Konoha Notes

Chapter 370 Weighing
The canyon where the Land of Earth and the Land of Waterfalls meet.

With half his body on the ground, Jue said, "The spell has been broken."

On the nearby giant rock, Obito was dragging an unconscious man along.

Now that he had already made his move, he planned to take away the Jinchūriki, who was the easiest to obtain.

The four-tailed fox, alone in the village, and the seven-tailed fox, whose village was weakly defended, should have been targets of the Sand Village as well.

Sunagakure has the largest land area among the five great nations, as well as the most extensive uninhabited areas. Furthermore, as a local, Sasori would find it easiest to infiltrate Sunagakure.

If it hadn't been confirmed beforehand that the One-Tailed Beast was not in Sunagakure but had gone to Konoha, Sunagakure would have been among the targets.

"It's alright. As the defenders, they can only continue to wait for us to break through their defenses."

Obito glanced at the old purple in his hand and said, "Before they are completely certain that they cannot protect the tailed beasts, those ninja villages with strong military power will never easily hand over their weapons."

"The more powerful the ninja village, the more this is true."

"Everything you've done, Shuji..."

Ultimately, we cannot break the inherent cycle of this garbage world.

"It's all in vain."
-
Takigaku Village, temporary command post.

Shuji has been doing three things these past few days.

Send a letter to spread the news of what happened in Takigakure Village.

Check the mail and see if there's been any movement from anywhere during this time.

The first two projects didn't take up too much of Xiu Si's time; the remaining one was to check who else had been affected by the spore spell.

The results showed that only Asuma's squad and relatively important figures such as Shibuki were affected by the technique.

After dealing with these matters, he should return to Konoha. He even acquired some White Zetsu spoils during his trip. As one of the mature products of Hashirama's cells, this stuff is quite useful.

Who knows what new technologies might be revealed?

"Lord Shuji."

A gentle voice came from behind. Kabuto Yakushi was already standing in the doorway, holding a notepad in his hands, with his usual respectful smile on his face.

"The preliminary analysis of the white-faced samples has been completed."

"More detailed data will need to be returned to the village's laboratory for in-depth analysis using large-scale equipment."

"Okay." Xiu Si turned around. "I'll make the arrangements when we get back."

Dou nodded, but didn't leave. He adjusted his glasses, his eyes flickering slightly behind the lenses.

"Also, regarding Shibuki... do you intend to personally persuade him to continue attending the joint meeting?"

“He will understand,” Shuji said. “Takigakure needs external recognition and support more now than ever before.”

"In the past, we relied on natural defenses and the checks and balances between major powers to maintain our existence. But now..."

Faced with the threat posed by the Akatsuki organization, which transcends the conventional antagonistic relationship between ninja villages, the old strategy of "exploiting conflict for survival" is rapidly becoming ineffective.

“That’s true.” Kabuto agreed, but paused slightly. “However, when it comes to matters related to Jinchuriki… even the youngest leader will maintain a cautious attitude.”

He raised his head and lowered his voice: "If you were to speak directly, your posture might seem too forceful, which could provoke unnecessary defensiveness."

Shuji glanced at him, said nothing, and waited for him to continue.

“Therefore, please allow me to try to communicate with Chief Shibuki first.” Kabuto bowed slightly, adopting a very humble posture. “If my negotiations fail to achieve the desired results, it will not be too late for you to step in. This way, we can leave room for subsequent mediation.”

Shuji's gaze lingered on Kabuto's face for a moment before he finally nodded.

"can."

"give it to you."
-
Shibuki is indeed troubled.

He had originally planned to attend the meeting, but given the current situation in the village, should he still go? Since it was an invitation from Konoha, and the leaders of various ninja villages were present, sending a deputy or a Jonin wouldn't be formal enough.

Konoha not only prepared a protective force from the beginning, but even the higher-ups personally took action to resolve the crisis in Takigakure. Even from this point of view, it would have been inappropriate for him not to go.

but……

As a leader who has performed poorly in a crisis and can only rely on outside help, he now leaves the still unstable village and heads to the distant Konoha...

Is it really suitable?

"Ugh……"

Shibuki sighed deeply and buried his face in his hands.

"Chief of Shemu".

A knock on the door and a gentle call rang out at the same time.

Shibuki suddenly looked up, quickly composed himself, and got up to open the door.

The door was opened, and Kabuto Yakushi stood outside.

"Mr. Kabuto, please come in." Shibuki stepped aside.

