Konoha Notes.

Chapter 511 Wind and Sand

Chapter 511 Wind and Sand

After the emergency was brought under control, the remaining question for Sasuke was whether the current Nara Shikamaru was real or fake.

Shikamaru, who shares the same feelings about the existence of the evil master, doesn't mind having his identity confirmed.

After confirming that Shikamaru was the real deal, Sasuke's mood became even heavier.

Therefore, that tactic itself has a certain degree of rationality.

It's actually a standard trope; transformation techniques exist for a similar purpose.

Whether it's the basic qualities of a ninja or anything else, there should be no hesitation.

But it took a little more effort to come up with this answer than I had imagined.

If it's something unimportant, perhaps it can be stopped at this point.

However, his third report was not yet completed, even though he already had almost enough information about Xiu Si.

However, the conclusions that truly need to be submitted may require this action to corroborate them.

Sasuke was still hesitating.

There was one thing he was certain of: once he did it, it would inevitably appear at some time he didn't want to see, in a way he didn't want to see, in a situation where he might not be able to hold back.

Therefore, he still couldn't make this decision even when the special training course was over and he was about to go to the next class.

Gaara and Kankuro have also joined the group going to the Joint Affairs Bureau.

With more people coming to Konoha, other villages started to get restless.

"They've all passed away, one by one." Kurotsuchi leaned against the fence of the training ground, her tone clearly showing dissatisfaction. "Deidara applied much earlier, but all he got was a title for being on a mission. Wouldn't it have been better if he just joined the secret service?"

"What are you talking about, huh?" Deidara didn't envy anyone working in an office. "That salary isn't even enough to cover the deposit. You might as well take on demolition jobs outside."

"So none of the people from Iwagakure made it there."

"If you want to go, just apply yourself." Deidara remained completely unmoved.

"I applied," Heitu said, her tone becoming somewhat agitated. "But it wasn't approved."

Wenya meant that she shouldn't rush things.

Sasuke didn't pay attention to these words, and neither did Gaara and Kankuro.

Kankuro obtained his apprenticeship permit from Maki after Temari relayed the message. Two of the three siblings had already entered, and they happened to be representatives of the standard Sunagakure style, such as Sand Manipulation, Wind Release, and Puppet Technique.

With Gaara already granted the most crucial qualification, Maki has no reason to block Kankuro's qualification alone.

Thus, the three children of the Fourth Kazekage appeared simultaneously in the Sunagakure office in this way.

It was not difficult for Temari and Kankuro to be accepted.

Temari has been qualified to join here for more than a month and has a basic grasp of the process and personnel. Kankuro, although he joined temporarily, is a puppeteer, which is a highly valued profession in Sunagakure. He was quite familiar with the process after he joined.

They were already recognized as orthodox during the time of Rosa.

Gaara is different.

He is the future that has been abandoned once.

Even though she has shown her current composure, she still faces a lot of scrutiny.

Gaara didn't care about this; he was already mentally prepared.

Even earlier, before the things that sustained his mind were taken away by Rasa, he was able to maintain his composure.

Not to mention now.

He calmly accepted the gazes that held varying degrees of warmth. Unlike the friendliness he received from his sister and brother, the coldness and alienation he was experiencing felt like a desert wind.

Maki arranged for him to stay in his representative's office. Gaara did not refuse this kindness.

But he spends most of his time in the large office shared by the ordinary staff of Sunagakure.

Today is the third day. Although the results are not many, at least those people have begun to get used to one thing—the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast is indeed stable even when he is not by the side of other Jinchuriki.

Therefore, even if Gaara appeared in the office of a Sunagakure employee, they were able to ignore his presence and start talking about ordinary topics.

"Have you heard about the statement made by the Fire Country Daimyo the other day?"

"I really hope that our esteemed lord can realize the current situation."

"Compared to this, the Daimyo is pushing even harder on the projects in the Land of Rain."

"It is said that he is also considering adjusting the location of the capital once the water resources there stabilize."

