Konoha Notes.

Chapter 417 The Uninvited

Chapter 417 The Uninvited (Part 2)

Killer Bee withdrew his fist from Gaara, drew a semicircle in the air with his wrist, and then made a six-pointed sign with his hand.

"Six people confirmed!" he announced loudly. "The last one. Search operation begins!"

The voice suddenly stopped.

"Search..." The Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki clicked his tongue, took out his small notebook, and then pulled out the half-pencil clipped to the edge of the notebook. "Search...track?search?explore?"

He was completely absorbed in his own world and began pacing around the open space of the training field.

"The seven-piece band is still missing the last spot—"

"The seven-piece band, the final chapter to be completed—"

He mumbled to himself, his pencil flying across the notebook, writing a few lines of messy handwriting before erasing them.

Naruto stood there, watching this strange old man completely ignore his question. He took a deep breath and put his hands on his hips.

"Uncle!"

"What exactly is a Jinchūriki?"

Chirabi stopped pacing.

He turned around, his sunglasses pointing in Naruto's direction. For a moment, Naruto thought he was going to answer, but Killer Bee just made a gesture of realization.

"Oh, right!" He put away his notebook and pencil. "There's one more person. Time's tight, I need to go check on him first—you idiot! You bastard!"

Killer Bee ran straight past Naruto and headed outside.

"Wait!" Naruto caught up with him. "You still haven't explained! There's still that band thing."

However, Killer Bee's figure had already disappeared at the entrance of the training ground, and he could not be seen for a while.

hateful……

Naruto gritted his teeth and chased after them in the possible direction.

Temari watched Naruto's retreating figure. It seemed that the afternoon she had specially set aside to help him with his guidance was going to be wasted.

Kankuro's face was full of doubt: "Are you really sure it's okay to agree to something from that random guy?"

"His ability to enter Konoha and find me and Naruto here means that Shuji has already agreed." Gaara replied calmly.

With that, the red-haired boy took a step and walked in the direction Naruto had left.

Seeing this, Temari and Kankuro had no choice but to follow.

-

Sasuke leaned against a tree trunk by the back wall of the Ninja Academy.

The special training class ended early, but instead of immediately finding a place to practice as usual, he didn't go straight home.

He was somewhat confused.

The body's feedback is the most honest.

He has already mastered everything he can at this stage to a certain extent, and under Kai's guidance, he will continue to improve.

His body hasn't been developed to its full potential, but that's far from enough.

Not enough to surpass Deidara, not enough to surpass Gaara, and even Haku and Rock Lee would struggle to deal with him.

Neji Hyuga hasn't appeared for almost the entire vacation, and judging from Guy's attitude, he's undergoing different special training.

When he comes back, that guy will probably have made some new progress.

And what I have is not enough.

"hateful……"

The muttered curses were carried away by the wind.

But the wind brought new sounds.

First came the girl's clear voice: "The uncle doesn't look like a good person."

Then came an adult's voice: "What are you saying, baby? We just need to bump fists."

Sasuke frowned upon hearing this; what kind of lewd terms and words were these?

He left the shade of the tree and walked toward the direction from which the sound came.

Beside the path outside the side gate of the Ninja Academy, Killer Bee was bending over, extending his fist towards the girl with blue-green hair in front of him.

Fu's face was full of distrust: "You're not a good person."

Killer Bee, who was being labeled a bad guy for the first time, was still trying: "Just a fist bump, a fist bump."

"I understood after we bumped fists."

"I do not want."

Fu stepped back, looking at Killer Bee's sunglasses, hair, and tattoos, her wariness growing stronger.

Just as Killer Bee was about to say something more, Sasuke walked out from the side door.

The black-haired boy stood in front of Fu.

"There are many techniques in the ninja world with unclear conditions for effectiveness," Sasuke said coldly. "If a ninja from Kumogakure forces someone in Konoha, they will be taken away by the police."

As he spoke, his eyes unconsciously changed.

A hint of dark red appeared in his deep black pupils, and a single magatama slowly emerged.

As the son of the head of the police department, Sasuke felt obligated to stop this suspicious behavior.

Sharingan...at this age?

Killer Bee's gaze lingered on Sasuke's for a moment, his eyebrows behind his sunglasses slightly raised. But he quickly looked away, refocusing his attention on Fu.

