Aoki Yoru suddenly realized; no wonder he had never heard of it.
It had been about forty years since the Third Hokage took office; in that time, an entire generation could have passed away.
Not just him, even the generation of Kakashi and Nara Shikaku had never seen it.
"So, why did you call me here? Can't small matters like this be left to the subordinates? Just handle it like the Chunin Exams."
Tsunade shook her head: "It's different. The foot traffic for the 'Festival of Fire' will be at least several times that of the Chunin Exams. The security pressure is much greater; we can't be careless."
"Not only will the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the nobles be there, but nobles and merchants from various countries will also attend."
"I heard from my grandmother that when my granduncle held it, it was a grand occasion for the Ninja World. The Daimyos of the Five Great Nations all came, and along with the nobles and merchants of every country, it was truly a golden age unseen in thousands of years."
"Don't even think about making excuses. An event like this needs someone who can hold down the fort to preside over it. Kakashi will be responsible for border defense to prevent other great nations from taking the opportunity to cause trouble."
"After thinking it over, you're the only one."
"Yui and Kenta's Police Force will also assist you. Everything is in your hands; let people witness the elegance of the Kirin of Konoha."
"Originally, I didn't want to hold it. After all, it costs a lot, and it involves the Logistics Department. It goes without saying that there would be massive embezzlement; Konoha's funds aren't exactly abundant."
"However, you solved them swiftly, and with the one billion ryo in compensation, Konoha's funds are now plentiful. That's why I want to hold this festival."
"Ever since Teacher passed away, the people of Konoha have been living in tension. This festival is meant to let them feel the liveliness and stability once again."
Aoki Yoru helplessly ran a hand through his hair, walked to the window, and looked at the increasingly bustling Konoha, saying with a sigh:
"It's been over forty years since the Third Hokage held it. The biggest change in that time is that the population has doubled or tripled."
Then, he turned to look at Tsunade: "Think about it, with Konoha's current population density, can it accommodate so many people in such a short time?
Not to mention other things, the logistics and accommodation won't be able to keep up. Plus, the crowd will be a mixed bag of people; it's obvious there will be chaos."
Tsunade frowned upon hearing this. This was indeed something she hadn't considered. With Konoha's current population density, if they welcomed four or five times the traffic of the Chunin Exams, the village would be bursting at the seams immediately.
"Do you have any way to solve it?"
"Just expand."
Aoki Yoru pointed to the prosperous streets of Konoha. With the village's current population growth, it would need expansion within ten years anyway.
"Using this opportunity, a new district can be built outward from the Uchiha Clan territory. The festival can be held there, which won't affect the rest of Konoha, and even if an accident occurred, losses could be minimized.
This way, the original Uchiha Clan territory would transform from the edge of Konoha into a southeastern commercial center, giving Konoha another prosperous area."
Tsunade showed a look of pleasant surprise and slapped Aoki Yoru's shoulder hard: "I knew I wasn't wrong about you; you really are a man of talent. Work hard, and I'll nominate you to be the next Hokage."
Aoki Yoru rolled his eyes at her. Being the Hokage was just hard labor; better to let a hot-blooded youth like Naruto do it.
He didn't have the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline; he was afraid of shortening his lifespan.
"So, when do you plan to hold it?"
"I originally planned for three months from now, but if we need to build a new district, that would take at least a year or more."
Hearing this, Aoki Yoru pondered for a moment, stroked his chin, and said: "Three months is actually possible."
Seeing Tsunade's puzzled expression, he explained directly: "For Ninjas, building houses doesn't need all that fancy stuff; a few Ninjutsu can get it done.
Isn't there a Wood Release user in the Anbu? Leave the houses to him, have other Earth Release Ninjas cooperate, and then find some civilians to fill in the details. It'll be finished very quickly."
Tsunade had a sudden realization: "That works. Then I'll leave it to you. Just submit a report for whatever you need.
I'll send out the news and invitations in a month."
Aoki Yoru nodded, then took his leave to arrange some matters.
The southwestern edge of Konoha Village.
For ten kilometers outward, it had become a construction site, with dozens of Ninjas and tens of thousands of civilians constantly busy.
Once Tsunade and Aoki Yoru decided to establish a district behind the Uchiha Clan territory, Tsunade immediately summoned all the Jonin for a meeting to discuss it.
At the meeting, Aoki Yoru explained the benefits of the new district, the costs involved, and the future outlook for Konoha.
Ultimately, the meeting passed the proposal unanimously without surprise.
Since the Fifth Hokage reclaimed the power of the two Advisors and suppressed the Four Great Families like the Sarutobi, her authority in Konoha even surpassed that of the Third Hokage.
The two Advisors didn't participate this time either; otherwise, with their temperaments, they would surely have opposed it. According to their views, Konoha was best as it was—why bother with all this fuss?
The older people get, the less they can accept change. They believe the Konoha they fought for all their lives is perfect, fearing it might get worse if changed.
"Wood Release: Serial Pillar Houses Technique!"
The entire open space trembled instantly. Countless houses rose wildly according to his will, rows of wooden buildings standing in neat order. In the blink of an eye, a large area of buildings was constructed.
"Hahaha!!"
Yamato, who had just used Wood Release with all his might, panted heavily.
Aoki Yoru stepped forward and patted his shoulder, smiling: "Hard work, Senior Yamato. This way, it will be completed very soon."
Yamato, still sitting on the ground gasping for air, struggled to lift his head. His face seemed to have collapsed instantly; his eyes were lifeless, his sockets sunken, his complexion sallow, and deep wrinkles even appeared. He looked as if all his energy had been drained, as if he had aged twenty years in an instant.
"You make it sound so simple. Don't I have to consume Chakra!"
This was already his tenth consecutive day of work; he felt like he was about to be hollowed out.
Even when Senior Kakashi had taken him to see new worlds, he had never been this tired. Back then, it was at most weak limbs and a lack of spirit.
"Don't say that. You were at the Jonin meeting too, right? At worst, I'll give you a storefront. You know, that's a gold mine!"
"Really?"
Yamato immediately perked up. He had seen the planning maps. Aoki Yoru intended to turn this place into a commercial street and a tourist destination. The property prices here would surely skyrocket.
"Of course, you can take your pick then."
Sure enough, no matter where it is, people are always obsessed with houses.
Tsunade also knew that Aoki Yoru possessed Wood Release, but since the source of the White Zetsu hadn't been found yet, she didn't let him use it just in case, also keeping it as a trump card.
According to her research, the Wood Release granted by white zetsu cells was a complete version, not like Yamato's, which could only be used for landscaping.
So, she could only trouble Yamato to build a town by himself.
Aoki Yoru looked at the dirt road on the ground, pressed both hands to the earth, and shouted: "Earth Release: Auto-Paving!"
The earth trembled slightly under the pull of his Chakra. The soil automatically rose, compacted, and hardened, extending a level roadbed through the gaps between the wooden houses.
With his gestures, the road surface automatically split into neat stone slabs, the gaps fitting perfectly. In an instant, a network of stone-paved roads crisscrossing in all directions was laid out between the newly built wooden houses.
Looking at the flooring which was similar to commercial streets in his previous life, Aoki Yoru nodded with satisfaction.