"Seriously? The City of Wind is—"

"That sir enjoys a luxurious lifestyle, so it's not surprising that he made such a decision."

"The construction over there is almost finished and will soon be visible, especially with the addition of greenery—"

"Of the five great nations, apart from the one from the Land of Water, this one is the most incomprehensible."

There was also discussion about flying wings. Although this equipment is not yet routinely deployed, with each side having its own troops, some people have already applied to host the flying competition, and the terrain of the Land of Wind has been taken into consideration.

Some people also discussed the badge name solicitation that the Jinchuriki of Konoha was working on.

"Don't you find it strange to include the word 'rock' in your name?"

"We are ninjas."

"Flexibility and maneuverability are the preferred options."

Gaara listened to these controversies but did not rush into joining them. He memorized each sentence and took them back to Maki's representative office along with his work.

Machi is not here.

Gaara did not go out again.

There was a knock on the office door.

"Maki, regarding the review of the Konoha duty team—"

'

Before Gaara could get up, the door was pushed open. Yura's voice was quite loud, attracting just as many glances.

He was walking straight in when he noticed that Gaara was the only one there, and his expression paused slightly.

"Maki isn't here. Let's have a meeting," Gaara said.

"I see." Yura stood in front of the representative's desk for a moment.

Gaara asked, "Aren't you going to sit?"

Yura then sat down.

"The matter of the investigation should have been concluded by now," Gaara said.

Yura glanced at the office door. The meaning behind this gesture was clear: they needed to discuss it privately.

As he wished, Gaara remained seated. Sand rose from the ground, closing the door and shutting out the faint, imperceptible gazes from outside.

"Lord Gaara has lived in Konoha for a year, so he might have different ideas." Yura's tone was calm, but his words were clear. "But this is an opportunity for Sunagakure to exert its power and demonstrate its existence."

"Even if it's just to get Konoha to initiate negotiations, it can give the village more room to maneuver."

He looked at Gaara.

"Therefore, this is a crucial time when we need to cooperate with other ninja villages. I hope you can temporarily set aside your goodwill towards them."

"This is purely official business."

At this point, Yura's expression softened, and her tone became more considerate.

"You've only just arrived, and you haven't even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet. It's really not easy to completely separate your personal feelings from the needs of the village."

Gaara spoke after hearing this.

"Is this the only way?"

"The Kingdom of Wind has too many projects that rely on the Joint Affairs Bureau to operate. From the village's perspective, deliberately provoking a conflict with little benefit to demonstrate its presence would result in more losses than gains."

Upon hearing this, Yura did not refute it.

"That's exactly why people like us are needed, Lord Gaara."

"You bear greater expectations, and you occupy a position that connects both sides. You won't be doing this kind of thing anymore."

"Someone like me, who doesn't care about taking a little punishment, should be the one to play the tough villain at that moment."

"As for the loss, whether it's being transferred back to the village or some other punishment, it's acceptable to me, Yura."

Gaara looked at him but didn't reply immediately.

Yura then continued speaking.

"This is what we are all doing. The Jinchuriki of Konoha will not take into account the needs of Sunagakure, but will instead adopt a cunning plan to provoke conflict in that way, so that the emblem name can only be implemented under the leadership of Konoha."

"The person enforcing the law is just a child, and it's even difficult to investigate the other party's problems in such actions."

Gaara listened without asking any further questions.

Yura then said, "Sunagakure is currently going through its most difficult period."

"Even if Konoha temporarily adopts a strategy of winning us over for various reasons, it would be unwise to place all our future on them."

"It is truly a joy for us that you have been able to come here and escape from being completely influenced by the other party."

"Us?" Gaara asked.

"For ninjas who still cherish the spirit of Sunagakure," Yura replied, "you'll understand once you've worked here longer."

As she spoke, Yura gave that caring smile again.

"Lord Gaara took the initiative to come, presumably because he is concerned about the future of Sunagakure. In that case, let's take a look around first."

He stood up.

"It seems that Maki's meeting will take a while longer. Well then, I'll take my leave now."

