Konoha Notes

Chapter 56 Unfinished Words
Since the cultivation of immortal arts is not suitable to be carried out in Chujie Port, after consulting with Huoshou and having a clear understanding of the situation, Xiusi temporarily put the matter aside.

As Tsunade had said, Itachi was recovering well. He moved around a bit, performed hand seals, refined his chakra, and practiced taijutsu. Overall, he was even better than before he was injured.

Itachi was quite magnanimous about being injured in battle.

At least this time, I didn't lose my companions.

He said softly, "We were still too careless. If Senior hadn't arrived in time, Senior Shizune would have..."

“Your battle strategy was not flawed.” Shuuji stopped his self-blame. “With the power you possessed, you had already maximized your abilities in that battle environment.”

"All the responsibility rests solely on me as the team leader."

"If you want to take this responsibility, you should at least become a Chunin first."

Anko immediately cleared her throat, straightened her back, and put on a deliberately serious expression: "Ahem! Um, Special Jonin Shuji-sama, your humble Chunin subordinate Anko feels that she has done her best this time."

She changed the subject, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Shuji, "Speaking of which, Lord Shuji promised before—"

"Yes, yes, yes," Xiu Si sighed helplessly and replied repeatedly, "The situation is urgent this time, and we need to get back to the village first. The feast I promised you will be put on the tab for now, and I will make it up to you when we get back."

"Hehe!" Hongdou immediately beamed and patted the captain's shoulder triumphantly. "I didn't say anything! The captain brought it up himself!"

The youngest ninja sat quietly by the bed, watching this scene, his small feet dangling gently on the edge of the bed, his dark eyes reflecting the sunlight.

A smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

After packing his belongings, leaving behind Anko and Itachi, Shuuji bid farewell to Tsunade.

Without Tsunade and Shizune, the A-rank mission to annihilate the Black Eclipse Clan will likely be impossible to complete.

Tsunade didn't drink today; she was checking on Shizune's right arm injury.

Compared to the three members of Team 5, Shizune was the most seriously injured in this incident. Because Tsunade cannot bear to see blood, she has been taking care of the injured members of Wasabi's family after the war.

"How is Miss Shizune's arm?"

"The bones are recovering a bit slower, but they're basically healed." Miss Shizune lowered her sleeves and smiled at Shuuji.

"I'll go check on them, Shuji. I'll be going now."

She left quickly, leaving Tsunade and Shuji behind.

Princess Thousand Hands immediately put on a sour face.

That brat shouldn't have said anything when he had the ledger. Now he's bothering us all the time, asking some of the village's higher-ups about the operational details.

"Lady Tsunade, the initiator of the Ninja War, what is it that you are directly demanding?"

"Lady Tsunade, what percentage of the ninja village's revenue does the daimyo's allocation take up?"

……

One after another, she wasn't the Hokage, how could she know so much? She could only try to appease them.

The more questions I ask, the more annoyed I get...

It's annoying enough, but all they do is keep adding "adult" to their mouths, and that's it.

If he weren't the only one in his clan to have fused with Hashirama's cells, and if it weren't for the responsibility I shouldn't have taken, which I had to pass on to this guy...

"What are you doing here again?"

"I've come to say goodbye, Lady Tsunade."

"Just get lost." She waved her hand dismissively.

"Basic etiquette and procedures should still be followed."

The vein on Tsunade's forehead throbbed instantly.

You little brat! You can't even be bothered to put on a show of politeness anymore?

"Just to express my concern, you should drink less alcohol; it's almost fully marinated." Xiu Si's tone remained as calm as ever.

boom!
A crack appeared on the stone table, and Tsunade controlled her anger.

"It's not your place to lecture me!"

"I am merely stating the facts, Lady Tsunade."

With one hand gripping the edge of the stone table, the blonde woman said coldly, "Want to die? Say one more word and I'll smash this thing over there."

Hearing the stone table creak under its weight, Shuji took a step back. "Then, farewell, Lady Tsunade."

Looking at that unyielding, infuriatingly calm demeanor, Tsunade felt a surge of anger rising in her chest.

She took a deep breath and then let out a heavy snort through her nose, trying to suppress her agitation.

Watching the figure stagger backward a few steps, about to turn around.

She ultimately couldn't resist.

"Hey."

The boy stopped, tilted his head slightly, and cast a questioning glance at him.

"You should be able to understand, right?"

"what?"

Tsunade took a deep breath, as if inhaling all the weight that had been pressing on her chest for so long, and then slowly exhaled.

"What I said before, my grandfather's ideals, everything he sacrificed for, and everything we sacrificed for, are now just an unrealistic dream."

"Having already died once, can't you let go?"

Shuji quietly looked back at Tsunade.

That gaze was clear and calm, without any ripples, yet it made the First Hokage's granddaughter feel inexplicably uneasy, as if she had been burned by something beneath that calm.

She almost wanted to look away.

"You have traveled through the ninja world. In the Land of Fire, are the ninjas still fighting and killing each other wantonly?"

Indiscriminate killing?

To say there was absolutely no conflict or grudge would be a pipe dream. In the world of ninjas, conflict and undercurrents have never ceased.

But to reach the point of "unrestrained slaughter," like the Warring States period where corpses littered the fields and life hung by a thread...

Tsunade was silent.

The wind outside the window blew through the courtyard, carrying the distant sound of craftsmen repairing the manor.

After a long silence, she finally managed to squeeze out a single word, clear and brief:
"No."

"Then Lord Hashirama's ideal has at least achieved one aspect."

The sun cast a long shadow of him across the silent corridor. Xiu Si didn't linger; he turned and disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

Tsunade stood alone, her fingers unconsciously stroking the cold necklace around her neck.

Shuji said goodbye to Shizune.

"Xiuji..." The kunoichi hesitated to speak.

"Miss Shizune?"

"Lady Tsunade, please forgive her for her harsh words." In the end, Shizune only said this one sentence.

"I understand."

Jirocho waited at the door, walked with the three of them for a while, and then stopped to watch the Fifth Class leave.

There were no ordinary people on the return journey. At the pace of a ninja, without resting, they could probably return to Konoha before dawn.

Although the matter of leaving the Jiegang ledger was urgent, it hadn't reached that point yet. Therefore, as night fell, Xiu Si found a good campsite and arranged for the team to rest temporarily before setting off again at dawn.

Red Bean and Itachi were tidying up the camp, while Shuuji was setting up guard posts.

Just as the boy was about to set up the trap, he looked into the depths of the forest and saw four ninjas emerge, each wearing animal masks, sleeveless bodysuits underneath, white overalls on top, and carrying a sword on their backs.

"Team 5, Special Jonin Shuji".

“We are ordered to take the Jiegang ledger from your hands.”

The wolf-faced ninja who was in the lead stepped forward and extended his hand to Shuji.

"Please hand over the ledgers to us."

(End of this chapter)