Konoha Notes

Chapter 425 The Night Before and the Morning

The lights in the venue area looked especially warm in the September night breeze.

Inside the main arena, Kirabi stood below the stage, holding a baton made from a sheet of music, pointing at Han on the stage.

"Wrong—!!!"

"The drumbeats should be like a steam burst! They need to have layers! Do you understand what layers are?!"

The Five-Tails' jinchūriki adjusted his sitting posture, raised the drumsticks, and tried the rhythm again.

"Cool! That's the feeling! Keep it up!"

The VIP boxes on the top floor of the venue were filled with smoke.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat on the soft sofa, his hand holding a pipe resting on the armrest. Jiraiya sat diagonally opposite him, also with a pipe in his mouth, his legs propped up on another low stool.

Their gazes fell through the one-way glass of the private box onto the brightly lit stage below.

“Even if we go back to just a month ago, I would never have imagined that seven Jinchuriki would gather together to do this,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

Before he could finish speaking, Killer Bee had already flipped and jumped onto the center of the stage.

The spotlight shone down on him.

"Yo---! Listen up!"

"This is Killer Bee's exclusive channel! Tonight only! Open your ears! Prepare your heart for an unprecedented shock—!"

A high-pitched, almost cracking rap exploded forth, mixed with improvised rhymes and onomatopoeic words of unclear meaning. Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyebrows twitched noticeably.

"If the opening ceremony features this kind of performance, there shouldn't be any problems with the martial arts revenue this year, right?"

"This is an event involving almost the entire ninja world, and it's also the first martial arts exercise after the reorganization of the Affairs Bureau. Poor data is unacceptable."

Jiraiya stroked his chin, his expression subtle. In the past, in the world of ninjas, the novels he wrote and the methods he used to gather material were already considered quite avant-garde.

But listening to the rhythm and singing style below that was completely beyond common sense, he suddenly felt like he was a bit out of touch.

"It's hard to say." After a brief pause, he gave an ambiguous answer, "However, it should be memorable."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a drag of his cigarette, his white beard trembling slightly with each exhale: "Starting from your generation, the village has produced a bunch of good-for-nothings."

“When the First and Second Generation Lords were alive, we weren’t like this.”

Jiraiya laughed upon hearing this.

The laughter carried a hint of nostalgia, and also a touch of mockery.

"That's your problem, old man."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't reply, but just took another drag of his cigarette. After a long while, he finally let out a snort, the tone of which was neither clear as agreement nor disagreement.

“None of the disciples I’ve taught are any decent,” he said, his gaze still fixed on those below. “Especially you. You’ve been reckless since you were a child, daring to try summoning techniques without a contract, completely unaware of the caution a ninja should have.”

"When practicing cultivation, he only knows how to act without thinking. His task reports are terrible, and he always likes to go to places he shouldn't be..."

The Third Hokage launched into a long, scathing rebuke.

Jiraiya was equally ruthless, likely having followed the old man's example. Moreover, as a teacher, this old man had consistently refused to teach his disciples the technique they most desired.

"So I'll give you the skill of using a telescope? To make your spying more discreet?"

“I would never do that.” Jiraiya sat up straight with righteous indignation, twirling his pipe between his fingers. “As a writer, everything I do is aboveboard.”

"Besides, you have to experience things for yourself to find the material, otherwise it's meaningless, old man!"

The Third Hokage's snickering and Jiraiya's nonchalant chuckle echoed from the private room.

The master and apprentice chatted casually like this, while the rehearsal below continued.

The night is getting darker.

Because Naruto, Fu, and Gaara had to go to school the next day, the rehearsal ended at 10:30.

Killer Bee, with his arm around Han and Utakata's shoulders, gestured animatedly about his upcoming music arrangement ideas. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki listened silently, nodding occasionally; the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, on the other hand, turned slightly to the side, trying to keep a distance from his overly enthusiastic colleague.

When the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki tried to pour the same passion into his fellow villager Yugito Nii, he was met with a merciless elbow strike.

"Ow—!"

Killer Bee clutched his chest and yelled, still stubbornly shouting, "Passion! Yugito! The stage needs passion! The bass should sound as fierce as a shark tearing apart its prey!"

