Konoha Notes.

Chapter 512 Tide and Shore

Chapter 512 Tide and Shore

Even though Yura wasn't entirely sure whether he would be forced to travel overseas immediately at this point in time, he could only further increase his enthusiasm for his work.

He no longer just approached Gaara himself, but even began to try to help Gaara expand his work scope.

Gaara did not refuse the offer of assistance.

He could distinguish between the other party's purpose and the actual effect. Regardless of Yura's motives, his plan to understand the true thoughts of the Sand Village ninjas did indeed proceed more smoothly as a result.

When he returned to the old house in the western suburbs that evening, he would tell Xiu Si about these things.

He wasn't a clingy nine-year-old. He knew that the prerequisite for him to continue staying in the Joint Affairs Bureau was that he couldn't affect the overall plan.

For Shuji, it was great that he had something to talk about in the evening, in addition to his own little experiment.

He's been quite busy these past few days. If I had to put it another way, it wasn't just busy; he'd witnessed firsthand what it's like for a child to be stubborn.

During lunch break and after school in the evening, whenever he appeared in public, a blond figure would always appear. Sometimes it was a girl who suddenly appeared, and sometimes it was just footsteps following from a distance.

That girl's taste is getting more and more extravagant every day. Mini skirts and crop tops are already a basic style for her, and yesterday she even put a fake flower in her hair.

This is not interesting.

What's really interesting is that, around the same time, another dark-haired woman would occasionally appear and follow them.

They won't rush up to harass you. They'll just follow, not too far, not too close, like a shadow clinging to the ground. They follow without any attempt to hide; you could even say they're openly tailing you.

They didn't react to eye contact or respond to greetings; they just silently followed behind.

There's no need to guess who it is.

Shuji pondered for a moment what kind of tactic this was.

A thought popped into my head, and a possibility came to mind.

Is he trying to ruin his reputation in this way? Does he even have a reputation that can be ruined like this?

Unfortunately, I don't have a camera on hand that can detect chakra.

If you have any, take pictures of these scenes, develop them, and you can use them as entertainment at the next gathering.

Now I can only describe it verbally, and the taste is far from what I expected, so it's hardly a decent topic of conversation.

Amidst this subtle regret, the invitation to meet with the daimyo of the Land of Fire arrived.

Shuji thought for a moment, then went to the mission center to pick up Enichi Kyu, who had been working for free for several days, and together they headed to the daimyo's temporary residence in the stadium area.

When the daimyo saw his son for the first time, he didn't ask about his recent situation. Instead, he closed his fan and looked at Shuji with a smile.

"Is the city's work not done well enough? It has caused Shuji-kun to interrupt his studies."

Yuan Shixiu stood ramrod straight in front of his father.

Shuji said, "I'm just worried that you'll hold me accountable for coming here."

"This is an incredibly novel experience." The Fire Country Daimyo unfolded his fan, his eyes crinkling with delight. "In all my years, I've never had the opportunity to directly assign tasks to ninjas from the mission center. It's all thanks to Shuji-kun's arrangement."

Then the daimyo asked Enichi Kyu, "How is it? You've experienced how different the lives of ninjas are from those of other people, haven't you?"

Yuan Shixiu lowered his gaze slightly and composed himself.

"The ninjas of Miya always have to find time to carry out missions in addition to their training, which is a really tough job. I've noticed that quite a few of them have to travel around because of this."

Shuji said, "Compared to others, the work of ninjas may seem tedious, but their pay is not low."

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"The minimum reward of 5000 taels can be split between two people, resulting in 2500 taels, or about 1600 taels for three people. This level of task is short-lived, low-risk, and highly rewarding."

A bowl of Ichiraku ramen costs 60 ryo. You can earn that much by spending half a day or a whole day weeding. It's hardly considered a lot of running around.

Especially these tasks involving planting flowers and grass, after the initial team adjustment period, can all be done by one person.

Yuan Shixiu said, "Yes, that's what the seniors at the mission center all said."

"As far as I know, many low-level mission quotas are directly allocated to Konoha in the form of support funds."

