Konoha Notes

Chapter 347 On Careers

Of the five great nations of the ninja world, the Land of Earth was the last place Shuji visited.

While they were busy with various miscellaneous tasks, this country was hostile to Konoha, so they had no opportunity to come.

After the other party became part of the alliance, there was still no reason for them to make a special trip.

"I thought your schedule would never include the Land of Earth."

Onoki's voice came from ahead. At this moment, he was like an ordinary old man, slowly walking up the stone steps on the cliff.

"I suppose you're not here to agree to what I said before I came here."

Xiu Si did not answer the question. The two walked up for about ten more minutes until they finally reached the end of the stone steps.

My eyes suddenly opened up.

They stood atop a solitary peak. Though called a peak, it was more like a colossal pillar piercing the sky from the earth, its top as flat as if it had been sliced ​​by some sharp weapon.

From here, the entire southern landscape of the Land of Earth can be seen.

The reddish-brown rock formations, like the spine of a giant dragon, meander and undulate across the land. The canyon is bottomless, like a wound cracked open in the earth.

But the most striking sight was the "wall" that stretched almost across the entire horizon at the edge of the field of vision.

It is a real, naturally formed rock wall. It is over a thousand meters high and stretches as far as the eye can see, with its surface displaying layered textures formed by millions of years of weathering.

"How is it?" Onoki sat down on the edge of the cliff. "This is the backbone of the Land of Earth. It is also the natural barrier of Iwagakure."

Shuji walked to his side and also looked into the distance. "It's spectacular."

Faced with such a natural creation that transcends human power and is almost a miracle, any embellishment seems pale.

"You've seen the best of this country; now you should tell me the purpose of your visit."

Shuji still did not answer immediately.

He watched as the last rays of golden light atop the cliff were swallowed by the deep purple twilight, and the first star quietly lit up the increasingly dark sky. The biting wind from high above ruffled his hair, carrying with it the scent of the vast land below.

"Lord Tsuchikage," he suddenly spoke, "what do you think a ninja is?"

“Someone like you,” he raised his white eyebrows, his tone clearly mocking, “has stirred up so much trouble in the ninja world, yet in the end you’re still thinking about questions that even ninja academy students discuss in their first lesson?”

Shuji responded with a faint smile.

“Five years ago, a child asked me the same question,” he said. “I told him then that being a ninja was just a job.”

“Last year, someone asked me the same question again. I didn’t give any answer then.”

The Third Tsuchikage squinted, his white eyebrows furrowing deeply into his forehead.

"It sounds like your thinking has changed quite a bit over the past few years." His tone became more inquisitive. "What, even the Will of Fire from Konoha can't answer your questions, so you've come all the way to the Land of Earth to hear about the Will of Stone?"

Shuji shook his head.

On the contrary, he turned his gaze from the rock face to the old man beside him.

“My thinking has never changed,” he said. “After removing all the artificially added, universal spiritual qualities, being a ninja is just a profession for making a living.”

Onoki gave a short laugh.

He didn't say whether he agreed or not, but simply looked at Shuji quietly, waiting for him to continue. The sacrifices of the past few decades, the blood shed for the village, the comrades lost on the battlefield, the benefits won at the negotiating table—all these experiences made the Third Tsuchikage not entirely accept this answer deep down.

But if this answer came from Shuji, then it must mean more than just what it says literally.

"Did you come all this way just to discuss this with me?" Onoki asked.

"Yes."

Shuji sat down beside the old man, also gazing at the distant rock face. Night began to fall, and the first star lit up the deep purple sky.

“From a professional perspective,” he said slowly, “being a ninja is a job that is purely about fulfilling the wishes of others, without being able to do anything spontaneously.”

"The client makes a request, and the ninja carries it out."

"Whether the need is for escort, reconnaissance, assassination, or anything else, ninjas themselves do not generate needs; they are merely tools for fulfilling needs."

Onoki's eyebrows furrowed again.

“But if that’s really the case,” Shuji changed the subject, “then the Shinobi World War, which was spontaneously started by the ninjas, wouldn’t have happened.”

"It will not lead to one conflict after another sweeping across the entire continent because of the pursuit of development, dissatisfaction with the current environment, or fear of the power and wealth gained by other villages."

He turned his head to look at Onoki.

Under the starlight, the old man's face was half in light and half in shadow.

"Lord Tsuchikage, a ninja is first and foremost a human being."

If this had happened ten or even five years ago, he would have scoffed at such arguments, considering them weak or unrealistic and naive.

A ninja is a ninja; they are the village's weapons and the executors of missions. Too much sentimentality is often a luxury and a danger in the harsh reality.

But... the stubborn back view of Old Purple when he insisted on leaving the village to train, Deidara's almost obsessive and fanatical pursuit of so-called "instant art"...

"...What exactly do you want to say?" Onoki's voice lowered, tinged with a hint of irritation.

This frustration might not be directed at Shuuji, but rather at the reality that the other party had pointed out, that he himself was aware of, but had not yet sorted out.

Shuji met his gaze and continued speaking.

"What I want to say is that ninjas, because they are human, cannot be content to be merely passive tools that bear the wishes of others forever."

“They will question meaning, develop desires, and clash due to differing ideologies. When this intrinsic human drive is combined with the inherent mission execution mode of the ninja profession and confined within the competitive framework of ninja villages, the cycle of history becomes almost inevitable.”

He paused briefly, letting the night breeze carry away the echoes of his words, before delivering the most impactful statement of the evening:
"Therefore, from a longer-term perspective, ninjas—specifically referring to the professional ninjas we understand today whose core survival mode is to undertake and complete tasks for others—will eventually be eliminated."

"They must also be eliminated."

"However, if individuals with great power—these former ninjas—leave the ninja village organization and descend into chaos, each acting independently and pursuing their own desires, the resulting disorder and destruction would probably be even more terrifying than the ninja village war."

"Therefore, the old model must be broken, but the new path must not be a regression or collapse."

"What we need to find is a new way of life that allows 'individuals with power' and 'groups that yearn for peace and development' to no longer exist in an adversarial relationship of 'mercenaries and employers' or 'competitive armed groups,' but to truly integrate and move forward together."

"The ninja village must be the first to break free from the cycle of the past."

"Or rather... the entire ninja world should try to break free from that ingrained cycle."

(End of this chapter)