Konoha Notes.

Chapter 550 The One Who Waits, The One Who Approaches

Chapter 550 The One Who Waits, The One Who Approaches

The carriage swayed and rocked, the oars parted the lake water, and the monotonous sound of the water continued for a long time.

The journey to the Land of Water is a long one for ordinary people, which is why Shuji set off early.

He had to travel in a specially designed vehicle, hidden within the barrier.

After all, the other side had a troublesome guy with an extremely long field of vision.

After entering the Land of Water by boat, he changed his carriage again and headed towards the Great Lake.

The Hidden Mist Village had set up a cordon early on, and even when there was still some distance between them and the lake, all irrelevant personnel had been completely cleared out.

The one who came to pick them up was a demon with a bandaged face; Zabuza had exchanged his guillotine for the Executioner's Blade.

The other one wore a mask from the Dark Guard, his long hair wrapped in a headscarf, and his figure was still somewhat thin like a young man, but the sewing needles hanging on his back were anything but sloppy.

"Lord Hokage, a barrier has been set up in this area to isolate our senses."

Shuji lifted the carriage curtain, offering no comment on Zabuza as he returned to his own path, but instead addressed the Anbu, saying, "You've become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Haku."

The young operative asked in surprise, "You remember me?"

"Of course, they are students in the special training program after all," Shuuji said. "After you, there haven't been any other students who need to be specifically added to the observation list yet."

Even through the mask, Xiu Si could still guess what Shiro's expression was like. He was always gentle, and it was probably a slightly embarrassed and shy look.

Shuji could also hear the memory in his voice.

"My years in Konoha were very memorable. Thanks to Guy-sensei, I was able to become one of the Ninja Swordsmen so quickly."

The ghost seemed dissatisfied with this reminiscing.

"Now it's time to work, Bai."

The Sixth Hokage turned around, a standard social smile on his face: "In the workplace, there's a rule against addressing Anbu members by their first names, right?"

"Zabuza-san, you'd better watch out."

"After all, it involves the safety of the covert operations team in normal times."

The guy who accused the villain first walked towards the lakeshore: "Speaking of which, Shiro, you've definitely never seen what Zabuza looks like when he's in a meeting."

Bai looked somewhat helplessly at his superior, then at the Hokage who had started speaking on his own.

The demon's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and the whites of his eyes and pupils exuded a legendary ghostly aura in a terrifying proportion.

The Hokage met that gaze: "That's it, that's the expression."

"I was too busy with work back then, and even though I was assigned to a school, I didn't have time to chat with you all. It's such a pity."

"You know what? Because I was in charge of the village's foreign affairs for several years, I've met quite a few ninjas from other villages."

"After so many meetings, many people who were temporarily transferred to clerical positions haven't adapted to that kind of environment yet."

A gentle female voice interrupted the dark history that was about to be revealed.

Mei Terumi emerged from the mist, her figure graceful and her smile gentle.

She extended her hand to Shuji: "Shuji-kun has become much stingier since becoming Hokage."

"It's been a long time since we last met, Sixth Generation Lord."

Shuji dropped his social smile and adopted a more sincere expression, politely shaking her hand: "This makes me suspect that the video conferences held by Kirigakure over the past two years have all been conducted by stand-ins, Mizukage-sama."

Mei Terumi laughed happily: "That's exactly what I wanted to say. Every meeting is just work, work, work. It's hard not to suspect that Shuuji-kun is slacking off and has someone else read the prepared remarks for him."

Shuji voluntarily released his grip: "Most people in Konoha are inflexible and unwilling to do things like this."

Mei Terumi lowered her hand: "In terms of being old-fashioned, Kirigakure is in no way inferior."

The Water Shadow appeared, Haku quietly withdrew, and Zabuza also withdrew his gaze. The two of them disappeared into the mist together.

As the noise subsided and the lakeside quieted down, the gentleness on Mei Terumi's face faded somewhat.

"During this time, I've been worried that Kirigakure might also need to be rebuilt."

"Among the enemies is the second-generation leader of our village. Even the elders don't fully understand his techniques."

"In matters of secrecy, the Third Hokage inherited the will of the Second Hokage."

"We can only make arrangements based on the information we already have."

"But the people who will appear are probably not just the Second Hokage. With Kirigakure's current strength, we don't have enough confidence to deal with them."

Shuji gazed at the misty lake: "So, I'll play the villain."

"I will take the Three-Tails away directly and prevent it from returning to Kirigakure."

He said, "To make things less complicated, could you be the mole?"

Mei Terumi looked at him with a questioning gaze.

Shuji continued, "Withdraw all troops except the barrier squad ahead of schedule."

Then he remembered something: "Oh right, if my people arrive, please bring them over here as well."

Mei Terumi said softly, "I will persuade everyone by acting as a substitute supervisor."

"No, that wouldn't be appropriate." Shuji shook his head, rejecting the suggestion. "Leaving me and the people from Konoha is enough."