"If a portion of it could be distributed directly as a stipend, it might free more people from trivial matters, allowing them to focus their time on improving their skills."

Shuji smiled.

"It is truly gratifying that His Highness Ichikyu can consider things from this perspective for Konoha."

He gave this affirmative answer first, and then continued the conversation.

"But if you don't accept these commissions, you won't know that money and resources don't come from nowhere."

"Even setting aside teamwork and the development of tacit understanding, the inner thoughts of those who simply receive allowances and are supported by others are completely different from those who receive rewards for their labor."

"Doing relatively safe work for reward is itself a way to toughen up the ninjas' mentality."

"If they don't do this, they won't know where crops grow from, and they won't understand the feelings and needs of others."

Those who dismiss these as trivial matters will ultimately fail to understand the true meaning of the tasks they have been given.

Whether ninjas trained in that way will be good or bad for the world and the future is unknown. Even if they possess greater strength, it's impossible to expect anything from them.

Upon hearing this, the daimyo of the Land of Fire immediately expressed his appreciation for these words.

"Ichikyu, do you understand? You shouldn't presume to comment on the lives of ninjas before you've mastered the skills."

Yuan Shixiu immediately lowered his head: "It was my oversight."

Shuji then turned to Daimyo.

"If Your Excellency summoned me here specifically to hear these praises, I have already gained a great deal of vanity today."

The daimyo of the Land of Fire then closed his fan: "Oh dear, oh dear, I was too happy about the child's growth."

His tone softened somewhat.

"Regarding the land of tea, I have received a reply from them."

"The Guardian Shinobi suffered some losses. The Daimyo of the Land of Tea also sent a letter, which, apart from the usual flattery of thanking me for my support, claimed that Gato had chosen to withdraw due to the intimidation of the Guardian Shinobi."

claim.

This word is used in a very interesting way.

"Since the owner of Dawei Island has said so, I shouldn't interfere any further. However, the extent of the personnel losses can only be confirmed after they return."

"What I wish to discuss with Shuji-kun is something else entirely. Please allow Ichikyu to stay in the village a little longer. If he can observe the workings of Konoha up close, he will be able to better understand what truly sustains the nation in the future."

"Of course," Shuji replied, "this is also Konoha's hope."

"I have done as you requested and had those people evacuated."

The daimyo of the tea country's voice was laced with panic as he struggled to maintain the last shred of dignity.

"Gato, if you don't leave now, you'll be facing more than just Guardian Ninjas."

The short merchant stood on the steps, leaning on his cane, and gave the monarch, who was sitting in front of him, a slick smile.

"Of course, of course. My lord, our transaction ends with this shipment. You must allow me to complete the transfer of this item."

"I will be severely criticized if I cannot take anything back with me."

"They've been waiting for this batch of goods to be stored."

He bowed slightly as a gesture of respect, then turned and waved. Several ninjas and ronin waiting nearby crowded around him, their footsteps making a commotion as they moved toward the palace gate.

Upon arriving at the port, gazing at the ships moored along the shore, the short merchant finally stopped hiding his expression.

"No matter how much trade you do, it will never compare to the wealth you can gain from possessing a country."

He turned around, looked at the land behind him where the high walls stood, and spoke with regret in his voice.

"It is such a pity that the glory of God cannot come to this land."

"Even with everything in the country, this is still the only level of life they can live."

Kado shook his head and tapped his cane on the ground.

"The daimyo and nobles are such a wasteful bunch."

Beside him, wearing an unmarked headband, he looked at what appeared to be a pink-haired ninja and said, "The time limit for this escort mission we've taken on is almost up."

Kado didn't care about this.

"Don't worry, Shi Li. I've already sent a request to extend the escort mission. Once the organization receives it, they'll relax the time restrictions on you."

"As long as you can eventually return to the Sea Kingdom with the corresponding goods for verification, your matter will go unnoticed."

He paused, then couldn't help but boast again.

"The fee I paid you exceeded the organization's allowed limit. Next time, we can choose a safer place."

