Konoha Notes

Chapter 428 The Rift (Part 2)

The morning light always carries a lazy, tentative quality.

It first climbed onto the windowsill, then spread across the floor, and then slowly, inch by inch, climbed up Naruto's messy blond hair, finally settling on his tightly closed eyelids.

Naruto hugged the pillow, buried his face deeper, and made unintelligible murmurs in his throat. After a while, he finally opened one eye.

After washing up and changing clothes, I finally placed my beloved nightcap on the bedside table.

His gaze didn't fall on the table until he was just about to leave.

The lacquered wooden food box lay there; Naruto had wanted to return it to Neji yesterday afternoon, but hadn't found the opportunity.

He stared at the box for a full ten seconds.

Reason was telling me: I should just go straight to school today.

But it felt like my body was being controlled by another system. The food box was stuffed into my backpack, but I was walking on the road to the western suburbs.

It wasn't until he stopped near the old house that he realized where he was.

Looking at the wide-open door, my body, which hadn't felt anything before, started to react.

My heart was pounding in my chest, one beat after another.

Naruto didn't know what he was nervous about. Perhaps it was Hinata and Neji's overly serious attitude that made him start to panic.
He shuffled to the courtyard gate and peered inside like a thief.

Gaara is drinking miso soup, Temari is peeling a boiled egg, and Kankuro is eating a rice ball.

Shuji was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto felt his heart calm down instantly, and the sudden calm startled him.

So he quickly adjusted his expression, raised his hand and waved.

Good morning!

The sound was a bit loud and seemed particularly jarring in the quiet courtyard.

Gaara turned his head and addressed the gate: "Good morning."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow: "Oh, you're here on time again today."

Naruto first stepped into the courtyard, took two steps, and then stepped back: "Um, I'll just wait for you outside."

"Aren't you going to eat?" Gaara asked.

Temari said, "Today's serving is for four people."

A four-person serving... Naruto moved his feet back and sat down in the empty seat.

He picked up a rice ball, then held the bowl of miso soup, the warm touch spreading through his palms. As he ate, his eyes unconsciously glanced towards the main house, and the words slipped out without him thinking: "Isn't Shuuji-nii-san here?"

"Find me?"

The sound came from the courtyard gate.

"Pfft—cough cough!" Naruto choked on a mouthful of soup, coughing as he covered his mouth.

He looked up in a panic and, sure enough, saw Shuuji walking in from outside.

"No!" Naruto shook his head like a rattle-drum, immediately buried his head in his food, and said loudly in an exaggerated, monotone tone, "This rice ball is so delicious! The miso soup is also super-delicious! Ah, today's breakfast is really great!"

He tried to distract everyone with exaggerated praise.

However, the expected agreement did not materialize.

The courtyard was silent, except for the echo of his somewhat abrupt voice.

Naruto quietly raised his eyes and noticed that Temari had stopped peeling the egg, Kankuro had slowed down his chewing of the rice ball, and even Gaara had put down his soup bowl.

Three pairs of eyes were quietly watching him.

"..."

Naruto's voice abruptly stopped. He silently swallowed two large mouthfuls of rice, then picked up the bowl and drank the soup in large gulps, hiding his burning ears behind the bowl.

"There's an extra portion of lunch for you too, from yesterday..."

Naruto's heart skipped a beat, almost leaping out of his throat.

"Ah! That!" he blurted out, "The lunchbox I got from Shuuji-nii yesterday, I completely—forgot to bring it! Yes! I left it at home! Hahaha..."

He forced a laugh, avoiding eye contact with Xiu Si.

Shuuji nodded and simply said, "Yeah, it's nothing."

His tone was so calm it was unsettling.

By this time, Gaara had finished his breakfast and got up to go to the kitchen. Temari and Kankuro also finished eating and followed him in. A little while later, Gaara came out carrying two bento boxes. He handed one of them to Naruto.

Naruto quickly swallowed the remaining egg and rice ball, slurped up some soup, mumbled a thank you, took the lunchbox, and hurriedly stood up: "Um, I'll be going now!"

He turned around and tried to rush out.

"Hey," Kankuro's voice came from behind, tinged with a hint of doubt, "You really like carrying it in your hand. Aren't you going to put it in your bag?"

