Akihara took two steps at a time, quickly arriving beside Torifu. "I heard it! Aunt Ryūfū is pregnant! She's going to have a baby crane!"
Akihara's voice was quite loud, startling Torifu who immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shh! It's a secret, you can't tell anyone! Or I won't buy you any more treats!"
Hearing this, a massive alarm blared in Akihara's heart! He immediately covered his own mouth, simultaneously making muffled sounds.
This was his way of signaling that he wouldn't tell, pleading with Torifu not to stop buying him treats.
Torifu smiled knowingly. That was the advantage of children; they were so easy to fool.
"Alright, go play with Yahiko and the others. You can't tell anyone about this, understand?"
Akihara nodded his small head, and after promising he absolutely wouldn't tell, he went to find Yahiko.
As he ran off, Torifu noticed that the embroidery on Akihara's clothes had changed to a little lion pattern.
This must have been the clothing Naori had asked Madam Beni to make for him a while ago. It looked quite good.
The golden little lion was particularly striking when he ran.
Amado also chuckled from the side. "What kind of secret is this anymore? Half the clan already knows."
Torifu gave a helpless smile. "Isn't this so Aokumo and the others don't think we're spoilsports? Just play along."
Amado made an OK gesture, then went back to continue his research.
His current workload was simply too much. The range hood had only recently been created and hadn't even finished formal testing, and now bicycle testing had begun.
It was truly working him to death.
Now that the electrical appliances in Konoha Village had largely taken shape, Torifu advised him to relax a bit and not push himself so hard.
But Amado had a very strong interest in researching these things, so Torifu thought about it and let him be.
Even though this guy holed up at home every day, he was actually more tired than an average ninja.
However, Amado promised Torifu that he would rest today.
Going back now, he also planned to organize his data, lest things get chaotic during his next work session.
Not long after Amado entered the house, Torifu's many shadow clones returned from outside.
Each carried large and small bundles, having bought no small amount of things.
"Main body, the vegetables, meat, seasonings, and so on that you wanted have all been purchased. Some of the vegetables were snapped up, so we couldn't buy them."
One clone earnestly reported their work to Torifu. Though they were one, they acted like an employee reporting to their boss.
After listening, Torifu snapped his fingers. "Excellent, a perfect job. Then I'll trouble you with dinner tonight as well."
One of the clones grinned. "That would be troubling another batch of clones."
Then, they dissipated into smoke, while the bags filled with various vegetables and meats landed steadily on the white clouds Torifu had summoned, and he sent them into the kitchen.
Each time clones were summoned, although their memories and consciousness were connected to the main body, once they dissipated, the clones summoned again would not be the same as the previous ones.
That was why that clone spoke that way.
Torifu also constantly pondered whether clones might possess their own independent consciousness, but he never managed to research anything conclusive.
The courtyard was deserted at this point. Naori was doing something unknown inside the house, and Amado was organizing his experimental data.
The children had all run off to play in the streets. It being New Year's, Torifu still found himself rather bored.
So, he simply got up and decided to take a stroll down the street.
Just as he left the Kumotsuru Clan compound, he saw that the streets were teeming with people.
It was truly lively; many vendors were hawking their wares on the street, selling various small trinkets.
There were those selling paper-cut window decorations, and others selling their handmade crafts; in short, there was a dazzling array of goods.
There were also many villagers watching the festivities, and every now and then someone would check out and pay, their faces all beaming with smiles.
This was something Torifu had never seen in previous years. Usually, the last day of the year was no different from any ordinary day; people would merely sigh and lament that another year had passed.
Because Konoha Village preferred to celebrate its founding day, they didn't pay much attention to the New Year itself.
This time, Torifu's efforts were a novel experiment, and so far, the results seemed quite good.
Torifu chose not to use Concealment Jutsu, as he had come out precisely to enjoy the liveliness.
When the villagers saw him, they all greeted him, and Torifu responded to each in turn.
Everyone also understood proper boundaries and didn't press forward to continue chatting with Torifu, which made him feel quite comfortable.
The couplets and lanterns on both sides of the street were very conspicuous and eye-catching, truly giving Torifu a sense of the New Year's atmosphere.
It wasn't long before Torifu reached the main street, where a massive floral lantern immediately caught his eye.
This was something Torifu had redeemed from the shop. It seemed that the System Shop, perhaps knowing Torifu was hosting the Spring Festival, was also very generous, with many small items all related to the Spring Festival.
The only thing missing, regrettably, were firecrackers.
At that moment, a group of men was installing the floral lantern. The lantern's shape was that of a soaring divine dragon.
Even before it was lit, it looked incredibly majestic, and the villagers had a very high acceptance of and great fondness for this lantern.
Perhaps it was because legends of dragons also existed in this world.
Nara Anka was supervising nearby, instructing the workers on how to install it correctly.
Because the floral lantern was very tall, Nara Anka's Shadow Paralysis Jutsu could also protect the workers from falling.
After seeing Torifu arrive, Nara Anka immediately walked over. "Hokage-sama, you've come. The installation of the floral lantern is going very smoothly, and the smaller floral lanterns on other streets are also being installed as scheduled, so they won't affect the evening's festivities."
Torifu had always been very satisfied with Nara Anka's work ethic. He felt a bit embarrassed to have assigned her so many tasks, especially during a holiday period.
But Anka had no complaints whatsoever, dedicating herself wholeheartedly to serving the village.
"Double these villagers' wages. After all, making them work during the New Year, there should be some benefits."
Anka immediately agreed and jotted it down in her personal notebook, preparing to propose a more appropriate and reasonable compensation plan later.
When the workers saw Torifu come to inspect, they stopped their tasks and greeted him one after another.
Torifu also waved back at them. "Having you work during the New Year, you've gone to a lot of trouble."
The workers, however, didn't think much of it. Originally, there were no holidays during the few days around New Year's, but Hokage-sama had given them half a month off!
So the workers felt that this little bit of work was nothing. Besides, they were getting paid! They were practically scrambling to do it, so who would complain?
In the eyes of these villagers, whose horizons weren't so broad, the various welfare benefits Torifu implemented were simply immense blessings!