Konoha Notes

Chapter 454 Boundary
The Second Hokage, renowned for his forbidden techniques, stood before the cultivation device, his gaze sweeping over the containers that pulsated with faint light.

Tobirama Senju said, "The techniques I developed, though seemingly fantastical, actually have a rather high barrier to entry."

“Practice requires talent, application requires ability, and understanding requires corresponding knowledge reserves. These boundaries themselves are safety locks.”

He looked at the rows of culture devices.

"But the research here is different."

"The derivatives of the Divine Tree... Once you truly master the method to make it coexist stably in the human body, or even express its characteristics in a targeted manner, it will no longer change the balance of power between a few ninjas or a few families."

"That would shake the underlying logic of how the whole world works."

Shuji did not respond immediately. He simply listened quietly, his face showing no sign of wavering when questioned or when his key points were pointed out, nor did he show any eagerness to defend himself.

Tobirama Senju spoke again, but the topic shifted elsewhere.

“My brothers,” he said, “died at a very young age in a conflict with a rival family.”

He walked over to a recorder and casually pulled up a data graph of cell activity. The second generation had already quickly mastered how to use these instruments.

"At that time, I thought about how to stop the fighting."

"The answer I could think of at the time was to make an agreement, suppress unnecessary emotional impulses, and establish rules that everyone must strictly abide by."

"As long as everyone acts according to the established path, conflict will naturally have no way to arise."

At this point, Tobirama shook his head: "Later, as I grew up and saw more of the world, I realized that not everyone has the luxury of remaining rational."

"So the vision of elimination was changed to reduction."

Tobirama Senju shifted his gaze from the screen and looked back at Shuji.

"From the perspective of the various measures you are currently implementing, such an idea probably seems quite naive."

Shuji denied this: "That is a feasible path, and in fact, the world has been operating within this framework for many years."

Tobirama Senju nodded slightly, as if accepting the assessment, or perhaps simply indicating that he had heard it.

"But even my idealistic vision still had a basis for existence after the village was established."

"Ultimately, it lies in a premise that has never wavered: the number of ninjas has always been limited."

"During the Warring States period, there were battles between clans; during the ninja village era, there were conflicts between villages. No matter how the circumstances changed, it was always the ninjas who dominated the wars."

"As long as the group that leads the war can generally maintain a state of restraint, order, and relatively low desires, the world's conflicts can be kept within a controllable range."

"The chain of hatred cannot be completely broken, but it can at least be lengthened and diluted."

"Even eventually, different camps may be able to reach a consensus on coexisting."

His voice softened slightly.

"The biggest premise for all these deductions to hold true is that the number of ninjas is always small relative to the total population of the world."

"The competition between them stems from fear and a lack of mutual understanding, but once a certain threshold is crossed, most ninjas will gradually realize that endless war is essentially a meaningless waste."

As those red eyes gazed at the pale, active tissue, they said, "But what if one day, the threshold for mastering power is drastically lowered?"

"If the total number of ninjas increases from the current tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands or even more."

“Schools can’t change the innate threshold of talent,” Tobirama Senju said slowly, “but these things can. When the number of people who possess power fundamentally expands.”

"There may even be a large number of intermediate states, who are not ninjas but possess the power of ninjas; who are not ordinary people but do not agree with the rules of ninjas."

"Nobody knows what will happen then."

Facing Tobirama Senju's gaze, the young man replied, "Second Hokage, when a possibility exists, its probability of occurrence will eventually become inevitable."

"The difference lies in whether the people involved are prepared to cope when change occurs."

Tobirama Senju looked at the young clansman and said, "I will be staying in this laboratory for a while."

Shuji nodded.

“Then, I’ll go back to the old house first,” he said. “Would you like to come along? Grandma Taohua would be very happy to know you’re here.”

"There's no need to rush to visit old friends right now." Tobirama's gaze shifted to the other side of the laboratory, to the area where the mother plants containing the chakra of the eight tailed beasts were cultivated. "Besides, what you need most right now is to perfect that idea as soon as possible."

