This indicated that Konoha could now cultivate its own researchers, putting them far ahead of other countries. Even if other countries intended to develop technology, the various inventions from Konoha had raised their technological understanding to an impossibly high level. This led them to be overly ambitious but incapable of execution. Instead of trying to research from the most basic level, they attempted to disassemble the inventions. The result of this approach was inevitably failure, so the technology of other countries remained slow to develop. Only the Land of Water seemed to have settled down and focused on research. In the past year, their procurement of low-end products had significantly decreased, suggesting they had made some progress in their research.
However, Torifu was not particularly concerned about these matters. This was because low-end inventions were already being manufactured by the Replicators, and the factories had stopped producing them. The factories were now entirely focused on manufacturing products like electric bicycles and tablet computers. Even if the other nations were given several more years, they might not be able to develop anything significant. But by then, Konoha would have already invented new things. This was the advantage of being a technological leader, something that other countries and villages could neither experience nor understand.
Konoha's development was changing with each passing day, and this was inseparable from Torifu's contributions. The various blueprints he introduced drove the technological advancement of the entire village. Of course, Amado also played a vital role. But as time went by, both Torifu and Amado would gradually retreat, leaving opportunities for more excellent young people. Torifu had now reached that point.
On the day of the Fourth Hokage's inauguration ceremony, Konoha was completely emptied of people. Although it was not yet noon, enthusiastic villagers had already surrounded the central street, making it impossible to pass. Anbu ninjas were deployed en masse, working hard to disperse the crowds on the street to prevent crowding from causing a stampede. However, the villagers were simply too passionate, making this task difficult to execute. They could only maintain the barrier to prevent the villagers from pushing forward further.
"Hey, Big Brother, the central street is too chaotic. The Anbu ninjas are almost unable to hold them back. Come and help us out," Dan said with some helplessness over the phone. Although the Anbu ninjas were strong, they couldn't attack the villagers. But today was a very important day, and no mistakes could be tolerated. If a stampede occurred, it would become a permanent stain on their record, impossible to erase for a lifetime. To be derelict in duty during the Fourth Hokage's inauguration ceremony would be utterly shameful. Thus, every Anbu ninja was frantically working to prevent the villagers from crowding forward.
"Yes, I know. Don't worry," Torifu's few words immediately made Dan feel much more relaxed.
No sooner had the phone call ended than a voice rang out across the sky: "Villagers, please disperse in an orderly manner and keep a distance from the person in front of you to prevent safety hazards."
"I know everyone is happy, but do not let a joyful day turn sad." Torifu didn't say much, just a few short sentences, but they seemed to possess a kind of magic, as the villagers voluntarily spread out within moments. This was perhaps the prestige Torifu had accumulated in the hearts of the villagers over the years; the moment Torifu spoke, the villagers immediately complied.
And soon, large crystal mirrors appeared diagonally above every street, reflecting the image of the Hokage Tower rooftop. It was not yet time, and the rooftop was still empty.
"Thank you for your cooperation." While Torifu made demands of the villagers, he also tried his best to meet their needs. The villagers were pushing forward to get the best viewing spots. With the raising of the crystal screens and the live broadcast of the large monitor, the villagers could now see the scene on the rooftop much more clearly. Naturally, they stopped crowding.
After hanging up the phone, Naori frowned slightly beside him. "Is that boy still not back? What are we going to do? It's only two or three hours until the ceremony starts." Torifu waved his hand. "No rush, no rush. I'll go and bring him back now." Kushina waddled around the courtyard with her large belly. She also hoped her husband would hurry back, as it was inconvenient for her to be alone.
As Torifu finished speaking, a golden light radiated from his body, and his entire being twisted into a spiral. The next second, Minato, who was sprinting quickly, suddenly felt a slight itch on his arm. Just as he was about to scratch, Torifu's head appeared from above the silver leaf seal. This sudden appearance almost caused Minato to break down, and it startled Torifu too.
"You stupid boy, where are you?! Are you not even going to attend the inauguration ceremony? Do you actually want to be Hokage or not?" Minato scratched his head awkwardly. "Big Brother, we're on the border of the Land of Fire. We can be back in about three hours." Torifu snorted. "Three hours! The ceremony will have long passed!"
Obito said with annoyance, "Ah? Then what do we do! This is Minato-sensei's ceremony to become Hokage! It's all our fault; we shouldn't have asked to come out." He quickly added, "Right, Minato-sensei, you use Flying Thunder God to go back first, and we'll slowly rush back."
Torifu glanced at Obito. The boy at least showed some accountability by taking the blame upon himself.
"Now is not the time to assign blame, returning to the village with me is what's most important." Minato and the three children didn't know what he meant, but the next second, Torifu's figure disappeared into the vortex. Four thick cloud hands grabbed them, forcefully dragging them into the rapidly vanishing vortex.
After a moment of dizzying disorientation, Minato and the three children were astonished to find themselves back in the Kumotsuru Clan compound!
"This! What happened? Weren't we just on the border of the Land of Fire? How did we get back to the village instantly?" Obito shouted in surprise. Even the usually composed Kakashi was bewildered, unsure what had occurred.
"Big Brother, what kind of Jutsu is this? Is it a Space-Time Jutsu that you developed?"
Torifu nodded upon hearing this. "Something like that, but only I can use it."
Minato felt it was a great pity after hearing this. If only he could learn such a powerful Jutsu. However, Torifu's Jutsu was originally just used to cast a puppet on others. With continuous development, the leaf seal allowed Torifu to teleport himself over. And when he broke through to Six Paths level, this Jutsu was developed again; it can now teleport people, but a maximum of five at a time. Any more than that, and they might become lost in the space-time rift.
"Alright, alright, stop the nonsense. Minato, hurry up and prepare. And you three, stick close to Minato and serve him."
"Yes!" The three children immediately stood at attention to receive the order, and Minato used the Flying Thunder God to teleport to the Hokage office first. Kakashi and the other two looked at each other, then took off running.