Shi Li said, "Besides the Land of Tea, where else has our organization not reached? Pain possesses very powerful techniques; his vision extends everywhere."

"As for the commission fee, you'd better honestly pay the excess amount when you get back."

"I know your style perfectly well."

The pink-haired ninja raised his hand, the eye on the back of his hand pointing at Gato.

"Don't try anything funny."

Kado initially showed displeasure, but then put on a smile.

"There are still places Payne hasn't reached yet. Even without the Joint Affairs Bureau, as long as we kill the nobles on the island first, and then use assistance and trade as pretexts, we can get through the initial period."

"The first batch of goods, which forms the foundation, is already in place. Then you can take on the commissions on that island. After that, things will be simpler. As long as you have the forms and plans in place, you can completely occupy a country."

"This kind of good thing only happens in this moment."

He opened his arms as if he could already see that scene.

"Can you imagine what life will be like after this? Money will flow in from the island. Stone, you won't have to be chased around by Payne anymore."

Shi Li couldn't help but think about it.

Gato wasn't just spouting empty words. As a group of rogue ninja who had been forcibly brought together, Pain had far less patience for them.

Strict time limits and stringent requirements, even more restrictive than those imposed by the ninja village.

Being a skilled wandering ninja turned out to be even more arduous than being a village ninja, at least village ninjas had holidays and fixed duty shifts.

As long as you can seize the opportunity, create a time difference, and establish a foothold in the marginal area first, then the subsequent matters are not entirely impossible to handle.

This is at least a better option than fleeing the organization.

He didn't say anything more, but instead turned his gaze to the cargo ships that were about to leave the port.

The remaining cargo didn't take too long to transport. Having witnessed the power of ninjas overseas, Gato had already made plans to escape.

In just one day, the ships and cargo were all ready.

Kado, Shili, and the others boarded one of the ships.

The sea was calm. Only when the ship had sailed far from the coast of the Land of Tea and entered the route to the Land of the Sea did the people on board finally lower their guard.

As long as the ninjas from the Joint Affairs Bureau don't catch up, there's really nothing to worry about at this point.

Kado stood on the deck, his cane tucked under his arm, and gave instructions to Shili.

"Go check on the ships behind. Be careful, someone might throw cargo overboard."

Shi Li glanced at him.

"Who would do something so stupid?"

"There are always some people who aren't very honest," Kado said, shaking his cane. "If we suffer too many losses, we won't be able to explain ourselves back in the Sea Kingdom. I'm just a merchant; the gods don't expect that much from us."

A surge of impatience welled up in Shi Li's heart.

He increasingly felt that further cooperation with Cardo would likely be difficult to achieve.

But he still waved to the two people behind him.

"King Kong, Fragrant Flower. Go."

Two ninjas, both wearing unmarked headbands, jumped off the ship and skimmed across the water toward the cargo ship behind.

Shi Li went directly to the last ship and inspected it one by one. He checked whether the ropes were securely tied, whether the cargo box seals were intact, and whether there were any signs of leaks in the hull.

All steps were reviewed, and no abnormalities were found.

He planned to call Kongo and Xianglianhua back to check on the other ships.

no respond.

The sea breeze suddenly became very gentle.

Shi Li froze on the deck.

A short figure wearing a black cloak with red clouds appeared at the ship's side at some point.

"scorpion."

"You're overtime," a hoarse, muffled voice said.

Shi Li clenched his right hand.

"This is because of Kado's—" He couldn't finish his sentence.

He suddenly understood. Kado hadn't submitted an application to extend the commission at all. That short man had intended from the beginning to renege on the promised payment, even at the cost of having them judged as violating the organization's rules.

The eye on the back of Shi Li's right hand, which had been closed, suddenly opened, its pupil locking firmly in the direction of the scorpion.

He didn't know if he could win, but he knew he should at least try.

"I can prove it—"

Scorpion didn't look at him.

My gaze passed through him and landed on the open eye on the back of his right hand.

"A technique that can petrify anyone who touches you—you have value too, so you're preserved."

Hiruko's tail rose from the shadows, its tip gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Don't worry. Your technique will be preserved forever."

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