"We are companions, this is an invitation between companions," he said.

"I don't know you." Fu poked her head out from behind Sasuke.

Killer Bee wanted to try again, but another voice interrupted.

"Finally...found it..."

Naruto ran across the intersection, panting, and placed his hands on his knees. He looked up and first saw Killer Bee, then Sasuke, and finally the unfamiliar girl behind Sasuke.

The blond boy's eyes lit up.

"Sasuke too?" he blurted out.

Sasuke turned to look at him, his brows furrowing even more deeply: "What are you talking about now, Naruto?"

"That's the one!" Naruto gestured, pointing to the name. "This guy was saying at the training ground that he needed to find seven people to form something..."

"It's not an Uchiha brat," Killer Bee denied bluntly, his outstretched finger passing over Sasuke and pointing clearly to Fu behind him. "It's her. The last one, it's her."

Sasuke's brows furrowed completely.

What a mess.

"Fist bump." Killer Bee extended his arm to Fu again. "Please, baby."

Fu pursed her lips, but still shook her head.

"I said, no."

The atmosphere became tense for a moment. Killer Bee maintained his outstretched hand gesture, Fu hid behind Sasuke, Naruto watched all this with a puzzled expression, and Sasuke…

Sasuke felt only annoyed.

Just then, a new figure appeared at the end of the path.

Gaara, accompanied by Temari and Kankuro, walked over unhurriedly. The red-haired boy's gaze calmly swept over everyone present, finally settling on Fu.

He stepped forward, past Sasuke, and came to Fu's side.

"It's alright," Gaara said softly, "we're the same."

Fu was stunned. She looked at Gaara, her orange eyes reflecting the red-haired boy's face.

Then, she slowly nodded.

Killer Bee withdrew his hand, a subtle expression appearing on his face behind his sunglasses.

What's so special about this? Do they even care about a girl's looks?

"I'm not satisfied with the process," he raised his voice, sounding frustrated, "but I accept the result."

The Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki took out the small notebook from his ninja tool bag, quickly wrote a few lines, and then snapped it shut.

"Starting tomorrow, the Joint Affairs Bureau will conduct drills," he announced, turning to leave.

"Hey! Uncle!" Naruto yelled, "This guy hasn't explained anything at all!"

This time, Kirabi did not leave any reply.

His figure swayed for a moment, and then vanished completely.

Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly as he activated his Sharingan.

At this speed, it's completely impossible to see clearly.

This ninja from Kumogakure is incredibly strong. Absolutely ridiculously strong.

"They're gone..." Naruto stared blankly at the spot where Killer Bee had disappeared. He turned to Gaara, who had been helping Killer Bee pull the others back, and said, "So Gaara knew, right?"

The red-haired boy nodded: "Okay, let's talk somewhere else."

Gaara strode away without saying another word. Naruto paused for a moment, then immediately followed. Fu glanced at Sasuke, whispered "Thank you," and jogged after the red-haired boy.

Temari and Kankuro exchanged a glance.

"Seriously, Gaara..." Kankuro sighed and followed after him, "The only thing that hasn't changed is his stubbornness."

Temari gave Sasuke a polite nod, then turned and left.

The sound of the five people's footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Sasuke was the only one left on the path.

The afternoon sun was still bright, and the wind blew through the path. Sasuke stood there for a long time without moving.

The Sharingan gradually faded, returning to its normal black color.

What kind of event could be organized by a powerhouse of that caliber, with Gaara involved and even Naruto able to participate?

But they themselves didn't even have the right to know.

They don't even have the right to be questioned.

The black-haired boy turned around and walked in the exact opposite direction from the others.

He arrived at the heart of Konoha, beneath the Hokage Building.

Sasuke looked up at the window of the Hokage's office high above, adjusted his breathing, and stepped towards the door.

A Chunin was sitting at the reception desk by the entrance. When Sasuke entered, he looked up and gave a professional smile: "What can I do for you? This is the Hokage Building. If you have any academic questions, you can go to the Ninja Academy. There should be teachers on duty there at this time."

"I want to see Mr. Shuji," Sasuke said.

The chunin's expression remained unchanged: "Do you have an appointment?"

He glanced at the fan on Sasuke's body.

