Konoha Notes

Chapter 32 Guess
After leaving Wasabi's family, Shuji realized that someone was secretly following him.

He didn't care, simply strolling around the city, stopping at a few shops to chat with the stall owners about market prices, then finding a teahouse by the street to sit down and order a pot of local coarse tea and some sweet rice cakes. The tea was bitter, the rice cakes sticky, the taste ordinary, but the few words he uttered during their conversation silently confirmed that what Jirocho had said was true—the resentment that the tea mountain gang members, disguised as guards, had accumulated over half a month was like smoldering embers, needing only a spark.

When Shuji returned to the Sea Breeze Pavilion, it was already dark. Hiroyama Makoto was pleasantly surprised. After chatting with Shuji for a few minutes, he returned to his room.

"You're back so soon, Captain." The purple-haired female ninja knocked on the door, stood in the doorway, and tapped her forehead playfully in greeting. "Wasn't the information about that Wasabi family interesting enough?"

Shuji looked up at Ako.

She chuckled, "I've discovered something..."

Xiu Si smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Lady Hongdou to tell her."

"Captain, when you went to Wasabi's place, a batch of weapons arrived at the dock. I checked them out, and they were ninja tools," Anko said. "Kunai, shuriken, and some protective gear."

"Do you know where it's being sent?" Shuji asked seriously.

"I've already sent Itachi to investigate."

Itachi is young, so he won't attract attention after taking off his headband. She, on the other hand, is far too conspicuous. To be fair, Anko is quite pretty, which makes her stand out even more in a place like a dock.

Therefore, after confirming that the goods were ninja tools, she immediately notified Itachi.

Itachi also returned at this time.

"Shuji-senpai, Anko-senpai." Itachi Uchiha was as polite as ever. "We've investigated and found out that they were all sent to Naki Island. It's said that Naki Island has been secretly buying ninja tools all month."

Shuji then asked, "Has anything happened to Mr. Hiroyama's goods?"

"No, I watched all afternoon. Although the guards were sneaking around and peeking, their attention was on us. They seemed to have lost interest in the cloth merchant's shipment."

"I see—" Shuji then told the two of them the information he had obtained from his conversation with Wasabi Jirocho. Of course, he omitted the matter of Tsunade, only saying that Jirocho had just hired a capable person, so there was no need to worry about safety.

After Xiu Si finished speaking, all three of them looked thoughtful.

“Shuji,” Hongdou frowned slightly, “The Chashan Gang is blinded by greed, the Black Eclipse Gods are elusive, and Naqi Island is secretly buying ninja tools… These things are like beads scattered on the ground. I feel like they can be strung together, but where is the thread?”

“The one connected to the Black Eclipse Clan should be that Jubei,” Itachi said.

At this moment, Hiroyama Makoto came upstairs and said that dinner had been arranged. Shuji looked up and glanced at Azuko.

"I know, I know!" Red Bean immediately understood, sighed dramatically, stood up, and patted Itachi's shoulder. "Let's go, kid. Go help that unlucky cloth merchant move the plates, so he won't have a long face that will ruin his appetite."

Itachi silently got up and followed Anko out of the room. The door closed gently, shutting out the sounds from outside.

Shuji was the only one left in the room. He got up and walked to the window, pushed open the wooden window, and the evening breeze rushed in, blowing the hair on his forehead.

Kunai and shuriken are called ninja tools precisely because ordinary people don't usually use them. Even for ninjas, in close combat, swords are often more direct and deadly—the standard equipment of ANBU members is proof of this.

Ordinary forces, except for ninja villages, would rarely procure such special weapons on such a large scale.

Considering the Chashan Gang's blatant money-grabbing since taking office, they are clearly short of cash. This shortage isn't solely due to their bandit nature; there are other motives at play, as evidenced by their focus on ninjas. The door opened, and an innkeeper entered carrying a tray. Dinner was typical port cuisine: a large bowl of thick, milky-white stewed mixed fish, topped with vibrant green scallions; a plate of golden-brown, crispy fried small sea fish; and the inn's specialty fish paste cake, white and chewy, garnished with a few sprigs of red pepper. Hiroyama Makoto also prepared a plate of sliced ​​seasonal fruit for the ninjas.

