Konoha Notes

Chapter 423 Wind and Faith

"You weren't the only one left behind that day, Naruto."

The white-haired man said in a deep voice, "When facing the Nine-Tails, if we had chosen to run away... Konoha has many excellent ninjas who could have survived."

Naruto sat on the floor, head down.

"Then... I want to know... what kind of people they are."

Jiraiya turned around and walked to the window: "Today is not a good day for storytelling, let's stop here."

"What is this..." Naruto pouted, his voice filled with disappointment and frustration. "The perverted sage is just like the Third Hokage, he still hasn't said anything."

“Minato, Minato Namikaze,” he said before leaving. “That’s your father’s name.”

"He is a hero, just like those who died fighting for the village that night."

"As for his affairs, go ask Iruka yourself. I don't have time to recount his achievements to you one by one; there are simply too many."

By the time Jiraiya finished speaking the last word, he had already climbed out the window.

Minato Namikaze.

Kushina.

He silently repeated those two names in his heart, over and over again.

Naruto Uzumaki – he does not have his father's surname.

So... is it the mother's surname?

Is your mother's name Kushina Uzumaki?
-
On the first morning of September, before the sky was fully bright, Naruto opened his eyes.

He jumped up, grabbed the orange short-sleeved shirt from the bedside table and put it on haphazardly. He put his pants on backwards and put them back on. While washing up, he squeezed toothpaste onto the back of his hand.

He found the leftover milk and bread from yesterday in the kitchen, hastily stuffed them into his mouth, and the icy milk slid down his throat, completely waking him up.

Naruto jogged along, passing through familiar streets and alleys, and finally stopped in front of that familiar two-story building.

The door was ajar.

He pushed open the door and peeked inside. The living room was empty; the furniture was still there, but the ninja tool bags that had been on the low cabinet were gone, and the clothes that had been drying on the balcony had also been taken down.

There was no one in the kitchen, and the bedroom door was open, also empty, with the bed made up meticulously as if no one had ever lived there.

"Gaara?"

Naruto's voice echoed in the empty room, but received no response.

He stepped back and stood at the door, looking somewhat lost.

They left? They went back? Did they go back to Sunagakure? Why didn't they say so yesterday? They were supposed to go to rehearsal again tonight...

"So you really did come here."

Kankuro's voice came from behind.

Naruto looked over and saw the red-haired boy standing there, with Temari and Kankuro both looking at him.

"Gaara!" Naruto ran over. "Where did you guys go? I just went in..."

“They moved out last night,” Gaara replied briefly.

"Konoha has arranged a new place to stay temporarily," Temari said, her tone more subdued than usual. "It's in an old house in the western suburbs."

"Why did this happen so suddenly?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

Gaara had already turned and was walking towards the Ninja Academy. Temari and Kankuro followed, and Naruto quickly caught up with Gaara.

"It's Xiu Si's arrangement," the red-haired boy said after taking a few steps.

“Brother Shuuji…” Naruto blinked, then suddenly remembered something, “Ah, right! Gaara knows a lot about Konoha, right? Then do you know Minato Namikaze…”

Kankuro, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around.

He turned around and looked at Naruto with an incredulous expression.

"You..." Kankuro's expression twisted slightly. "Are you serious? About that thing about wanting to become Hokage?"

Temari stopped in her tracks, placing a hand on her forehead: "You don't even know the shadow of your own village?"

"Don't the Konoha Ninja Academy teach these things in the first year? These are the most basic things, right?"

Naruto started stammering.

First grade... first grade academic classes are indeed quite easy to fall asleep to. Those classes about village history and the Hokage of all time, I was either daydreaming or dozing off.

He only really started paying attention in class two or three months ago.

“Minato Namikaze was the Fourth Hokage of Konoha,” Gaara’s voice interjected. “The youngest Hokage in Konoha’s history, and also the one with the shortest tenure.”

He took office in Konoha in the fiftieth year and died in the fiftieth year.

Father, is he the Hokage?
He died within a year?
"Can the Hokage... also die?" Naruto asked instinctively.

“A Shadow faces the most powerful enemy, and is usually the enemy’s primary target,” Gaara replied. “Death is one of the options.”

"But, but..." Naruto stammered, trying to refute, "The Third Hokage, and the Fifth Hokage's sister..."