Gaara did not try to stop him.

In the following days, Yura and Gaara had more and more contact.

Sometimes they would brush past each other in the corridor and Yura would stop to say a few words, or in the staff office, he would bring up the topic to Gaara. More often, he would knock on the representative's office door when Maki was out in a meeting, ostensibly to see Maki, but after sitting down, the conversation would gradually shift to other topics.

Gaara did not show any sign of resistance.

He listened attentively as Yura spoke. When Yura asked about the situation in Konoha, he answered truthfully. Occasionally, Yura would tentatively offer his opinions on how the Joint Affairs Bureau operated, and Gaara did not shy away from them.

This was a satisfactory result, which pleased Yura.

Until he was notified to participate in a new meeting.

The people sitting in the conference room were all representatives of the five great ninja villages, as well as those of slightly lower rank.

Yura is in this level.

He glanced at the people present and quietly sat down in his seat.

Kakashi, seeing that everyone had arrived, spoke directly.

"The latest news from the Land of Tea has arrived. The guardian ninjas dispatched by His Majesty the Daimyo have not achieved any results."

Tsuchikage frowned: "The guardian ninja of the Land of Fire are at least elite Chunin. Their lack of success means Akatsuki sent people to assist Gato?"

Bi said, "That merchant named Kado is not short of funds. For someone who plots to conquer a country, it is not surprising that he would hire a few rogue ninjas with decent strength."

"However, it would be too hasty to conclude that they are ready to go to war based solely on this level of understanding."

Kakashi said, "Our daimyo has sent a letter to the Land of Tea to confirm the situation. We can wait and see what the result is."

"There is one more thing I need to report here."

"There is some information worth noting: S-rank rogue ninja Sasori has been confirmed to be in the Land of the Sea region based on his itinerary."

It's very close to the Land of Tea. With Sasori's skill level, even if he only walks, he can reach the Land of Tea from the Land of the Sea.

When it came to those from Sunagakure, Maki finally spoke: "Can the accuracy of this information be confirmed?"

"Scorpion has always been very good at concealing his movements, especially in his current state—" Maki said, "and the Anbu of Sunagakure has been tracking him all along."

Yura chimed in, "Ever since we confirmed he was still alive, the search has never stopped."

Kakashi replied, "The accuracy cannot be completely guaranteed. The message came from Amegakure; they have many people on missions overseas. This is a crucial lead, so we relayed it."

Everyone present understood Amegakure's stance. If the Akatsuki leader was valuable, they would try to benefit both sides. Public intelligence would be passed around, but the truly crucial details would remain hidden from them.

The same applies to Akatsuki overseas. Nagato uses them to govern various islands, so it doesn't matter if intelligence from those places is leaked.

However, occasionally something of value will come back, just as they always take something of value with them when they go out.

"Could this be a feint?" Yura said. "How could the people of Amegakure easily know the movements of our core members?"

Kakashi said, "Judging from the feedback from Amegakure, Sasori has become a member of Kakuzu and Hidan's team."

"The missions of Kazuya and Hidan include clearing out the island nobles."

"This small team's movements were not entirely secretive."

"That's the situation. Konoha will be making preparations in the border area, and we hope that all parties will be more vigilant accordingly."

After the brief tactical meeting, Yura followed Maki out of the meeting room. Maki told him a few words about the arrangements for relaying intelligence back to the village before hurrying off to another department.

Yuliang responded.

Only when I was alone did I begin to fully hide my anxiety.

Lord Scorpion —

It just so happens that it appears at this critical juncture.

Is Akatsuki about to make another move? Does he already know that Gaara is stationed at the Joint Affairs Bureau and intends for him to coordinate?

Why wasn't I informed in advance?

He suppressed the unease surging within him, organized the intelligence at hand, and connected to the village's communication system according to procedure. Every step was performed meticulously, just as usual.

But at the very end, he placed the sealed mailbox on the table without getting up immediately.

If we take action now, what are the chances of being exposed?

Is it time for me to go overseas?