Konoha Notes.

Chapter 517 Bait and Balance

Chapter 517 Bait and Balance

The Joint Secretariat regained its footing at a faster pace than expected.

Representatives from the five great ninja villages reached a new consensus in a closed-door meeting. When the news spread, the officials stationed by the daimyo on the seventh floor all wore similar expressions of regret.

They weren't the only ones who felt regret. Since the scandal didn't truly overturn the table, the chances of profiting from the chaos were reduced by 80%.

Kakashi didn't have time to consider their feelings. Although the impact of today's incident was temporarily brought under control, it still resulted in some mishaps.

Konoha can't just submit a bunch of inconclusive results without any concrete evidence; that would only make the other factions feel that Konoha isn't sincere and make them reconsider what Konoha is hiding.

Unfortunately, there are things in Konoha that absolutely cannot be exposed to the light of day at this stage.

If what happened at the western suburban lab gets exposed, all the efforts of the past few years will likely have to be redefined.

By then, Konoha and Akatsuki will probably truly become two sides of the same coin.

Moreover, even if the representatives reach an agreement, the Kage might still make some moves later, so the Cloud Village's stance on this matter is not entirely trustworthy.

"Should we report this to the village?" Itachi closed the meeting minutes and looked at Kakashi behind the desk.

"Of course we should." Director Hatake leaned back in his chair. "The communication might be reconnected in a little while."

But—”

His tone shifted from businesslike to complaining.

"But Shuuji always manages to handle those people, whether they are representatives or shadows. He's much easier to deal with than I am."

Director Hatake complained, "I'm called by my full name without any politeness every now and then. Although I'm the director in name, I'm more like a punching bag."

"Kakashi-senpai is now calling him by his full name directly," Itachi pointed out.

"Then what should I call him? That guy doesn't even have a proper name, or a surname." The silver-haired bureau chief tilted his head. "Xiu-jun? Hmm, that sounds a bit disgusting."

He started rambling: "How about we give him a nickname?"

Itachi didn't agree with the suggestion, but instead steered the conversation back on track: "The report can't be delayed, so then—"

Seeing that Itachi was about to volunteer, Kakashi immediately stopped him: "That won't do. Reporting directly to the Hokage's office is within the Director's scope of work."

This time, the assistant didn't indulge the director: "Under the current circumstances, your hasty departure from the secret service will only show that Konoha is in disarray."

"Please remain in the administration building."

Kakashi was shocked; Itachi was rebelling against the work assignment. While it made sense, wasn't this still rebellion?

"If that's the case, you should stay too." He made a last-ditch effort.

The assistant had already reached the door.

"Hey, how long are you going to be gone?" Kakashi sat up straight in his chair. "An hour?"

no answer.

"Two hours?"

Itachi replied, "It's just a routine reporting session, like Kakashi-senpai's."

"A whole day won't do, Itachi." A hint of barely perceptible sorrow lingered in Chief Hatake's voice. "The work here is still..."

The assistant's figure disappeared outside the door.

Kakashi looked at the now silent office and didn't sit down again. Itachi was often absent from the office in the past, but that was when he was handling internal affairs of the secret service.

Itachi has now clearly returned to the village.

He absolutely cannot afford not to show up today. If he delays any longer, a new wave of rumors will begin to emerge.

Director Hatake had no choice but to dejectedly go downstairs to arrange some work.

Having not handled these matters personally for a long time, he couldn't help but think of his assistant's kindness again, and also thought that the other intern who only appeared during long holidays would soon be returning to work.

The Hokage's office was already staffed with four people on duty at peak times, so the Director's office needed to keep up as well.

In the afternoon, Kakashi noticed that the badge name, which had been frequently discussed recently, was progressing exceptionally smoothly today.

It seems that after putting pressure on each office in the morning, they gave Konoha a little something in return.

Before Kakashi could even savor this small reward, footsteps echoed down the corridor once more.

Wenya, Tutai, Bi, and Maji. The four representatives appeared simultaneously on the rooftop.

This time, we need to discuss the location for extracting chakra and how to arrange related defenses.

The location was quickly decided upon: the old administrative building. The new building was crowded and noisy, while the old building had less foot traffic, making it easier to set up a perimeter barrier. For defense, personnel would be gradually transferred from various villages.

