This was Torifu's plan. He had thought of it a long time ago, but because the rain province under Iwagakure's jurisdiction had mostly rock formations, there were no suitable lakes for farming.
So, the plan was shelved until today, when the battle explosion created such a massive deep pit.
If it were filled with water, it would likely become the largest lake in Amegakure.
It would be enough for the aquaculture business. After all, each village only had tens of thousands of people, and such a large lake would suffice, without needing to excavate any other lakes.
"In that case, Hokage, when will this aquaculture plan be implemented?"
"There's no rush for that. We can discuss it in detail once we return to the village. Because the lakes will be leased out in sections, we'll also need to build small villages near the aquaculture lake for the leaseholders to live in."
"In short, construction is required. I already planned everything out a long time ago. I can take full responsibility for my side; you two only need to provide the funding."
The Kazekage and Ōnoki nodded after hearing this. They were completely clueless about these matters.
If they were needed to help come up with solutions, they might be useless, but contributing money was no problem.
Anyway, according to the Hokage, they would break even in about a year and start making a profit in the second year.
This kind of business was a sure thing.
Ōnoki and the Kazekage often said a phrase privately: Follow the Hokage, and you'll have everything.
There was a good reason for this. Ever since they first sought help from Konoha after the attack, they had truly boarded the Konoha ship.
Afterward, their villages began to develop rapidly. Now, their village economies were vastly different from before.
So, they trusted Torifu completely this time as well.
The three walked and chatted, taking nearly two hours to return to the Center City.
It was already noon, but there was no lively atmosphere in the city.
Two hours had passed since the massive explosion, but the three leaders still hadn't returned.
The ninja inside the city were worried to the extreme and had reached their limit of patience. They planned to head out immediately to search for the Hokage and the others.
If any accident had truly occurred, they vowed to avenge their leaders!
With this mindset, a large group of ninja rushed out of the city gates, roaring and heading toward the direction of the explosion.
This sight shocked Torifu and the others. They thought they had come to the wrong city and run into an enemy attack.
But upon closer inspection, they realized these were all their own ninja.
Torifu even spotted Jiraiya and Minato among them.
"What are you all doing? Didn't I tell you to stay in the city and not come out?" Torifu asked, frowning.
Had they started disobeying orders after he left?
"Big Brother! You're back! Did you win?"
Torifu nodded. "Of course we won... You didn't think the three of us died, did you? And you were planning to get revenge?"
The large group of ninja was surprisingly unified; they all awkwardly looked around and started scratching their heads.
They pretended to be busy, though no one was sure what they were busy with.
"Ah... haha, Big Brother, we were just worried about you. Two hours passed since the explosion, and you hadn't returned."
Torifu couldn't find it in himself to be angry, as they were worried about his safety. However, he didn't see Naori in the group, suggesting that Naori believed he couldn't possibly lose.
"It's fine, it's fine. We're very touched. I successfully defeated the mastermind Blaze and Hanzō, and the ninja world is peaceful again. The city lockdown is lifted, and you are free to move around."
The Kazekage and the Tsuchikage nodded. They completely understood the actions of their own ninja.
Naturally, there would be no punishment.
Under the greetings of Torifu, Ōnoki, and the Kazekage, the large group of ninja turned around and headed back, not even fifty meters from the city gates.
But their faces were all beaming with smiles.
The news of the war's victory immediately spread throughout the entire Center City. The streets and alleys were filled with laughter and cheers, with everyone discussing the matter.
"I heard that in that last massive explosion, Hokage-sama used a Space-Time Ninjutsu to leave the blast radius! And that flame-crazy demon Blaze was completely swallowed up without even a final word. That's how the war ended."
"Tsk, what do you mean you heard? Isn't that what the official announcement says? The Three Kage fought Blaze, battled for a long time, and finally defeated her by unleashing a combined ninjutsu."
"You're right, the Hokage-sama wrote it himself."
The ninja would certainly discuss the battle details for a long time. To prevent rumors from spreading, Torifu officially published the events to stop people from making things up.
And to maintain the image of the Tsuchikage and the Kazekage, Torifu included them, changing the story from him fighting Blaze alone to the Three Kage fighting Blaze.
This was an insignificant detail for Torifu, so adding two extra names was fine and would make the two Kage even more grateful to him.
At this moment, he had returned to his apartment, where Naori was sitting on the couch watching TV.
As Torifu walked in, she got up and approached him, immediately giving him a warm embrace.
"Welcome home. Was the fight tough?"
Torifu smiled and shook his head. "It was alright. Blaze was very strong, but I was stronger."
Naori looked at the mud on Torifu's clothes and felt a pang of heartache. After checking him and finding he wasn't injured, she relaxed.
"I knew it. With all your tricks, you wouldn't be hurt. Jiraiya and the others wanted me to go with them to look for you, but I said there was no need, hahaha."
In this world, Naori was likely the person who understood Torifu the most. The two had been together for over twenty years.
While not completely mind-linked, they certainly had a mutual understanding.
When the entire Center City was in an uproar, saying the Kage had been defeated, Naori wasn't flustered at all.
She knew Torifu would definitely return.
"As expected, Naori understands me best." Torifu kissed Naori gently. "Have you had lunch? If not, we'll go to the banquet soon."
Naori nodded. "I didn't feel like eating without you back. Now that I'm happy, I actually feel a little hungry."
"That's good. The war is over, so we should prepare to go home. That little guy Akihara is probably crying for his mommy."
Naori smiled softly. "Not at all. He even called just now. Everything is fine."
"Let's stop talking about useless things. Let me help you change into some clean clothes. Take this one to be washed."
Torifu nodded. After all, he was going to a banquet soon, and it wouldn't be good to attend looking so dirty. It would be a shame if he were stopped and humiliated by a security guard.
Torifu remembered often seeing such tropes in novels in his past life. To avoid such a ridiculous situation, it was better to be clean.