Konoha Notes

Chapter 434 The Earth Shadow's Inspection

Even the toughest person can't help but smile when faced with just the right amount of sweets.

The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, was the perfect embodiment of this statement. His small dish was overflowing with three-colored dumplings.

Even though he tried to keep a straight face, the focused chewing and the unconscious ease in his eyes betrayed his love for the sweetness.

"Lord Tsuchikage, we'll be seeing Deidara and Kurotsuchi soon."

Sitting opposite him, Chi Tu almost filled the entire bench. The eleven-year-old boy was already quite robust, and his face showed undisguised anticipation as he held a bamboo skewer in his hand.

"Consuming so much sugar at your age," a voice interjected, "is quite a burden on your lumbar spine, Lord Tsuchikage."

Onoki's relaxed expression instantly vanished, his usual sharp features returning. He glanced sideways and saw that Shuji had already sat down at the next table, holding a cup of hot tea.

"When I came last time, Konoha readily fulfilled my request and even provided more than I was entitled to."

"Last time was last time, and this time is this time." Shuji's voice was flat.

"Last year's Tsuchikage was a dubious ally who reluctantly accepted the alliance, while this year's Tsuchikage is a tested and indispensable partner."

"High sugar intake can exacerbate inflammatory responses, which is especially detrimental to people whose lumbar intervertebral discs are already under excessive strain."

"Furthermore, at this age, the metabolic rate slows down, making it easier for sugar to be converted into..."

"Stop!" Onoki pointed the tip of the bamboo skewer at Shuji with hostility. "I'm fine in every way, eat whatever you want."

"Seventy is the age for striving," Shuji continued, as if he hadn't heard him. "As long as you manage your health properly, Lord Tsuchikage can still be active for another thirty years. It's too early to start indulging now."

Onoki stopped chewing completely, put down the bamboo skewer, and stared sharply at Shuji with his experienced eyes.

"I'm handing him over to you," he said, emphasizing each word in a low voice, "Don't let me ruin him in the end, will I?"

“The special training class brings together the best students from each village at this stage.” Shuji’s answer was frank and direct. “The competitive and interactive environment will only help them grow faster. The two from Iwagakure have been performing exceptionally well here, and Lord Tsuchikage should have received the relevant reports.”

This answer softened Onoki's expression slightly. He picked up the bamboo skewer again; this was indeed something he valued.

This was indeed something he was quite satisfied with. Deidara had no rivals among his peers in Iwagakure, but after coming to Konoha, he still had someone to compete with.

Moreover, their current strength can also represent their future development.

Those in the special training program are guaranteed to become Jonin, making them extremely valuable from every perspective.

One dumpling after another disappeared as Onoki ate with focused concentration, but he kept an eye on the movements around him out of the corner of his eye.

He noticed that Shuuji's gaze had shifted to Akado.

"Chitu doesn't learn things quickly, so following me is enough."

Shuji withdrew his gaze and looked at Onoki again: "Lord Tsuchikage, you misunderstand. I was just thinking that although Kurotsuchi is Mr. Hirotsuchi's daughter, judging from her physical characteristics, Akatsuchi is more like Mr. Hirotsuchi."

Onoki raised one eyebrow: "So?"

Are they relatives?

Akatsuchi, with half a dumpling stuffed in his mouth, still didn't understand why the topic had jumped from Onoki to his side.

"What a bunch of nonsense questions," he muttered under his breath, drifting away from his seat. "Let's go back, Akatsuchi! Seeing that kid has ruined my appetite."

He called out, and the owner of the meatball shop quickly packed up the remaining untouched meatballs, put them in a cardboard box, and handed them over.

Akatsuchi quickly accepted it, nodding somewhat embarrassedly to Shuji: "Mr. Shuji, well, we'll take our leave now."

Shuji smiled and waved to him.

Just as Onoki was about to float out of the shop, a voice caught up from behind: "Did you pay? Lord Tsuchikage, when I went to Iwagakure last time, I paid for my own breakfast."

The long-gone Onoki seemed oblivious.

Akatsuki, who was lagging behind, heard this and hesitated for a moment before turning around to look.

"What are you daydreaming about! Hurry up and catch up, Akatsuchi!" came the impatient urging from ahead.

"Ah! Yes!" Akatsuchi quickly grabbed Maruko and strode after him.

