Konoha Notes.

Chapter 472 Courage

Soft snoring rose and fell rhythmically in places where it shouldn't have been.

An orange-covered booklet lay askew on her face, and silver hair cascaded down her back as she tilted her head back. The office chair stopped wobbling with the soft sound of the door being pushed open, its wheels leaving almost invisible scratches on the floor.

Itachi was used to this scene.

He first checked that the windows were locked—good, at least no one could sneak in while the chief was sleeping. Then he glanced at the pile of documents on the table, confirming that there was nothing urgent that needed immediate attention.

"What time is it now?" came a muffled question from under the book.

"6:13".

"It's early, Itachi." The silver-haired chief took the book off his face, squinting to adjust his eyes to the light. "Young people can stay awake; I'm past the age where I should be waking up at this time."

This is what the 23-year-old Konoha elite Jonin and head of the Joint Affairs Bureau remarked.

Itachi declined to comment. He placed the newly compiled schedule on the table and began reporting the added events for the day: "A group of third-year students will be coming this afternoon to learn about the specifics of the internship positions. It starts at 2 PM and is expected to last an hour and a half." "Oh..." Kakashi sat up straight. "Was this event specially arranged to help Sasuke-kun clean up his rash proof?"

"What a considerate older brother, Itachi."

Itachi's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "Furthermore, Karin Uzumaki will temporarily remain with the secret service for a period of time after the consultation concludes." "So you're combining official and personal duties? You've learned a great deal from Shuji's efficient resource management style," Director Hatake praised.

"Then, please make sure you're well-prepared for the reception this afternoon, Kakashi-senpai." The assistant completely ignored any potential ambiguity in his superior's words and meticulously instructed, "Don't leave your post as usual, and don't delegate tasks to others at the last minute." "Understood."

The bureau chief, whose instructions were clearly laid out, obediently complied.

After giving his instructions, Itachi left the office. The aftermath of the complaint had not yet completely subsided, and he would need to devote a great deal of energy to the follow-up work, negotiations with other villages, and checking for omissions and deficiencies in the internal procedures.

Kakashi put away his book, but without getting up, he pushed off with his foot, causing his office chair to spin halfway around and slide towards the window. The chair wheels made a smooth rolling sound on the polished floor.

He reached out and unlocked the window.

A breeze immediately rushed in, carrying the cool scent of grass and trees, instantly dispelling the stuffiness that had accumulated in the room overnight.

The view from here is almost too good to be true.

In the distance, the canopies of trees in varying shades of green stretch out in a continuous expanse, interspersed with soft pink clouds of early spring cherry blossoms. Starting from this new building, several newly renovated roads extend outwards to the surrounding areas.

"The flowers are blooming so beautifully..."

Kakashi leaned back in his chair, looking out the window at the scenery.

The morning light is just right, and the breeze is gentle. This spot and this angle are practically tailor-made for taking a break.

Unfortunately, leisurely times are always short-lived.

Perhaps because the assistant had already arrived, the other people in the building began to assume that the owner of the top-floor office should also get to work.

This time, it was Jiraiya who walked into the office.

The three white-haired ninjas looked visibly weary, with faint dark circles under their eyes. He held a roll of report paper in his hand, intending to say something, but his gaze was drawn to the scenery outside the window.

"The deutzia is about to bloom."

He murmured.

"With the flowers blooming so vibrantly, it's the perfect time to gather inspiration," Jiraiya said, his tone unconsciously rising slightly. "At this time of year, pretty girls will surely be going out for picnics and flower viewing under these trees."

"And then there's the Land of Hot Springs! The hot springs and mountain scenery are a perfect match at this time of year; who knows, you might even have a romantic encounter..."

As he spoke, he looked down at the report on recent spore test results in his hand, suddenly clenched the paper tightly, and his shoulders slumped.

"Damn it! The mighty toad hermit of Mount Myōboku, a hero from heaven, a man who pursues art and truth!" He practically spat out the words, "yet he's bound so tightly by these... these tedious mundane affairs that he can't move a muscle!"