"The Hidden Mist Village has a long tradition of overthrowing superiors. If the Fifth Mizukage is forced to step down due to poor supervision, then there will be no one left who can maintain a tacit understanding with me and collude with me."

The lakeside breeze, carrying moisture, passed between the two, lifting a few strands of Mei Terumi's long hair. She raised her hand and tucked them behind her ears, her expression blurred and indistinct in the mist.

"Even as a shadow, I feel particularly powerless in a situation like this, Shuuji-kun."

"There's not enough time to send more people into the battlefield." Shuji turned his gaze away from the lake. "Let's leave it for another day, Mei Terumi."

Mei Terumi, as a ninja, accepted the verdict.

Shuji said, "The battlefield isn't just this one place. We can't afford to waste manpower. This is just one link in a long battle. Dying early would be considered desertion."

The Fifth Mizukage paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "That's really demanding."

Shuji waved to her.

Mei Terumi didn't say anything more. She turned around and walked back the way she came. The fog swallowed her figure, along with the ANBU who were silently retreating into the fog.

The Sixth Hokage, left alone, pondered what to do with the remaining time.

The barrier maintained by the mist is top-notch in terms of concealment; it's just too effective, preventing even sunlight from getting in.

He crouched down and put his hand into the lake water.

The water was icy cold, and the underwater life was extremely weak. All the creatures that should have been active in the lake were silent in the deepest part of the lakebed.

The Three-Tails hasn't completed the final step of its revival, but it's almost there.

Shuji mentally estimated that it would probably happen in the next three or four days.

Just in case, let's make some arrangements first.

So four wooden clones were created. They first tapped each other, each leaving a Flying Thunder God mark. Three of them guarded the triangle, and the last one silently disappeared into the trunk of a large tree not far away.

After making preparations, he raised a wooden table, and his main body and three wooden clones each sat on one side, taking out two decks of cards.

As the day passed, he could sense that the natural energy in the vicinity was beginning to show abnormalities.

"Is it almost done? — A little faster than expected."

Shuji casually tossed the playing cards in his hand onto the table, stood up, and his three wooden clones also stood up at the same time.

In that instant, a tiny black dot appeared in the thick fog on the opposite shore of the lake.

The outline, almost melting into the mist, was exceptionally clear in Xiu Si's eyes.

The veins around his eyes and those of his clone next to him bulged out.

A powerful chakra, so powerful that even he had to admire it, appeared in his field of vision.

The figure rushed towards them, stepping on the lake water. He was so fast that the huge waves he created didn't even have time to spread outwards before he left them far behind.

Without the slightest hesitation, the three wooden clones unleashed their full speed almost simultaneously, rushing towards the figure.

However, in the next instant, without any visible hand seals or attack movements, the three incredibly resilient wooden clones abruptly turned into countless flying fragments in mid-air.

Before Xiu Si could even switch his gaze, an unseen force suddenly gripped his body and lifted him up.

The man with the title of Asura stopped in front of him.

Madara did not make a move immediately, but looked up at the young Hokage, examining an exhibit that could be considered somewhat interesting.

"You've been resurrected?" Hanging in mid-air, Shuji didn't struggle in vain. Instead, he adjusted his breathing, his gaze sweeping over the pair of rippled purple eyes. "These eyes—the Rinnegan—"

Nagato got caught? Is he out of his mind and ran out of the village? That's unlikely. Nagato is watching Toneri, that's true, but Toneri is also watching Nagato.

Nothing bad should happen.

Madara stood there, showing no intention of answering the previous question. He looked at Shuji with a dismissive admiration in his eyes.

"Did this exceed your expectations?"

Orochimaru believes you will stay in Konoha; he considers you a conservative person.

"His prediction was spot on," Shuuji remarked, hovering in mid-air. "Did Orochimaru revive you? Along with those Rinnegan?"

"Isn't the current technology in the ninja world a bit too outrageous?"

Ban looked at him, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Very good, handling it with ease."

"But I knew you would come here. I never entrust important things to others, not even letting the Hidden Mist ninja leave early."

"You are just like Hashirama in your persistence in these matters."

Madara's gaze passed over the person in front of him and landed on the wooden clone that was rushing in the opposite direction.

"So, is this version of you just a clone used for testing?"

"If you're just having a casual chat, there's not much difference between the clone and the main body; both can be heard." Shuji's voice remained relaxed despite being held captive.

"You cunning brat." A hint of coldness crept into Madara's voice. "There's no confusion in your eyes, and you feel nothing about your impending defeat."

"Even now, you still want to try and probe my intelligence through language?"

The invisible force suddenly tightened.

However, just as his neck was about to break, Shuji's figure vanished into thin air.

The wooden clone that had originally run far away reappeared in a different location, exploded, and turned into countless sharp wooden spikes that rained down on Uchiha Madara.

Before the splinter could even touch the hem of Ban's clothes, it was shattered by something unseen.

"As expected, Flying Thunder God."

Madara looked at Shuji, who had already retreated far away.

