Konoha Notes

Chapter 448 The Beginning of the Sixty Years

Konoha Year 60, January 1st.

When Shuji opened his eyes, the room was still completely dark.

His body's perception of time told him that it was probably four in the morning.

Even when training Kai and the others in magic, it's rare to need to get up at this time.

Five points, or even more ideally six points, would be a more reasonable option.

Before that, unless it was a mission or a special period, he would usually choose to let the sunlight find him first rather than actively seek it out.

He had always felt that getting up early to bask in the first rays of the new year had limited significance.

Grandma Taohua didn't force him on these kinds of matters.

But things are different now.

In this house, he was no longer the youngest. Some things could not be done entirely according to his own wishes.

When he put on his coat and went out the door, the children were already awake.

The kitchen was bathed in warm yellow light. Temari was portioning the cooked rice cake soup into bowls.

After Shuji appeared, Naruto was the first to jump across from the other end of the corridor.

"Brother Shuuji! Shall we set off now?"

He didn't answer, but went to wash his face first. The coolness of the water splashed on his face made him a little more awake. He took the rice cake soup that Temari handed him, drank half a bowl, and chewed a couple of bites of pickled radish, thus completing his first meal of the new year.

"We're going to Hokage Rock!" Fu said, coming over. "I heard it's the best place to watch the sunrise!"

“But I know there are higher places!” Naruto immediately objected. “There’s a cliff in the mountains; standing there, you’ll definitely see the sun before everyone else!”

“Welcoming the sunrise at the Hokage Rock is a Konoha tradition,” Fu said seriously, raising her index finger. “Everyone goes there.”

"But……"

Naruto wanted to argue, but Shuji had already put down his bowl and wiped his hands with a cloth. He ignored the children's argument, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

Seeing that he neither spoke nor participated, Temari, feeling that she was the eldest, made a decision: "Let's listen to Fumi."

Without further objections, the proposal from the Konoha locals was rejected.

"Let's go."

The door opened, and a blast of cold air rushed in. Naruto was the first to rush out, while Fu grabbed him by the back of the collar, slowing their pace. Shuji followed behind.

There were already people on the street.

Parents holding their children's hands, young ninjas walking side by side, and elderly people strolling alone. There are many adults like him who are forced to get up early, and there are also children like him who would rather stay in bed.

Whether they are old or young, there are always people in this world who have to compromise.

He was lost in thought, his footsteps following the flow of the crowd.

The group walked along the familiar road toward the center of the village, and the closer they got to Fire Shadow Rock, the more people there were.

The platform at the top of the rock was packed with people. The best viewpoints near the eastern edge were already taken, and those who arrived later could only stand at the back or on the sides.

Shuji stopped at the outer edge of the crowd.

He saw the Fugaku family, and not just the Fugaku family, but also Izumi and her mother.

The sky remained a somber deep blue, with only a faint hint of green in the east.

It looks like we'll have to wait a long time.

Xiuji found a relatively flat rock to sit on, took out a still-warm teacup from his pocket, and swallowed another sip of tea. As the warmth began to spread from his stomach, he felt a little drowsy again.

He wasn't the only one to notice the existence of the Fugaku family.

Perhaps because she had a great time in the snowball fight a few days ago, Fu ran over to the familiar face, and Naruto followed.

Faced with the greetings, Sasuke, no longer in his playful mood, simply nodded, his expression remaining as indifferent as ever, yet he didn't reject the enthusiastic conversation. The black-haired boy stood ramrod straight, his hands in his pockets, but there was no impatience in his eyes.

Their arrival seemed like a signal. Itachi and Izumi immediately looked in Shuuji's direction and then walked over together.

"Happy New Year, senior."

"Hello, Senior Shuji, Happy New Year."

Shuji raised the cup in his hand as a response.

Immediately afterward, the Fugaku family also walked over. The Uchiha clan head stopped a few steps away and nodded slightly: "Shuji."

"Happy New Year." Mikoto's voice was gentle. "Shuji-kun, you're up so early today too."

Hazuki used a more formal form of address: "Mr. Shuji, Happy New Year."