Naruto froze. Oh right, the lunchbox… He instinctively unzipped his backpack, ready to stuff it inside.

Then, he saw the thing in the bag that originally belonged to Neji.

Naruto zipped up the bag with lightning speed, almost tearing it apart.

"Ha, ha!" He turned around, forcing a big, but incredibly stiff, smile. "My backpack is too full! There's no room left!"

"Where did you get so many things?" Kankuro looked him over suspiciously.

"...In short, there's a lot." Naruto raised his voice, holding a new bento box in his hand, and rushed out of the courtyard gate.

"We're leaving."

Temari politely took her leave.

Gaara also said, "I'm going to school," and Kankuro muttered something under his breath before following his sister and brother.

After the others left, Shuji tidied up a bit, smiled, and sauntered out the door, heading towards the Hokage Building.

When the door to the Hokage's office was pushed open, Tsunade was stretching lazily out the window. She turned around and saw Shuji walk in.

"Did you see something good?" she asked.

"It's nothing." Xiu Si walked to the sofa and sat down, casually picking up a report from the table to look through.

"Speaking of which, you've been unusually early these past few days." Tsunade sat back in her chair, resting her chin on her hand. "With a new kid in the house, Lord Shuji has become quite diligent."

"Is Lady Tsunade reflecting on how slovenly she looked when Shizune was taking care of her?" Shuuji replied. "As for me, at least at first I would maintain my dignity as a lady, and then slowly reveal my true nature."

Tsunade scoffed, "I was just pretending for a while too."

After they finished speaking, the office fell silent for a moment as the two went about their own business.

Suddenly, a member of the secret service stopped abruptly at the door.

"Lord Hokage, Lord Shuji, urgent report from the border." "The border outpost in the Land of Rivers was destroyed in the early morning."

As he spoke, he handed over the urgent report.

Tsunade opened it with a solemn expression, read it, and then tossed it to Shuji.

The destroyed outpost was not located on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, but on the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind.

Since Luo Sha broke the alliance, several of the checkpoints that Xiu Si personally built have disappeared last night.

To be precise, some of the outposts that had existed in Konoha since 1947, established as punishment for Sunagakure's betrayal and as a preventative measure, were destroyed.

By this stage of the year, especially in June, although the restrictive nature of these outposts had not been officially abolished, their actual functions had been greatly weakened.

If the Joint Affairs Bureau develops very smoothly in the future, its abolition is only a matter of time, but it is only a matter of time, not now.

"Do you understand?" Tsunade said.

"They probably did it," Shuuji said.

Sunagakure had no reason to do this at this time. But whether they were happy to see those sentries disappear in this way is another matter.

"They really know how to pick a location." Tsunade clicked her tongue in annoyance. "They're in such a hurry to start their demonstration."

"The timing is also good." Xiu Si put the scroll back on the table. "The martial arts competition will start in the middle of the month, and representatives from various countries and villages will be arriving soon."

"This is unlikely to be an isolated incident."

Tsunade trusted his judgment, and the two sat for a while. Sure enough, another ANBU member arrived with another urgent communication.

"Lord Hokage, Lord Shuji," the Anbu member said, his tone even more tense than the previous one, "we have just received intelligence from multiple sources. The Akatsuki organization... is spreading information to the outside world."

"What news?" Tsunade asked.

"They declared that if Konoha refuses to resolve the issue through 'peaceful military exercises' and insists on protecting all Jinchuriki, then... they will no longer limit their attacks to specific military units."

Shuji waved his hand, signaling the Anbu to leave.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh: "He's even less patient than I imagined. At least wait until Kakashi's expanded meeting is held; this time, even the people from Amegakure have been invited."

"If I weren't so impatient, I wouldn't have chosen that path. It's only natural that I'm now showcasing my strengths and advantages."

As he spoke, the wood-textured skin on Shuuji's shoulders and back began to bulge, extending into a complete human-shaped silhouette.

The wooden clone walked towards the door.

Tsunade looked in the direction where the clone had disappeared, then turned to Shuji's main body: "What do we do now about Kakashi's meeting?"