He didn't know what he was saying, or what he was trying to prove.

Kankuro scoffed, "Don't take Konoha's situation for granted, Naruto."

“Apart from Iwagakure and Konoha, the Third Kage of the other villages are no longer alive.”

"And the Fourth Hokage of Sunagakure and Kirigakure are also dead."

At this point, Kankuro's voice suddenly choked up.

Luo Sha did fulfill his responsibilities to Ju to some extent, leaving behind an impression of being a father.

"Your Fourth Hokage of Konoha died the earliest," Kankuro continued, his speech quickening as he tried to finish before some emotion welled up inside him. "Our Fourth Hokage of Sunagakure, our father..."

His voice completely stopped.

Temari grabbed Kankuro's arm. She didn't say anything, but pulled her younger brother along and quickened her pace, almost running forward.

Naruto stood there, stunned, watching the backs of the two people.

The child of the wind and shadow.

Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro are the children of the Kazekage.

"Our father, the Fourth Kazekage." Gaara's voice rang in my ears.

Naruto turned his head to the side.

The red-haired boy's face was expressionless. He stared ahead at Temari and Kankuro's backs, as if he were talking about something completely unrelated to himself.

"Two years ago, he died at the hands of Shuji."

The red-haired boy's face was blank, his eyes staring straight ahead, as if he were talking about something completely unrelated to himself.

She died at the hands of... Shuji-nii?
Naruto's brain stopped working for a second.

"I'm...I'm sorry..."

"fine."

Gaara's answer consisted of only two words.

"How can nothing be wrong!" Naruto couldn't help but shout. "That's yours—"

He braked suddenly.

He recalled the way Gaara and Shuji interacted. Those simple greetings, Shuji's occasional hand landing on Gaara's head, Gaara's silent obedience to Shuji's instructions.

There was no trace of hatred in it.

Not at all.

"Gaara, why..."

"arrive."

Gaara stopped in his tracks. The gates of the Ninja Academy were right in front of him.

There are more new students this year than in previous years. The school gate is crowded with parents and children, and the little devils who are about to start school are squeezing around the adults' legs.

Naruto spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

Shikamaru was yawning and slowly making his way towards the school gate, with Choji beside him, crunching away on a bag of potato chips he'd just bought. Sakura and Ino were talking together, while Shion stood quietly a little further away. Karin kept opening and closing her eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Fu, who was officially enrolling today, waved to the two of them and then began to try to integrate herself into the group.

Finally, there's Sasuke.

He had his hands in his pockets and was leaning against the tree trunk.

Everything was no different from any other first day of school.

until--

A loud, sharp cry pierced the morning sky without warning!

Everyone instinctively looked up.

The ninja hawks of Konoha circled rapidly high in the sky, emitting cries at a specific frequency that indicated an emergency. Almost simultaneously, a massive shadow swept across the higher clouds at an alarming speed.

Immediately afterwards, countless white flakes fell from the giant bird's body, like a blizzard flowing backwards, pouring down towards Konoha Village!

It's paper! Lots of paper!

"What is that?!" a freshman exclaimed in horror.

"Was it an attack?!"

The scene instantly showed signs of unrest. The teachers shouted and tried to maintain order, but more and more people looked up at the sky, and uneasy whispers were spreading.

Naruto watched as the papers fell closer and closer. He could see words and some patterns printed on them, but they were too far away to see clearly.

Then, the wind rose.

It's not natural wind.

Centered on the direction of the Hokage Rock, a visible stream of air suddenly appeared, sweeping upwards like an inverted tornado.

The densely packed papers were instantly captured by this powerful airflow.

Instead of falling, they were forcibly gathered, pulled up, compressed into a huge mass, and dragged away from the sky above the ninja academy and the main area of ​​the village.

The paper rubbed against each other, making a loud rustling sound, like thousands of birds flapping their wings at the same time.

The giant bird let out a cry and turned to flee.

But it was a step too late.

Another gust of air struck from the side, hitting its wing precisely.

The giant bird lost its balance and tumbled downwards, but before it touched the treetops, it turned into a puff of white smoke and dissipated.

The whole process took only a dozen seconds.

When people came to their senses, all that remained in the sky were the crumpled pieces of paper, their silhouettes moving towards Shadow Rock. The morning sun shone down again, illuminating the crowd standing motionless on the playground.

