Konoha Notes

Chapter 439 After the Uproar
High in the sky, the thin clouds were torn apart by a sharp whooshing sound.

A dark-colored giant bird weaves through the clouds, its eyes reflecting the contours of the ground below, which are shrunken into patches of color.

Just as it was about to disappear completely into the higher cumulus clouds,
A bird made of white clay suddenly broke through the clouds and rushed upwards at an almost vertical angle!

"Konoha Power Cyclone!"

Standing on the bird's back, Matt Kai shouted, twisting his body in mid-air, his right leg taut like a bow, and kicked out fiercely with the airflow!

A green figure shot out swiftly.

Just as the toe of the shoe almost touched the tail feathers, the Yatagarasu flapped its wings and suddenly rose several meters upwards.

The giant bird had no intention of lingering, nor did it even turn back. It simply flapped its wings and soared into the higher clouds, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

“It got away.” Kai retracted his leg and landed on the back of the clay bird that had caught up just in time. He patted the pilot’s shoulder. “But it’s okay! The momentum of that kick was already conveyed! Well done, Deidara!”

Deidara did not respond.

His gaze was still fixed on the ground below.

Although from this height, the main stadium has shrunk to the size of a palm, the almost tangible sound and emotion that erupted from the field just now still seems to leave a burning imprint on the retina.

That wasn't an explosion.

There was no fire, no loud noise, no scattered debris, and no billowing smoke.

But...that kind of thing...

“…Art,” Deidara murmured. “This is art!”

He shook his head violently, as if trying to shake off some overwhelming shock from his mind.

"No, explosions are art... No, art is art... Wait, what am I saying..."

Kai looked at the usually confident boy, a look of confusion on his face.

The next second, Deidara grabbed his arm.

"I understand!"

“I, I will also carry on my art! Yes!” He nodded vigorously. “They beat us to the opening ceremony… The closing ceremony! I must perform the closing ceremony! In my own way, I will leave everyone with a final moment that they will never forget! Yes!”

"My art is the best!"

Kai looked at the fighting spirit and enthusiasm burning in Deidara's eyes, and his face was instantly filled with emotion.

“Deidara…you…” He grabbed the blond boy’s shoulder, his voice trembling slightly with excitement, “I understand completely! You also want to live out your youth as a ninja in your own way on this stage, right!”

"As a teacher, I must fully support you!"

"Let's go find Xiuji right now."

The clay bird changed direction and swooped down towards a certain spot in the venue area.

Below, inside the main stadium, although the audience had gradually taken their seats, the flush of excitement on their faces had not yet faded.

Kirabi turned around and raised his finger to his companions who had already put down their instruments.

"Hey! Once the feeling's here, we can't stop! Babies, let's do it again—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

A thicker, denser white mist, thicker than before, suddenly erupted from the edge of the stage, instantly engulfing the entire performance area.

"Hey! Wait—!"

"Yukito, what are you doing—"

"Han! Don't pull me!"

A few short gasps and muffled thuds came from within the fog, along with the sounds of fabric rubbing and hurried footsteps. People in the stands craned their necks, but could only see a white blur; they couldn't make out anything clearly. Some children even stood on tiptoe, trying to see what was happening inside.

A moment later, the fog began to dissipate.

The stage was empty.

All that remained was a lonely standing microphone and a few instrument stands that hadn't been moved.

A tall, slender figure emerged from the side curtain.

Moonlight Gale coughed twice and walked to the center of the stage.

"Ahem, thank you for the wonderful performance by the special guest group."

His voice was amplified by the loudspeakers around the venue.

"Next, I will explain the schedule and precautions for this joint martial arts exercise."
-
At the highest point of the main stadium, above a cantilever structure that is difficult to detect from the outside.

Jiraiya withdrew his gaze from the stage.

That kind of reaction, the unified shout of the same voice from everyone, was exactly what he had been searching for.

That kind of resonance that can be achieved without verbal explanation.

Even if it's just for a few minutes.

Xiu Si released his hands, and the canopy array covering the entire main stadium slowly closed.

