Konoha Notes

Chapter 35 Three Roads
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, violently poured into the cabin. The wooden hull groaned dully in the surging waves, and with each rocking motion, the messenger sitting next to Xiu Si paled even more. He was a capable young man, but now he gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, his gaze frequently drifting towards the churning dark blue sea outside the porthole.

"Someone's...someone's chasing us! Quick!"

"Get your weapons ready! Harpoon guns!"

On deck, the sailors' rough shouts mingled with the clanging of metal, conveying a palpable tension. The previously steady voyage had been completely disrupted.

Xiu Si sat cross-legged on the slightly damp deck with his eyes closed, his body rising and falling gently with the ship's rocking, as if rooted to a rock. The messenger's alarm did not disturb him in the slightest.

“They’re here…” Shuji slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm and unfathomable. He stood up, his movements carrying a peculiar rhythm that counteracted the swaying of the ship.

“Stay here,” he gave a brief order to the messenger who was trying to get up.

Pushing open the creaking hatch, Shuuji stood behind several sailors armed with harpoons, ready for battle, his gaze fixed on the sea. A tall, slender figure was cutting through the waves, walking on the water.

The man wore a sleeveless black bodysuit underneath a dark breastplate that reflected a cold luster. His face was covered by a mask, revealing only a pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes.

Xiu Si's eyes narrowed slightly: "A member of the Black Eclipse Clique? Or their subordinate?"

To be able to chase a ship across open water for so long demonstrates remarkable control and chakra reserves; such ability is at least among the elite level of Chunin, even within Konoha.

If they are core members of the Black Eclipse Clan, it is still within expectations; but if they are just subordinates... then the strength assessment of this organization must be raised another level.

Just as Shuji was facing off against the enemy on the sea, inside the Sea Breeze Inn, Huan Shi, like a ghost blending into the shadows, stepped into the somewhat noisy lobby on the first floor.

His attire and appearance should have made him the most eye-catching person in the crowd. However, the innkeeper, the waiters, and even the few guests seemed to ignore him, busy with their own things, their eyes vacantly sweeping over his location.

"The three of them... are all in the rooms upstairs." Huan Shi did not climb the stairs. From the three rooms upstairs, one could clearly hear the concentrated and active life force and chakra belonging to ninjas.

The ninja, who resembled a practitioner, was filled with suspicion. Wasabi Jirocho's announcement was nothing short of a calculated move—summoning local leaders, presenting evidence, publicly declaring that a messenger had been sent to the daimyo, and using the name of the Konoha ninja to exert pressure. This was clearly forcing the opponent to choose between "waiting for the daimyo's judgment" or "immediately eliminating the threat."

Given that they anticipated a strong reaction from their opponents, why did the entire Konoha ninja squad remain here?

Was that messenger, who had just set off, merely bait?
Has the real messenger carrying crucial evidence already quietly set off?
If that's the case, why is there still no word from Daming Prefecture?

The three auras he sensed were real and authentic... Could it be that Konoha had secretly sent more men? Huan Shi's mind raced, and a strange unease quietly began to grow.

He turned abruptly and strode out of the hostel, his movements swift and silent.

Standing on the street, he looked up warily, his green eyes instantly locking onto a half-open window on the top floor.

Behind the window, a pair of eyes were looking down at him indifferently.

Huan Shi felt a chill run down her spine. She pushed off with her toes and took several steps back. At the same time, she slightly raised her wrist, and the "Shi" bell attached to it emitted a low, rapid hum, with invisible waves sweeping across her body.

Only after confirming that he had not fallen into any illusion or barrier trap did he focus his gaze again.

This time, three pairs of eyes appeared behind the window—Shuji, Anko, and Itachi—three faces calmly watching him, their eyes equally indifferent.

"A clone technique!" Huan Shi instantly realized, a surge of anger at being tricked mixed with wariness welling up inside him. No wonder he sensed three chakra entities, yet their scents were so uniform!

"Good trick!" Huan Shi muttered under his breath, the copper coin between his canine teeth making a slight grinding sound. He divided his chakra into three parts, yet each part still maintained considerable strength... The one who stayed was probably the captain, so those who left must be that brat and the female ninja.