The duty squads have been released quite a bit recently, and if they were to be entirely staffed by Konoha's personnel, the other factions would obviously not agree to it.

"Then let's set it for three days from now," Tu Tai said.

Kakashi had no objection.

Just as the representatives got up to leave, the office door was pushed open from the outside.

Itachi walked in.

Kakashi glanced at the clock on the wall; most of the day had passed. Because representatives from other ninja villages were present, he swallowed back the joke that had been on the tip of his tongue.

The Uchiha assistant walked to the desk, took out three scrolls from his pocket, and laid them out in a row.

"These are the chakra of the One-Tailed, Seven-Tailed, and Nine-Tailed respectively."

The representatives' eyes all fell on the three scrolls at the same time.

"The senior believes that these three are not yet able to control the power of the tailed beasts well and are not suitable to participate in the collective extraction process."

"The authenticity of the chakra can be verified on the spot by the Jinchuriki team in the old building of the Secretariat."

Han, Utakata, Yugito, and Killer Bee belong to three different villages, and none of them have any reason to give false testimony for Konoha in this matter.

Wenya nodded first, and Tutai and Bi did not object. As for Sunagakure, the Jinchuriki had already cooperated to this extent, so Maki had no right to express his opinion.

After the representatives left, Kakashi was about to vent all the complaints he hadn't finished when he found Itachi already standing there, engrossed in his work, his pen moving across the paper without pausing.

Director Hatake had no choice but to swallow back the anger he had been holding in for so long.

"—You're back just in time, Itachi."

Green Sunflower was unaware of the current situation, nor did he know how much others had grasped. But as an observer with one foot in the matter, he believed he had already grasped quite a bit of the underlying dynamics.

Not only that, he had a vague feeling that someone was making a rather interesting arrangement, and he happened to see the corner of the drawing.

From the controversy surrounding the tailed beast chakra to the collective response to Konoha's proposed badge naming plan.

He didn't have the authority to know exactly how the village suppressed this matter, but they must have paid a price to get the officials in charge of the other ninja villages to quickly acquiesce to it.

At this rate, the discussion on this matter should be settled by tomorrow.

At that time, there were ample reasons to want Naruto to come out.

The question now is which side he should stand on.

Submitting the information you already possess constitutes a valuable report. But is that enough to secure a promotion? Given that the incident occurred before it even happened, to what extent would the village be willing to offer such a reward?

There's another problem. If he chooses the village side, then Mizuki will be a problem.

When it comes to loyalty, timing is always the most crucial factor. Concealing information is already a negative point.

Without a powerful enough person to vouch for you, forcing yourself to stay will only make your situation more awkward. It might be better to leave decisively.

This was probably the most important choice of his life.

Green Sunflower didn't stop working; she continued talking to her colleagues who seemed familiar, but whose sides she wasn't sure were on.

When the interns arrived, he put on his usual warm and helpful senior's expression and told them to be careful in their actions today.

Then he continued to observe.

continue waiting.

It wasn't until Uchiha Sasuke and Gaara entered the secret service building that things continued.

Green Sunflower's gaze swept over the red-haired boy, and suddenly she made a decision in her mind. It seemed that he had overlooked something very important.

If those people's target was Naruto because he was the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, what about the One-Tails' Jinchuriki from Sunagakure? He was also a minor. He also came and went from this building every day.

Are they capable of attacking two Jinchūriki simultaneously? If not, which one is the more crucial target?

A scrutinizing gaze carries weight.

Even though there were many eyes on him from the Joint Affairs Bureau today, that slightly different weight still earned Gaara a look back at him.

Faced with those cold, green eyes, Green Sunflower quickly withdrew her gaze.

This was a type he had never encountered before, completely different from Uchiha Sasuke, and unlike Uzumaki Naruto, let alone ordinary children.

He couldn't help but think that capturing Naruto was an easier option than taking down the Jinchuriki from Sunagakure.

A faint hesitation stirred within Green Aoi. In terms of sheer weight, Naruto might indeed be quite heavy.

Whether it's the sudden appearance of Uzumaki-sama in the Hokage's office or the treatment he received from Shuji, a Jinchuriki who is highly regarded deserves long-term expectations.