“Based on the current progress, the problem should be able to be delayed until the Three-Tailed Beast is revived.” Shuuji walked to the control panel and pulled up the real-time monitoring data of the mother plant. “However, if you can bring the Fourth Generation back from the belly of the Grim Reaper, the situation will be much more stable.”

"The Fourth Hokage trapped by the Shiki seal?" Tobirama's tone didn't reveal any difficulty. "The solution itself isn't a big problem."

The Senju and Uzumaki clans have been on good terms for generations, so he already had a deep understanding of this type of sealing technique.

The problem is never the solution itself, but the conditions and personnel required for its implementation.

"Are the mountain tribe still in the village?" he asked.

Considering that the Uchiha clan is safe and sound, it's impossible that the Yamanaka clan is in trouble, but it's always good to confirm.

"exist."

"Can I trust him/her?"

"can."

“Then, have the current head of the Yamanaka clan come over,” Tobirama said. “And also call Tsunade.”

Shuji agreed and turned to leave. When he reached the laboratory door, he stopped but did not look back.

“There will be secret agents stationed nearby.”

This statement is plain, but its meaning is clear—you can use it as you see fit.

Tobirama Senju did not respond, but instead turned his gaze back to the pulsating incubation devices, his red pupils reflecting a pale light.

The lighting in the stairwell leading upstairs was softer than in the laboratory. As Shuji reached the corner, he saw a figure waiting quietly there.

"Have you been waiting a long time?" he asked.

The pharmacist adjusted his glasses, revealing a gentle and polite smile behind the lenses.

"As expected, I couldn't hide it from you, Lord Shuji."

“The chances of fooling the second-generation leader are even lower.” Shuuji walked past him without stopping. “His perception is far superior to mine.”

Dou naturally followed, maintaining a respectful yet unhurried pace.

"Regarding the Second Hokage, is he...?"

“He won’t affect your control over the experiment,” Shuuji said. “The second generation is clearly aware that he is now a dead man. He will offer suggestions, but he won’t overstep his bounds.”

Dou's smile deepened.

"You have excellent insight."

Shuji suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Kabuto Yakushi immediately stopped, lowered his head slightly, and waited for what was to come.

“Too much flattery,” Xiu Si said calmly, “will make me lose sight of my own position.”

"Dou, don't test my mentality too much."

“There are far too many people who agree with my judgment without a second thought these days.” Kabuto Yakushi maintained his slightly bowed posture, blinking his eyes behind his glasses.

"I misspoke," he said, the smoothness in his tone fading slightly. "It's just... I have some thoughts, but I'm not sure if I should bring them up now."

“This is not your final destination.” Shuuji started walking again, his voice rising with each step. “If you don’t mind, you can share.”

Dou followed in his footsteps.

"Regarding the experiment on the binding of white Zetsu cells to the bloodline limit," he began, his voice more serious than before, "I have considered the risks pointed out by the Second Generation Lord. But some of the data presents possibilities... that make me feel it might be worthwhile to take some controllable risks."

"Moreover, as long as the test subjects are strictly kept in a laboratory environment and subjected to limited, highly selective phased tests... then any steps that might lead to errors will be controlled within the village."

“Unexpected situations can only arise from the personal selfishness and ambitions of the candidates, but this is beyond my control.”

He said this with great confidence.

"However, this may cause you to have reservations about the substance of your commitment to sharing data with other ninja villages."

They had reached the exit of the stairwell.

Shuji stopped in front of the door.

"What we promised to share with them was a system for effectively identifying White Zetsu camouflage and lurking," he said. "As for the applied research on White Zetsu cells themselves, that was not part of the original agreement."

He turned his head and looked at Yakushi Kabuto.

"The extent to which future exchanges will go is not for me to judge. When the time comes, all parties will naturally make their own choices."

Dou nodded, indicating his understanding.

Then he brought up another matter: "Shisui-kun's pupil power test results are in. The use of the Mangekyou Sharingan has put a considerable strain on the optic nerve, but it's not too serious yet."

"Is there a way to replenish my pupil power?" Xiu Si asked.

“The implantation of White Zetsu cells is not mature enough and the risks are too high,” Kabuto replied. “But if Shisui-kun is willing to temporarily remove his eyes and nourish them with a nutrient solution specially made from White Zetsu cells, it may be possible to achieve a slow recovery of his pupil power.”