"The Jinchuriki have all retreated to the designated area off the field," Yamanaka Inoichi said with his eyes closed. "There are no unusual chakra reactions around..."

Halfway through his sentence, the team leader of the analysis class suddenly frowned strangely, as if he had received some unexpected information.

"Mr. Shuji, Kai is looking for you."

"Is there anything else unusual?" Jiraiya asked.

“It’s not about security.” Hai shook his head. “He said he had something important to discuss.”

Shuji nodded: "Let him come over."

Not long after, the clay bird landed on the edge of the platform. Deidara jumped off the bird's back with a hurried pace, followed closely by Gai.

"Shuji!" Kai strode over. "About the closing ceremony—"

"I want to perform at the closing ceremony!" Deidara interrupted, his voice clear and bright. "To bring this martial arts event to a close with my art! Yes!"

"To put an end to this..." Shuuji looked at Deidara calmly. "If my understanding is correct, then I can give you an answer now."

"No."

Deidara's expression froze for a moment, then he raised an eyebrow in displeasure: "Hey, you haven't even heard my performance plan yet!"

“I have some understanding of your art…” Xiu Si paused, “I can say that I have some knowledge of it.”

"Is it about destroying something valuable, and using that final, irreplaceable moment of brilliance as a form of sublimation?"

Deidara was astonished. There was actually someone in Konoha who understood his artistic philosophy so well? Even Teacher Kai and Lee resonated with the burning passion of youth.

Moreover, he himself has never described that feeling in such clear terms.

An explosion is an explosion, and art is art. Does blowing something up need explaining? But this person…

“In that case,” Deidara quickly recovered, his tone now tinged with the excitement of finding a kindred spirit, “you understand, right? Only in this way can we ensure that all the spectators remember this martial arts performance! A fiery start deserves the most exhilarating ending! Hmm!”

Shuji shook his head.

“This stage, this venue,” he raised his hand and pointed to the huge main stadium below, which was now echoing with the steady commentary of Moonlight Gale, “has not yet climbed to the point where it needs to be remembered with destruction.”

"It is still growing."

Kai stood to the side, his previously enthusiastic expression now showing a hint of hesitation. Blowing up the stadium... well, that might indeed be a little... inappropriate?
Deidara frowned, about to say something, but Shuuji continued. "Be patient," he said, his tone softening slightly. "Perhaps one day, this venue will have the moment for you to update it in the most passionate way. But not now."

"As for the closing ceremony of this edition," he continued, "if you have other ways to express your artistic ideas that do not involve the end, you can put them into a specific proposal and submit it."

"We will remember your assistance to Konoha today as an exchange student from the alliance."

After saying that, Shuuji nodded to Kai and Deidara, indicating that the conversation was over.

"That's it, we have other things to do."

Shuji, Jiraiya, and Yamanaka Inoichi left the cantilevered platform, passed through several internal passages, and soon arrived at the police department branch located at the entrance of the venue area.

The atmosphere here was completely different from the main stadium. Although the streets outside were still bustling with people, the branch was quiet and orderly. Ninjas wearing police vests walked back and forth, talking in hushed tones, and the large map on the wall was covered with various markings.

Upon arriving at the branch, Yamanaka Inoichi immediately went to the Perception Team to assist in processing intelligence.

Shuji and Jiraiya headed straight for the command room on the top floor.

Hiashi Hyuga had already noticed the commotion and was waiting at the entrance to the command room.

“Mr. Shuji, Lord Jiraiya,” the Hyuga clan leader and police chief reported, “the three-layered security perimeter around the stadium is operating smoothly, and no signs of ground infiltration have been detected.”

“However,” his white eyes narrowed slightly, “the sensory teams reported subtle traces of chakra residue in two remote areas in the southeast and northwest. The nature of these traces is unknown, and they appear to have been there briefly before being quickly evacuated.”

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya immediately said, "I'll lead the team to take a look."

"Then I'll trouble you." Hiashi nodded slightly.