But how long will that take?

While he was weighing the options in his mind, Sasuke had already arrived in front of him.

"The director wants to meet with the interns."

Sasuke's tone was no different from usual.

Green Aoi quickly regained her composure: "Please wait a moment, Sasuke-kun. I'll go arrange it right away."

"Take them up there," Sasuke said. "I have other things to do."

Green Sunflower readily agreed. He led the person to the top floor, escorted them into the director's office, and then waited at the entrance of the stairwell.

Not long after, the second son of the Uchiha clan appeared at the other end of the corridor.

"I've said it before," Sasuke stopped in front of him, "Don't go overboard."

He paused for a very brief moment.

"Naruto, Fu, Gaara. What are you planning?"

Green Aoi gave a wry smile: "Sasuke-kun, have you misunderstood something? How could someone like me have any designs on the Jinchuriki?!"

"Someone like you, with clear goals, wouldn't stare at anything without a reason," Sasuke interrupted him.

Green Aoi's wry smile hadn't faded. He explained, "Sasuke-kun must know what happened today. Under these circumstances, isn't it only natural that he couldn't help but take a few more glances?"

Sasuke looked at Green Aoi's face and finally uttered only two words: "Is that so?"

Green Sunflower watched that figure disappear at the top of the stairs, and a thought popped into her mind.

He was so easy to deal with before, when did Uchiha Sasuke become like this?

He didn't hesitate any longer. After finishing his day's work and returning to the village, Midori immediately knocked on Mizuki's apartment door and recounted the changes that had occurred at the secretariat that day.

He didn't mention the details he observed, only the results.

After hearing this, Shui Mu's expression betrayed his eagerness.

"They can definitely do it. I—"

He stopped mid-sentence and looked warily at Green Sunflower.

The green-haired chunin seemed oblivious to the gaze directed at him, and simply followed his tone to ask, "Are you planning to see them?"

0

Shuimu thought for a moment.

"Not for now. I've already seen Naruto today."

As he said this, a smug look leaked out from between his teeth.

"I specifically mentioned my plans to go to the secret service in front of him and Iruka. Sure enough, that kid couldn't resist and chimed in with a few words."

"Plus today, I'll find an opportunity to leave the village with him later."

When that time comes, the people there will naturally contact him on their own, without needing to go through Green Sunflower as an intermediary.

Shui Mu thought confidently.

Green Sunflower said no more, but had other plans in mind.

The following day, the final draft of the emblem's name was successfully approved by the secretariat.

On the third day, Naruto appeared at the Joint Affairs Bureau. He was accompanied by another person, a Chunin with silver-blue hair, Mizuki.

On the same day, the Joint Affairs Bureau issued a notice regarding the transfer of duties.

On the morning of the fourth day.

The operation to extract the tailed beast chakra from the old building has officially begun.

Including Kakashi Hatake, the director, the top officials of the Joint Affairs Bureau and most of the combat force were transferred to the old building.

Under their watchful eyes, the four Jinchūriki cooperated with the sealing team to separate a portion of their chakra.

The whole process was not complicated; what was complicated was the matter of where the research team should be located and what the specific members should be after the sealing operation was completed.

The plan to conduct research within Konoha Village was ruled out first.

Then, the idea of ​​placing the department in the old building and having it directly guarded by the Jinchūriki team was put forward.

If this arrangement is made, the training department, which was originally moved to the old building, will probably have to be moved again, and even other unrelated departments that were originally in the old building will need to be relocated.

As the discussion continued, dusk approached.

A Chunin from the Secretariat came to report: "Chief, seven or eight White Zetsu have appeared in the new building!"

Jiraiya's figure disappeared from the old building as soon as he finished speaking. Kakashi looked at the Chunin who had come to report, but before he could speak, Itachi was already standing in front of him.

The moment their eyes met, the Chunin's body went limp.

If so many White Zetsu appear in the new building, then what this thing that came to deliver the message is remains a mystery.

Rather than letting things run wild, it's better to take control first.

"We'll confirm his identity properly once he wakes up." Kakashi turned his gaze to the representatives from the various ninja villages present. "Please remain here for now. Konoha needs to deal with the situation there."