Shuji responded to each of them, his gaze sweeping over Sasuke. The black-haired boy stood beside his parents, but his gaze drifted to the other side—Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, Karin, and Shion, several girls from his class, had also arrived and were chatting and laughing in hushed tones.

Sakura and Ino seemed to notice the people around Sasuke and were somewhat surprised, so they also went over to Sasuke.

Karin had noticed Shuji's chakra early on, and came forward to greet him.

Such greetings drew more and more people to look this way.

Those who had fought alongside them on the battlefield, those who had dealt with them in the secret service, and those they had met at meetings—familiar faces and memorable figures gradually gathered together.

Shuji had no choice but to stand up again.

The waves of greetings gradually merged into one. The three children from Sunagakure silently gave up their seats next to him and moved to a slightly more distant spot.

Trivial words mingled in the cold morning breeze, and Shuji responded to each one, nodding and occasionally exchanging a few brief pleasantries.

The sky finally began to change, and the white in the east gradually spread out, turning orange-gold.

The crowd stirred, and everyone looked in the same direction.

As the first ray of light pierced the clouds, cheers erupted.

Shuji let out a soft sigh of relief.

The morning light fell on his shoulders and on the hair of the children beside him. Fu squeezed back from the other end of the crowd, her cheeks flushed with excitement from running: "Mr. Shuji! We're going to Nanga Shrine in a bit!"

He nodded, thought for a moment, took out his wallet from his pocket, pulled out a few bills and handed them to Temari beside him.

Have fun.

Aren't you going?

"I still have work to do."

With that, he turned and left along the path he had come from. Behind him, he could hear the children discussing their itinerary: Naruto was arguing about where to go first, Fu was explaining the shrine's rules, and Temari was setting the time.

When he arrived at the Hokage Building conference room, it was already occupied. Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Kakashi were all there, each seated at a different spot at the long table. "Oh, you're here," Tsunade said, turning to look at him. "I thought you were going to play with those kids until noon."

Shuji didn't reply, but walked straight to the armchair by the window where the sunlight shone directly. This seat was a full long table's distance from the other three, and the sunlight completely enveloped him.

"No New Year's greetings whatsoever, and he's just doing whatever he wants." Kakashi's voice drifted over. "Lord Shuji's airs are getting bigger and bigger."

Shuji adjusted his posture so that the sunlight could reach his entire back. The winter sun was not very warm, but at least it was bright.

"A new year requires a new mindset," he said.

"Is this the answer you've submitted?" Kakashi closed the file. "It's utterly inadequate."

Shuuji glanced at him: "You're getting closer and closer to a silver-haired character that I remember."

"Silver hair?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, turned her chair around to look at him, "You haven't met Grandpa Tobirama, have you, Shuji? Besides, Grandpa Tobirama isn't such a lazy person."

“Hey, hey,” Kakashi immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, “Why am I the one being blamed? I’ve been here for the meeting for ages.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the three of them and tapped the table helplessly.

"Let's continue your conversation later and get down to business first."

The atmosphere in the meeting room subtly shifted.

Kakashi dropped his lazy demeanor and pulled a report from the folder beside him: "The fishing plan has progressed. The chakra used as bait has been confirmed stolen."

No one showed any surprise. This was part of the plan.

"Furthermore," Kakashi continued, "information came from Sunagakure. Yura raised questions about Maki at an internal meeting, believing that he had an ambiguous stance on some decisions made by the secret service and might be more inclined to favor the interests of Konoha than Sunagakure."

Shuji's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest. The sunlight was now shining directly on his profile, and he squinted, raising his hand to shield his eyes.

"Are you planning to take over Maki's position in the secret service right away...?"

The other three people in the room remained silent, simply watching him. Tsunade tapped her fingers lightly on the table, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was fixed on the window, and Kakashi reopened the report but didn't look at it again.

“Let Sunagakure reject this proposal first,” Shuji said. “They can give us the reason: that Konoha is dissatisfied with Sunagakure’s intention to replace the person in charge, and believes that this is a sign of distrust of the existing cooperation framework.”

"What kind of praise Yura should receive is up to Sunagakure to decide. As for Maki, let him cooperate in this charade."

Issues involving titles and positions are still too sensitive. Now is not the time to relinquish something so important.

