Konoha Notes.

Chapter 480 Rating

Chapter 480 Rating

Is he no longer able to properly complete his reporting task?

Putting aside the mission objective, there are always people who want to get involved. Sasuke's first thought when he was being watched was to leave. He didn't have the mental capacity to sort out what these seven people had seen or heard.

His entire task was flawed.

If what Green Sunflower just said is true, then the Joint Affairs Bureau, which she saw as merely busy, appears to be fraught with unpredictable changes.

Upon realizing this, Sasuke intended to leave without offering any explanation, as he usually did.

However, the words he heard when he first met the Second Hokage gave him an even stronger urge to clarify the current situation.

But when I try to open my mouth, I find that I can't find any words to say.

The matter of the Second Hokage cannot be leaked from him. Without the Second Hokage, his current actions appear even more ambiguous, with almost no reasonable explanation.

Moreover, at this distance, if he were to reveal anything about the Second Hokage and the laboratory, the Chunin behind him might overhear.

After much deliberation, Sasuke still came to the conclusion of remaining silent.

Let's leave like this, just like always.

Just as he was about to take another step, Green Sunflower, who was not far away, stepped out first.

The Chunin's face no longer showed any trace of the repentance he had just shown towards the Ninja Academy student; instead, it displayed a bright and cheerful expression.

"Haruno, Uzumaki, is there something you need from me?"

Sakura nodded immediately: "Yes, yes, because there are still some things I want to ask Midori-sensei, so—"

"I?"

Between the two vortexes present, before the red-haired one could speak, the blonde one had already subconsciously pointed at itself.

Shikamaru glanced at Naruto sideways: "Idiot, the question is about Karin, not you."

Green Aoi smiled and waved her hand: "It's alright, it's alright. Anyone can ask me any questions they may have. This is my job at the Ninja Academy."

Ino pulled Shion along quickly toward Midori: "There are still many things we want to know."

Seeing that the girls had already surrounded him, Sasuke no longer hesitated and turned to walk towards the school building.

Naruto had originally planned to go to Midori Aoi's side as well, since that was their reason for being there, but Shikamaru walked to the other side and said, "Let's go, Naruto."

"Shikamaru?"

"I'm hungry again," Choji said, and followed Shikamaru without waiting for Naruto's reply.

Naruto then quickly caught up with the two.

Meanwhile, the four girls each asked some questions. After the green-haired chunin answered part of them, he said, "You all saw what happened just now, right?"

"What's wrong?" Ino tilted her head, her sweet smile looking somewhat unnatural.

"What strange things is Midori-sensei saying?" Sakura chimed in.

"It's too early to do this kind of thing in front of adults."

"To act like that in front of kids like you, I'm really not qualified to be an adult." The Chunin chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I, as your senior, should be ashamed of doing such an embarrassing thing."

"And thank you for not showing any disdain."

This sincere self-denial made Sakura waver, wondering if she had misjudged something.

Even in Karin's mission, there was no mention of any problem with this Midori teacher.

Ino couldn't help but comfort her, "Midori-sensei, don't say that. But Sasuke-kun—"

"Sasuke-kun certainly didn't do anything wrong, it's just that the gaze he represents is too heavy for someone like me," said Midori Aoi.

"I've also completed many missions that required risking my life. Becoming a Chunin isn't as simple as just passing an exam."

"However, in this era, one can easily find oneself in a desperate situation not because of village orders, nor because of facing a clearly defined enemy—"

Green Sunflower withdrew her gaze and gave the four girls a somewhat tired smile.

"Even for me, this was too sudden and too hard to accept. I didn't even know who to be wary of, or where the enemy was."

"Therefore, I can only beg him, beg Sasuke-kun, to take his eyes off me."

On his way back to the classroom, Naruto put his hands behind his head and muttered to himself as he walked.

"They said Sasuke got into trouble, but it doesn't seem like that at all. Did that Midori-sensei misunderstand something?"

Although Sasuke always has a stern face and his words aren't very pleasant, Naruto knows he's not the type to bully others. Let alone, as a ninja academy student, he would certainly not make things difficult for a Chunin teacher.

"Of course, it's normal for that guy's bad attitude to cause misunderstandings—but couldn't you just explain it clearly?"

Shikamaru walked beside him, his eyes half-closed.

He took two more steps before slowly speaking, "Sasuke is indeed in trouble."

"But that's not something we can get involved in."

Naruto turned his head: "What trouble?"

"It would be very troublesome to be an opponent of an adult like that." Shikamaru did not answer directly, but said this ambiguous thing.

Just as they were about to reach the classroom door, Sasuke blocked their way.

He leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets. His dark eyes were fixed on Shikamaru, his gaze direct and unwavering.

"What do you know?"

Naruto immediately protested, "Hey! What are you doing, Sasuke, showing off again!"

"I'm not talking to you, Naruto." Sasuke didn't even look at him. "This isn't about the class; it's about the Joint Affairs Bureau."

"It has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"I'm talking to someone in the secretariat office."

He took a step closer to Shikamaru.

"Regarding what Green Aoi said," Sasuke continued, "if there's anything you missed, I can provide information. What do you know about the Secretariat and what that guy said?"

Shikamaru and the others probably only overheard part of the conversation in the courtyard. And this fellow intern, whom Kakashi deemed more suited to work in the secret service, likely possessed more information than they did.

Sasuke wanted to know.

Shikamaru yawned and scratched the back of his head.

"How would I know? I haven't been to the office since the start of the semester; I only need to go during the summer break."

"I have absolutely no idea what's going on lately."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment.

He then said, "My task is to assess Green Kui personally, and the content related to him."

