Konoha Notes

Chapter 341 Fog

Mei Terumi's last words to Shuji were not a warning, but a reminder.

After she led Shuji into the Hidden Mist, he understood its meaning.

The fog has thickened, to a degree not seen last time.

Shuji stopped in his tracks.

“...In the fog,” he said softly, “there is chakra.”

"Did you sense it, Shuuji-kun?" Mei Terumi led the way without turning back. "For enemies with extremely strong infiltration capabilities, this is the simplest way to provide early warning."

"This is a new defensive measure added after Shuji-kun issued a warning."

The person in charge of vigilance tonight is Zabuza Momochi. The sensory ninja beside him is reporting the situation.

"East District, no abnormalities."

"No abnormalities reported in the south."

"The reported chakra reaction entered the village."

Zabuza confirmed the state of alert for the day and headed toward Master Genji's office, carrying his long sword, Sewing Needle, on his back.

He disliked this insidious weapon, and it was too troublesome to eliminate targets.

However, it is the most suitable ninja sword for him among the currently unclaimed ones. The explosive blade's spray is too noisy, and the blunt blade, Helmeppo, is too troublesome.

If given the opportunity, for example, to kill Juzo Biwa, who is clearly in Akatsuki and in the Land of Snow, and retrieve the broken sword, the Executioner's Blade, he would probably choose to replace it.

After all, becoming one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was merely a way to express one's attitude after the Five Kage Summit.

He did not explicitly give up the fight for the position of Mizukage, but rather expressed his willingness to accept the arrangements previously made by Mei Terumi.

That's it.

Master Yuan's office is in an inconspicuous building next to the Water Shadow Building.

Zabuza knocked on the door, entered, handed in today's report, and then prepared to leave.

Just then, the office door was pushed open again.

Mei Terumi walked in.

Her long, dark chestnut hair swayed gently over her shoulders, and her blue dress stood out strikingly under the indoor lights.

Zabuza's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He smelled alcohol.

For a ninja to drink alcohol outside of his days off, especially with such strong aroma, is unprofessional.

He should have said that, but after the meeting, Zabuza understood a little more about the non-ninja combat aspects.

So he didn't say anything.

He simply turned slightly to make way for the desk.

“Elder.” Mei Terumi smiled and nodded to Genji, then looked at Zabuza, “Zabuza.”

Zabuza nodded slightly in response. Then he turned, pushed open the door, and left the office.

Just before the door was sewn shut, he heard Master Yuan's voice drifting out from inside:

"He came in person, just for the exchange student thing?"

Then came Mei Terumi's reply: "At least, that's all he's shown so far."
-
The next morning, in the conference room on the third floor of the Water Shadow Building.

Genji sat at the head of the long table, with Mei Terumi to his left. This was the scene that greeted Shuji when he was led into the conference room.

"Elder Master Yuan." Xiu Si nodded slightly.

"Please sit down." Master Yuan gestured for a seat across the long table. "Last time, I troubled you to come all the way here to remind us about the Land of Snow and the Akatsuki organization. Kirigakure is grateful for that."

“It’s my duty.” Shuji sat down in the designated spot, facing Genji and Mei Terumi. “After all, what’s being threatened is the stability of the entire ninja world, not just a single ninja village.”

"Regarding the exchange student program," Master Yuan opened a document in front of him, "Ming has already given me a detailed report. Wuyin has no objections in principle, and the specific details can be discussed later."

"grateful."

"Furthermore," Master Yuan changed the subject, "will this year's joint martial arts exercise be affected by the current situation?"

Shuji replied, "The martial arts competition will proceed as planned. However, considering the current situation, the Joint Affairs Bureau will dispatch additional teams to assist the organizers, the Land of Lightning, in ensuring the security of the event. Each village will also strengthen its border security to ensure the safety of the participating teams."

"I see." Master Yuan nodded slightly. "Then, should the list of permanent personnel dispatched by Kirigakure to the Affairs Bureau be adjusted?"

"It is recommended to maintain the original plan. The secretariat needs professional personnel from each village to form a joint force in dealing with emergencies."

"rational."

The meeting then entered a tedious and detailed negotiation phase over the next hour.

The Hidden Mist Village needs to provide the Bureau with a list of personnel to be dispatched, equipment configurations, and rotation schedules; how to coordinate the maritime blockade against the Land of Snow—which sea area should the Hidden Mist Village fleet be responsible for, and how should it coordinate with the patrols of the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Sand Village; the level and channels of intelligence sharing, which information needs to be synchronized in real time, and which can be reported with a delay; and even the support response procedures for each village in case of an emergency, which contact point should be used, and what coded language should be used…

Mei Terumi spent most of her time taking notes. A thick notebook lay open in front of her, her pen moving rapidly. Occasionally, she would look up and interject, raising Kirigakure's concerns:

"Regarding the handover area for maritime patrols, Kirigakure hopes to set the handover point in the outer sea of ​​the Wave Realm. We are more familiar with the hydrological conditions there."

"Regarding intelligence sharing, we need to retain the authority to adjust the internal defense arrangements of the Fog Village."

As the clock struck eleven, and all discussions about the joint operation came to a temporary halt, Master Yuan suddenly spoke:
"Shushi."

"How many days do you plan to stay in Wuyin this time?" Master Yuan asked slowly.

“The budgeted timeframe is two to three days,” Shuji replied. “If you require more detailed discussions, it can be extended.”

Yuan Shi looked at him; this was the second time the two had met. His impression of Xiu Si remained unchanged; he was a person with a strong sense of purpose.

This is also a very professional person. If we exclude the potential interference from hormones and emotions that might exist between young people…

None of the above-mentioned content is worth him personally making a trip in his current capacity.

It's not worth him staying here for at least a few days, not even counting the time spent along the way.

Xiu Si remained silent for a moment, facing Yuan Shi's gaze.

He finally spoke: "In addition, there is one more thing I need to inform you."

"Please prepare for the worst."

“Based on the intelligence we currently have,” Shuji said, “Madara Uchiha’s ultimate goal is to collect all the tailed beasts.”

Master Yuan opened his eyes wide.

“And Wuyin,” Shuji continued, his voice unusually clear in the quiet conference room, “is probably the one he knows best and is the easiest to target, due to certain historical reasons.”

"In our assessment," Shuji finally said, "the probability that your side will become their primary target is—"

“Very big.”

"After all, he once controlled the entire Hidden Mist Village, so his understanding of the village is the best."

(End of this chapter)