Two months later.
"This is..."
Tsunade looked at the scene before her in shock; Aoki Yoru had actually replicated the amusement park from the capital of the Land of Fire.
She turned to Aoki Yoru and asked in confusion, "How did you have the money to buy all this equipment?"
The cost of this amusement park alone would be counted in the hundreds of millions; she didn't recall ever approving such a sum.
A mysterious smile appeared on Aoki Yoru's face as he took an account book from his robe and handed it to her.
Tsunade opened it out of curiosity, then froze instantly, her breathing skipping a beat.
After a long while, she murmured to herself, "You actually sold that much of Konoha Plaza and the commercial street?"
When Aoki Yoru first started working on something called 'Konoha Plaza,' he claimed it would be a commercial powerhouse that, combined with the commercial street, would definitely become the new center of Konoha.
Tsunade had agreed back then, but she never expected the sales of shops and real estate alone to reach such a staggering amount—a total of 2.2 billion Ryo. Even two years of Konoha's budget didn't amount to that much.
Aoki Yoru looked at the massive Ferris wheel and lamented, "Though the Ninja World is always in turmoil, those nobles and wealthy merchants are never affected; their capital just keeps accumulating."
"As the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha is much safer than other places, despite having gone through the 'Nine-Tails Incident' and the 'Konoha Crush Plan.'"
"In the past, Konoha strictly restricted them from buying property here. Now that we've opened a crack, they're rushing to send us their money. They know this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; the last time property was opened up like this was when Konoha Village was first established."
"It's not just them; even Daimyo from small nations and other major powers are buying property. It seems they want to send their children here as a fallback plan."
"But it's normal—a crafty rabbit has three burrows. How many Daimyo and nobles from small nations have been wiped out over the years?"
Tsunade frowned upon hearing this. "In that case, there are bound to be spies among them."
Aoki Yoru shrugged. "Other countries already have spies in Konoha anyway. It's better to have them concentrated here where we can step up surveillance."
"Besides, they're sending us cold, hard cash, which is perfect for healing our wounds from the recent period."
Tsunade nodded; indeed, overall, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
At that moment, Aoki Yoru pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to Tsunade.
Tsunade took them curiously, and her tense expression vanished instantly. A smile she couldn't suppress spread across her face, her teeth gleaming in the sunlight.
"Hahaha! I knew I wasn't wrong about you."
Tsunade slapped Aoki Yoru's shoulder with such force that even he found it a bit hard to bear.
"Do you want to be the Hokage? I'll step down for you right now."
Aoki Yoru stumbled and rolled his eyes at her; this woman was completely blinded by money.
What Aoki Yoru had given her were the deeds to a row of shops in 'Konoha Plaza.' To put it bluntly, they were geese that laid golden eggs.
Although Tsunade had the inheritance of the Senju Clan, who would complain about having too much money? Tsunade used Transformation Jutsu to go gambling every week. If she weren't the Hokage, she might not even have enough to eat.
Of course, Aoki Yoru kept some deeds for himself. Much like Tsunade, he had poured his heart and soul into the festival lately, so it was only natural to take some compensation.
One month later, the 'Festival of Fire' officially began.
At this time, Aoki Yoru was busy and overwhelmed.
He knew more people would come than for the Chunin Exams, but he didn't expect this many.
In almost a week, nearly twenty thousand people flooded into Konoha.
Yes, twenty thousand people. He had still underestimated the lack of holidays in the Ninja World and the reputation of the 'Festival of Fire.'
After three months of promotion by Tsunade, the entire Ninja World knew Konoha would host the largest grand ceremony in the Ninja World, the first of its kind in over forty years.
Countless people rushed toward Konoha; after all, if they missed this, they didn't know when they'd have another chance to attend.
Merchants from various countries especially would never miss such a grand event.
Suddenly, the southwestern district of Konoha was completely swallowed by noise and the atmosphere of fireworks.
Vendors from all over the Ninja World set up dense rows of stalls. Colorful flags fluttered in the wind, and the sounds of shouting and haggling rose and fell, mixing with the aroma of food wafting in all directions.
Acrobats on stilts wove through the crowds, gasps of surprise came from behind the curtains of Genjutsu performers, and the light and heat from fire-breathing shows warmed the chill of late autumn.
The liveliest place was, of course, the amusement park built on the former site of the Uchiha.
Not only did local Konoha children flock there, but travelers from other countries did as well. After all, aside from the capitals of the Great Nations, such a place existed nowhere else in the Ninja World.
Some people had never seen anything like it in their entire lives.
Even Nao took her VVIP card and dragged Chino there to play every day. It was so popular that the queues were several kilometers long.
Of course, Aoki Yoru was also very nervous. He didn't know if the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations had taken the wrong medicine, but they were actually holding a group gathering in Konoha.
If even one explosive tag went off, they could all be wiped out, and the entire Ninja World would fall into chaos.
Tsunade had dispatched all the Anbu to protect them with airtight security.
Furthermore, Aoki Yoru had sent a Wood Clone to each of the four directions around Konoha to stay alert for any possible surprise attacks.
Although he didn't think anyone would dare to poke the tiger's whiskers, the Ninja World never lacked madmen, so it was better to be cautious.
One had to remember that Konoha had many enemies in the shadows. Many people did not accept Tsunade, and if they secretly caused some destruction resulting in massive casualties, Tsunade would have to resign in apology.
The eastern waters of the Land of Fire.
Underground in a certain ruin, beneath dim lights, a group of people sat in a circle, whispering about a secret plot.
"Lord Shinno, are we really going to attack Konoha? Isn't it too hasty? Isn't the Zero-Tails still unprepared?"
At that moment, the man in the main seat, who had a thin, aged face and long gray hair draped over his shoulders, gave them a dark look.
"This is a rare opportunity. All the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations are currently in Konoha. If we annihilate them all, Konoha will immediately become a target for everyone and be besieged by all nations."
At the mention of Konoha, a look of resentment appeared in Shinno's eyes. His homeland, the Sky Ninja Village, had been destroyed by Konoha.
Then, he turned to look at a middle-aged man wearing glasses. "Gen, how many people have been captured to provide Dark Chakra for the Zero-Tails?"
Gen, sitting in a lower position, adjusted his glasses and spoke slowly, "Since we began our operations two months ago, we have captured over a thousand civilians, but not many Ninjas—only about thirty."
"It's not that we are slow, but if too many civilians and Ninjas disappear, it will attract the attention of the Great Nations."
Hearing this, Shinno rested his chin on one hand while the fingers of his other hand tapped incessantly on the table.
After a long while, his expression became resolute. "It doesn't matter. These people are already enough to allow the Zero-Tails to fully revive for a short time. Our goal isn't to completely destroy Konoha, but merely to sabotage this festival."
"I now order you: the aerial forces will launch a surprise attack first."
"The Sky Fortress will be activated immediately, with the Zero-Tails following closely behind."
The people in the room stood up at once and saluted in unison. "Yes, Leader!"