Konoha Notes

Chapter 93 After the War (Part )

Hiashi Hyuga did not die; just as happened in the original story, his younger brother Hizashi Hyuga died.

The two looked exactly alike. As a member of a branch family, he was handed over because he had been cursed with the Caged Bird Seal, which would destroy his white eye after death, rendering it a useless organ.

Raikage Ai did not launch another attack despite obtaining a useless corpse and a discarded eye.

He simply wanted to give his subordinate Akai an explanation and also needed to prove to the village that he had upheld the dignity of Kumogakure.

Obtaining the corpse of a member of the Hyuga clan was already the limit of what the Raikage could do.

If negotiations fail and fighting doesn't break out, discontent within the village will overflow.

During the negotiations, Konoha's food blockade never stopped. The merchants on land were terrified of being killed, so Root chased them to the sea to intercept every merchant ship that might be heading to the Land of Lightning.

Even if the Hidden Cloud Village sends equal numbers of people to protect them, ninjas are ultimately a profession whose ability to harm others far outweighs their ability to protect.

As for the impact on Konoha's reputation from such reckless attacks on ordinary people...

For the people of the five great ninja villages, Root is no secret, but for the vast majority of people in the world, Root is an unfamiliar term.

If someone were to actually confront Konoha, the Hokage's office would simply tell you that Konoha is a legitimate ninja village and wouldn't do such a thing. If you wish to investigate this matter, you can submit a request according to procedure.

With the formal signing of an alliance between Konoha and Kumogakure, the smoke of war on the eastern front has completely dissipated.

Konoha then made a tentative peace proposal to Iwagakure.

To some people's surprise, Onoki readily agreed. He did not set any conditions, but simply agreed to lift the hostile relationship between the two sides, and then turned his attention to the west—the vast region west of the Land of Silence.

After years of failed attempts to march south, and being tired of fighting Konoha, Onoki decided to try attacking Sunagakure, since Konoha wouldn't interfere. He then decided to try attacking the wandering ninjas west of the Land of Silence to see if there were any he could use. After successfully hiring Akatsuki, Onoki felt it was time to change his approach.

Hiring these people wouldn't be bad; if they die, we won't have to pay compensation.

Sunagakure is the only party that has benefited from this incident, but only temporarily.

Konoha suffered another blow. The victory over Iwagakure yielded no real gains, and the efforts to appease Sunagakure and quell Kumogakure were far more costly.

Even with the resources of the Land of Fire, the financial losses could be quickly replenished as long as peace was restored. However, some things are not so easily recovered.

The public opinion storm surrounding Hyuga arose from the fact that Kumogakure was all bark and no bite, and it wasn't just one person who could see through it.

There are many intelligent people in the world. Even if it's for the sake of the village, the decision made by the higher-ups is not incomprehensible. There's no need to start a war, and there are family members who won't die.

However, the dissatisfaction that is bound to arise will still exist.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew everything. He simply did what the Hokage was supposed to do as usual: handling official business, practicing taijutsu with the students at the Ninja Academy, and comforting families who had lost loved ones in the war.

Sarutobi Asuma left the village without anyone knowing.

Xiu Si knew this because he had mentioned it when they brought people back for a small gathering at the old house.

"The third generation's son has a slight problem with his mind."

"They don't understand what's important. They still think it's like twenty years ago, when so many people were lost in the mission to protect the daimyo, and they're still smug about it."

"For that mission, the Third Hokage ultimately instructed that the mission reward be distributed to the families of the fallen ninjas."

At the mission center, Torii was somewhat puzzled: "Isn't protecting the Daimyo an important and glorious mission?" Hayami Shigeru and Kachi Onki both gave him slightly strange looks.

Shuuji casually remarked, "Yes, it's necessary, but nothing to be proud of."

Kachi Onju gave Torii a hint: "Although the village has a good relationship with the daimyo, it doesn't mean anything. They are just in charge of management. The ones who truly protect the peace of the Land of Fire are the ninjas of Konoha."

“It’s not like the daimyo doesn’t have sons or brothers.” Hayami Shigemitsu didn’t care. “As long as they’re not controlled by foreign ninjas, what does it really matter whether they live or die?”

Kachi Onju said, "It's best to avoid dying if possible, to prevent unnecessary turmoil."

We won't go into the details of what happened after that, but we finally agreed on one thing: a meal would be held at the old house in the western suburbs once a month. We could let each other know, and anyone who wanted to come and have a meal together was welcome to come; there was no pressure.

This was an opinion put forward by Shuji after obtaining Granny Momoka's consent.

Once a month, he would fund a meal together at a canteen, providing some good ingredients.

They all thought it was a good idea and decided to work together to make arrangements for it.

When the gathering came to an end, Hayami Shigeru stayed a little longer, while Kachi Onki and the others left first.

"If nothing unexpected happens, the village will hold the Chunin Exams promotion ceremony next year. Shuuji, in your team, that Uchiha Itachi, he should still be a genin."

"It will allow him to prepare in advance."

Shuji nodded. There was no need to worry about Itachi Uchiha becoming a Chunin. In the ninja profession, his abilities had never been an issue.

Then Hayami added with a hint of complaint, "The village really knows how to cause trouble, leaving him to you, which has made me put in a lot more effort."

Seeing the questioning look in Shuji's eyes, Hayami Shigeru sat down again.

"As you know, after Lord Hashirama arranged for the disbandment of the clan, some people were unwilling, but that was Lord Hashirama's decision."

"After Hashirama and Tobirama passed away, everyone felt empty inside. The Uchiha clan became increasingly arrogant, so it was inevitable that some of us started to have other ideas."

"I also have some opinions, but not as extreme as theirs."

Shuji could understand this. The Senju and Uchiha clans fought for so long during the Warring States period, and in the end, even though his side had won, they disbanded. On the contrary, the Uchiha clan gained the title of the number one clan in Konoha, so it was inevitable that they felt unbalanced.

"Therefore, some people chose to support Advisor Shimura."

Shuji paused for a moment, then thought, "Wait, what does that mean...?"

Hayami Shigeru continued, "We were just going to let it go until Lady Momoka said nothing, but now that you're willing to step forward, and you have an Uchiha among your subordinates."

"So I tried my best to persuade them, and some of them came over later, and their attitude might not have been so good, but don't take it to heart..."

Shuji remained silent. Therefore, among the forces in the village most hostile to the Uchiha and advocating a hardline approach, there were actually always members of the Senju clan.

Therefore, in the original storyline, after the death of the Third Hokage, Danzo, the advisor elder who had held real power for many years, even with the support of Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, rebuilt Root.

He was still completely overshadowed by Tsunade, who had returned to take over as Hokage after being away from the village for many years.

Not only because of her status as Hokage, but also because some of Danzo's supporters naturally preferred the First Hokage's granddaughter.

(End of this chapter)