Back at Iwagakure's residence, Akatsuchi placed the packed boxes on the table, still somewhat uneasy as he rubbed his hands together: "Tsuchikage-sama, are we really sure it's alright to just leave like this?"

Onoki had already opened a box and scoffed, "What's the problem? If I hadn't gone to talk to old lady Chiyo, would his whole financial planning scheme have been implemented so quickly?"

The benefits to Iwagakure are one thing, while the objective help to Konoha advance its plans are another. In the Third Tsuchikage's view, these two accounts should be settled separately, and now is the time to collect some interest.

When he finished his third box, Wenya hurriedly returned and reported the latest developments and reactions from all parties regarding the Snow Country issue at the expanded meeting of the Joint Affairs Bureau.

Only then did Onoki put down the snacks in his hand and become focused.

If it weren't for the Akatsuki's recent series of actions that have changed the situation, he might not have needed to make this special trip.

In his opinion, the current situation in the Land of Snow is not entirely new.

In the decades since the ninja world became increasingly fragmented into ninja villages, similar scenarios have occurred to varying degrees. For example, the Land of Whirlpools, an ally of Konoha in the past, was a country entirely dominated by the Uzumaki clan. The nation and the ninja village were highly overlapping; one could even say that the ninja village itself represented the nation.

Therefore, when Uzushio Village was destroyed, the Land of Whirlpools also vanished.

The same script also applies to the Land of the Sky and the Sky Ninja Village.

Those regimes that were completely unified with the ninja village have basically all perished in the past competition.

In recent years, the Shinobi World War has actually taken on a completely different competitive landscape. From the perspective of maximizing profits, destroying a country has become impractical and less lucrative for a village. Instead, annihilating the village while preserving the daimyo of the country and his territories, with their cooperation, is the fastest way to gain benefits.

However, the series of changes that began two years ago seem to have revealed a new possibility for that seemingly outdated mechanism.

These thoughts flashed through Onoki's mind but were not spoken aloud. He listened to Wenya's report on the various statements and debates made by all parties at the expanded meeting chaired by Kakashi over the past few days, without paying much attention to the specific details. "If those people from Akatsuki can really manage the Land of Snow properly," Onoki suddenly spoke up during Wenya's report, "it wouldn't be a bad thing."

In that case, it would simply be a stronger version of Kirigakure. He actually felt more comfortable dealing with this kind of confrontation where both sides had clear rear areas and fixed territories to protect.

After saying that, he realized that it was still impossible.

How could a group of rogue ninjas from all corners of the country, who could abandon even their hometowns and ties, and a regime that seized power through usurpation and was merely used as a temporary stepping stone and testing ground by them, possibly build a truly stable homeland that is worth cherishing and protecting?

For them, the Land of Snow was ultimately just a tool, a signboard, not a weakness.

Thinking of this, Onoki ate the last few dumplings, checked the time, and said, "Let's go, Akatsuchi."

It's time to go see Deidara and Kurotsuchi.
-
The training ground for the special training class at Konoha Ninja Academy.

Kurotsuchi's short black hair billowed with her swift movements. Based on Iwagakure's solid physical skills, she seamlessly transitioned between punches and sweeping kicks, constantly attempting to penetrate her opponent's interior.

The nine-year-old girl's body had not yet fully developed, but every strike carried the steady power unique to Iwagakure.

Her boxing style is not flashy moves, but a combination of basic techniques honed through countless trials: straight punch followed by elbow strike, low sweep into side kick, the movements are clean and crisp, showing a maturity beyond her years.

However, her opponent, Bai, who is two years older, displays a completely different style.

His movements were as fluid and graceful as flowing water, often parrying and deflecting Black Soil's attacks with minimal effort, and occasionally responding with a perfectly timed and decisive counterattack.

The two figures clashed, exchanging blows and defenses in a seemingly impressive display.

Once again, they crossed paths and separated. Kuroko could sense that Shiro wasn't giving it his all, which made her somewhat dissatisfied.

She was probably in the middle of the pack in the special training class, not as good as the monsters at the front, but better than the elites at the back.

But that doesn't mean she's willing to accept such courtesy.

Kurotsuchi adjusted her breathing, lowered her center of gravity, and prepared to use ninjutsu to add more intensity to this practical training—just then, Guy's voice rang out.

"stop--!"