Shuji remained silent for a few seconds.

“Tell him about this plan and let him decide for himself,” he said. “If he chooses to try it, you should fully cooperate.”

"Yes."

Dou bowed respectfully, then took a half step back, indicating that he should go back.

When Xiu Si returned to the western suburbs, before he even stepped inside, he heard Fu's voice coming from inside.

"Hey! Temari's graduating soon?"

"After all, I'm in sixth grade now."

“Then Kankuro will be next year!” Fu’s tone rose a little higher.

Kankuro was fiddling with a small, simple puppet: "What's all the fuss about? I can apply to graduate this year."

"Does that mean you guys will be getting your headbands soon?!" Naruto's voice broke in, full of envy.

Temari gathered the clothes out to dry into a basket before replying, "...Well, sort of. After the school's unified exams, I went to the Joint Affairs Bureau to pick up my headband."

Naruto tilted his head: "Wasn't the headband given out directly after Iruka-sensei's assessment?"

“Those are Konoha ninja headbands.” Kankuro finally raised his eyes, flicked his finger, and the chakra threads pulled the puppet to do a somersault. “But we’re going to wear Sunagakure headbands, Naruto.”

Then he turned to Temari: "I'll apply for graduation too, so I can go back to the village and find the puppet. Temari, you should go back and apply for the three-star fan too, right?"

Fu's eyes widened, quickly welling up with tears: "Are Temari and Kankuro going back?"

“There aren’t any suitable puppets in Konoha,” Kankuro said, flicking his finger as a puppet nimbly jumped onto his lap. “Besides, if we don’t go back, how are we going to find missions and earn rewards?”

"The genin allowance alone is not enough to cover the puppeteers' expenses."

Naruto straightened his back and slapped his cheeks hard, making a crisp sound.

He forced a big smile: "N-nothing! Fu! We'll become genin soon too! Then... then..."

His voice grew softer and softer, and he never managed to say the final words, "We'll have to part ways eventually."

Both children's heads drooped down at the same time.

"Waaaaah—! No way! Becoming a ninja means being separated from everyone—!"

"I-I didn't cry!" Naruto stubbornly insisted, but his eyes were clearly red. "It's sweat! It's sweat!"

Gaara remained sitting there quietly.

Kankuro looked at the two children who were crying with their heads in their hands, his lips twitched, and finally he sighed.

"Hey, we're just going back to form a team and study. We'll try to apply for jobs at the Joint Affairs Bureau later."

Just then, Temari spoke up.

“The secretariat has different arrangements,” she said. “The Samsung fan has already been delivered, and I won’t be going back. I will be interning directly in the secretariat.”

Kankuro paused for a moment: "Aren't we going back?"

Fu's crying stopped abruptly: "Really?"

Temari was somewhat exasperated by Fu's sudden change in mood, but she still nodded.

“The crows have already been delivered.” She looked at Kankuro. “So, you don’t need to apply for early graduation.”

Kankuro scratched his head: "I see... then never mind."

Fu cheered and hugged Temari again. The blonde girl was jolted by the hug, but eventually reached out and gently patted Fu's back.

Naruto coughed, rubbed his eyes hard, then looked up, trying to make his expression look natural.

“That’s great… no, I was already mentally prepared.”

"Just now it was because Fu suddenly started crying, so..."

Before he could finish his excuses, the slight creak of the courtyard gate being pushed open interrupted him.

Naruto looked in the direction the sound came from.

“I’m back,” Shuuji said.

"Brother Xiuji! You're back!"

Fu also slid off Temari and hurried over: "Mr. Shuji! Temari said they're not going back!"

"Hmm." Shuji responded, walked to the eaves, and sat down in the empty seat next to Gaara.

Temari, carrying a basket, came over to greet him: "Mr. Shuji, welcome back."

Kankuro also looked up and greeted him.

Gaara nodded: "Welcome."

Shuji smiled and responded, his gaze sweeping across the children's faces.

Sometimes, it's not so bad to not think too far ahead.

(End of this chapter)