The two girls completely ignored him, picked up their bass, and turned to leave.

At the edge of the stands, Fu watched this scene and couldn't help but chuckle. She jogged to catch up with Naruto and Gaara, who were already heading towards the exit, and the three children's figures quickly disappeared into the shadows of the passageway.

In the VIP box, Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly watched the scene below gradually dissipate.

The sofa next to him suddenly felt lighter.

Jiraiya's figure had disappeared without a trace, leaving only his pipe resting on the edge of the ashtray, a wisp of smoke still slowly rising.

The Third Hokage stood up, walked to the glass, and followed the figures leaving the venue and heading towards Konoha Village.

Then, he left the private room and headed towards the Joint Affairs Bureau.

The lobby was much quieter at night than during the day, with only a few clerks on duty organizing documents behind the counter. Upon seeing the visitor, they quickly stood up and bowed, but Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, signaling them to continue their work.

He stopped in front of Kakashi's office.

The door was closed, and no light shone through the crack in it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the door for a few seconds, shook his head, and turned to leave.

Just then, lazy footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

The silver-haired Jonin was carrying a plastic bag containing cup noodles and two cans of drinks.

Kakashi paused for a moment when he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“Oh dear,” he said, “the third generation.”

“I thought you were planning to rest in the village tonight,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

Kakashi walked to the door and took out his key.

"That's really strict," he said as he opened the door. "But there's nothing so urgent that you can't even leave work, is there?"

“If you really thought that way,” Hiruzen Sarutobi watched him open the door and press the switch on the wall, instantly illuminating the office piled high with documents, “you wouldn’t have come back at this time.”

The clock on the wall points to 11:07 PM.

Kakashi placed the plastic bag on the table, took out a can of drink from the bag, pulled the tab, pulled down the mask, and tilted his head back to take a big gulp.

“After all, Itachi worked hard to organize the documents,” Kakashi put down his drink can and wiped his mouth. “It would just feel inappropriate not to come and take a look.”

"What are Shuji and Tsunade's plans?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi cut straight to the point.

Kakashi walked behind the desk, sat down, opened a document, and quickly scanned the text.

“There’s nothing there,” he replied.

“Since they have no ideas,” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s gaze sharpened, “what about you?”

The silver-haired Jonin did not answer immediately.

He continued to peruse the documents.

“A meeting of just five ninja villages,” Kakashi said slowly, “is unlikely to yield any meaningful results.”

"So let's continue to expand the scope of the meeting."

"It's rare to have something worth discussing. Another tournament is about to start, and representatives from many ninja villages will be there."

"Making it more lively will probably make us seem more serious."

“Now,” the Third Hokage began, “you’re starting to resemble Shuuji in some ways, Kakashi.” “After all, I’m the Copy Ninja,” Kakashi said with a self-deprecating laugh. “When the original doesn’t want to show up, I can only reluctantly use his methods to deal with what he’s created.”
-
The sky is dimly bright.

Temari opened her eyes.

She stared at the ceiling for a while before slowly sitting up. The room was unfamiliar, the bed unfamiliar, even the smell of dust in the air felt strange.

She reached out and smoothed her disheveled blonde hair, then threw back the covers and stepped barefoot onto the floor.

The wooden floor was slightly cool.

Temari isn't picky about her environment, and the conditions here aren't bad, but she definitely didn't get enough rest.

Even though it was already the second night, it was by no means a habit.

I don't know if it's because of what Naruto said yesterday morning, or because of the technique I saw later.

Temari opened the door.

The corridor was quiet, with morning light streaming in through the window at the end.

She took a few steps forward and, as she passed Kankuro's room, heard a faint noise coming from inside.

They've probably woken up by now.

Sure enough, a few seconds later the door opened and Kankuro came out rubbing his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept well either.

The two exchanged a glance, said nothing, and walked outside.

The mansion was very large. After passing through two corridors and pushing open the last wooden door, a bright and spacious view suddenly appeared before us.

The front yard was surprisingly spacious.

The morning mist had not yet completely dissipated, and the light softly spread across the stone slabs.

Shuji stood by the stone table in the center of the courtyard, holding a water cup and drinking water.