Naruto asked, puzzled, "Why do we need to evaluate Midorima-sensei?"

Sasuke looked at him, his brows furrowing slightly: "Didn't I tell you? This has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"Aren't we comrades?" Naruto's voice was serious, his blue eyes staring directly at Sasuke. "How can we be completely unrelated?"

Sasuke was speechless for a moment.

He looked away, his tone curt: "That guy said he wanted to become a Jonin. But the abilities and qualities he's shown are completely unsuitable for that rank."

"He's trying to advance through other means."

"I am investigating this matter."

Naruto still didn't understand: "Is there a problem with wanting to get promoted?"

"I want to become Hokage too, doesn't Sasuke?"

"So, you idiot, you don't understand the problem." Sasuke's brows furrowed even more. "The village naturally has its own rules regarding promotions."

"He lacks the talent and qualifications, so he has no reason to become a Jonin. Don't you understand that?"

What are the consequences of forcing yourself to do things you are not capable of?

"A person who loses control under fear is simply not qualified to be a Jonin."

Naruto disagreed.

He thought for a moment before speaking: "However, if Mr. Midoriya only strives to become a Jonin and puts in the effort in the process—"

"Then you will be qualified to become a Jonin in the future."

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"Sasuke is the one, why deny Midori-sensei for such a reason?"

Sasuke, who had softened somewhat because of the word "comrade," became fierce again: "Then he should be training properly instead of running around as an apprentice."

"How could such behavior possibly benefit him in becoming a Jonin?"

"Midori-sensei's efforts are part of it, right?" Naruto's voice rose as well. "And what exactly are the requirements for becoming a Jonin—"

"It's too difficult for you to understand," Sasuke said coldly.

Shikamaru finally spoke up.

"Hey, hey, aren't you two missing the point? You're arguing amongst yourselves."

97

He looked at Sasuke, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

"Sasuke, since your mission is to conduct research, it shouldn't be directly related to Green Aoi's actions. He probably just doesn't understand the situation and is trying to force you to stop in this way."

"Isn't that part of his behavioral pattern?"

"Besides, you can't complete this task on your own anymore, can you?"

Sasuke pursed his lips.

Knowing that she could no longer carry out the mission through conventional methods, she decided to learn about what Green Aoi was saying about the internal affairs of the secret service.

If we start from this point, we might discover more.

"When it comes to research, it's better to have people around the person conduct the research than to observe them directly. That way, we can learn more."

"So instead of focusing on him, you should go find Ino and the others first; they'll definitely be willing to tell you."

Sasuke, upon hearing this, did not say anything more.

Since Shikamaru was unaware of the deeper issues, this was the only remaining option available to him.

Should we start with the other interns?

He turned around, intending to return to the classroom.

"Sasuke—" Naruto wanted to say something more.

"I have nothing more to say to you." Sasuke stopped walking, but did not turn around.

"Furthermore, you keep talking about companions, but when faced with someone who intends to use companions to achieve their own goals, you should really think carefully about how you should treat them."

After saying that, he quickly walked into the classroom.

Only Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji remained in the corridor.

"What on earth is that guy saying?"

Shikamaru patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's go back to the classroom."

The scene in the Hokage's office was quite different.

When Shuji pushed open the door, Minato Namikaze was sitting behind his desk working on documents.

"Don't we need to go to the lab building today?" The Fourth Hokage was somewhat surprised when he saw Shuji arrive at the Hokage's office.

"I was kicked out to deal with other things." Shuuji walked to the chair by the window and sat down. "I have to go to the Ninja Academy later. But before that, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"Regarding the ninja ranking system."

Minato raised an eyebrow.

Shuji continued, "To be precise, it's after a long period of peace has arrived, and if we can usher in such an era, the number of ninjas will inevitably increase to a limited extent."

"A division of only three, or even four, levels is probably not enough to meet the needs."

"For such a large group, the current classification system is somewhat rudimentary."

Minato remained silent for a few seconds.

"You're right," he finally said. "The current system was formed at the end of the Warring States period and in the early days of the ninja villages. At that time, the total number of ninjas was not large, the types of missions were relatively simple, and the distinction between Jonin, Chunin, and Genin was sufficient."

1

"As a system developed during wartime, clear division of authority is no longer sufficient."

Shuuji nodded: "The establishment of the Joint Affairs Bureau has allowed ninjas to begin to engage with more non-traditional mission types. Infrastructure construction, education, medical assistance, disaster relief—these missions require completely different qualities than combat missions."

"Furthermore, with the popularization of the ninja academy system, more people will possess the basic qualities of a ninja in the future, but not all of them will necessarily pursue a combat career."

Minato continued, "So we need a more detailed classification. Not just based on ability, but also on areas of expertise, scope of responsibility, and even—the degree of contribution?"

"That's roughly the idea." Shuuji walked to his desk, picked up a blank sheet of paper, and said, "I've thought about it briefly, and perhaps we can add some subdivisions within the existing framework."

"The addition of rank categories for promotion was originally intended to be reserved as part of the Chunin Exams reform later."

"This will allow for the addition of rank-based examinations and tests equivalent to the martial arts system."

"But now it seems that it must be brought forward for the time being."

Minato listened intently, his eyes growing brighter. As the youngest Hokage to ever be, he possessed a natural sensitivity to institutional reform.

"This is not just a matter of a title," he said. "It concerns the entire system of resource allocation, task assignment, and talent development."

"But it will also bring new problems." Shuji put down the paper. "A more complex system means more cumbersome management. How are performance evaluation standards set? How is the promotion mechanism designed? What are the rules for conversion between different categories?"

"But this is also an issue that must be addressed in the later stages."

"After all, the current system is indeed too flat."