Konoha Notes

Chapter 444 Outline
When Shuji arrived at the old house in the western suburbs, he found the courtyard to be very lively.

Gaara sat on a rock, gazing at the starry sky; Naruto sat cross-legged on the stone slab beside him, plucking blades of grass sprouting from the cracks one by one; Fu stood on tiptoe to reach the wind chimes hanging from the eaves, her short green hair bouncing in the moonlight.

Kankuro crouched in the corner, his five fingers spread out, chakra threads extending out, controlling a few falling leaves.

Fu, whose attention was originally on the wind chimes, immediately turned her attention to the things controlled by the chakra threads, and showed a surprised expression.

"What is this? It's amazing!"

Kankuro's lips curled up slightly, and his fingers moved slightly, causing the leaves to begin to form simple shapes in the air.

"This is the basic training for puppeteers."

The paper door under the corridor was then pulled open.

Temari came out carrying a tray with matcha dumplings and red bean daifuku on it.

"Mr. Shuji, you're back."

The blonde girl greeted her.

Following behind, Granny Taohua carried the tea set, her steps slow and steady. She placed the tea tray on the low table.

"Mr. Shuji!" Fu turned around and jogged over to greet him, her face still showing the excitement she had felt while watching Kankuro's performance. "This place is so big!"

Xiu Si walked into the courtyard: "Because it was built relatively early and is located in a remote area, it is quite large."

Naruto then looked up as well.

The blond boy forced a smile and waved, "Brother Shuuji!" The smile lasted for a short while before he lowered his head again and continued to pluck at the blades of grass.

Shuji sat down under the eaves, poured himself some tea, and then chose a red bean daifuku.

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Granny Taohua silently watched Xiu Si drink tea and eat snacks alone, her aged eyes slightly narrowed. There was no reproach in her gaze, but it made Xiu Si suddenly feel a bit choked by the half-eaten daifuku in his hand.

He coughed lightly, picked up his teacup and the remaining snacks, stood up, walked to the stone table in the center of the courtyard, and sat down, moving away from the plate of snacks under the eaves and from Granny Taohua's line of sight.

The old man then spoke: "It's alright, come and eat."

She was speaking to the children.

Fu was the first to cheer and skipped towards the veranda, her eyes darting between the plates of pastries: "I want dumplings! Two of them!"

Kankuro put away the chakra threads and walked over to sit down next to Temari.

Naruto remained where he was, staring at the few blades of grass that had been torn to pieces.

Shuji picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then put it down. He looked at Naruto and said casually:
There are no drinks here.

Grandma Taohua was getting dumplings for Fu when she heard this and glanced at him: "Since you know, why don't you bring some back? There are still children here, so it's only right to prepare some."

"I...I didn't want a drink..." Naruto hurriedly looked up to explain.

The blond boy dawdled over to the tea and snack area, and Temari pushed a cup of tea on his hand. Naruto then took a red bean daifuku from Granny Momoka.

"That's all the snacks we'll have for tonight," Granny Momoka continued, glancing at Fu and Naruto. "You two can stay tonight; the rooms are ready."

"Really?" Fu's eyes lit up, her voice still muffled as she slurred, "I want to sleep with Temari-neechan!"

Temari paused, her hand holding the teacup still. Looking at Fu's expectant face, she hesitated, "Yes, that's fine..."

Shuji smiled as he swallowed the last bite of daifuku.

"What about Naruto?" he asked, turning to the blond boy. "Does he want to come with Gaara?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Granny Taohua turned her head.

The old man remained silent, simply staring at Xiu Si. His eyes, calm and serene despite having witnessed over eighty years, gradually froze and smoothed out the smile on Xiu Si's lips.

He cleared his throat, sat up straight, picked up his teacup, and took a large gulp. The tea was gone, leaving only a thin layer moistening the bottom of the cup.

In the courtyard, Fu was enthusiastically talking about wind chimes, Temari responded softly, and Kankuro occasionally chimed in with a sarcastic remark. The snack plates gradually emptied, and the water in the teapot dwindled.

As Shuji watched the children eat, he felt a slight urge in his mouth. Every now and then, he would raise his empty cup to his lips, making a sipping motion as if he were taking a sip of tea.

Once, twice, and the third time, Temari came over with a teapot and silently filled his cup.

"Thank you," Shuuji said softly.

Gaara then got up.

