Konoha Notes.

Chapter 567 The Return of the Hokage

Boom!

The detonating clay exploded simultaneously on the load-bearing structure of the main stadium.

Smoke and dust rose and then slowly settled. The skeletal structure that had carried so much finally collapsed completely with a muffled thud, scattering rubble and kicking up a cloud of dry dust.

Regret, sighs, and remembrance mingled in the lingering smoke and dust, carried by the wind through the crowd of onlookers.

Deidara stood at the front, where he heard sighs filled with emotion and sensed the complex emotions within the crowd.

The pleasure shot straight to his brain.

The memories, years, glory, and regrets enshrined in this building come to an end in the detonation sequence he designed himself, and every frame is clearly visible.

He pressed his hand to his chest.

"This is—my art!"

Deidara couldn't contain his emotions and grabbed Kai, who was still using a cane.

"Teacher Kai! Do you see that?! My youth has entered a brand new chapter!"

With barely suppressed excitement, Kai exclaimed, "I saw it, Deidara, your burning power!"

Standing on Kai's other side, Xiao Li lowered his head: "It's just me left."

"I didn't get to witness Kai's passing, nor did I find my own answer like Deidara —"

Kai punched him in the head: "Idiot!"

The Azure Beast slammed its cane heavily on the ground, and tears welled up in its eyes.

"How can a real man wallow in self-pity! Deidara also got to where he is today because he held onto the belief that he would never give up!"

"Your youth has just begun, how can you bow your head here!"

Deidara looked at Lee seriously: "That's right! Only through countless trials and tribulations can the perfect expression of youth be achieved."

O

"I've been preparing for this for years, Lee!"

Kai gave a thumbs up.

Xiao Li's lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

"Yes, Mr. Kai! Deidara!"

Deidara let out a satisfied sigh. He pressed his fist to his chest, the flames in his eyes burning even brighter instead of dying.

not enough.

The building had already been destroyed once, and what it carried was incomplete.

"Next time————"

"Next time, I will bring something even more perfect to its final act!"

"That was the moment my art truly blossomed!"

Xiao Li clenched his fists: "I'll catch up too!"

Kai exclaimed, "Youth is about constantly pushing your limits! You've mastered the knack, Deidara!"

Three figures stood before the ruins, and visible heat waves rose from their bodies, distorting the very air.

Onoki, who was also watching, covered his face with his hands, his expression slightly pained: "—Look what you've done, Hokage!"

Shuji smiled and said, "It's just a small return gift. Lord Tsuchikage, you don't need to take it to heart. Iwagakure has put in a lot of effort this time, and we had already made a promise before."

"You think I'm thanking you?"

"Isn't that right?"

Onoki's mustache stood up.

Chiyo said, "After all, Konoha has left this pile of ruins for so long without rebuilding it, and the losses are considerable."

"

"It's definitely worth it." Mei Terumi chuckled softly, her gaze falling on the three people. "Such a scene is not easily seen normally, Tsuchikage-sama."

Ai withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice, "We've seen the excitement. Let's go in, everyone."

Shuji nodded and led Kakashi and the four Kage toward the nearby spacious wooden house.

The reason why the four Kage have gathered in Konoha again is not complicated.

The successive extraction of the One-Tailed Beast and the Seven-Tailed Beast from the Jinchuriki's body signifies that a years-long battle between Jinchuriki has essentially come to an end.

With the Snow Country wiped out, and both the demons and Shennong gone, the borders were once again at peace, allowing the Kage some time to spare.

Most importantly, the group wanted to see for themselves what Xiuji looked like now.

The wooden house was simply decorated. After the Kage took their seats, Kakashi, the only one brought in, stood because he was not yet the Seventh Hokage and was only 6.5.

Ai was the first to speak.

"Let bygones be bygones. If I want to do something, I can't be perfect in every aspect."

"However, Konoha should have something to share about the research on Tailed Beast chakra in the future."

Kakashi stated, "Konoha is willing to share information about the Ten-Tails, the God Tree, and the Otsutsuki clan. This was a promise made previously; this is simply adding details."