Breakfast was laid out under the eaves: rice, miso soup, grilled mackerel, and pickled vegetables.

Gaara was already sitting there, eating quietly.

Hearing footsteps, Shuji turned around.

His gaze lingered on Temari and Kankuro for a moment, he nodded as a greeting, and then turned back to continue drinking water.

Temari and Kankuro sat down without saying a word.

Just then, a golden head peeked out from the wide-open courtyard gate.

Naruto peered around cautiously, his blue eyes scanning the yard.

"Gaara? Temari, Kane..."

His gaze fell on Xiu Si in the corridor, and his voice abruptly stopped.

"Brother Xiuji???"

The shock in his voice was almost overflowing.

Shuji put down his water glass and looked towards the door.

"Naruto, be quiet."

Naruto immediately covered his mouth, but his eyes were still wide open. He tiptoed in, his gaze shifting back and forth between Shuji and Gaara.

"Why is Brother Shuji here?" he finally couldn't help but ask.

“I’m at home,” Shuji replied calmly. “Is there anything strange about this?”

Naruto's mouth opened and closed.

"This...but...that..." He gestured unconsciously with his fingers, trying to organize his thoughts, "Anyway..."

His gaze secretly drifted towards Temari and Kankuro.

The two people sat quietly on the veranda, having already begun their meal.

"Have you eaten?" Shuuji asked.

Naruto paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "...I've already eaten."

"Want some more?"

So Naruto, still half asleep, sat down on the veranda and ate breakfast with Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.

The grilled horse mackerel was prepared for three people, two for each. When Naruto suddenly joined them, Gaara put his untouched mackerel into Naruto's bowl.

Seeing this, Temari silently gave one of her own to her younger brother.

Kankuro hesitated for a moment as he watched this game of courtesy, then carefully divided one of his fish into four pieces. He gave the two largest pieces to Gaara and Naruto, and the two smaller pieces to his sister and himself.

Naruto finished his breakfast in this half-awake, half-asleep state, a meal with a subtly harmonious atmosphere. It wasn't until he put down his chopsticks and patted his stomach contentedly that he suddenly came to his senses.

"wrong--!"

He almost jumped to his feet, but nearly bumped into the low eaves.

Gaara had already put down his chopsticks, clasped his hands together, and said softly, "I'm full. Thank you for the meal."

"Lunch is in the kitchen," Shuuji finally spoke, addressing Naruto. "I didn't prepare an extra portion for you."

"Huh? Ah?" Naruto was stunned again.

"There should still be some rice left, and plenty of pickled vegetables too. The food container is in the second drawer of the cupboard." Shuji's instructions were concise and clear: "Pack it yourself."

So, when Naruto walked out of that house, he was carrying a bento box.

The wooden door closed behind him.

Naruto, carrying his lunchbox, walked several steps forward in a daze. It wasn't until the cool morning breeze blew on his face that he finally snapped out of his daze.

Gaara, walking beside him, said, "At noon, I can share some of my food with you."

"Th-thank you..." Naruto instinctively thanked him, then shook his head violently and lowered his voice, "This is totally not right! Why are you living with Shuuji-nii, Gaara?!"

Kankuro walked on Gaara's other side.

"You didn't listen to a word I said yesterday, Naruto."

"The Fourth Mizukage just died, and you didn't even bother to find out why after you left yesterday, did you?"

"He, like you and Gaara, is a Jinchūriki, and now he is the target of an organization called Akatsuki."

"Me? Gaara?" Naruto's pupils contracted, and he suddenly remembered someone else. "Then, what about Nappa?"

"And there are also the older men..."

“Everyone should have been taken care of,” Kankuro said, “just in different ways.”

Naruto finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, he remembered something, his brows furrowed, and his lips unconsciously tightened.

“If everyone has plans…” he scratched his head, trying to remember, “who… is the person protecting me…”

The white-haired uncle who suddenly appeared and then suddenly disappeared the night before last.

That guy who claims to be the Toad Immortal, but looks more like a lecherous old man.

The person who... told him his parents' names.

"Ah!" Naruto slammed his fist into his palm. "It's the Perverted Sage!"

Then his expression fell, and he gritted his teeth.

"As expected, he's an unreliable adult."

(End of this chapter)