"Lord Jiraiya, you yourself said before that the work of the secret service is very important, and you are only temporarily taking over Anko's testing work," Kakashi reminded him.

"Although Mr. Choza didn't handle it very well, he still came to help."

"That's true," Jiraiya said, "but Kakashi, for a writer like me who makes a living by observing the myriad aspects of life and pursuing fleeting inspiration, a brief pause is certainly a necessary duty..."

His gaze drifted to the alluring pink clouds outside the window, his eyes filled with longing.

"However, personally observing and experiencing the moments of revival and blossoming life is equally important! It is the source of inspiration, the foundation of creation, and..."

He didn't finish his sentence, then sighed again, shook the report in his hand, and tossed it onto Kakashi's desk.

"Besides, the more I think about it, the more something seems off." The Toad Sage crossed his arms, adopting a thoughtful expression, his brows furrowed tightly. "Look, you, Minato, me, and this old man..."

He held up his fingers and counted them one by one.

"They were all pressed into various positions, so busy they barely had time to breathe."

"This is definitely a trap! It's a conspiracy orchestrated by two individuals against us!"

"Lord Jiraiya," Kakashi said slowly, "isn't it a little too late to realize this now?"

"Damn it... Don't those two have any conscience?" Jiraiya lamented.

"Well..." Kakashi stood up. "I need to go out for a bit, Jiraiya-sama."

"Huh? Where to?" Jiraiya looked up, raising an eyebrow. "You're not going to run away too, are you?"

"The afternoon is already booked, and our activity area is also limited." Kakashi adjusted his headband. "So I can only take care of a few small matters during this short break in the morning."

"Hey, Kakashi..."

"You can lie down on the chair and rest for a while, it's very comfortable, Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi waved his hand and closed the door.

The corridor was quiet. At this time, there weren't many people in the upper-level offices. Occasionally, you'd run into one or two early-arriving staff members, who would nod to each other and then go their separate ways.

Kakashi was descending the stairs when, as he reached the corner on the seventh floor, an unusual movement entered his field of vision. A figure wearing green leggings was in an inverted position, pressed against the wall, climbing up step by step.

Kakashi stopped and silently watched the legs draw closer until the head of the person standing upside down appeared below him. Their eyes met.

"Oh! Isn't this my lifelong rival, Kakashi!" A vibrant voice came from the upside-down position.

"Kai, the training area here in the secret service is not open yet," Kakashi said. "Besides, this is an office building."

"This isn't training!" Guy said, remaining upside down. "This is a warm-up, Kakashi."

Kakashi sat down on the steps, resting his elbows on his knees, and looked down at his friend who was standing upside down.

"You're here to help Deidara submit the opening performance proposal for the event, right?"

"That's right!" Kai's voice was still loud. "But it failed, and the guarantee fee has increased! The explosion range last time exceeded the planned area and almost affected the audience. Although there was actually a barrier team protecting us, the risk assessment standard has been raised."

Kakashi nodded: "There's nothing we can do about it."

Kai didn't offer any explanation, nor did he have any intention of asking Kakashi, the bureau chief, to give him a special favor.

"That kid's youth isn't quite mature yet," he said. "But that's okay! Failure is part of youth! As long as he doesn't give up, one day his passion will blossom perfectly."

"You should have Deidara go to Iwagakure's office for this kind of thing," Kakashi suggested. "Although Deidara is currently in the Konoha Ninja Academy's special training program, he is still a native of Iwagakure."

Kai remained upside down, his thick eyebrows twitching.

"Wenya can't understand Deidara's pursuit," he said. "He said the Iwagakure office refused to cover the guarantee fee for such a high-risk, unprofitable endeavor."

"Now, only we can understand his sincere passion."

As he finished speaking, Kai's voice became more impassioned, and his upside-down position did not hinder his ability to express his emotions.

Kakashi looked at him: "Then, how about we try a different approach?"

"Explosions are indeed too risky as a performance element."

"The Barrier Team has no obligation to take risks for uninvited performances, but it is our duty to ensure that the contestants' performances do not harm the audience." The silver-haired Jonin raised a finger.