Naruto stared in disbelief at this incomprehensible scene: "What... what is this?"

“It’s Wind Release.” Temari had somehow appeared beside him, looking up at the sky. “That person… Shuji’s Wind Release.”

"Wind... Wind Release?"

"The power of the technique used by just one person is equivalent to the combined power of an entire Sand Village Wind Release ninja unit."

"The princess of Sunagakure said in a low voice."

"You can't even stand up like that?!"

A clear shout rang out, instantly drowning out all the whispers.

Tsunade stood on the steps in front of the school gate.

"If that's the case, it's better to leave the ninja academy as soon as possible and become an ordinary person."

The disturbance was completely quelled.

The new students quieted down and huddled close to their parents, who were ninjas. The parents' expressions were serious, but not panicked.

The older students quickly lined up at the teacher's instruction. Shikamaru yawned and joined the line, while Choji stuffed the last potato chip into his mouth. Sasuke moved away from the tree trunk and silently stood at the front of the third-year students' line.

"This is the situation you might face at any time after becoming a ninja."

The Fifth Hokage stood before the students, his gaze sweeping over their faces, some young and some inexperienced.

"An attack that comes from nowhere, a crisis that occurs without warning, a moment when you must react immediately."

"Those who only throw kunai and shuriken, and use ninjutsu, are not ninjas. Even if those people call themselves ninjas, they are nothing."

She paused for a moment, her gaze lingering on the faces of several trembling freshmen.

"Fear is normal. But letting fear control your actions is a fatal weakness. Today it's just paper—what if it were explosive tags? What if it were poison gas? What if the enemy were mixed in with you?"

The playground was completely silent.

"The first lesson of the new semester." Tsunade turned and walked towards the school gate, leaving behind her last words, "Remember them all."
-
The wind was much stronger on Fire Shadow Rock than at the foot of the mountain.

Shuji stood at the highest point of Konoha Village.

A squad of spies stood beside him, all four wearing animal masks, standing silently.

One of them was holding several pieces of paper; they were the ones who had slipped through the net earlier and had been quickly recovered.

The crumpled papers, forcibly gathered in the air by the airflow, were now suspended in mid-air not far in front of Shadow Rock. The huge white sphere slowly rotated, and the edges of the papers trembled slightly in the wind.

Another person exhaled a mouthful of fire into the air, burning the paper balls that had been forcibly gathered near the Shadow Rock to ashes. The flames swept past, and the black ash was scattered by the wind.

Footsteps came from behind.

Tsunade walked to his side, glanced at the dissipating black smoke, and then at the remaining papers in the hands of the Anbu.

"That's quite a generous gesture."

The officer holding the paper then began his report. He knelt on one knee and presented the paper with both hands.

"Hokage-sama, Shuji-sama."

"It's an announcement from the Akatsuki organization. They demand that the winner be decided through a competition to determine the ownership of the Jinchuriki."

Shuji didn't speak, he just extended his hand.

The officer in the shadows handed over the paper.

It had words printed on it. The wording was very formal, like a diplomatic document. The core message was just one sentence: "Martial arts competition, the victor gets the tailed beast."

Tsunade leaned over and took a peek.

"Was this Nagato's own idea?"

"It's also possible that it's the result of reaching an internal consensus." Shuji's gaze lingered on the paper for a few seconds before shifting to the distant streets of Konoha. "For us, this could be a good opportunity to reduce the enemy's core fighting force."

“After all, even if we lose, we won’t hand over the Jinchuriki.” Tsunade crossed her arms. “They should know that.”

“Those who support Nagato’s opinion this time can also use this opportunity to find a breakthrough,” Shuji said. “As long as we agree, there will be internal mobilization. Which villages are willing to send people, who they should send, and how they should cooperate... these will all become points of friction.”

"If we refuse, the internal conflicts within Akatsuki may be suppressed."

"In general, whether we refuse or agree, it is an opportunity for them to consolidate their opinions. The only difference is which option is more beneficial to us."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow: "I see... This method doesn't seem like something Madara would come up with."

Shuji nodded.

So, will you agree or not?

"Let's leave it to the secret service to handle," Shuuji said. "We just need to wait for Kakashi and the others to come up with a solution."

(End of this chapter)