The red-haired boy first poured himself a cup of tea, then picked up the plate containing only two red bean paste daifuku dumplings, walked to the stone table, and sat down on the stone chair next to Shuji. He gently pushed the plate between the two of them.

Shuji glanced at the plump daifuku in the dish, then stealthily glanced at Granny Momoka under the eaves. The old woman had already turned back and was listening to Fu talk about her speculation about whether wind chimes sound different on rainy days.

Only then did he reach out and pick up a large fortune.

Grandma Taohua didn't look over again.

Snack time flowed slowly in the moonlight.

After the children finished eating, Granny Momoka began to tidy up the tea set. Temari immediately stood up to help, and Fu also chimed in, "Me too! Me too!" The two girls carried the trays into the backyard.

Kankuro yawned deeply, rubbed his eyes, and stood up: "I'm going to sleep... I have school tomorrow."

The front yard suddenly became quiet.

Only Shuji, Gaara, and Naruto remained.

The moonlight shifted further west, and the cheerful expression on Naruto's face faded.

He sat on the edge of the veranda, his legs dangling in the air, swinging back and forth intermittently.

"Brother Xiuji..."

"Are those...those uncles who came to ask us for autographs already dead?"

“If the person asking for your autograph is the person in question,” Shuuji replied calmly, “then it’s definitely him.”

The boy's expression immediately fell.

"Why……"

He was first puzzled, and then he couldn't suppress the pain that arose from the bottom of his heart—the kind of pain that an eight-year-old child could not fully understand but could clearly feel.

"Is this our fault?"

"Because you persisted in performing, because you persisted in going on stage?"

"They were so enthusiastic...praising Uncle Bi as an excellent singer, complimenting our performance...and saying they would bring their families to see our show again..."

“When Yukito asked me… I thought I understood. But now…”

The eight-year-old boy sat on the porch, his legs no longer dangling.

“If they manage to see me,” Shuuji’s voice remained cruelly calm, “they will most likely just die after they go back.”

"In that situation, do you consider it my fault?"

"Huh?!"

Naruto's eyes widened, his face full of confusion.

Shuji stood up, stretched, and then continued, "They died in a war."

"If I had to pinpoint the part that concerns you..." Shuuji paused, looking at Naruto with a half-smile, "it's probably that you and I share the same stance."

His expression made it hard to tell if he was serious or joking.

"What's wrong?" Shuuji asked, "Do you regret coming with your companions?"

"No!" Naruto shook his head vigorously. "That's not true! I've never regretted it! Together with everyone..."

“In that case,” Shuji waved his hand, “there’s nothing more for you to do.”

Naruto opened his mouth, as if to ask something else. His lips moved several times, but no sound came out. Shuji spoke first, "You're a restless sleeper, aren't you?"

"what?"

"In that case, let's not share a room with Gaara. I've heard that tanuki and foxes don't get along well."

He returned to the stone table.

"Go ask Granny Taohua where your room is arranged. She goes to bed early, so don't disturb her rest."

Gaara, who had been silent until now, got up and walked towards the backyard.

Naruto instinctively retorted, "My sleeping posture isn't bad at all..." but stopped halfway through his sentence. He looked at Gaara's back and hurriedly jumped down from the eaves.

"Wait for me!"

The blond boy jumped down from the eaves and gave chase. His footsteps echoed a few times in the courtyard before disappearing around the corner of the corridor.

The courtyard fell completely silent.

Shuji propped his head up with his hand, looking at the courtyard and the vanished liveliness. He closed his eyes, as if he had fallen asleep.

The night deepened little by little.

The wind rose and then stopped, the clouds gathered and then dispersed.

The wind chimes under the eaves are occasionally stirred by the wind, making a few soft sounds, "ding-a-ling—ding-a-ling—", as if counting down the long night.

After an unknown amount of time, the eastern horizon began to turn a very faint grayish-white.

The gray hue gradually spread, turning pale gold and light pink. One by one, the stars faded away, leaving only a few of the brightest ones struggling on the horizon.

Shuji opened his eyes.

His eyes showed no signs of sleepiness; they were as clear as if he hadn't slept all night. He stood up, stretched his stiff neck, then walked to the well and drew a bucket of water.

The icy well water splashed on his face, making him gasp for breath.

He pushed open the door of the old house and went outside.