"There are quite a few viewers for combat sports events lately, and some people want to sponsor events showcasing special abilities. If we could include explosions as part of the competition, that would be a pretty good paycheck."

He then raised his second finger.

"Furthermore, the secret service has some commissions that require explosive power. Arranging a large number of explosive tags is very costly, but it would be good if a ninja who has mastered the secrets of explosives were willing to take on the commission."

"As expected of my nemesis!" Guy said. "But Deidara isn't a ninja yet..."

"He already graduated from Iwagakure once, and was even a member of the Demolition Squad," Kakashi said. "He was just sent back to the Ninja Academy and then to Konoha."

"Have him go to the Iwagakure office and ask to go on a mission. The Ninja Academy can just provide an internship certificate as a teacher."

Kai landed on his feet, his body deftly flipping in the air before he stood firmly. He crossed his arms, seriously considering Kakashi's suggestion. "I see... Let art be presented as a mission... So we can save money to cover the costs of the official performance."

"It's better to finish the training sooner rather than later," Kakashi said, standing up. "There have been a lot of important people around here lately."

"A benefactor..." Kai mused, then clenched his fist, his eyes blazing with renewed intensity. "I understand! So today's extra training will be to do twenty handstands up and down stairs within thirty minutes!"

"If you can't do that, then run a hundred laps around the venue!"

His loud voice echoed in the stairwell. After leaving the secret service building, he walked towards the Konoha headquarters, then to the western suburbs, where the experimental building came into view.

The door was ajar, with a crack in it.

Since someone was sitting in the hall drinking rice porridge, there was no need to worry about anyone breaking in.

"Hey," Kakashi walked over, "this isn't the place for this kind of thing."

"Let's soothe our stomachs." Shuji finished the last sip, put the bowl aside, and led Kakashi down to the next floor.

"I haven't had breakfast yet," Kakashi said.

"As experimental subjects, it's necessary to keep your digestive system clean, Kakashi," Shuji said.

"Is it really necessary to have something so exciting so early in the morning?"

"You can come at night," Shuuji glanced back at him, "It'll have a better atmosphere then, dim lighting, a quiet corridor, with only the faint sounds of the equipment running..."

"That sounds even worse."

After the two descended to the third basement level, the Second Hokage got straight to the point: "Now that you're here, the experiments regarding the impact of transplanted eyes on personal chakra information backup and genetics can begin."

"Wow, this is really exciting!" Kakashi said.

"So if you come at night, you can close your eyes and enjoy it, and then sleep soundly until dawn," Shuji said.

"You are the person in the village who has possessed the Sharingan the longest among non-Uchiha clan members, Kakashi," Tobirama said. "Do you need me to explain again how chakra can affect the body and alter its cells?"

"No need, Second Hokage." Kakashi raised his hand. "Chakra is a mixture of spiritual and physical energy."

"Long-term transplantation of an eye with pupil techniques means that the chakra structure of another person continues to act on the host's body, which may trigger corresponding adaptive changes."

"Hmm." Tobirama nodded. "To put it bluntly, today we're doing a compatibility check for your White Zetsu cell implantation, and also to confirm whether long-term Sharingan transplantation has caused your body to develop a corresponding genetic predisposition."

"Although there's another person in Kirigakure who underwent an eye transplant a long time ago, he's from another village, so we can't start working on him for now." "This is also a necessary preparation for determining which development direction is more feasible. The examination itself won't have a negative impact on you, but according to procedure, you need to inform us in advance."

Kakashi scratched his head: "If it doesn't have any impact, I'd actually feel more at ease if you didn't tell me, Second Hokage."

Tobirama looked at him: "Since you have such a request, then I will remember it. Next time in a similar situation, I will reduce the amount of explanation accordingly."... Kakashi remained silent.

"What courage you have, Kakashi," Shuji exclaimed.

"I already regret it." Kakashi Hatake looked at the Second Hokage, hoping that this was the last sentence he would remember.

But Tobirama Senju simply nodded, then pointed to the next room, indicating that Kakashi could go over there.