With the strength of the First Eclipse, dealing with those two people is more than enough.

So my task right now is to keep this captain pinned down! Keep him firmly in this Sea Breeze Pavilion until the First Eclipse succeeds, or until he can't hold back and makes a move that exposes his weakness!
Instead of trying to peer inside the inn, Huan Shi retreated and disappeared into the shadows of the street. The bell on his wrist emitted a continuous, low, soft sound, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue before a hunt. An invisible force field began to quietly envelop the area around Hai Feng Pavilion.

Inside a room on the third floor of the Sea Breeze Pavilion, Xiu Si stood by the window, watching Huan Shi's figure completely disappear into the shadows of the street corner. Thanks to the unique sensory link between his wooden clones, the information about his main body being intercepted on the sea and Huan Shi's appearance at the Sea Breeze Pavilion had been instantly synchronized.

“The target has taken the bait; begin to restrain them.” Shuji, the wooden clone left at the inn, understood perfectly.

With a slight thought, the two wooden clones behind him, used to disguise themselves as Anko and Itachi, silently retreated to a dead corner of the room, then turned into pieces of wood and landed on the ground. The dissipated chakra was not wasted; like rivers flowing into the sea, it quickly merged into the wooden clone by the window.

Although he had not succeeded in his Sage Mode training, his daily exploration and experimentation had greatly improved his control over chakra, especially his ability to control Wood Release clones, far surpassing what he had achieved before.

For him, meticulously dividing, collecting, and re-condensing chakra was not difficult.

The story goes back to shortly after the Hongshancheng cargo ship departed port.

“The plan is to split into three routes.” Shuji spoke calmly and clearly to Anko and Itachi in their inn room. “I will personally lead the messenger route. Wasabi Jirocho’s act of reporting the daimyo will likely prompt some action from the other side. This is the route where we are most likely to encounter core members or elites of the Black Eclipse Clan. We need to proceed cautiously and obtain crucial intelligence.”

Red Bean crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow slightly: "What about this side? And what about Old Man Wasabi's side?"

“Haifeng Pavilion needs to leave the illusion that ‘we’re all here’ to mislead ordinary spies, and at the same time, act as bait to attract enemy ninjas who might come to investigate, so as to gather first-hand intelligence.” Shuuji’s gaze swept over the two of them. “I will leave a clone to impersonate the three of us.”

"If we're going to gather intelligence, will we use shadow clones? Won't that be too taxing for you, Shuji?" Anko asked. Shadow clones distribute chakra evenly, so having your main body, three clones, and dealing with battle...

"That's enough." He left behind a wood clone, but Shuji didn't intend to talk about the wood jutsu yet.

Since the captain was so confident, Anko stopped questioning him and simply asked, "Should Itachi and I go to Route 3? The Wasabi family?"

"Yes, the other side might choose to attack Wasabi's family. They have more than enough manpower to deal with an assassination, but they would be overwhelmed if it were a large-scale attack."

Based on the lowest estimate, the opposing side has no Jonin, so they can't do anything to Jirocho, who is protected by Jonin. Logically speaking, the opposing side should have Jonin. So, if they don't resort to assassination and instead want to directly attack Wasabi's family, Shizune, who mainly relies on medical abilities, probably won't be enough on her alone. As for Tsunade, once it's a head-on group battle, there will be a lot of bloodshed. If Tsunade steps in then, she will become the breakthrough point.

Therefore, Itachi and Anko had to go to Wasabi's house just in case.

However, there are some things that need to be explained in advance. Shuuji's gaze swept over the two of them: "The Wasabi family are excellent medical ninjas who can be trusted. There's no need to ask too many questions about their background... Consider this my personal request."

Red Bean listened and scratched her face: "Eh—the captain's request, huh? Well then, I can't see anything either, but... if it involves... well, anyway, Shuuji, you know that's fine."

Shuji said he understood. She had just experienced her teacher Orochimaru's betrayal of the village. It was really important and involved the safety of the village. Anko would most likely still explain to the village.

As for Itachi, Uchiha simply nodded and quietly agreed.

He knew Xiu Si's hidden identity and was naturally the most aware that he was the least likely person to harm the village, so keeping some things secret was no big deal.

(End of this chapter)