The roads in the western suburbs were still quiet. At this time, most people were still asleep. Xiu Si walked east along the path, his footsteps sounding particularly clear in the morning air.

The further east you go, the more people there are on the road.

Shuji walked past the entrance to Konoha Village headquarters and onto the road leading to the stadium area. Even before he arrived, the noise was already reaching him.

The venue area seemed to have never rested.

When Shuji entered the venue area, street vendors were already preparing breakfast; cleaning staff were cleaning up the trash left over from last night's revelry; and several spectators, who had clearly stayed up all night, walked out of the hotel rubbing their eyes, their faces still bearing the afterglow of excitement.

He walked slowly along the main road toward the relatively quiet residential area.

As they passed the Hidden Mist Village, Mei Terumi emerged. The Mizukage appeared to have just woken up, her long hair still slightly disheveled from sleep.

Upon seeing Shuji, she smiled and said, "Shuji-kun, you look like you haven't had a break at all."

"I've had a good night's sleep," Xiu Si replied, stopping to wait for her to come over.

The two walked side by side, neither of them moving quickly.

"That's nonsense, isn't it, Shuuji-kun?"

"Hmm, you only told half of it."

As we passed the Cloud Hidden Residence, a deep, heavy thud came from the side, the muffled sound particularly clear in the morning air.

The Fourth Raikage, A, was doing his morning training in the open space next to his base. He was shirtless, his muscular back taut, and he lifted a heavily weighted barbell overhead with one hand, then lowered it.

Mei Terumi stopped and smiled slightly: "Lord Raikage, is this the start of such intense training so early?"

Ai straightened up: "This doesn't even qualify as a warm-up."

"Older people don't sleep well."

The sound came from above.

The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, floated in the air and slowly descended. The short, elderly man stood with his hands behind his back.

"It seems that young people are the same."

The four reunited and continued forward.

Before even reaching the Iwagakure camp, they saw a figure by the pond ahead.

Chiyo sat on a small stool, holding a fishing rod in her hand.

She closed her eyes, her head nodding slightly, as if she were dozing off. The float bobbed quietly on the surface of the water, without moving an inch.

The four men walked up to her and stopped.

Chiyo nodded more vigorously, again and again, then suddenly stopped, no longer moving. Even her breathing seemed to become weak, her chest barely rising and falling.

The pond was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the gradually brightening sky and the five figures on the shore.

Shuji looked at her and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he said in a completely flat tone:
"Ah, it seems that Lord Kazekage is dead."

Onoki floated directly above Chiyo, stroking his gray beard.

“I have a good way to bury him,” the Third Tsuchikage said slowly. “It would be appropriate for me, being the older one, to see him off.”

“I do have a different opinion, Tsuchikage-sama,” Mei Terumi chimed in. “It should be more elaborate.”

Chiyo suddenly raised her head.

"You managed to hide it?" She opened her eyes.

"Absolutely not!" Ai said angrily, veins bulging on his forehead. "Are you all still going to play along?! This childish trick—"

"It's so noisy, Raikage," Chiyo immediately complained, shaking her fishing rod. "You scared all my fish away."

She picked up the fish basket next to her; it was empty except for a few strands of water plants.

"No wonder I didn't catch a single fish last night," Fengying muttered, putting the fishing rod aside before slowly standing up.

Shuji spoke at this moment.

His voice wasn't loud, but it drew the attention of the other four people.

“Since the beginning of this year,” Shuji said, his gaze sweeping over the four Kage, “Konoha has accepted the exchange student program from allies. Judging from the results, this activity has been beneficial—for the students, for the village, and for future cooperation.”

“I’m thinking, perhaps we can expand this kind of communication a bit.”

Mei Terumi tilted her head slightly: "Enlarge?"

Xiu Si said, "We can run a school together—establish a school directly under the Joint Affairs Bureau, and then recruit students from all countries and all people."

Onoki looked at Shuji: "Everyone?"

Xiu Si nodded: "Everyone, as long as they are willing, as long as they can pass the test."

He understood the other party's purpose, but he wouldn't accept the challenge on the stage the other party had prepared.

We will not debate within the framework set by the other party.

It's meaningless, because some things simply don't have a suitable answer at the wrong time.

So, let's try a different approach.

Open the door, make a gesture.

As for what kind of reply we will get and what kind of result we will get, we'll talk about that later.

(End of this chapter)