Konoha Notes

Chapter 360 Beneath the Surface
Naruto lost his rhythm from the start, and his second attempt to counterattack failed to reverse the decline.

By the time I got to this point, Shuji had already left.

The outcome is no longer in doubt. Naruto's stamina and late-mover advantage are meaningless in a physical combat contest that relies on foundation and technique.

This isn't a battle of life and death, but a contest of fundamentals.

This kind of failure should take him a while to process.
-
Outside Konoha Village, next to the stadium area.

The building, originally constructed for the Five Kage Summit, now has ninjas dressed in various ninja outfits and wearing different headbands moving about in its lobby.

Initially, these people were clearly divided into different groups.

The Cloud Village ninjas habitually gathered in the eastern corner, while the Iwa Village ninjas tended to face the western window, and the Mist Village ninjas always stood near the entrance, as if ready to leave at any moment.

As the local lords, Konoha was scattered in various places, playing a guiding and coordinating role.

However, after nearly a year of intense and multi-tasking collaboration, the work coordination has become quite smooth, at least on the surface.

If Fugaku Uchiha could sense that this department was going to expand, then the higher-ups in other ninja villages were certainly not stupid either.

Especially after the Snow Country incident, the ensuing joint maritime blockade operation was fully launched, and the number of administrative tasks requiring immediate coordination from the five major ninja villages exploded.

The lack of manpower has become a consensus, and reinforcements from various villages will arrive one after another.

Itachi's transfer is not an isolated case; it's just the beginning.

Shuji walked through the hall, nodding in response to greetings from time to time. There were respectful bows from Konoha ninjas and cautious greetings from ninjas from other villages.

He walked towards the inner office area, the carpet absorbing the sound of his footsteps, making the whole space seem even quieter.

Most of the office doors on both sides of the corridor were open.

In the first room on the left, two Hidden Mist ninjas were arguing about something while looking at a map, their fingers tracing lines on the sea near the Land of Waves.

In the next room, a female ninja from Sunagakure was buried in a pile of reports, her headband almost slipping down to her eyebrows.

Further ahead, one could hear the people of Yunyin complaining.

Shuji stopped in front of a door bearing the Konoha insignia and knocked.

After waiting for more than ten seconds, there was no response from inside.

He pushed the door open and went in.

In the office, the silver-haired Jonin sat upright behind his desk, holding a small book with an orange cover in his hands, reading intently.

The pages of the book were not turned.

Kakashi's gaze did indeed linger on the words, but his focus was scattered; no words were reflected in the depths of his pupils. It was more as if he was using this to isolate himself from the outside world and wander in his own thoughts.

He only slowly raised his head when Shuji's figure completely entered his peripheral vision and walked to the table.

"I didn't say 'please come in,' Shuji." Kakashi's voice trailed off, his right eye crinkling slightly, but there was no real smile in it.

"If you're dealing with personal matters, I've given you time to pack up."

Since Shuji didn't make any special effort to conceal his presence, Kakashi naturally wouldn't fail to notice. Since there was no other reaction, he assumed that Kakashi was already prepared to let him in.

"No matter what, fifteen seconds is too harsh." Kakashi closed the book, but didn't put it away. He just laid it flat on the table. "I was hoping to find some hope for life again through Jiraiya-sama's words."

The one eye that had been exposed finally focused, and he looked at Shuuji.

"After all, you didn't just come here for no reason. What, have you finally had a change of heart and are planning to let me go back to the Anbu to catch my breath?"

"Return him to the Anbu?" Shuuji walked to the window, looking down at the joint squad members practicing their teamwork on the training ground. "What about Yamato? Should we let him take over your 'lucky job'?" "Please make sure he comes," Kakashi immediately replied, his words quickening. "Yamato is calm, responsible, and perfect for coordinating defense. He'll definitely do a better job than me."

"Forget about the transfer order." Shuuji turned around and leaned against the windowsill. "Itachi will officially come to assist you in a couple of days. He's very efficient, meticulous, and never complains about the workload—at least he won't say it out loud. You can look forward to it a little."

Kakashi's lazy expression faded slightly, and the one eye that was exposed narrowed.

"It's just Itachi, isn't it?" he confirmed.

If more Uchiha clan members join the fray, Kakashi might have to reassess whether they're helping or causing trouble.

“It’s just him,” Shuuji replied affirmatively.

Kakashi relaxed a bit: "Finally, some decent good news. So, what's the important business that made you come all this way? Don't tell me it's to inspect the sanitation."

Shuji didn't mince words: "Takigakure has not given a formal response to the joint defense cooperation. Did they express any intention to participate at this ninja village alliance meeting?"

Kakashi pulled a document from the pile and handed it to Shuji: "It's a reply that just arrived this morning. The wording is very polite, expressing great interest in the meeting and promising to send a representative."

“In addition,” Kakashi took out an inconspicuous piece of paper with somewhat messy handwriting from the drawer and pushed it in front of Shuji, “along with the official diplomatic documents, there were some… messages transmitted through informal channels. They may be closer to the actual situation.”

The note contained few words, but every word carried weight:

The former leader of Takigakure Village has passed away.

After a brief power transition within the village, Shibuki, a member of the younger generation, has now taken over.

It is said that internal conflicts occurred during the transition period, causing several ninjas to leave the village.

Shuji put down the note.

“I see. The reason we ignored the joint defense proposal before was not just because we relied on the natural barrier of the falls to keep ourselves isolated.” He said thoughtfully, “With internal power shifts and too busy to take care of ourselves, we naturally had neither the ability nor the intention to respond to external affairs.”

Shibuki... This name appeared much earlier than I remember.

My impression of him is that he's a relatively mild-mannered, even somewhat timid, young man, but also quite open-minded. If it's him, discussing the matter of Jinchūriki would be much easier.

His personal strength is rather weak; by the standards of a ninja village leader, he is not qualified.

"Send a formal letter to Takigakure in the name of the Joint Affairs Bureau," Shuji said after thinking for a few seconds. "Given the recent rumors of small-scale rogue ninja groups operating around the Land of Takigakure."

"To ensure the safety of Takigakure Representative who will be attending the meeting, the secretariat is willing to dispatch a small team to provide escort support along the way."

"We will transfer Jonin squads from Konoha headquarters to carry out this task."

Kakashi nodded and casually jotted down the tasks on his memo pad: "Understood. I'll be careful with the wording in the letter. Notify me to file the details once the escort team is selected."

"Okay." Xiu Si nodded. Having finished explaining the matter, he didn't linger any longer. "You can go ahead and get back to work."

He planned to go to the Anbu to see if there was any information about Takigakure's recent financial situation and find some way to express goodwill.

"Furthermore..." Kakashi suddenly said, "Regarding the Daimyo meeting outside of the Five Great Nations, the Joint Affairs Bureau has not yet reached a consensus."

Xiu Si paused slightly, but did not turn around.

"Is that so... as expected."

"It's okay, let's start with the areas where we can reach a consensus."

"To ensure the smooth convening of this joint meeting, we need to finalize the specific charter and profit-sharing plan for opening the martial arts system to Xiaonin Village. Other matters can be addressed gradually."

(End of this chapter)