"Pass this message on to Akatsuki through Yura. Make them believe that the infighting within the secret service of the Five Great Shinobi Villages is more intense than it appears, and that Sunagakure's discontent with Konoha is accumulating, only temporarily suppressed."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

"Next is the preparation for the tournament in the Land of Snow," Hiruzen Sarutobi continued. "Although both sides have agreed to limit the participants to Jonin level, we need to consider that if their official members participate, ordinary Jonin will have a hard time against them."

He looked around at the three people in the room.

"We need to make sure there are people of sufficient stature in charge."

That is, shadow.

Kakashi straightened up and said seriously, "I'll go."

From any perspective, his going was the perfect opportunity. The prestige he had built up over the past year in the Joint Affairs Bureau was enough to command Jonin from different villages.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.

“No,” the Third Hokage said, his voice calm but firm. “It is the most appropriate choice for me to lead the team.”
-
Deep within the base of the Land of Snow, the concept of seasons is blurred by geothermal devices. Orochimaru has never been interested in such seasonal changes.

If it weren't for Feng Hua Nu Tao's special visit to comfort him, a meritorious official who served as a courtier under the name "Kong Chen," to demonstrate his legitimacy and favor, he might not even remember what day it was.

After seeing off the daimyo who was still lost in his dreams of conquest, Orochimaru returned to his laboratory. The white walls were devoid of decoration, save for neatly arranged instruments and scrolls.

Orochimaru not only holds an important position in the Land of Snow, but also has a strong presence in the Akatsuki organization, thus he too received a greeting from Zetsu.

Those who are more interested in him might be the black parts, since the white parts don't really understand these things.

Or perhaps it's because of this rare season, or perhaps it's because I've felt the passing of time that I've always hated the most.

Orochimaru temporarily put aside his experiments and returned to the depths of the laboratory, where he awakened Tobirama Senju.

"Has the situation changed as you imagined?" the Second Hokage asked. "Or do you intend to involve me in your experiments?"

“I had foreseen that it wouldn’t succeed.” Orochimaru walked to a lab bench and leaned against the edge. “Shuji-kun’s ideas are always unexpected.”

"As for involving you... please forgive my frankness, but I still prefer to retain complete control over my own experiments."

Tobirama Senju neither refuted nor agreed.

“However,” Orochimaru took a few steps closer, his voice tinged with interest, “if you are willing to share some unique insights about the construction of ninjutsu, I would be happy to have an equal discussion.”

He spread his hands, making an inviting gesture.

"After all, when you are surrounded by a group of mediocre people with rigid thinking and a lack of interest, appropriate intellectual exchanges are the best medicine to keep your mind clear."

Tobirama's red pupils shifted slightly, his gaze landing squarely on Orochimaru's face.

"can."

He agreed. This would prolong the time he could maintain consciousness, and Orochimaru clearly hadn't let his guard down. The precision of his technique was just right, granting him a certain degree of autonomy and thought while ensuring that he firmly maintained control.

The conversation between the two lasted for quite some time. Orochimaru knew perfectly well that Tobirama Senju was using this opportunity to gather information about the era, about Akatsuki, and about the current state of the Five Great Nations.

But he doesn't care.

Until Jue's figure reappeared like a seeping shadow.

"There's new information." Jue's voice echoed in the stone chamber, "The Joint Affairs Bureau has officially submitted the preliminary list of personnel to participate in the competition on the overseas islands."

Orochimaru turned around, a hint of interest flashing in his vertical pupils: "Who's leading the team?"

"Hiruzen Sarutobi".

The air inside the stone chamber seemed to freeze for a moment.

Slowly, bit by bit, a complex and indescribable smile appeared on Orochimaru's face. In that smile were nostalgia, sarcasm, and some deep-seated emotion that even he himself might not fully understand.

"Sarutobi-sensei..."

He repeated the name softly.

"It really has been a long time since I've seen you."

Jue looked at him and asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Orochimaru did not answer immediately. He walked to the shelves on the other side of the stone chamber and ran his fingers over the glass containers holding the specimens.

After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly: "This time, I'm going."

(End of this chapter)