"The meeting will proceed as scheduled," Shuji said. "Then, we will request the assistance of our four allies to send elite squads to the traditional buffer zones surrounding the Land of Fire to prevent Akatsuki from causing trouble."

This is a measure that could not be easily adopted in the past.

However, the funding plan has been basically approved in the past two days, and there are also Jinchuriki from various villages stationed in Konoha. These two factors make it seem that the entire order will not simply become an action to create a gap in the defense.

"As for the Land of Fire, security and patrols will be strengthened by the Bureau's standing mobile squads and Konoha's troops."

"In that case, the impact of that announcement on this joint military exercise should be minimized."

As for the remaining question...

"Over in Daimyo..."

Tsunade nodded: "I will have the advisors coordinate it."
-
After leaving the Hokage Building, the Wood Clone walked step by step towards the edge of the village.

Leaving the headquarters and the venue area, I passed the Joint Affairs Bureau.

South of the avenue, through forests and fields, we occasionally stopped to admire the roadside scenery.

This leisurely stroll continued for the entire day.

The next day, his clone arrived in the land of the Tea Country, but he did not go to the port of Agarwood.

Instead, he bought a fishing rod and a can of bait in a nearby fishing village, found a reasonably comfortable place to sit, baited the hook, and cast the line.

The fishing line drew an arc in the air before disappearing into the azure sea. The wooden clone sat there, motionless, like a sculpture.

After an unknown amount of time, a figure dressed in a black robe with red clouds emerged from behind him.

"Are you worried about traps?" the wooden clone asked. "Or did it take you a long time to get here?"

Nagato did not answer the question. Looking through the eyes of the Heavenly Dao at the figure that never turned back, he slowly said:
"I will not give up on the final path because of some obstacles. Everything I am doing now is the final mercy God has given me."

The wooden clone finally turned its head.

Don't you feel embarrassed saying things like that?

"..."

“It’s that feeling of, ‘Oh, how silly.’” he added. “The self-aggrandizing self-promotion doesn’t make me want to make a special trip.”

The sea breeze whips up waves that crash against the rocks, breaking them into white foam.

Payne stood there silently, his eyes revealing no emotion.

“The only reason I could be allowed to come out is,” the wooden clone turned back and looked at the sea again, “that you don’t seem to be completely without a decision-making power.”

"Under this premise, your dialogue has only a slight basis for being valid."

He paused, his tone turning cold and resolute:

"So, to answer you directly—that so-called peace plan of 'determining the ownership of the tailed beasts through martial arts exercises' that you unilaterally proposed is absolutely impossible."

Payne Tendo immediately planned to leave.

“You are essentially nothing more than a group of people who have actively or passively severed all ties with the world, have no attachments, and therefore can do whatever they want.” Shuji’s voice sounded particularly cold and clear in the sea breeze.

"A group of rootless, outlaws who have no responsibility to anyone, talking about peace..."

"It's just laughable."

“You have no credibility whatsoever; all your actions are based on your own ideas or whims. You plunder, kill, coerce, and then claim it is for a greater good.”

“If,” he changed the subject, though still cold, but leaving a very narrow opening, “if you really intend to have some meaningful conversation, rather than a one-sided declaration of war or performance, then at least do one thing first.”

Payne stopped moving.

"Control those rogue ninjas who have fled overseas, and control the behavior of your subordinates."

"Pain begets peace? Then show us what kind of order and peace has come after pain, even in a small area within your sphere of influence."

"By then, while the direct handover of the Jinchuriki will still be impossible,... perhaps another matter can be brought to the negotiating table."

"Since you could have taken Fu directly, you only chose to take her chakra, which means that the single-tailed beast chakra is within your acceptable range."

"Compared to the absurd demand that we hand over our comrades, the targeted collection and transfer of Tailed Beast Chakra is the only option with even a sliver of feasibility under the current circumstances."

“Of course, the premise remains the same,” he stood up, brushing non-existent grains of sand off his clothes, “that you first prove yourselves qualified to sit on the other side of the negotiating table.”

Having said that, Shuji said no more. With a flick of his wrist, he put away the empty fishing rod, turned around, and walked step by step into the night of the Tea Country along the path he had come from.

(End of this chapter)