Konoha Notes

Chapter 377 The Center of the Whirlpool

Joint Military Exercise Affairs Bureau Building.

Mitarashi Anko felt like she had become a spinning top being whipped wildly, spinning dizzily at an astonishing speed under the whip called "work".

If she heard Shuuji say to Tsunade, "Anko is struggling too much on her own."

They will probably protest immediately.

"Too much for one person"? That's practically the gentlest statement of violence of the year!
She, the Red Bean Lady, wasn't just "struggling," she was practically turning into red bean dregs.

Preparations for the joint ninja village conference were in full swing, and the emergency meeting of the five Kage representatives initiated by Iwagakure regarding the safety of Jinchuriki was also put on the agenda.

The combination of two high-profile meetings has turned this building into the busiest hub in the entire ninja world recently.

The entire secretariat was bustling with people, from representatives of the five major ninja villages to liaisons from the various smaller ninja villages that were about to visit.

There was a constant stream of people who could be called important.

Detection of spore-based techniques is not a one-time security check.

Important personnel need to undergo regular follow-up examinations, new arrivals need to undergo initial screening, and those with occasional suspicious signs need to undergo intensive follow-up examinations.

Once, twice... she felt her chakra and energy continuously evaporating.

"Red Bean, Reception Room Number Three, Iwagakure Jonin with the Bunka skill, scheduled for the third follow-up examination."

"Red Bean, Mr. Green of the Hidden Mist asked if the group testing of his entourage could be brought forward?"

“Red Bean, Kakashi said if you have the energy, could you take a look at this newly arrived Kusagakure squad roster and prioritize marking those who may have had access to core intelligence…”

Sounds came from all directions, mixed with footsteps, the sound of scrolls being turned, and the faint sounds of arguments in the distance. Hongdou even began to feel disoriented, as if the pronunciation of her name "Hongdou" had become a code name for some kind of emergency.

If given another chance, she definitely wouldn't just want the title of assistant.

On the other side of the building, Kakashi wasn't being bossed around by so many people.

But it still couldn't stop.

Itachi Uchiha placed a new briefing on his desk.

"Kakashi-senpai, the latest reply from Yugakure indicates that they may be unable to attend this joint meeting as scheduled."

"Oh?" Kakashi looked up from a pile of newly revised bills regarding border crossing rights. "The reason?"

"The letter stated that a rogue ninja in Yugakure, extremely dissatisfied with the village's peace policy, launched an attack that resulted in a relatively large number of casualties."

"Tang Yin has dispatched a pursuit team, but so far there has been no definite news."

"Given the unexpected turmoil in the internal security situation, the leader believes it is necessary to personally oversee the situation and it is difficult for him to leave the village for the meeting at this time."

Kakashi glanced at the new reply.

"A rogue ninja. Is there any related information in the appendix?"

"No." Itachi's answer was concise and clear. "Aside from the characterization of the incident, no specific information was provided."

“As expected. A rogue ninja… that’s an ambiguous statement. For a village famous for its hot springs and tourism to be so nervous that it can’t even attend an international conference, this person is probably not so simple.” Kakashi looked at Itachi. “They’re probably observing, or rather… testing.”

“Let’s observe Konoha’s reaction and the extent of their assistance to Takigakure,” Itachi continued, his thoughts aligned with Kakashi’s, “and hope that similar care can be extended to them. Directly asking for help might be undignified, but explaining that they cannot attend the meeting is a subtle signal of needing assistance.”

“That’s right.” Kakashi nodded, picked up a pen and quickly wrote a few lines on a sticky note, “Follow this signal and kick the ball halfway back.”

"In the name of the Joint Secretariat, we formally replied to Tang Yin."

His tone became more organized: "First, I express my deepest concern and condolences for the unfortunate events that befell Yugakure. Second, I emphasize the importance of this joint meeting in building a new order in the ninja world, including addressing internal security challenges, and subtly express my regret at their absence. Finally, and most importantly—"

"In order to accurately assess the specific impact of the incident on your village's ability to participate in the meeting, and to consider the cooperation directions that the Secretariat may be able to provide in the future to maintain the stability of each member village, please be sure to provide detailed information about the rogue ninja." "Including but not limited to: identity information, detailed description of the motive for defection, assessment of known abilities and danger level, specific casualties and losses reported in the incident, and the progress of the countermeasures that your village has taken so far."

After he finished writing, he handed the note to Itachi.

"In this way, we can confirm whether the other party is genuinely seeking help, and we can also assess the risks and decide whether to intervene."

"understood."

Itachi took the note and left the office. Immediately afterward, another person entered.

Jiraiya looked around the office, his gaze landing on Kakashi, who was rubbing his temples.

"The Hokage's office isn't nearly as lively as yours, Kakashi."

"Lord Jiraiya, such sentiments do not offer me any comfort."

Jiraiya laughed heartily, "Don't say that, I'm here to help."

Kakashi immediately stood up, pulled out a chair, and slipped behind Jiraiya.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Jiraiya-sama! There's a priority list of documents on the table. Red tags are urgent, yellow is important, and green can be delayed. The tea room is at the end of the corridor to the left after you go out; they have coffee and tea."

"If you need to find anyone, you can ask Itachi—"

As he spoke, he walked towards the door.

However, a large hand pressed down on the door.

Jiraiya had somehow appeared in front of the door, a bright smile on his face.

"Your Body Flicker Technique isn't fast enough, Kakashi." Jiraiya pulled a fancy-bound booklet from his pocket with his other hand. "When I said I was here to help, I didn't mean to help you with your documents."

"Here's a treat! The first limited edition of 'Intimate Violence,' complete with a special bookmark personally signed by me! How about that? In this sea of ​​work, isn't it like a goddess descending with radiance?"

Kakashi looked down at the small book in his hand with its exaggerated illustrations on the cover, then looked up at Jiraiya.

In a different setting, he would be eager to go, but as for now...

"...Thank you." Kakashi's voice sounded somewhat dejected.

"You're welcome!" Jiraiya patted Kakashi on the shoulder, the force so strong it made Kakashi stagger. "As for how I can help—"

He pointed his thumb in a certain direction behind his shoulder.

"It's over by the red bean."

"After all, she's the one who's almost overwhelmed."

Having said that, Jiraiya turned to leave. But as he placed his hand on the doorknob, he stopped, without turning back, and the carefree nonchalance in his voice faded slightly.

"Kakashi."

"Ok?"

"I never imagined that there would be a place in the ninja world where all the ninja villages could sit down and talk about things."

"If Minato, Kushina... and many others who didn't get to see today could know that the ninja world now has such a place, and such a possibility..."

Jiraiya did not continue speaking.

"In short, thank you for your hard work. This job is very important, more important than many people imagine."

(End of this chapter)