As soon as he exerted force with his feet, the monk created eight wooden clones.

Four of them scattered in different directions, and four rushed towards them.

Facing the four charging clones, half of the Susanoo lit up around Madara.

Blue chakra condensed into a giant skull, which was then covered in heavy armor.

Susanoo wielded a massive chakra sword, sweeping it horizontally forward.

Just as the blade was about to touch the first wooden clone.

Shuuji stomped hard on the back of the blade, the heavy force combined with the burst of chakra, forcing the blade into the ground.

Using this reaction force, Shuuji leaped into the air, his hands becoming a blur of afterimages.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

The massive wooden dragon body creaked and bound Madara, along with his half-body Susanoo.

The wooden dragon's body tightened, squeezing the blue chakra armor.

Madara was about to speak up and mock that this level of Wood Release was not worth mentioning.

"Not using that technique anymore?" Shuuji's voice came from above, light and inquisitive. "That invisible attack must have a time interval, right?"

He flipped in mid-air and landed on a thick tree trunk, looking down at the blue giant entangled by the wooden dragon.

"Let me guess, how long does that invisible thing last? Hmm—thirty seconds? Or forty seconds?"

"So what about the cooldown time? Is it one minute or two minutes?"

"Kid," Madara's voice was deep, "who do you think you're talking to?"

As soon as Ban finished speaking, the wooden dragon collapsed. Before countless pieces of wood could fall in mid-air, even more vines sprouted from the ground, trying to entangle Ban's body.

The blue chakra armor surged once more, and all the vines were shattered the moment they touched the surface of Susanoo.

Shuji's true form once again used the Flying Thunder God Technique to disappear from the spot.

Instead of him bearing the brunt of the rage, one of the wood clones that had charged at Madara earlier was taken over.

Before this clone was mercilessly sliced ​​in two by Susanoo's blade, his mouth was still opening and closing rapidly.

"Of course, I'm talking to a coward."

Another clone was crushed by Susanoo's massive shoe sole, sending wood chips flying.

Ban commented indifferently, "They only know how to play these kinds of petty tricks."

"It seems I misjudged you. At this level, you are no match for Hashirama at all."

Before he could finish speaking, the third wooden clone appeared from the blind spot on the side.

However, faced with an absolute disparity in power, a sneak attack was utterly pointless. Before the hand seals were even completed, the clone was swept in two by Susanoo's long sword.

Even as its body was falling through the air, the wooden clone continued to attack.

"Of course, after all, the first generation was more accommodating to you."

Ban's eye twitched involuntarily.

The tip of Susanoo's sword suddenly thrust downwards, piercing through the fourth clone that was trying to launch a sneak attack from underground.

"That invisible thing just now, that was the eye technique of these two Rinnegan, right?"

Even with only half its body remaining and nailed to the tip of a knife, the wooden doppelganger's mouth continued to chatter incessantly.

"Even for you, a technique of this level would consume a significant amount of chakra, wouldn't it?"

"But with Flying Thunder God, as long as there are enough coordinates, my energy consumption will be much lower."

"If you feel you can't catch up, I can go to a nearby island for a spin and enjoy the island scenery."

See you in two days.

Madara released Susanoo and stood on the lake shore littered with broken wood, coldly watching the half-destroyed wooden clone that was still muttering to itself.

He slowly raised his right hand, and a black rod extended from his palm. With a blank expression, he broke off a section of it, flicked his wrist, and the black rod pierced into the head of the wooden clone.

"Noisy bugs."

However, the clone's smile remained unchanged, and Shuji's main body suddenly reappeared, bursting forth without warning at Madara's closest distance.

Shuji's right fist had already been thrown out, with a high concentration of Sage Chakra attached to his knuckles.

The reaction speed of the spots is also fast.

Just as the fist was about to touch his face, the blue ribs of Susanoo lit up in front of him again.

boom!

The collision of flesh and chakra produced an extremely muffled roar.

That seemingly ordinary fist unleashed terrifying kinetic energy and the destructive power of Sage Chakra, causing Madara's body to retreat uncontrollably. The sole of his boot carved two deep grooves in the lake shore, and he only managed to stop after retreating more than ten steps.

"Just kidding." Shuuji stood on the ground where Madara had stepped back, casually flicking his right hand.

"I plan to come back to see you every now and then."

"Isn't one minute enough for your recovery?"

"Or are you confirming that it was the real body that threw the punch?"

Just as Madara was about to respond, Shuji's figure disappeared once again.

Only the wooden clone with a black rod on its head and only half its body remained in the same spot, with that smile on its face that it couldn't shake off no matter what.

Madara quietly gazed at the face that belonged to the Sixth Hokage.

Then he laughed, a deep laugh coming from deep in his throat.

"Hmph hmph—hehehehe—"

"Very good. I'll wait for you here until the Three-Tails is fully revived."

Then, Madara kicked the clone, which had lost its human form and was about to turn into rotten wood, into the depths of the lake.

"However, my patience is limited."

"No time limit."