Konoha Notes

Chapter 322 Temari
Shukaku's identity is not a secret to the villagers.

But people from other villages shouldn't know this.

Was it because the ninjas spent too long leaving the village each year? Or did he come to the village too often? Or did Maki fail to control his tongue?
Chiyo didn't have much time to think, nor did she have many choices.

Whether or not a Jinchuriki is willing to leave the village boils down to only one question: Does Sunagakure intend to trust Konoha, or take a different path?

For example, we could talk to the faction behind the Land of Snow again.

This leads to another layer: why talk to the people behind the Land of Snow? They possess the power to destroy Sunagakure at the architectural level, a power that Konoha also has.

What can those people offer Sunagakure? Unknown promises, perhaps the remaining techniques of the Sky Ninja. But Konoha can offer much more.

Therefore, Chiyo had no choice but to face this reality and those three children.

"Ninja Academy Exchange, between us and Konoha?"

Temari was the favorite of Rasa because of her excellence and precociousness, which also made her understand the weight of the word "ninja" earlier than her peers.

War, death, sacrifice.

She had no energy left for hatred. Her two surviving brothers had already exhausted all her emotional energy.

Therefore, the current confusion stems more from not understanding why it was them who went.

"Let's get ready, Temari."

Chiyo tried to keep her voice gentle, but didn't explain the deeper reason—she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Fuji is stationed at the secret service office outside Konoha Village. You can contact him if you need anything."

"Time is tight, we have to leave tomorrow."

Chiyo had been keeping an eye on Gaara, but he was busy with his own things and wasn't moved by the news.

Kankuro, however, showed signs of emotional distress. The boy's face flushed red, and his fists clenched at his sides. But facing the village's most senior elder, now the Kazekage, he dared not vent his anger.

There was no explanation, only a time limit. Temari's anxiety finally surfaced: "Granny Chiyo, this semester isn't over yet. And... in Konoha, Gaara..."

What should we do if Gaara's mood worsens again? What if he hurts someone again? Will Konoha let him get away with it?
These questions swirled in her mind, but she only uttered half a sentence.

Chiyo said, "So, the three of you go first."

"The monks from Konoha have come to pick you up."

Temari's pupils trembled.

Are there only the three of us?

The man who killed my father has come to take us away in person?

Is the village... going to abandon us?
She didn't argue anymore. A cold, numb sensation rose from the soles of her feet, crawled down her spine to her limbs, and finally froze her throat.

She was in a daze and didn't even hear what Chiyo said next. She just obediently and vaguely responded.

After Chiyo left, Kankuro suddenly stood up and slammed his fist on the table.

"Damn it! Why... why did it have to be us going to Konoha? And it had to be that guy—"

Temari regained consciousness, looked at Kankuro, and then at Gaara.

Deep within those green pupils, something cold and hard was taking shape.

"I'm going to pack my bags. We're leaving tomorrow, so I need to get some rest, Kankuro."

Instead of going into her own room, she turned and went into the master bedroom.

She searched for any ninja tools she could find: kunai, shuriken, and... explosive tags.

I carefully checked each one, then stuffed them into my backpack.

In those green pupils, only resolute determination remained.
-
That night, Temari wanted to get a good rest—at least when she needed to fight back, she couldn't afford to make a mistake because of exhaustion.

But she couldn't sleep.

Her mind raced, constantly replaying possible scenarios: being attacked en route, being held captive in Konoha, or even being controlled at the moment of handover… In her most pessimistic moments, she even wondered: Had she misunderstood the village's intentions? Perhaps this was just a normal exchange plan? Perhaps that Konoha ninja meant no harm?

But she couldn't help but think about the lives of her two younger brothers.

Outside the window, the night sky over Sunagakure gradually changed from deep black to dark blue.

Temari realized that the time had come. She stiffly got out of bed, checked her luggage again to confirm the location of the explosive tags, and then went to wake Kankuro.

"Temari, are you alright?"

Kankuro rubbed his eyes and froze when he saw his sister's pale face.

Temari shook her head: "Once we set off, if anything happens, listen to me immediately, understand, Kankuro?"

"I know..." Kankuro muttered, "Why do you have to emphasize this at a time like this?"

Before leaving the house, she repeated it again. Kankuro, annoyed, agreed, only to hear Temari say the same thing to Gaara.

Gaara neither responded nor expressed any objection.

The morning wind at the entrance to Sunagakure Village was exceptionally fierce.

The three siblings waited, accompanied by several Sand Village ninja.

Then they saw the man. He was wearing a Konoha ninja vest, and the village ninjas were bowing their heads and speaking to him with an excessively respectful demeanor.

When Shuji looked in their direction, Temari instinctively turned her hand to the ninja tool pouch at her waist.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she tried to keep her face calm.

After the handover was completed, the Sunagakure ninjas left.

Temari was on high alert.

At that moment, Gaara walked past her, and Temari reached out to grab his shoulder, but not having slept all night slowed her movements considerably.

"Hello, Gaara." The black-haired man bent down slightly and extended his hand.

"...Hello, Shuji."

Gaara raised his hand and grasped that hand.

The handshake was brief, lasting less than two seconds.

But for Temari, those two seconds seemed to stretch on endlessly. She looked at her brother's face—a face that had once been innocent, then twisted and tyrannical, and in recent years merely expressionless—and now appeared exceptionally...calm.

What is that man doing?
What did he do?
When will Gaara shake hands with someone... no, when will Gaara know him?
And that person...

"I didn't see you last time I came. How have you been sleeping lately?" Xiu Si straightened up.

“Same,” Gaara replied.

The sound was very soft, but Temari heard it clearly.

"Really? It seems like it's quite difficult to get along with Shukaku."

Gaara nodded.

"But Shukaku did not come out that day."

"Is that so? Then we both gained something that day."

A morning breeze blew by, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Temari's fingers were still resting on the opening of the backpack, the stack of explosive tags within easy reach.

Is she asleep? So she's actually dreaming right now?
Temari turned her head to look at Kankuro, whose mouth was agape and whose gaze was blank.

"Let's save the small talk for the journey. We should get going. Although someone gave us some time to react, if we don't make a move for too long, the other party will start to get anxious."

Temari's fingers finally slowly moved away from the opening of the backpack.

(End of this chapter)