"Excuse me." Kabuto entered the room, his gaze sweeping over the simple furnishings. "I've come to inform you of the Konoha forces' withdrawal arrangements."

"Withdraw?" Shibuki's heart tightened. Although he knew that Konoha's ninjas couldn't stay for long, he still felt a strong sense of unease the moment he heard the word.

The village's defenses are too weak right now; if the Akatsuki return...

"Yes. Lord Shuji needs to return to Konoha to preside over the preparations for the joint meeting, and the other support personnel will also be withdrawn in batches."

Shibuki wanted to ask if he could stay a little longer, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

As the leader of Takigakure, he has already received too many favors and cannot push his luck any further.

“I… understand,” he said softly. “The entire Takigakure community is deeply grateful for Konoha’s assistance. Especially Mr. Shuji, I should personally go and thank him again…”

“Chief Shibuki,” Kabuto gently interrupted him. “Lord Shuji is not one to care about formalities. Besides, he has spent a lot of time and energy these past few days screening spores and analyzing the enemy situation, and he is resting now.”

He adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses sincere: "Your gratitude can be formally expressed after the joint meeting."

"At that time, you will also have more time to have in-depth exchanges with Lord Shuji."

This statement was made so naturally, as if Shibuki's participation in the joint meeting was already a foregone conclusion.

Shibuki paused for a moment, and before he could respond, Kabuto continued speaking.

"I'd like to say a few more words about this meeting."

“For Takigaku at this moment, speaking out at the conference and demonstrating his presence and stance is perhaps more important than ever before.”

"On the one hand, the martial arts competition system will soon be opened to villages outside the five great ninja villages."

"If the ninjas of Takigakure can achieve outstanding results on the field, they will not only receive substantial prize money, but also prove to the entire ninja world that even if they suffer heavy losses, Takigakure still has formidable strength and resilience."

“On the other hand,” Kabuto’s tone became slightly more serious, “through this incident, the threat posed by the Akatsuki has been revealed to everyone.”

"At the meeting, Takigaku could use his own experience as a case study to help other villages understand more directly the danger and despicable methods of this enemy."

"This will not only garner more sympathy and support, but also contribute to the common defense of the ninja world."

Shibuki listened in silence.

Dou's words were clear and logical, and every sentence made sense.

There's no point in wallowing in the victims' emotions. What the leader should do is turn this painful experience into a diplomatic initiative, securing tangible benefits for the village.

"Konoha highly values ​​its friendly relations with other ninja villages and is willing to make efforts to maintain this peace."

Dou observed his expression and added information as needed.

"Konoha will naturally not hesitate to provide necessary help and support to friends who are willing to actively participate in the joint efforts to deal with threats."

Help and support...

These words were like a glimmer of light, falling into Shibuki's gloomy heart.

“Of course,” Kabuto’s tone suddenly shifted very slightly, “even in Konoha, resources are not unlimited.”

"Lord Shuji has a heavy responsibility and cannot stay in one place for long. Timely rescues like this one will not always be possible."

Shibuki quickly replied, "Takigakure would never dare to hope for such a thing! The kindness Konoha has shown us is something we... we can never repay."

“It’s good that you think that way.” Kabuto nodded, then sighed softly. “However, you have witnessed the strength of the Akatsuki firsthand. To fight such an enemy, we need power at the level of Lord Shuji.”

He looked at Shibuki, his gaze calm.

"To possess treasures that are coveted by powerful evils without sufficient power to protect them often brings not protection, but disaster."

"For Takigakure now, is Fu-san a force to protect the village, or... a burden that brings danger?"

Shibuki's pupils suddenly contracted.

“I’m not suggesting you make any decision immediately,” Kabuto’s voice softened again. “It’s just that seeking help from a stronger person when your own strength is insufficient to protect something precious is not a sign of weakness.”

He lowered his voice.

"This is a kind of wisdom, for the sake of a longer-term future, and also for..."

“Truly take responsibility for the people you want to protect, and for Miss Fu herself.”

A long silence fell over the room.

Shemu stood frozen in place, countless thoughts clashing violently in her mind. Fear, resentment, shame, worry... Finally, all the emotions slowly settled down, turning into an almost inaudible sigh.

He raised his eyes, looked at the ever-smiling Yakushi Kabuto, and finally nodded slowly.

"I see."

"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Dou."

The smile on his face deepened.

"You flatter me. I will send you the detailed documents regarding the specific itinerary for the joint meeting later."

He bowed slightly.

"I look forward to meeting you again in Konoha, Chief Shibuki."

(End of this chapter)