Konoha Notes

Chapter 396 Yin Yin
In the reception room of the Joint Affairs Bureau.

Feng Mo Lan sat on a guest chair, with Feng Mo Qing Ling, who had a deep hunchback, beside him.

This is Konoha, the center of attention in the ninja world. And he, the head of a small clan who has barely managed to keep Otogakure afloat for two years, is now sitting here because of a summons.

Feng Molan felt somewhat uneasy.

The Hidden Sound Village was an unexpected delight.

Two years ago, a stranger came to their door and gave them a gift.

A ninja village that has received permission from both Konoha and the Land of Rice Fields, but is now an empty shell with no one managing it.

It has now been decided to hand over the operation to the Wind Demon Clan.

As for the cost, it is that we will need to do several missions for this matter in the future.

Fuma Ran had no idea how dangerous those missions would be, comparable to those of an entire ninja village. But he had no other choice.

The clan has been weak for a long time, and if such an opportunity is missed, there will be no second chance.

Two years later, Otogakure started operating albeit haltingly. Under the name of a legitimate ninja village, they obtained some long-term commissions and had a relatively stable income. The children of the clan were finally able to train their bodies and learn ninjutsu in a structured manner.

Last month, Konoha held a joint meeting of ninja villages. He observed for a while before finally deciding to join, otherwise it would have been too conspicuous. Fortunately, Konoha did not give them any extra attention or questioning and allowed them to join.

The meeting ended, and the representatives from each ninja village left one after another. Lan thought she had passed this hurdle, and even began to think that the deal two years ago might really have just been a fluke.

Then the summons came.

"Dragonfly." Lan lowered her voice, looking at the tightly closed door. "What does Konoha want with us this time?"

"At least it wasn't to kill us." The Wind Demon Dragonfly's voice was hoarse. "If they wanted to kill us, they wouldn't have gone through all this trouble."

Yes, if Konoha had really discovered something and needed to eliminate them, they wouldn't have used this method, wouldn't have summoned them to this building.

The waiting time was exceptionally long, and Lan's initial speculations gradually dissipated during the wait.

If it were something truly important, they probably wouldn't have had to wait this long.

A long-haired Konoha ninja appeared at the door: "Lord Fuma Ran, Director Hatake requests your presence."

"Thank you for your trouble."

Arashi was brought before Kakashi.

Kakashi asked him to sit down and then said, "The Hidden Sound Village was granted permission four years ago, but it took two years to actually start operating."

Lan replied cautiously, "The initial preparations were insufficient, and at the time, we did not expect to obtain permission so quickly."

“I understand.” Kakashi nodded. “After all, without the financial support of the daimyo of the country, it would be a heavy burden to run a ninja village on the strength of a single clan.”

"The Fuuma clan is already very grateful that Konoha has recognized the existence of Otogakure." He spoke quickly, as if afraid of being interrupted. "Moreover, being accepted into the martial arts system provides a new source of income. We will cherish this opportunity."

Kakashi, however, seemed unconcerned: "Under the custom of one village per country, it is only right that the ninja villages of the Land of Rice receive funds from their own daimyo."

"The demands we made to the daimyo of the land of fields back then were merely a cautious request on our part."

Blood rushed to the eardrums.

Lan suddenly stood up: "You mean, Konoha is willing—"

The moment the words left his mouth, Lan realized his rudeness. He immediately bowed and said, "I'm very sorry, I was being impolite."

Kakashi waved his hand.

“I am now the head of the Joint Affairs Bureau,” he corrected. “My words do not represent Konoha.” Kakashi pulled out a scroll and unfolded it. It was covered with dense clauses and numbers.

"But for Konoha, now is also the time to discuss the commission share with the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields."

"This matter was entrusted to the secretariat."

"If Otogakure takes the initiative to apply to the Joint Affairs Bureau and request its assistance in coordination... then it shouldn't be difficult to secure some basic funding support for you."

"After all, there aren't many ninjas left in Otogakure, so the financial support they need should be within the Daimyo's acceptable range."

Lan held his breath as he looked at the lines of small characters on the scroll.

My mind was racing; this seemed to be no less challenging than the opportunity I had two years ago when I obtained the Hidden Sound Village.

Lan slowly sat back down in her chair.

“Yes.” He heard his own voice ring out, more steady than he had imagined. “Otogakure is now able to operate. Just a little funding, enough to allow us to train new recruits… is enough.”

enough.

That's enough—to revive the flame of the clan.

Kakashi nodded, reached into the pen holder, pulled out a new pen, and wrote a few lines in the blank space at the end of the scroll. The ink blurred, but the handwriting was messy yet clear.

"The application process and required documents will be provided by the Bureau of Affairs shortly." He closed the scroll. "Lord Fumo, do you have any further questions?"

"That's all." Lan stood up and bowed again. "Thank you for your consideration."
-
The Hokage's office.

Shuji sat at a low table by the window, with three handwritten notes spread out in front of him.

"How's the Sage Mode training going after a week?" Tsunade asked.

“Kai has the most chakra, and a single training session can last up to twenty minutes.” He picked up a pen and circled a number. “But he’s still far from being able to autonomously sense and absorb natural energy.”

"Choza has a stable mindset and excellent chakra, so he's second in terms of progress."

Tsunade emerged from behind her desk, a teacup in her hand. She sat down on the sofa opposite Shuji, crossing her legs.

"So Hyuga Hiashi is at the bottom?"

“It will be slower. Although his chakra is at the same level as Anko's, Anko was once marked with a cursed seal by Orochimaru and has already adapted to natural energy,” Shuji replied. “The advantage is that his data will be more valuable for reference.”

"I will begin training Hyuga Neji next week."

"Let's see what effect starting to practice Sage Mode from a young age will have on physical development and chakra growth."

Tsunade nodded, then suddenly said, "Using Otogakure to start this... I really don't know how you came up with that idea."

Shuji said, "They are the ones most likely to agree to this."

"If the Sound Village is a pawn left behind by Orochimaru, then their voluntary application to join the alliance means they need this identity as a cover. They won't resist Konoha's demands."

"What if it isn't?"

“Then this is the opportunity they’ve been waiting for all these years.” Shuuji stood up, walked to his desk, and pointed to the northern edge of the map of the Land of Fire. “The Land of Rice Fields is right next door. They have no reason to refuse the guarantee that Konoha offered on its own initiative.”

"People with too few choices will grab any rope they see."

"By setting a precedent through Otogakure, things will be easier later on."

"With the coordination of the secretariat, Xiaoshi Village obtained reasonable funding—once a model is established, other villages will be interested and willing to try it."

(End of this chapter)