Konoha Notes

Chapter 440 An Ordinary Noon

In the main stadium's audience section, Tsunade rested her chin on one hand, her gaze fixed on the arena below, but her eyelids felt heavy.

After the unexpectedly successful performance at the opening ceremony, the martial arts competition officially began.

The first morning was filled with nothing but genin matches. Their techniques were still quite immature, and their tactics were mostly textbook routines. For top-tier ninjas who had seen countless storms, it was hard to get them truly excited without any unique highlights.

Cheers from the audience occasionally rang out in the stadium, but Tsunade's thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.

Judging by the time... it should be around noon, right?
"Hokage's composure is truly enviable," a voice came from beside her. Mei Terumi said, "Even in the current situation, she doesn't seem to have much to worry about."

“Because everything is arranged in advance, there is no need for you to think about it yourself.” Onoki slowly interjected, “In my memory, perhaps only the First Hokage, Hashirama, had this kind of ease.”

Tsunade finally turned her head and corrected him confidently: "No, my situation is different from Grandpa's."

“At least—” the Fifth Hokage held up one finger, “I spend much more time in the Hokage Building every day than my grandfather did.”

"And we can't even go to casinos."

A said, "What nonsense are you talking about, Tsunade? Isn't this what a Kage should do?"

Tsunade was pondering how to respond to this blunt truth when she glanced down and realized the match results were about to be announced.

Just as she expected, the referee announced the winner.

The last match of the morning has ended.

"I think everyone has plans for lunchtime." She nodded to the other four figures. "Well then, I'll be going now."

Anyway, this wasn't their first time in Konoha, or even their first day in the arena area. They had already given all the necessary instructions and made all the necessary arrangements, so leaving now would be without any burden.

After leaving the private passage of the Shadow Stage, Tsunade stepped into the circular corridor surrounding the main building.

At this moment, the audience also emerged from various exits, gathering in twos and threes to discuss the opening performance and competitions of the morning.

Some people are discussing the victories and defeats of individual villages; some have predicted correctly, while others have misjudged. There are those who are cursing and those who are overjoyed.

Tsunade unconsciously rubbed her fingers together.

For a moment, my hands felt a little itchy.

But considering his current status, he suppressed the impulse.

She turned her attention to the roadside stalls. A short queue had already formed in front of the food stalls, and the aroma of fried food mixed with the smell of sauces wafted over.

The Fifth Hokage wondered if he should buy some to take home; they could be eaten as snacks or appetizers that evening.

But there were people gathered in front of every stall. If I went there now without making a big show of it like a Hokage, it would probably take a lot of time, so I decided against it.

Just as she was about to leave, several figures appeared in her line of sight.

Fugaku Uchiha surveyed the arena area. Mikoto Uchiha was beside him, smiling and talking to Hazuki Uchiha. Both women had gentle smiles on their faces.

A little further away, Izumi and Itachi walked side by side.

Uchiha Sasuke lagged behind, a few steps behind them. The black-haired boy had his hands in his pockets, head down, seemingly lost in thought, completely absent-minded.

Fugaku noticed the Hokage's presence.

The police chief turned his gaze over, then changed direction and walked over with his family.

"Fifth Hokage." The Uchiha clan head stopped at a suitable distance.

"Lord Hokage." Mikoto and Hazuki expressed their respect simultaneously, their tones gentle yet reverent.

Itachi stepped forward and said, "Lady Tsunade."

Quan uses the same name.

Sasuke then followed, also calling him Hokage-sama.

Tsunade nodded in response to the series of different yet appropriate greetings. Her gaze shifted between Itachi and Izumi, finally settling on Itachi's face, her tone carrying a hint of deliberate teasing:

"Isn't the secretariat's work still too demanding?"

Fugaku replied without changing his expression, "This is how much the village values ​​Itachi."

Itachi didn't refute. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Tsunade continued walking towards the entrance to the arena area.

The closer she got to the exit, the denser the crowd became. She had to slow down a bit, searching for a gap in the bustling throng.

In a fleeting moment when she looked up, she saw something else.

At the entrance of the police department building, Hyuga Natsumi was leading two little girls out. The female ninja with short green hair was slightly bent over, as if giving instructions.

Tsunade stopped and observed the three people from a distance for a while before setting off.

She then headed towards the branch office building.

When the people on the first floor saw Tsunade arrive, some of them came forward.

"Lord Hokage," he reported after bowing, "the Minister is currently on patrol outside, and Lord Shuji is upstairs."

Tsunade nodded, asked no further questions, and walked straight towards the stairs.

The door to the command center was ajar.

When I pushed open the door, Shuji was sitting at a small table by the window. He was holding half a rice ball in his hand, and a teacup was in front of him.

"Anything else?" Tsunade asked as soon as she entered the room.

Xiu Si raised his eyes and gestured with his chin toward the small table beside him.

There was another rice ball wrapped in oil paper.

Tsunade walked over, picked it up, sat down next to him, and unwrapped the package. The rice ball was still warm, with bits of roasted salmon and sesame seeds mixed in with the rice, and the seaweed sheet remained crisp.

She took a big bite, chewed a few times and swallowed, then picked up the cup in front of her and took a big gulp of tea to smooth it out.

“Just now,” Tsunade said, her voice slightly muffled as she continued chewing her rice ball, “I saw the two girls from the Hyuga clan. Hyuga Natsu brought them out, and they seemed to get along well.”

“After all, they are legitimate sisters,” Shuuji said.

Tsunade stopped chewing, turned her face and glared at him: "What kind of evaluation is that?"

"Literally, the kind of close, affectionate sisters."

"Which kind is indecent?" Tsunade asked irritably.

Shuji didn't answer, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

Tsunade, too lazy to press for details, continued munching on her rice ball. After a couple of bites, she remembered something: "When I came out earlier, I ran into Fugaku and the others."

"Ah."

"Itachi and Izumi are walking together."

"Oh." It's nothing new.

"Both families met," Tsunade added.

Shuji didn't even say "hmm" this time, he just nodded and continued to eat the rice ball in his hand.

Tsunade glanced at his calm demeanor and suddenly said, "Time, sometimes it feels like it passes by incredibly fast."

"Ok?"

“Look, when Itachi first came under your command, he was only this small.” Tsunade raised her hand to indicate the height, then pointed out the window, “Now he can even bring girls out to watch the games.”

Shuji stuffed the last bite of rice ball into his mouth, chewed, and didn't say anything.

"But this year, it feels much slower."

"It feels like my four years as Hokage... in this one year, it suddenly feels like it's been stretched out several times over."

Shuji thought for a moment: "Indeed, there are more and more things to do, and it feels like I can't finish dealing with them all. Retirement... seems to be getting further and further away."

But after thinking about it again, he said, "Maybe not. The retirement date might come earlier than expected."

(End of this chapter)