Kai stepped between the two and first expressed his approval to Heitu: "Good fighting spirit, Heitu! This fearless desire to attack is the best fuel for burning youth!"

Then, he turned to Bai, who had a gentle and calm expression, and patted the boy's slightly thin shoulder heavily.

“Bai,” Kai’s tone suddenly became earnest, “you were able to maintain restraint during sparring in order to preserve harmony among your companions.”

"This heartfelt sentiment of valuing classmates and treating others with kindness, I, the teacher..."

Kai's voice seemed a little choked up, and he sniffed hard. "I'm so moved! This is one of the most beautiful and precious emotions of youth!"

Haku revealed a quiet smile. He felt good about the overall atmosphere here, and he no longer had the concerns he had when he was in Kirigakure, where he had to consider Zabuza's stance and hold back.

"But—!" Kai's voice suddenly rose, and he raised his other hand into a fist. "But, on the training field where the pursuit of excellence is paramount, in the passionate duels of youth, any slight reservation or slackening is a betrayal of youth!"

"Youth, youth is burning without reservation! It's pouring out all your passion! It's pushing the limits—"

Kaika paused for a moment, his gaze falling on the blond kid on the sidelines. Suddenly struck by inspiration, he roared, "Explosion!!"

"That's right! Absolutely right! Hmm!"

Deidara, who was watching from the sidelines, immediately echoed this sentiment: "Explosions are art! Art is explosions! And the ultimate art, of course, is the most passionate youth! Yes!"

Caught up in the enthusiastic response, Kai turned to look at him. Their eyes met in mid-air, as if sparks of light flew between them.

The next moment, a suspicious glint appeared in Kai's eyes. He nodded vigorously and responded in an even more impassioned tone: "That's right! Deidara! This is the art of youth! Artistic youth!"

"Teacher Kai! Deidara!" Not far away, Li, who was already moved to tears, rushed over, waving his fist and joining in the inexplicable resonance. "I'm so touched! This is the burning path of youth we've been searching for!"

In a corner of the training ground, Neji leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, seemingly trying to shut out the overwhelming noise. Sasuke, meanwhile, crossed his arms, his brow furrowed, lost in thought. Temari rubbed her forehead, a "here we go again" expression on her face; Kankuro was suppressing a laugh, his shoulders twitching slightly.

Gaara stood quietly at a short distance, watching this scene unfold.

Shuiyue was overjoyed, while Chojuro awkwardly pushed up his glasses, unsure whether he should join in this declaration of youth.

Omoi scratched his face and muttered under his breath, "This is too intense... Speaking of which, what if I get injured from overtraining? Will it affect my subsequent missions? Wait, we don't seem to have any missions right now..."

Karui glared at him: "Instead of thinking about these things, you should consider that Lord Raikage is coming. We'll have to put on a good show then. If we don't perform well, we'll definitely have to do extra training when we get back..."

Seeing this chaotic and speechless scene, Heitu's fighting spirit, which had just risen, dissipated by more than half. She sighed, rubbed her wrist, and walked to the sidelines to pick up her water bottle.

All of this was observed by Onoki and Akatsuchi, who had just arrived at the edge of the training ground and were quietly floating on a branch of a large tree using the Light-Heavy Rock Technique.

Akatsuchi looked down at Deidara, who was having a lively conversation with Guy, and a smile appeared on his honest face: "Tsuchikage-sama, Deidara seems to have become much more enthusiastic and cheerful."

Onoki hovered in mid-air, his small body motionless.

He watched quietly for over ten seconds. He watched Deidara take out clay from his ninja tool pouch and begin to shape it with nimble fingers; he watched Guy strike an encouraging pose and shout, "This is the youth of art!"; he watched Rock Lee cheering him on with fervor, and tears almost welled up in his eyes.

Then, the Third Tsuchikage slowly and deeply took a breath.

“...You haven’t eaten enough,” he said softly.

"Huh?" Akatsuchi didn't hear clearly and turned his head in confusion.

Onoki offered no explanation. He silently left the branch, put his hands behind his back, and drifted leisurely toward the exit of the training ground.

That kid Shuji, he really has something to hide.

Then I thought of Han, that silent, sturdy, and always known for his composure and reliability, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. It seems he's in some band now, and supposedly still practicing drumming.

How did the people of Iwagakure, who were perfectly fine, become like this after arriving in Konoha?

(End of this chapter)