Konoha Notes

Chapter 412 After the Wave
Shuji officially landed in the Land of Water and entered Kirigakure only after he had inspected the situation on Algae Island and the surrounding islands.

It wasn't that he was putting on airs, but rather that he made other arrangements after confirming that Obito wouldn't launch a counterattack, and then he brought the Executioner's Blade as a memorial offering for the Fourth Mizukage.

Anyway, when he arrived, Kirigakure had already prepared the procedures and was about to begin.

The funeral was conducted solemnly and efficiently.

The fact that a farewell ceremony could bring together powerful figures from both Konoha and Kumogakure, along with Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki representing Iwagakure, is a rare sight among the Mizukage of Kirigakure.

The Raikage clearly couldn't stay long. The Heavenly Transfer Technique had brought him here quickly, but it couldn't send him back in the same way. He had to return with the Cloud Village's mobile force.

There's another person he really wants to meet. Kirigakure has already made its decision, and the only one left is Kumogakure, which the Raikage wants to talk to.

Of course you can talk through a screen, but some things can only be clearly conveyed face-to-face.

Jiraiya stood before Yagura's tombstone, silent for a long time. It was one link in a chain of sacrifices caused by his misguided disciple, a realization that made even the usually carefree hero appear unusually somber.

A small incident occurred after the funeral.

Haruame, the current Jinchūriki of the Six-Tails, may have been out of grief, or perhaps he wanted his disciple to completely break free from the fate of being a weapon.

He secretly tried to remove the tailed beast from Yutaka's body, but this provoked Yutaka's resistance, and he almost died.

After all, the Jinchuriki himself knows that he will die without the Tailed Beast.

Since Shuji happened to be in Kirigakure, he settled the matter while he was there, and incidentally, he also collected the Six-Tails' chakra.

Nearly half an hour had passed since the incident was dealt with. By the time everyone finally sat down in the conference room of the Water Shadow Building, it was already completely dark outside the window.

The meeting room was small, with only five people able to sit: the newly appointed Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi, Shuji and Jiraiya, the Raikage A who had not yet left, and Genji, who was attending as a representative of Kirigakure.

Kisame and Zabuza listened from the side.

After a brief silence, Jiraiya, unusually, spoke directly to express his opinion.

"Konoha deeply regrets what happened to the Fourth Mizukage."

"But this also exposes the flaws in our existing defense system. No matter how much we shorten the support distance or how fast we increase the reaction speed, as long as the enemy is able to launch an attack during the gaps in our deployment, this tragedy may be repeated."

Nagato could usually ignore most of what he said on the island of moss, but he took to heart the accusation that "everyone has concerns and cannot go all out."

He believes now is the best time to raise this issue.

Ai did not respond to Jiraiya's words.

His eyes looked across the table and locked onto Shuuji's face.

"Shuji," Ai said, "was this situation entirely within your expectations?"

"Lord Raikage!" Jiraiya replied very seriously, "Your accusations are too much! Konoha has already done its best to face Pain alone and even kill one of the Akatsuki members."

“I’m asking him.” Ai’s gaze remained fixed.

Shuji raised his eyes and met the Raikage's gaze. Then, his gaze swept lightly over everyone present.

Genji's aged face was expressionless, Kisame grinned, and Zabuza still had his arms crossed, but his eyes were sharp as knives.

Finally, there's Mei Terumi.

The newly appointed Fifth Mizukage sat regally in the main seat, her deep blue dress accentuating her fair complexion. Her gaze met Shuji's; her beautiful green eyes held no doubt, no questioning, only a quiet anticipation. "Isn't the current development precisely following the plan proposed by Kumogakure?"

"Whether it's the rapid reaction force itself, its location, or the decoy plan... whatever the plan, as long as it's the most feasible proposal at the moment, Konoha has never delayed, fully cooperated, and even taken on the front-line combat."

"What's your plan?" A raised his voice, his hand slamming on the table. "What's Konoha's real intention? To use this opportunity to retrieve all the Tailed Beasts?"

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Even the sound of the waves outside the window seemed distant.

Shuji lowered his eyes and looked at his palm, which was spread out on the table.

“Lord Raikage,” he said, “you’ve got one thing wrong.”

"Konoha has never hidden anything; we're just waiting for everyone to come to the reality they have to face."

"Of course I know what the optimal solution is. Concentrate all the Jinchuriki in one absolutely safe location, gather the most elite forces from the five great ninja villages to protect them, and let the other villages focus on development. Sounds good, doesn't it?"

"But Konoha is well aware that before sufficient mutual trust is established, such a plan will only be interpreted as Konoha's ambition to control all the tailed beasts. So for the time being, we will not propose any new plans, but will just focus on two things."

"First, we will seek technological breakthroughs to create more favorable conditions for each village's independent defense. As long as there are phased achievements, Konoha will share them unconditionally."

"Secondly, I will fully cooperate with every feasible plan you propose. Even if it means facing Payne, facing the most enemies, I will have no complaints."

Shuji's voice remained steady, but his speaking speed increased slightly.

"It's not that Konoha can't see the loopholes, but that we know fear can't foster true unity. Using force to suppress and using interests to bind might bring about temporary compromise, but the cracks will eventually show."

"The Sage of Six Paths possessed the strongest power, and the First Hokage's power was unmatched."

"But the peace they brought was ultimately limited by their lifespan."

"The current Konoha does not possess the power to surpass that of its predecessors. All we can do is, through crisis after crisis, make every village feel one thing: we will stand by your side, we are willing to stand by your side."

Shuji closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"Only when everyone genuinely acknowledges that we are on the same side and facing the same enemy... can those deep-rooted old problems be uprooted."

"As for what was expected..."

He reopened his eyes, his dark pupils appearing exceptionally clear under the light. That faint smile reappeared.

"I am just an ordinary person. I gained a little power because of luck, some things were brought about by everyone's desires, and I longed for a better future because of greed."

"That's all, Lord Raikage."

Ai stared at him, remaining silent for a long time. It was impossible to tell from Raikage's expression whether he was convinced or preparing a new question.

Finally, Ai released her hand from the table and leaned back.

"At this point, there really aren't many other options left."

"Tell me. Tell me about yourself, tell me Konoha's specific plans for the next step."

(End of this chapter)