After Jiraiya left, Hiashi continued, "Furthermore, given that you are here, I plan to lead a team to patrol the perimeter of the stadium area and strengthen border security."

“Okay,” Xiu Si replied. “Keep an eye on the patrol shift rotations.”

"Yes."

Hiashi bowed and left.

Xiu Si walked to the large sand table in the center and glanced at the dense markings on it—the locations of each patrol team, warning points, emergency access routes, medical points... Everything was operating according to the plan and in an orderly manner.

For a moment, he found himself with nothing to do.

Just then, he heard a noise coming from the inner training room.

To bring his two daughters to the branch for training at a time like this...

Hiashi Hyuga really doesn't intend to relax for a moment; he even brought Hinata, who has already been deprived of her succession rights, along...

Shuji had no intention of going in to disturb the sisters. He simply walked to the chair by the window, sat down, closed his eyes, and turned his thoughts to the possible next move by the Akatsuki organization.

Time flowed by in silence.

After an unknown amount of time, the door to the inner training room was gently opened.

Hinata Hyuga cautiously peeked out from the crack in the door, her eyes widening slightly when she saw Shuuji.

"...Sir Shuji."

The little girl's voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

Shuji opened his eyes and nodded slightly to her: "Hello, Hinata."

Then, his gaze fell back to the street outside the window.

However, Hinata doesn't seem to have any intention of retreating just like that.

She gently closed the door, taking a small step towards Xiu Si, then another. Her hands were unconsciously clasped together in front of her.

Behind her, the door to the training room was opened a little more.

Hinata Hanabi peeked her little head out from the gap, her equally pure white eyes secretly glancing at her sister's stiff back.

Shuji looked up.

Hinata seemed startled by this action, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"that……"

"Does the Hyuga clan all like to complicate things?" Shuji suddenly asked.

Hinata froze.

"You're not planning to explain the food box thing, are you?" Shuji continued. "Neji and Naruto have never had any interaction. The only thing that could bring them together is you."

Hinata's lips moved, but she couldn't utter a sound; she just lowered her head even further.

“Naruto didn’t mention this,” Shuuji said, looking at her. “He kept it a secret for days, making up excuses for himself.”

Neji mentioned the damaged food box, but it didn't involve you. He only mentioned his unexpected conflict with Naruto.

He looked at the girl in front of him who was almost curled up into a ball.

"It's just a small, ordinary matter, so please don't have anyone else taking the blame."

"This makes me confused about my own position. I shouldn't be such an evil person that such a small thing has caused me so much distress."

After he finished speaking, the command room fell silent.

Hinata lowered her head and remained motionless for a long time.

The girl suddenly raised her head.

Although her cheeks were still red and her eyes were still darting around, she did raise her head.

"No, no..."

The voice was still very soft, but it was a little more determined than before.

"Lord Shuji is a very gentle person... I know that."

She took a deep breath, as if she had used up all her courage:
"I just... wanted to say thank you."

"Thank you... for not blaming Naruto-kun, and for not blaming Neji-nii-san... and... thank you for what you just said."

After saying that, Hinata relaxed completely, as if she had accomplished some important task.

"Because everything is...me..."

"Was it my fault?" Shuji finished her sentence.

"...Yes..." Hinata nodded subconsciously, then suddenly realized something was wrong and shook her head frantically, "No! It's not like that! I mean...that..."

Looking at the little one in front of him, who was so anxious that he started rambling incoherently again, Xiu Si couldn't help but laugh.

"Now this really is my problem."

“While I would love to suggest you take your sister out for a walk,” he said, his voice softer than before, “I’ll refrain from taking the lead and making this decision on behalf of Minister Riji, since the most interesting activity has already ended.”

Hinata whispered, "Natsu-neechan will take us out later."

"That's good."

Hinata hesitated for a few seconds, then bowed deeply to him before tiptoeing back into the training room. As the door closed, Hanabi's childish voice could still be heard asking, "Sister?"

Shuji looked at the closed door and turned back to look out the window.

Hinata...

(End of this chapter)