidence." He bowed slightly, with an apologetic expression.

“Hmm—” Shuuji pondered for a moment, then turned the topic to another crucial point, “So, what about the Black Eclipse Clan? Has Mr. Wasabi ever heard of this name?”

A fleeting, almost imperceptible hesitation crossed Jirocho's face, as if he were weighing something. After a few seconds, he slowly spoke: "I have indeed heard about it. It happened about two months ago. At that time, the sea route from Izuku Port to Naki Island was frequently harassed by a group of fierce pirates, suffering heavy losses. The Daimyo was quite furious about this. Soon after, news came that a group of wandering ninja called the Black Eclipse Clan had accepted the Daimyo's request and successfully dealt with the pirates."

He paused, observing Xiu Si's reaction, and continued, "After this incident, the Black Eclipse Clan vanished as if they had disappeared from the face of the earth. We haven't heard of them operating in or near Ichigo Port since. Perhaps they left after receiving their payment."

Again, it's his famous name.

“I understand.” Shuji nodded. “Thank you for the information, Mr. Wasabi. It’s very valuable.” “I’m glad you were able to help.” Jirocho bowed slightly, then tentatively asked, “What are your plans next, Shuji-kun? If you need any assistance from the Wasabi family, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“If possible, please continue to gather information about the Tea Mountain Gang.” Xiu Si stood up. “I need to return to the inn first to arrange some things.”

They originally came out of concern for Jirocho's safety. Now that Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, is here, even if she can't act herself, there's still Shizune, a Jonin-level ninja. This force is enough to deal with any assassination attempts targeting Jirocho.

"In case of emergency, we can send someone to Haifeng Pavilion to inform them at any time."

"Yes, I understand." Jirocho replied and personally escorted Shuji out of the reception room.

At the dock, Mitarashi Anko leaned against the wall, the hem of her brand-new dark purple trench coat fluttering in the wind. A blade of grass she had casually plucked dangled from her mouth, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over her surroundings: porters shouting as they unloaded goods, a few men in leather guard armor patrolling lazily, their eyes always lingering on the valuable piles of cargo.

Several fully loaded horse-drawn carriages rumbled toward the dock, followed by a few guards. The cargo owners were talking quietly with a dock official, who quickly waved for laborers to process the goods first.

Hongshan Cheng looked resentful and muttered something to himself.

Red Bean pricked up its ears and overheard a few words.

"Damn it, they can put us on the ship as soon as we arrive..."

"My goods..."

"I should have bought some weapons too..."

Upon hearing the word "weapon," Hongdou immediately became alert and walked over to Hongshan Cheng's side.

"Mr. Hongshan, who are those people?"

"They're weapons dealers. I don't know why, but it seems like someone is buying weapons. These things can be shipped out first, but my goods will have to wait a few more days. Miss Hongdou, please..." Then Hongshan Cheng said something about asking for help and favors.

Now that Shuuji is gone, the safety of the goods depends entirely on Anko and Itachi. Itachi is still too small, so the cloth merchant can only bother Anko.

Hongdou answered absentmindedly, her hand behind her back subtly flipping. Beneath the wide sleeve of her trench coat, a slender, finger-like gray shadow silently slid down, skimming the ground, and swiftly disappeared into the shadows between the cargo box and the vehicle.

(End of this chapter)