First letting the villagers enjoy the festive atmosphere, and then having the Nian Beast appear, would certainly bring the mood to a climax. Afterward, the villagers would cleverly outwit the Nian Beast and successfully defeat it. In this way, Konoha Village's very first Spring Festival would be officially concluded.
"Say, Torifu, do you think that monster will actually show up?"
Naori was a little curious. As the wife of the Kumotsuru Clan head, she had naturally looked through the ancient texts, though only one or two books. Thus, she didn't know the monster was entirely made up by Torifu and genuinely believed it was a creature the Kumotsuru Clan ancestors had fought. She was quite interested in seeing it.
The Kumotsuru Clan had so many ancient texts that they required an entire secret room for storage, so it was impossible for Naori to examine them all in detail. This was the main reason Torifu dared to tell such a convenient lie.
Torifu pondered for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I hope it doesn't show up, because if Konoha Village were to suffer any damage, it wouldn't be a good thing."
Naori agreed, feeling that safety was the most important thing. However, Akihara, nestled in her arms, had his eyes spinning, clearly very curious about the "monster" his mother mentioned. The topic had been discussed by nearly everyone all day, and now that Naori brought it up, Akihara was naturally even more intrigued. But he didn't open his mouth to fuss or demand to see it, as Torifu had just said it might endanger the village. Though small, Akihara was very bright and knew what he should and shouldn't talk about.
The couple carried Akihara forward, arriving at the base of the largest lantern. Here, they ran into many acquaintances who were happily taking pictures under the enormous lantern, their faces beaming with happy smiles.
"Shinku, I didn't expect to actually run into you here, and your wife, too."
Torifu laughed happily as he looked at Yūhi Shinku. He had just used Shinku as an example to explain something to Amado, and now he was running into him. It was a good thing Shinku didn't hear what I said.
"Oh, Torifu, we just got here ourselves. Do you want to take a picture?"
Shinku called Torifu by his given name, which Torifu had requested to avoid excessive formality in private. After all, besides their superior-subordinate relationship, they were also friends who grew up together.
"Yeah, this lantern looks great. I figured I'd bring the wife and kid out to enjoy it."
Just as Torifu and Shinku were chatting, Shinku's wife pulled a little girl out from behind her.
"Kurenai, come and greet Uncle Torifu."
A little girl with red eyes and pigtails appeared before Torifu. Torifu was a little surprised. Since it was dark, he had been wondering why the couple had left their child at home. It turned out she was just shy and hiding behind her mother.
Torifu symbolically rubbed Kurenai's head, being careful not to mess up her hairstyle. The little girl shyly hid behind her mother. "Hello, Uncle Torifu..."
That sweet, quiet voice truly made Torifu find her adorable.
"Come on, Akihara, you say hello to your big sister." Naori bounced Haoyuan in her arms, signaling for him to speak.
Akihara wasn't timid at all. He boldly followed Torifu's lead and offered New Year's greetings to Shinku and his wife, as well as to Yūhi Kurenai.
"He truly is the child Torifu raised. He's younger than Kurenai but so exceptionally outgoing."
Torifu smiled and waved his hand. "It's because he's a boy. Kurenai is a girl; she's already doing great."
Yūhi Kurenai had completely inherited Shinku's eyes. This Genjutsu eye trait would likely become the hallmark of the Yūhi Clan in the future. The original Yūhi Clan failed to continue its lineage mainly because Shinku sacrificed himself during the Nine-Tails attack. Now, there was no such concern.
"Torifu, why haven't I seen Amado and the other kids?"
Torifu shook his head helplessly. "Don't even start. The children found their own entertainment and went out in a big group, but that Amado insisted on tagging along with the two of us, so I had to chase him off."
Shinku was momentarily unsure what to say, thinking Amado had somehow angered Torifu.
"That guy is almost thirty, and he still hasn't found a partner. I chased him off hoping he might be like you and find his destined woman during the festival."
When Torifu said this, Shinku understood: Torifu was simply trying to push Amado into marriage. Hearing himself used as an example, Shinku felt a little embarrassed. "My wife and I truly were fated. I hope Amado can also have such luck."
Torifu nodded. "I can only wish for your kind words to come true."
"Oh, right. Be mindful of the monster situation. Everything else is fine, but if the monster truly appears, it wouldn't be good if the children got scared."
Shinku didn't look nervous and was completely relaxed. "Torifu, you might not know this, but my girl is only shy when she's outside. She's actually very brave. When she heard the news about the monster, she insisted on coming."
Torifu looked at Kurenai with surprise, but she blushed and hid behind her mother. Torifu understood then; the little girl was indeed like that. Since that was the case, he didn't need to worry.
Earlier in the day, Torifu had issued a public notice asking that the elderly and children pay attention to their play time and not stay out too late, so they wouldn't be startled if the monster truly showed up. It seemed people had mostly listened. There weren't many older people on the streets, but there were quite a few children. Perhaps it was because the idea was novel, and since they had adult protection, it wasn't a problem.
"What about Umino Ikkaku? His child is about the same age as Kurenai, right? I haven't seen him in a while."
Shinku thought for a moment. "Ikkaku? That child, Iruka, doesn't seem to have very good talent. Ikkaku and his wife are quite worried about it."
Torifu's face showed a faint smile. He wasn't worried at all. Iruka's ninja talent was indeed weak; he was the dead-last of the Ninja Academy. However, his teaching talent was immense. With a little guidance, he would definitely become an asset. The problem with his talent wasn't anyone's fault. Umino Ikkaku's talent was already the weakest of their group of three. Both Shinku and Kosuke were superior to him in talent and strength. This was the tragedy of the common ninja.
It couldn't be helped; fate was predetermined. In this Ninja World, truly grassroots strong figures were few and far between. The vast majority either had a family bloodline, a powerful Kekkei Genkai, or were the disciples, grandchildren, or children of a Kage. It was too difficult for a common ninja to rise to prominence.
"Sigh. If you run into them, please pass on a message for me: A child's talent doesn't represent everything. Providing correct guidance and pointing them toward the right path is what parents truly need to do."
Shinku nodded when he heard this. "Alright, I'll pass it on."