"Does Minister Uchiha have something to report?"

"I don't have an appointment," Sasuke said. "But I can wait, or... arrange a time."

The chunin did not reprimand him for his intrusion, nor did he dismiss him with excuses such as "children shouldn't cause trouble."

He simply pulled a blank form from the drawer and pushed it in front of Sasuke.

"Please write down your name, identity, and reason for requesting an audience here. We will send someone to inform you once Lord Shuji has finished his work."

Sasuke took the form and picked up the pen beside him. The pen tip hovered above the paper, but he hesitated to put it down.

Reasons... what should I write?

Saying you want to become stronger sounds like a child throwing a tantrum.

But what else could he say?

Did he feel resentful because he saw that even Naruto was able to join a small team?

Does he feel anxious about being excluded from everyone else's progress?

Just as he hesitated, a figure appeared silently beside the reception desk.

The ANBU ninja wearing an animal mask nodded slightly to the Chunin, then turned to Sasuke.

"Come with me."

Sasuke paused for a moment, put down his pen, and followed the footsteps of the Anbu.

The two walked through the lobby on the first floor and up the spiral staircase. Their footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, and Sasuke's heart began to race involuntarily.

The door to the Hokage's office was ajar.

The ANBU stopped in front of the door and gestured for Sasuke to go in.

Sasuke pushed open the door.

The Hokage's office was brighter during the day than at night. The Fifth Hokage leaned back in his high-backed chair, holding a document in his hand.

In the sofa area, Shuuji sat there with several maps and reports spread out on the small table in front of him.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Tsunade put down the file, "What's the matter?"

Shuji didn't speak, he just looked at him quietly.

Sasuke took a deep breath and walked to the center of the office.

"I want to become stronger."

Shuji's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds.

"You shouldn't be at a level that even Senior Kai can't tutor."

"I've mastered the parts of Coach Guy's training that I can grasp at this stage." Sasuke straightened his back and forced himself to look Shuuji in the eye. "Now I need to undergo more difficult and effective training."

"I have some doubts about that." Shuuji leaned back on the sofa, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee. "After all, physical growth isn't something that happens overnight. Forcing it will only damage yourself."

"However, you have completed the trials I set, but you have abandoned the demands you once made."

"So I think you are indeed qualified for a new opportunity now."

"There's a technique that will greatly enhance your abilities," Shuuji continued, "but given your current level of physical development, I'm not sure if you can safely master it. So, are you sure you want to use this opportunity here?"

"Yes," Sasuke answered without hesitation.

Shuji watched him quietly.

Those black eyes seemed to pierce through appearances, reaching the deepest recesses of the heart. Sasuke had a strange feeling that all his carefully hidden emotions—his resentment, anxiety, and eagerness—were laid bare before that single gaze.

"In that case, so be it."

Shuji pulled out a notepad from the side, picked up a pen, and quickly wrote a few lines on it.

"But I can't guarantee that training will be the only challenge you'll face, Sasuke."

"I can handle anything," Sasuke replied, taking the note.

"Go to the Joint Affairs Bureau tomorrow morning and find Kakashi Hatake," Shuji said. "Give this to him."

Kakashi Hatake... his older brother's boss.

And, she was implicitly considered by the man in front of her as the next Hokage candidate.

Sasuke remembered this information.

"I've said before that strength isn't the only criterion for becoming a Kage," Shuuji's voice rang out again. "And you don't need to rush to fully realize your potential right now."

"It seems you've forgotten a bit lately."

Sasuke immediately tried to explain. He wanted to say no, he hadn't forgotten, he just—

"It's alright."

Shuji interrupted him before he could finish speaking, his tone tolerant.

"If you want to take first place right now, then go for it."

"Tell me how you feel then, Sasuke."

The black-haired boy bowed deeply, then turned and left the office.

The door closed gently.

Tsunade then put down the documents in her hand: "Go to the secret service and find Kakashi? Does Kakashi have time to teach him anything right now?"

"I don't know." Shuuji picked up his pen again, his gaze returning to the map. "I'm just providing a threshold for meeting Kakashi. After all, Kakashi-senpai is indeed not easy to meet these days."

"As for what I'll be assigned to do and what I'll learn once I get there—"

"That's up to Sasuke."

(End of this chapter)