Mei Terumi nodded slightly: "There were many things we had no choice but to do, but those were things we could not do otherwise."

"Konoha's current candor at least shows that it will maintain its consistent attitude in future cooperation."

Onoki snorted. "Iwagakure doesn't intend to extract the tailed beast from the Jinchuriki's body."

"The cooperation between Han and the Five-Tails is going smoothly. There is no need to forcibly separate them."

Chiyo remained silent as Shuji had already taken the One-Tailed Beast from Gaara's body without her permission. She had no objection to this; otherwise, Gaara would be unable to maintain his freedom.

The reserves of Sunagakure are even more miserable than those of Iwagakure.

Shuji smiled and said, "Thank you all for your understanding."

He placed his hands on the table, crossed over each other.

"There's another matter I'd like to discuss today: the Joint Affairs Bureau."

"Initially, it was built outside Konoha Village to protect the Jinchūriki, and also due to some inertia."

"In this reconstruction, considering the longer-term development, Konoha believes that the specific site selection can be re-discussed."

Chiyo raised her eyelids, a hint of interest in her eyes: "If it were placed outside the Land of Fire, Konoha wouldn't have any objections?"

Shuji smiled and said, "My views on ninjas and ninja villages have never changed. There is no need for a death battle between ninjas under the current circumstances."

"The world is vast, even if the number of ninjas increases."

"The ninja world is but a speck of dust in the universe."

"Therefore, Konoha has no objection to where the Joint Affairs Bureau, or rather the town center centered around the Joint Affairs Bureau, is located, as long as it is a geographically suitable location that can radiate throughout the ninja world."

Onoki scoffed, "After going around in circles, we're still in the Land of Fire."

After all, the Land of Fire is the only place in the entire ninja world that serves as a vital hub connecting all directions.

The Raikage said, "None of that matters. It's just a few hours' journey sooner or later—but it also means that other matters concerning the Secretariat will need to be readjusted, right?"

He looked at Kakashi and clearly understood that the bureau chief hadn't been called in just to be a background figure.

Shuji nodded: "Of course, all expedient measures will eventually become formalized."

"Kakashi will soon step down as director of the Joint Affairs Bureau and return to Konoha. Itachi Uchiha will succeed him as Konoha's representative in the Bureau."

Chiyo's eyelids twitched.

Mei Terumi tilted her head slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

Onoki's beard no longer stood up, and he was unusually quiet.

Ai frowned.

"It hasn't even been three years."

"It's like a joke."

Shuji smiled: "Judging from the actual performance of his duties, it may be more than three years—or it may not be three years."

"I will search the ninja world for information about the remnants of the Otsutsuki clan. There are many traces scattered throughout the land from ancient times to the present, and only these eyes can see through them."

"I'm explaining this here because I may be bothering you all frequently in the future."

The four Kage did not express any objection to this matter; rather, the fact that Shuji was about to step down was the most significant news at the moment.

As the meeting entered its second half, Shuuji explained the matters concerning the moon, Toneri, and the arrangements for Nagato, the current leader of Akatsuki, one by one, in his usual unhurried tone.

The shadows occasionally asked questions or nodded, without much fuss.

Finally, the four figures stood up, some leaving directly, others leaving with glances.

Only two people remained in the wooden house.

Kakashi's voice came from behind: "How willful of you to decide to leave so easily."

Shuji leaned back in his chair: "I took all the responsibility before I left."

"The proposal to relocate the secretariat, the framework of the new regulations, and all those thorny handover issues have all been pinned on me, the autocratic sixth-generation leader."

He turned his head and smiled at Kakashi.

"I've left you all the room to maneuver. Shouldn't Kakashi-senpai be grateful?"

"That's true."

Shuji stood up.

He raised his hand and took off the Hokage hat from his head, weighed it in his hand, which he was already used to, and placed it in Kakashi's hand.

"That's settled. The rest is up to you."

Kakashi looked down at the straw hat in his hand. He remained silent for a long while, not brushing it off with a joke as he usually did.

By the time he looked up, Xiu Si had already pushed open the door.

The afternoon sun streamed in from outside, casting a warm, golden glow on him.

Give me back my life.

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