Konoha Notes

Chapter 323 Goodbye
"Kazehana Koyuki is the princess of the Land of Snow. She has been kidnapped and imprisoned by Konoha. If she is not returned within a week, the Land of Snow will impose an equal punishment on the Land of Fire."

The wind, flowers, and raging waves proclaimed their attack.

Along with this declaration came news that an island nation that had once entrusted the Hidden Cloud Village with the protection of its territory had been destroyed by the main cannon of the Ankel Bandian Fortress.

Under such circumstances, it is inevitable that there will be dissenting voices in the Land of Fire, but because the fighting has not yet begun, Konoha, which has performed well in recent years, has not yet been subjected to much public pressure.

But this is only temporary.

Therefore, when Shuji brought Gaara and the other two back to Konoha, they were taken to the Hokage's office before they could even sit down.

"You're back?" Tsunade didn't turn around.

"Hmm." Shuuji approached, his gaze sweeping over the red area on the map that was specially marked, representing the Snow Country and the islands it controlled. "Is the situation worse than we thought?"

"This is terrible." Tsunade finally turned around, her face showing exhaustion. "After all, we don't know where we'll encounter any more setbacks."

“The key is not the Land of Snow, but that fortress,” Shuji said. “Sunagakure has agreed to the plan to support the construction of the air defense system.”

“The other side probably doesn’t want to give us that time,” Tsunade said. “Three days of the week have already passed.”

"Judging from the situation in the Land of Lightning, the early warning system is effective," Shuuji said.

"You mean you've discovered that the enemy is already preparing to fire?" Tsunade rolled her eyes at him. "The enemy's first target is the headquarters of Kumogakure, and it just so happens that the Eight-Tails is a perfect Jinchuriki who can withstand it."

"If the enemy chooses the City of Fire, it will be too late by the time they open fire."

“So the next thing to do is to send the Genma Squad to the Land of Earth under the guise of making contact,” Shuji said. “The person who is best able to handle this fortress is currently unable to leave the country because he has to protect the Land of Earth.”

Faced with a behemoth like a flying fortress, once its location is confirmed, Onoki can solve the problem with a single Dust Release technique.

"Secondly, it's about making sure the person who planned this gets what they want."
-
Obito Uchiha got the information he wanted: more than a dozen ships were openly heading towards the Land of Snow.

"Is it still that guy... using the same trick..."

No, we need to verify first whether this guy is really on the ship.

"Send Hiruko again, and have the air ninja's air force follow him to confirm if it is him."

After issuing the order, Obito waited patiently.

Several hours later, Jue brought back the battle report.

—It was confirmed to be Shuuji himself. The battle was almost a replay of the last naval battle: Hiruko used Storm Release to bombard from a distance, the opponent countered with Water Release to create giant waves, and then the ship disintegrated and Wood Release was used for defense.

After realizing that he could not achieve any results in a short time, Hiruko retreated according to plan.

Another piece of news is that, apart from Shuji, the Sand Village's air ninja forces did not appear this time.

"No...it can't be just him alone."

“It’s because Sunagakure wants to protect its territory and is unwilling to send air reinforcements anymore… No… He’s not the kind of person who would act recklessly.”

"Using the same method... what is he trying to hide..."

“Without air power…” Obito’s thoughts gradually became clear. “I see. On the surface, they used themselves to attract attention, while secretly letting the Sand Village’s warships sneak up and try to launch a real attack from underwater or from the flank while we focused on the surface fleet… Not a bad plan.”

Those warships are usually hidden underwater.

In other words, his true strength at this moment should be hidden beneath the surface of the water.

No, it wasn't even traveling with Shuuji; they should have set off much earlier. They should have arrived nearby long ago and were waiting for the right time to land.

"Since that's the case, it would be a shame not to grant your wish."
-
Xiu Si sat cross-legged on the only wooden deck of the boat, closing his eyes to rest.

Around him, the other ships that had been temporarily constructed using wood-based techniques and had once formed a fleet had long since turned into broken pieces of wood after being subjected to probing attacks. They floated and sank with the waves, like a silent graveyard surrounding the main ship.

Suddenly, an unusual tremor came from the sky.

The clouds above were violently torn apart.

Anker Bandian Fortress appeared without warning high in the sky. The cannon muzzle in the very center glowed with a chilling golden light.

Shuji's figure vanished from the deck in an instant.

The spot where he had been standing was completely swallowed up by a huge golden beam of light with a diameter of over ten meters! Not even a trace of the wooden boat remained. The beam of light pierced the sea surface, but instead of creating towering waves, it vaporized the seawater in that area upon contact.

The surrounding seawater surged back, creating a deafening roar and forming a huge, rapidly spinning whirlpool!

Shuji landed on the sea surface dozens of meters away, his chakra absorbing the water to barely steady himself. The hem of his robes billowed violently in the aftershocks of the explosion, carrying an aura of scorching heat.

He raised his head and looked up at the sky.

After the initial attack, the fortress did not linger. Its thrusters spewed even more intense blue flames, and its massive body began to rise, quickly disappearing into the still-unclosed gap in the clouds.

Just then, another shadow slowly descended from a completely different direction.

It was a streamlined small airship that was more sophisticated and faster than ordinary airships.

The airship hovered diagonally above Xiu Si. The side hatch slid open silently.

A tall, thin man stood in the doorway.

"How does this welcoming ceremony feel, Shuji-kun?" the man asked. "Although this reunion at this time was not part of my original plan."

"But we still arranged a nice event for Shuji-kun."

"However, Mr. Xiu Si may not recognize this face."

The man raised his hand and wiped it from top to bottom, revealing his true face underneath.

Pale skin, golden snake eyes.

Orochimaru said, "Shuji-kun, it's been a long time. Your performance during this time has surprised and delighted me."

"The ninja world, which had fallen into a cycle of decay and decay, has begun to move forward again under your leadership."

Shuji frowned: "Mr. Orochimaru, are you planning to use the airship beneath your feet as compensation for destroying my ship?"

"Hehehe, if Shuji-kun is willing, you can come up." Orochimaru smiled and made way for the cabin.

"But before that, there's something I want to say, Shuji-kun, you remember it, right?"

"I once said that if you want to refuse my cooperation when we meet again, it won't be so easy."

His snake-like eyes narrowed slightly, his smile deepening and growing colder.

"I hope you haven't forgotten this sentence."

(End of this chapter)