"Ichiryu-sama, I have heard your name for a long time. Seeing you today, you are truly extraordinary." Torifu spoke first. Ichiryu immediately smiled; this was a clear gesture of goodwill from Torifu, which he naturally understood.
"Congratulations to the Hokage-sama on your auspicious wedding. I have come specifically to offer my best wishes."
Torifu smiled. "Then I thank you, Ichiryu-sama."
Mifune then spoke up from the side. "When I parted with Hokage-sama last time, I didn't imagine we would meet again so soon, and at your wedding, no less."
"I hadn't expected it either. That time was truly busy; I went to great lengths to teach my disciples some Ninjutsu." He then added with a smile, "After our hurried farewell that day, I thought we wouldn't have the chance to meet again. I'm genuinely surprised."
Mifune said, "After returning to my country, I spoke with my master at length about Konoha Village's electronics, and he became very interested. So, he wanted to use the auspicious occasion of your wedding to discuss the details of our cooperation."
Now that the conversation had moved to the main topic, Torifu was very amenable. Quite a few people had seized this opportunity to seek cooperation with Konoha Village, including the usually isolated Kirigakure. As soon as the wedding was over, Torifu would have to immediately dive into work, as the matters discussed were no small affairs. Since they involved entire villages and nations, they required serious attention.
"My thoughts are the same as that day. I personally hope to establish a cooperative relationship with the Land of Iron, so I hope this meeting goes smoothly."
Ichiryu was not very adept at these matters; he was only responsible for presiding over the talks. As for the negotiator, his disciple beside him was quite excellent.
As they chatted, Torifu sensed that Kakuzu and his men were about to arrive, so he immediately changed the subject.
"The journey must have been tiring for all of you. Please enter the village and rest." He then said to Mifune, "An attendant will guide you. You'll be staying in the same apartment as last time. Will that be alright?"
Mifune immediately nodded. "It's perfect; no problem at all." The previous apartment had been excellent and had shocked him quite a bit, so much so that he still felt a little unaccustomed to things back in the Land of Iron. This time, he was determined to let his master see and experience what electronics truly were!
With that, the group walked into the village. Aside from Mifune, none of these Samurai had ever been to Konoha Village; it was their first time. They were all extremely curious about everything in the village.
As soon as they entered the gate and saw the newly renovated outer city of Konoha Village, their first impression was how clean and tidy it was. There was no trash on the streets or in the alleyways, and the villagers' faces were beaming with genuine joy.
An attendant came up to them. "Are you Sirs the Samurai from the Land of Iron?"
Ichiryu naturally had to maintain a dignified, aloof demeanor, so Mifune handled all the casual talk and conversation. "Yes, miss. We are the Samurai from the Land of Iron."
The young woman smiled. "I remember you, Mifune-sama. I was one of the maids at the banquet that night." Mifune recalled the night Torifu hosted him for a feast but couldn't quite remember the girl herself.
"Please, everyone. This is the outer city of Konoha Village, which Hokage-sama ordered to be built. The inner city of Konoha Village is beyond the gate up ahead."
No wonder it looked so new. It turned out this was not the original Konoha Village but a newly built section. What must the inner city be like? Everyone, except Mifune, wondered, including Ichiryu.
He wasn't just pondering the difference between the inner and outer cities, but also the smiles on the villagers' faces. They weren't fake; they came straight from the heart. That a young man could govern such a large village so orderly, and keep the villagers happy and content, truly made Ichiryu respectful. The citizens of the Land of Iron had yet to show such smiles, which he had only seen on children playing in the streets and alleys. But the smiles in Konoha Village were so sincere and clear; they couldn't be faked.
"I would like to ask you something, miss," Ichiryu suddenly asked. "Do you feel happy living in Konoha Village?"
Though the young woman didn't know why this Lord asked that, she answered truthfully, "Of course. There are no wars here, and the village is very prosperous. No one has to worry about making a living, and we have all sorts of electronics that free up people's hands."
"And a very wise Hokage-sama. How could we not be happy living in such a village?"
The young woman spoke highly of Torifu, though Torifu himself didn't know what made him so wise. He mostly just slacked off every day and barely went to the office. Hearing the girl's answer, Ichiryu nodded and asked no further questions. He knew that everything in Konoha Village was the result of long-term effort and couldn't be successfully imitated in a short time. He figured it was impossible to achieve such a change while he was still the General; it would be up to Mifune.
After the group entered the inner city of Konoha Village, they could clearly feel that it was more rustic, and the architectural styles were traceable to the era of Ichiryu's own youth. Some of the houses in the outer city, on the other hand, made him completely bewildered as to why they were built that way; personally, he didn't quite understand them.
Along the streets of the inner city, various display screens played the Hashirama biography or some comical short programs. Ichiryu was constantly drawn in, stopping in place to watch.
"What is this? Is it Ninjutsu? It's capable of captivating my will."
The girl covered her mouth and chuckled. "I apologize, sir, but I must interrupt you. This is a display screen invented by Amado-sama, and the programs playing on it were produced by the Hokage-sama. It is not Ninjutsu."
Ichiryu didn't understand the concept of a display screen, so he simply nodded. He was like an infant learning everything anew; everything in Konoha Village felt novel to him. However, according to Mifune, this was just the tip of the iceberg, and they hadn't even seen the real electronics yet. Ichiryu thought the same. If electronics were just this, there would be no need to mine massive amounts of ore and import these things. He was eager to see what these so-called electronics were truly like!
The attendant guided the group to their destination, the place where Mifune stayed during his last visit to Konoha Village. She was then called away by a phone call. Ichiryu was baffled, and Mifune explained that it was something unique to Konoha Village that no other country had. Ichiryu shook his head with regret.
"Come, Ichiryu-sama, and the rest of you. Let's go inside and rest for a bit. I'll go buy some food later."
The others all nodded, looking somewhat expectant. Mifune, however, seemed less like a fellow traveler and more like a tour guide.