The File Folder

"Can't you make friends?"

Kushina tilted her head and thought for a moment, but she really couldn't imagine what that situation would be like.

Although she was unaware of it, her personality was exactly like Naruto's: forthright, cheerful, enthusiastic, and generous, she never lacked friends.

"That's it, I've got an idea!"

The cleaver clattered onto the cutting board, Kushina clapped her hands sharply, startling Konan. The potato in her hand fell to the ground with a thud and rolled far away.

"Hey, Konan, Suzuran-chan seems to be having a good time chatting with Shuyuan and Naruto. How about we send her to the Ninja Academy?"

"Huh--!?"

Konan stared blankly at the excited Kushina, speechless.

For a moment, I didn't understand. What kind of thought process led to such a bizarre idea?

"Look, let Shuyuan -Suzuran-chan go to Shuyuan and Naruto's class, and have Naruto help her experience school life. Maybe she can make some friends!"

Kushina got more and more excited as she thought about it.

"Well, Suzuran isn't from the Land of Fire, so how could she possibly get into the Konoha's Ninja Academy? Besides, I'll only be in Hidden Konoha for a week at most; I can't stay here for long."

Konan had to interrupt Kushina's reverie.

"What does it matter? I came from the Land of Whirlpools myself. Rain Ninja and Konoha are now staunch allies. What's a small matter like arranging a student's accommodation? As for the accommodation, leave it to me. That idiot Naruto is Tenten causing trouble. I've always wanted a daughter, someone pretty, obedient, and well-behaved..."

Kushina spoke, a wistful expression appeared on her face, as if she were completely absorbed in her own fantasy.

Konan stared silently at Kushina, unsure how to express her complex and chaotic feelings.

"Konan, I'm serious, no jokes. Since Suzuran-chan doesn't have any friends in Amegakure, why not stay in Konoha for a while? It's only for two months. Naruto are graduating, and they'll graduate in two months. These two months will be an opportunity for Suzuran-chan."

Kushina wiped the drool from her mouth and emphasized again solemnly.

"Two months?"

Konan hesitated. It was too long. Putting aside everything else, she herself couldn't bear to be away from her daughter for too long. But if it was only two months... it was still within an acceptable range.

Perhaps, as Kushina said, this is an opportunity.

I strained my ears to listen to the conversation in the living room. It had been a long time since I'd heard that child speak so loudly. She was usually quiet and reserved at home, and even when the mother and daughter talked, they didn't say much... So, it really is true that you need to interact with peers?

"I'll think about it..."

Konan didn't refuse outright, and Kushina smiled with satisfaction.

As long as you don't refuse, it means there's a chance.

"Alright, let's get cooking."

The sun slowly sank below the horizon, darkness enveloped the earth, and dark clouds obscured the moon in the sky. The stars shone brightly, but their brilliance could not dispel the boundless darkness.

The lights on the ground stretched out in a continuous line, brighter than the stars in the sky, driving away the surrounding darkness.

The nights in Konoha are very lively.

Of course, this only applies to a few commercial streets, and the taverns are at their busiest during this time.

Public officials who have been busy all day, ninjas returning from missions, winners and losers—all sorts of people gather in taverns, using the magic of the drinks to wash away the day's fatigue and the frustrations in their hearts.

Loud arguments, triumphant laughter, heartbroken tears, and the on-again, off-again relationships of couples—you'll see many interesting faces here.

Cloud Dwelling.

It's a newly opened tavern, not very famous, and doesn't have many customers.

However, the noisy atmosphere was in no way inferior to that of the larger stores.

In the corner, a man dressed entirely in a black trench coat was drinking alone, but there were two wine glasses on the table, as if he was waiting for someone.

The hostesses were used to this; all sorts of oddballs emerged from the ninja community, and there was nothing they couldn't do, only things you couldn't imagine.

The curtain was lifted, and a man in his early thirties with a small mustache looked around and spotted the man drinking alone in the corner. He quickly walked over.

"Phew! I'm late, I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, I have plenty of time."

The man pulled down the hood of his trench coat, revealing an extremely ordinary face. His eyebrows and eyes were unremarkable; he was the kind of person you wouldn't remember after turning around.

A typical ordinary person, practically the epitome of the word "ordinary".

"This is what you wanted."

The man with the mustache pulled a thin file folder from his pocket and slowly pushed it in front of the man in black.

"All the results of these years are in there. My memory returned today, and it took me a whole day to organize this document."

The man in black silently opened the file folder, but did not take out any documents. He simply held the folder open, glanced at the contents, nodded slightly, and then resealed it.

"Did you leave any traces while tidying up these things?"

"Of course not. Everything has been cleaned up. Besides, many of these things were things I came across unintentionally during my daily work before I woke up. There were no signs of any deliberate searching, so no one can find anything out."

The man with the mustache said confidently.

"That's good. I've accepted the things. I'll be going now. You can drink to your heart's content. I've already prepaid, so it should be enough for you to enjoy yourself... And this is your payment. Do whatever you want in the future. This is the last time we'll contact each other."

A thick envelope was stuffed into the man with the mustache's hand.

The man in black put his hood back on, got up from his seat, and started walking out.

He eagerly clutched the thick envelope, a bright smile spreading across his face, his mustache still visible.

Outside the tavern.

"Huh? Where did they go? They're nowhere to be seen!"

On the roof of Cloud Dwelling, two dark figures stood on the tiles, their sharp eyes scanning the surroundings like those of hawks, searching for their prey, the man in black.

However, nothing was found.

Konoha's surveillance system is very powerful, especially after the Anbu era ended and Root took over the power of internal surveillance, resulting in a leap in their control over the village.

The Anbu used to be too large and cumbersome, with so many tasks that it was overwhelming. However, after Orochimaru came to power, with the support of Katsuki and Minato, some of the Anbu's authority was transferred to Root, streamlining the Anbu's organization and strengthening Root's power.

Places like taverns, where all sorts of people mingle, have always been key targets for surveillance.

The two people on the roof are the Root members responsible for monitoring Cloud Dwelling.

"Damn it, is it off-key? How could it be so fast?"

"He vanished without a trace in such a short time... Could that unremarkable-looking guy be some kind of powerful figure?"

The two men exchanged a glance and simultaneously let out a groan, seemingly having missed out on a very large prey.

Just then...

"Ah!!! There's a dead person, a dead person!"

Screams from the hostesses echoed through the Cloud Dwelling. (To be continued)