Konoha Notes

Chapter 96 Age
Bring Tsunade back and make her Hokage.

Shuji had been considering this matter ever since Danzo Shimura came to his door.

Cooperation? Or mutual exploitation and counter-exploitation?

He had no interest in getting embroiled in endless power struggles with Danzo, but he was also unwilling to sit idly by and wait for an advisor with greater power to attack him.

Bringing Tsunade back to the village would undoubtedly be a decisive move.

If it really can't be done, then we'll consider other methods.

Shuji removed his Konoha headband and changed out of his conspicuous ninja vest. Underneath, he wore a black top and trousers for ease of movement, made of the same material as Might Guy's green bodysuit.

Honestly, they're very comfortable to wear. Red Bean and Itachi also think they're nice.

He simply pasted purple stripes on both sides of his cheeks for a slight disguise. He wore a long red robe with gold trim, and his wrists were wrapped with special bandages. Inside, his commonly used ninja tools were sealed with sealing techniques—learning sealing techniques had come in a new use.

Finally, bring a knife. Carrying something visible when you're out and about can always help you avoid unnecessary trouble.
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Shuji was quite familiar with the paths through the Land of Hot Springs. He remembered traveling this route to the eastern border many times. It had been the front line of the long-standing conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure, and Kumogakure's activities had completely ceased since the signing of the alliance.

This time, the number of Konoha ninjas and sentries deployed along the Land of Hot Springs line was much smaller than before.

The ninjas of Kumogakure can still see it—according to the agreement, Konoha has transferred part of the Land of Hot Springs mission quota to Kumogakure.

As for the opinions of the local ninja villages in the Land of Hot Water, specifically the Hidden Hot Water Village?
Yugakure had no objections. Konoha and Kumogakure had been fighting here for years, and after most of the Yugakure ninja who had objections died, the remaining ones had no more thoughts.

Although the village still maintains a certain number of ninjas and is known as a ninja village, it has actually transformed into a town with tourism as its main economic driver, relying on its abundant hot spring resources.

The Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water will still send money to the Hidden Village of Hot Water on time, but most of the mission quotas have been diverted to the Hidden Leaf Village. Now, the Hidden Cloud Village can enter the country without any problem.

Tsunade's physical and behavioral characteristics are very distinct, especially the latter; the legendary "fat sheep" is famous in almost every region.

Shuji followed the inns and casinos, but all the clues he found pointed to her leaving the Land of Hot Springs.

According to the last casino owner, she seemed to have headed east, supposedly to experience different cultures and customs.

As he said this, there was a hint of regret in his voice, as if he felt he hadn't been hospitable enough, which was why the big fat sheep didn't want to stay a few more days.

"Continuing eastward from the Land of Hot Springs..."

Shuji unfolds the map. Between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost, there is a small country called the Land of Cedar.

Along the coastal line, there is a commercial district called Shōtayōchō, which is quite prosperous.

He guessed that Tsunade might go there, so he didn't delay any longer and set off immediately.

As Shuji approached the forested area on the outskirts of Shibuta Yoko, he slowed his pace. The signs of a fight in the woods alerted him. He probed deeper and discovered bloodstains that had not yet dried, as well as clear burn and explosion marks from Lightning Release chakra on the trees.

The marks are relatively recent, and the technique was sharp; they could not have been left by an ordinary conflict.

Who are the Cloud Village ninjas fighting here?
His original self had fought against many ninjas from Kumogakure, and was extremely familiar with their techniques.

Xiu Si took out several specially made thin wooden pieces, engraved the Flying Thunder God technique formula on them, and then, according to his maximum teleportation radius, placed the marks along the way in tree trunk cracks, under shallow soil, or in rock crevices.

After completing everything, we entered the town of Shibuta Yoko.

The town itself isn't very populated; its prosperity is only relative to the neighboring Frost Country. However, the number of ninjas in the town is clearly excessive.

Several teams of ninjas wearing headbands from the Hidden Cloud Village were casually scattered throughout the streets and alleys. They made no attempt to conceal their identities, but such a display indicated that there were people of high status in the town.

But they didn't seem particularly vigilant, and didn't seem to care about one or two people carrying knives.

For a ninja with sufficient professional skills, the formation of the guards themselves can reveal the position they want to protect.

Shuji naturally blended into the crowd, following the flow towards the central area guarded by the Cloud Village ninjas. Eventually, he found another group of ninjas sitting outside a tavern in the town.

Through the open window of the tavern, Shuji immediately spotted the striking head of long, golden hair.

It was Tsunade. She was sitting at a table in the tavern, with Shizune sitting next to her. Shizune was holding a pink pig in her arms.

However, what caught Xiu Si's eye was the burly figure standing next to their table—bronze skin and short, light yellow hair.

The Fourth Raikage, A.

Shuji calmed himself down and looked out the window at the other seats in the tavern, where some seemingly ordinary customers were sitting.

At the tavern entrance, the Cloud Village ninjas made no attempt to stop other customers from entering.

After a brief deliberation, Shuji chose to head to the tavern.

"Hey." A Cloud Village ninja called out to him from the doorway.

“You…” The ninja leaned closer, scrutinizing Shuji closely, “You don’t look like you’re old enough to drink.”

Shuji, whose body was already tense, couldn't help but twitch his face.

Are there some kind of taint in the brains of you ninjas?
I was about to chop someone up, and you're asking me if I can drink?! Is that all you're going to ask?!
“Brother, although alcohol is a good thing, you shouldn’t try it if you’re not an adult,” another Cloud Village ninja said.

"No, well, I can already..."

"Alright, you two!" said Yunyin, who appeared to be the leader. "Don't disturb them!"

He tilted his head slightly towards Xiu Si, indicating that he could go in.
"Captain, he really doesn't look that old..."

"I think so too……"

"Young people are just making a small attempt, and as elders, we can't just stop them..."

Listening to the conversation behind him, Shuji took a deep breath and pushed open the door of the izakaya.

Tsunade, who had already heard the commotion inside, turned her gaze towards the person at the door.

Having already drunk some, Princess Thousand Hands looked up, her gaze lingering on Xiu Si.

"It looks somewhat familiar..."

"what!"

She stood up abruptly, bypassed Lei Ying Ai, and quickly walked to Xiu Si.

She grabbed Shuji by the collar.

"Kid! I caught you in a place like this! Want to drink, huh? You brat, you're not old enough to try this kind of stuff!"

"He was so arrogant before, saying things like he'd drink less!"

"Now I've secretly come here myself!"

"What?! You also want to try what it's like to be marinated in alcohol?"

He was being carried by Tsunade with one hand and swayed back and forth, with Shuji remaining expressionless.

There must be something wrong with my brain for me to think of bringing you back to be Hokage.

(End of this chapter)