"Yes!" All the villagers replied in unison, their voices echoing throughout Konoha. Afterwards, Torifu transformed into a wisp of cloud and vanished. Only then did the villagers dare to look up at the sky. They could tell that Hokage-sama was truly displeased. They had indeed gone too far just now, arguing over such a trivial matter.
Torifu returned to the Kumotsuru Clan compound with a sigh, not expecting the villagers to quarrel over such baseless things. If the two children were a little older, such competition among the villagers would be fine and could even motivate their growth. But Akihara was only three years old; there was no need for him to compete for the title of Konoha's number one. Even if the supporters managed to overpower other voices in a large-scale "suppression," what would that achieve? What could a three-year-old child do? Torifu did not want Akihara to be exposed to fame and honor too early. It would not benefit his growth, and being overly concerned with vanity might even negatively affect him.
He wondered who exactly had started this whole fiasco. Torifu had only told a few people. Could there truly be a mole among the family?
Before Torifu could ponder further, a phone call came in.
"Hello, Torifu, you know about the situation on the street, right?"
The call was from Hashirama. Torifu sensed a hint of guilt in Hashirama's voice, which gave him an idea.
"Yes, Master. I've already taken care of it. It was just a brief commotion. I will ensure the villagers don't let this happen again."
Hashirama stammered and sputtered on the other end for a long time before he could speak. Eventually, Mito cursed at Hashirama and took the phone.
"Torifu, this matter was actually because your Master accidentally let it slip while he was bragging. He didn't expect it to spread so fast, and by the time he realized it, the streets were already in an uproar." She added, "He feels a little regretful but is too embarrassed to say it, so I had to call."
Torifu offered a soft smile. "It's fine, Mistress. Akihara's talent couldn't be hidden forever, and we had no intention of deliberately concealing it. It's no big deal that it's spread now." He continued, "Master really doesn't need to feel so guilty. This is not a serious issue."
After about half a minute, Hashirama finally spoke up again. "Oh, Torifu, ultimately, this is still my fault. I just wanted to show off, but I didn't expect that old codger to be such a blabbermouth. I'll have to give him a good thrashing in a couple of days."
Since it wasn't a major issue, the master and disciple quickly made amends with a few words. This was the first time Hashirama had apologized to Torifu. The feeling wasn't pleasant; it was an indescribably strange sensation. In Torifu's eyes, his Master was always correct in everything he did, and only Torifu ever made mistakes and apologized to his Master. Yet, today, his Master had apologized to him.
This left Torifu sitting silently in his chair for a long time. He suddenly realized that he was already in his forties. Although he still looked like a young man, his age was completely unrelated to being a youth. And his Master was already in his eighties or nineties.
Time had passed so quickly without him realizing it. His experiences learning Taijutsu with his Master in his childhood were still vivid memories. But now, he was teaching Taijutsu to others and planning the future path for his own disciples.
"It looks like nothing has changed, but a lot has actually changed underneath the surface."
Torifu leaned back, and the rocking chair began to sway. He gradually closed his eyes, rocking gently like that. A gentle breeze passed through the courtyard, fluttering the corner of Torifu's clothes, carrying away the eternally flowing time with it.
Spring passed and autumn came, and seven years flew by...
It was the summer of Year 51 of Konoha.
Konoha was currently a scene of bustling excitement. Colorful banners and fresh flowers were hung from the eaves of every house. The overall layout of the village hadn't changed much in the past seven years, but the village had expanded and was now considerably larger. Many more tall buildings had sprung up within the village, with huge screens displaying various advertisements. It had a distinctly modern feel to it now.
Meanwhile, on one of the outer streets of Konoha, a girl was supervising several strong men at work.
"Hey, that one is crooked. Move it more to the left."
"Oi, shorty! If you're going to be so sloppy, you'd better hand over your position right now! How dare you be careless with such an important job!"
"Mmm, yours is actually quite good."
The men being supervised laughed awkwardly. "Miss Shizune, you are too strict."
Shizune snorted coldly. "How dare you make mistakes with such an important task? Next time, the Hokage Tower won't cooperate with your team anymore."
Being scolded by Shizune, the leading men immediately fell silent and quickly began to correct their mistakes. Shizune turned away and wiped the sweat from her brow. "Phew, it really isn't easy to keep these uncles in line. If only I had the demeanor of Aunt Anka."
Shizune was now an adult. After graduating from the Ninja Academy and working as a ninja for a few years, she discovered that, like her father, Kato Kon, she didn't have much talent for the ninja profession. She decisively changed careers and sought suitable work elsewhere. She did not rely on her father's position as the general manager of the Konoha factory to find a good job for herself. Instead, she applied to be an office assistant at the Hokage Tower. Perhaps influenced by the way her father worked, Shizune was extremely professional during the interview process. She successfully entered the Hokage Tower and became an assistant to Anka, who was Shizune's second cousin/aunt.
Today, her assigned task was to closely supervise the work of this celebration decoration team, ensuring that no accidents occurred due to carelessness. She stood on the street diligently all morning until the task was finally completed.
"Um, Miss Shizune, do you think the quality of our work is up to standard?"
Shizune carefully checked the coverage of the festive decorations on the outskirts of Konoha and nodded with moderate satisfaction. "It's passable, average level. If you are like this next time, I might not consider continuing the cooperation."
The leading man smiled ingratiatingly. "Thank you, thank you! We guarantee this won't happen again next time!"
Watching the group of workers leave, Shizune shook her head helplessly. "Don't think you can be sloppy just because it's the edge of the village."
Shizune turned and walked into the central street. From here, she could see that the fourth monument on the Hokage Rock had been completely carved and was currently covered with a red cloth. Everyone on the street was beaming with smiles, Shizune herself included.
"The Fourth Hokage Inauguration Ceremony is going to happen in two days. I'm so excited!"
It was possible Shizune hadn't even been born during the last Hokage Inauguration Ceremony, so this was truly a rare sight. After all, the Third Hokage, Kumotsuru Torifu, who had managed Konoha for so many years, was finally stepping down from the position of Hokage and handing it over to his disciple and younger brother, Namikaze Minato.