Konoha Notes

Chapter 355 Boundary
The Third Hokage attended the meeting not just to hear Kakashi talk about the illegal gladiatorial arena.

"Regarding the joint agency initiative," the Third Hokage put down his pipe, "Emura and Koharu have already communicated with the Daimyo."

Tsunade put down the documents in her hand, and Kakashi stopped what he was doing.

"His attitude, Daimyo..." Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully chose the most accurate way to put it, "He himself does not intend to directly intervene, or rather, he does not think it is necessary to directly intervene in the Five Great Shinobi Villages' regulation and management of internal affairs in the ninja world."

He believed that this was in line with tradition, with the Five Kage jointly deciding on matters concerning the ninja. The Land of Fire only needed to know the outcome and provide support if necessary.

“The only problem is,” Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze to Shuuji, his eyes, weathered by decades of trials, now appearing exceptionally sharp, “he wants to know if Konoha holds the same view on this tradition.”

The current daimyo of the Land of Fire has a good understanding of his own position.

Therefore, the Third Hokage intends to personally discuss this matter with the Daimyo. As the former Hokage, he can represent Konoha, but he won't leave the final outcome without room for negotiation.

After all, he has already stepped down, so any promise can be reneged on.

Shuji considered for a moment, then said, "As far as we can foresee, ninja interference in the nation will intensify."

These words made Kakashi's eyelids twitch slightly.

"But this deepening will mainly be reflected in production and construction, the advancement of large-scale projects, the security of cross-border trade routes, and even the construction of a joint defense system to deal with unconventional threats."

"Its core impact will focus on areas such as productivity improvement, efficiency of fiscal resource redistribution, and improvement of the overall security environment."

"So, please put his mind at ease."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at him for a long time before finally nodding slowly.

“I understand.” He picked up his pipe again. “I know how to say it.”
-
As night falls, the lights prepared for tourists in the venue area are lit up one by one, making the main street warm and lively, but the areas where the ninja villages are located are relatively quiet, with only the necessary streetlights casting a cool light.

On the third floor of the Iwagakure residence, a window that was originally dark was pushed open a crack.

A golden head peeked out from the crack, and Deidara pushed off the windowsill, flipping himself out.

The old man said he would give him a chance, and here it is!

That white cat guy will probably be waiting on the sidelines again, just like last time.

I checked my status and everything was fine.

Deidara released two birds and three small spiders. With the reconnaissance units deployed, the prelude to the art was complete; now it was time to lure the target in.

"Hey, come out here, you Uchiha bastard, I know you're here."

There was no response from inside the alley.

Deidara frowned.

Based on last year's experience, that guy should have shown up much earlier. Is he slacking off today?
Just as he was considering whether to make a bigger commotion, as if it were only a blink of an eye, a figure was already quietly standing a few meters in front of him.

The newcomer was not wearing a mask, had short hair, and was dressed in a Konoha-style vest.

Deidara's excitement froze instantly.

"You're not him?" he asked with absolute certainty. "Who are you? Where is that Uchiha Anbu member?"

Faced with the impolite question from the Iwagakure boy, the newcomer introduced himself: "I am Uchiha Shisui, and tonight I am in charge of nighttime defense of the stadium area."

“So, at this time, leaving the designated residence area in this… special way,” Shisui glanced at the still-open window on the third floor, then looked back at Deidara, “is there some emergency that requires help?”

"You're also an Uchiha..." Deidara temporarily put aside his disappointment at not being able to match the real person. After all, they were both Uchiha, so it should be about the same. "Well then, you've seen my art, haven't you!"

He pointed to the night sky—the two clay birds were circling high above, and the three spiders on the ground were now emerging from the shadows and gathering again at Deidara's feet. "It's not activated yet," Deidara's voice regained its excitement, "How about we go somewhere else, so I can show you my complete art!"

Shisui shook his head: "Conducting reconnaissance-type ninjutsu activities in the garrison area without prior notification would be seen as disrespectful to personnel from other ninja villages and could also cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

"Misunderstanding?" Deidara waved his hand dismissively. "That was just a greeting. Hey, I'm here to keep my promise!"

"I heard that guy can't participate in official competitions, so I came here specifically to give him a chance to experience art in private!"

“If the exchange students from Iwagakure wish to engage in formal sparring or challenges,” Shisui suggested calmly, “they can submit an application through the Joint Martial Arts Affairs Bureau to conduct the exchanges in a suitable venue under the supervision of referees.”

"However, please be prepared before that."

"Prepared? I've been preparing for a whole year! My art has been itching for a break! Hmm!" Deidara declared loudly.

The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that Uchiha Shisui's eyes had turned crimson.

Deidara immediately perked up.

"Oh? Is it finally starting? Right here..."

Suddenly, Deidara, who was standing in the middle of the alley, froze.

Almost simultaneously, on the third floor of the Iwagakure compound, in the shadows inside the window that had been pushed open a crack, the real Deidara leaned against the wall, his left pupil contracting violently, his face filled with disbelief.

"How...how is it possible..."

To guard against the Sharingan's troublesome genjutsu, he deliberately used a clay clone to attract attention outside, while his main body remained hidden in a safe room and controlled the device remotely.

Why... did the main body also get affected?

"Eye contact is simply the most convenient way to activate Sharingan genjutsu,"

The sound of still water rang out.

"But it is not the only way to use illusion magic."

In the alley, Shisui looked at the stiff clay clone in front of him and gently shook his head.

"That's enough for tonight's greetings."

"Please be sure to observe the etiquette in the venue area and get some rest."

"Konoha hopes that all exchange students will have a fulfilling and peaceful time."

After saying that, Uchiha Shisui's figure disappeared into the alley.

Inside the room on the third floor, Deidara's true form was still leaning against the wall, his body stiff, with only his eyeballs able to move with difficulty.

"Damn it... I didn't even see how I got hit..."

The room door was gently pushed open.

Kurotsuchi walked in, stood in front of Deidara who was slumped on the ground, and squatted down.

“So, Deidara,” she said, “it’s always better to be cautious in Konoha.”

"Because of your outburst," Kurotsuchi held up a finger and waved it in front of his eyes, "Konoha's level of attention towards us exchange students, especially towards Iwagakure, will probably rise several notches immediately."
"The difficulty will increase dramatically if we try to gather any interesting information next."

(End of this chapter)