"Is everything alright?" Xiu Si asked casually as he sat down.

“No problem.” Red Bean deftly helped set out the bowls and chopsticks, while Itachi quietly placed the fruit plate in the center.

Shuuji's gaze swept over the delicious-smelling food on the table: "The mission is over. I'll find another opportunity to try some local specialties."

"I'm going to give the captain a good beating then," Hongdou said, her eyes lighting up without any hesitation.

The innkeeper's cook was quite skilled; the fish and meat were fresh, and the cooking time was just right. After the meal, Xiu Si developed a better impression of Chujie Port and decided that he would stay for a few days after completing his mission to properly experience the local customs and culture—provided, of course, that the current mess could be untangled successfully.

After the meal, the dishes were cleared away.

“Let me share my speculation,” Shuji began, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet room. “The Black Eclipse Clan’s goal is probably to establish their own ninja village in the Land of Tea, and the Tea Mountain Clan is the one they’re supporting.”

"A ninja village?!" Anko nearly choked on her saliva, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Just a few rogue ninjas? Are you kidding me?!"

Even Itachi Uchiha showed a hint of surprise that he could not hide.

"This isn't without precedent," Shuuji said calmly, as if stating an objective fact. "The ninja world isn't just comprised of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Many smaller nations have their own ninja villages. As long as their core interests aren't threatened, the Five Great Nations have neither the will nor the ability to completely eliminate all the smaller ninja villages. After all,"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two men. “When a great war breaks out, major powers will be preoccupied with their own affairs, and a vacuum will naturally arise in their requests outside their sphere of influence. However, the needs of the powerful and wealthy in smaller countries will not disappear as a result. If they encounter an emergency and do not have an armed force at their disposal, their safety is out of the question. Forming a ninja force that is controlled by their own country, or at least rooted in their own country, becomes a realistic option.”

“But…but,” Anko still found it unbelievable, “What about Guardian Ninjas? Can’t the Daimyo recruit powerful ninjas as his personal bodyguards? Isn’t that the same?”

“The nature is different.” Shuji shook his head. “Guardian ninjas are private soldiers, dependent on personal power, and are easily drawn into political vortexes, turning against their masters. Ninja villages, on the other hand,” he emphasized, “are products of institutionalization, possessing legal status and financial subsidies to maintain their operation. The scope of action and rules of ninja villages have relatively clear boundaries and consensus from the very beginning.”

"Moreover, after much thought, I believe this is the only possibility that could make the Tea Kingdom ignore the Tea Mountain Gang's actions in Chujie Port."

Hongdou opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to refute, but couldn't find a more compelling argument. In the end, she just scratched her head in frustration.

"Then... Xiu Si, what do we do next?" She looked at Xiu Si. "Should we get that unlucky guy Hong Shan's goods onto the ship first, and then immediately go back to the village to report? Let the old man and the others have a headache?"

Shuji didn't answer directly. Instead, he took out the mission scroll marked "Rank A," which had been personally handed to him by Hiruzen Sarutobi, and gently placed it on the table. The dark scroll gleamed with a cold, hard luster under the light.

“The village,” he tapped the scroll with his finger, his gaze calmly meeting that of Anko and Itachi, “has already granted us access and has taken a stance.”

To expel or annihilate the Black Devourers.

From the perspective of the Land of Tea itself, having a ninja village rooted in its territory would naturally be a good thing. Resources are given to whoever benefits, so giving them to someone who can prioritize its own interests seems more worthwhile.

However, from the perspective of Konoha, the situation is quite different. Those smaller ninja villages that were established around the same time as the Five Great Ninja Villages were either too far away, or Konoha didn't have enough manpower in its early days, and the Land of Fire's generous mission quotas and funding were sufficient to handle them.

However, times have changed. The village now has thousands of registered ninjas, and their numbers continue to grow even in peacetime. The Land of Tea, a territory that Konoha considers a stable source of missions, is not something they would willingly relinquish unless absolutely necessary.

A night breeze swept in through the open window, carrying the coolness unique to the harbor, causing the edges of the scrolls on the table to curl slightly. Under the lamplight, the shadows of the three people stretched long on the wall, silent and still.

(End of this chapter)