Chapter 285: Konoha's First Snow in 47 Years

The plot and actions of the Hidden Mist Village to take over the Land of Whirlpools ended in a way that the world could not have imagined. It is a typical example of a case of losing more than you gain in recent decades. For a while, it completely became the biggest laughing stock in the ninja world. For this reason, the Daimyo of the Land of Water was so angry that he vomited blood and severely cut military spending, making the situation of the Hidden Mist Village even worse. It was painful to lose the Land of Whirlpools, a treasure trove. The village could not even pay normal salaries. Now that the Daimyo did not pay, the Hidden Mist Village Hospital almost closed down. The Ninja School even stopped recruiting students. The training of ninjas was all carried out by raising Gu, and only those who survived were worthy of wearing forehead protectors.

The Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Wind felt deeply uneasy about this. Their newspapers published the latest news about the Land of Water on their front pages for ten consecutive days. A large number of radical ninjas even emerged in the village, believing that in order to preserve the country's territorial sovereignty, they must fight a decisive battle with the Konoha Village.

To be fair, the radicals are quite forward-looking and their ideas are in line with national interests, because what Ye Shan will do, wants to do, and is doing is to overturn the unchanging pattern of the ninja world for decades. He has chosen the most controversial way of governing among countless ways. Once the reforms of the New Rain Country are proven to be effective, there are only two outcomes waiting for the ninja world: unification or regression to the Warring States period.

However, the radicals were willing but unable to do anything. Less than a year had passed since the end of the Third Ninja World War, and the ninja villages were stretched thin in both manpower and financial resources, and they were absolutely unable to start another war. In addition, with the top combat power in Yeshan, they were even more cautious. It can be said that the situation in the ninja world would not change much in the next ten years, and peace had truly arrived.

At the same time, the news that the Mizunotsuki clan and the Kaguya clan openly joined the Konohagakure completely ignited the ninja world. Countless people were dumbfounded, so much so that the unexplained death of the Fourth Mizukage did not cause much ripples. The life and death of one person is really insignificant compared to the two families, even if he was famous during his lifetime. Those are two old and powerful families that gave birth to many powerful people who are famous in the ninja world. A mere leader of the Land of Water is nothing! Once these two families gain a foothold in a foreign country, the vitality and feedback they will bring will be extremely amazing.

As we all know, the overall strength of a ninja village is never determined by the top strongmen, but by the number of jonin. You can say that the Mizunotsuki clan and the Kaguya clan have fallen and their strength is not as good as before, but you can never say that they are useless. With excellent bloodline boundaries, as long as ten years, when their next generation grows up, who knows how many jonin will emerge! Moreover, the ice escape bloodline boundary and the corpse bloodline boundary, which focus on attack and killing, have been feared since the Warring States Period, and have never been a second-rate bloodline boundary.

After this incident, the strength of Konohagakure reached its highest point in history, with 100% of the powerful families and bloodline limits in the ninja world. The remaining explosive release and storm release were simply a joke. Coupled with the huge number of civilian ninjas, Konohagakure became the undisputed overlord of the ninja world and completed the unfinished work of the second generation Hokage. It is no surprise that Ye Shan's personal prestige reached the peak. Countless people were impressed by his unconventional personnel appointments and political skills. He had the power that the third generation Hokage dreamed of. The entire ninja village... to be precise, the entire Fire Country is under his control. You may not know who the Fire Country Daimyo is, but you must know who the Konohagakure is!

There was a learning craze throughout the Land of Fire, and the journals of the Ninjutsu Research Association were distributed in large quantities. Hayama's quotations became the hottest topic of the time, and some people even compiled them into a book, making a lot of money.

.......

In the early morning, when it was still dark, the frost of deep winter covered the streets and alleys. The hardworking villagers got up early, greeted each other, picked up brooms and began to sweep the ice and frost on the streets to facilitate the passage of pedestrian convoys.

In fact, they have no obligation to clean, they only need to wait for half an hour, and the special cleaners will clean it up. But the simple villagers do not want to rely on the village for everything, they want to contribute to the village through their own actions.

"Mr. Shouyi, you are so old now, please go back to the house and have a rest. Leave this chores to us." A sturdy middle-aged man said with a smile, reaching out to grab the broom from his neighbor.

The old man waved his hand to decline the other party's kindness, and while sweeping the road carefully, he said, "I'm too old to do other things, but I can still do sweeping. I'm free anyway, so I might as well take this as a stretch."

The middle-aged man wiped his hands on his apron and said with a smile, "It's cold and the ground is slippery. I'm worried that you might fall again. Both of your sons are stationed at the border, so as a neighbor, I will naturally help you."

When talking about his two sons, the old man's face was filled with pride. He straightened his back and said loudly, "What you said happened a few months ago. Now they are both working in the New Rain Country. Not long ago, they wrote to tell me that they were doing something earth-shattering and couldn't come back to accompany an old man like me during the New Year."

"Wow!" The middle-aged man slapped his thigh in surprise and said, "That's incredible. Your family is the only one on our street who works in the New Rain Country. The old man came to my house for lunch today. The beef he just bought is very fresh. Let's have a few glasses of wine together. That's so refreshing!"

The old man declined politely: "No, no, today at noon is the day when the hospital provides free consultations for the elderly. I have to go and queue up early. If I miss it, I will have to wait for another half a month."

The middle-aged man showed concern: "Are you always feeling unwell? We can't delay this. Come into the house and put on your cotton jacket. I'll take you to see a doctor."

"It's not that I feel uncomfortable, I just want to check my blood pressure and blood sugar. As we age, we will always have various problems. There is no harm in checking it every month."

As he spoke, the old man sighed, "Since the Hokage came to power, our lives have become more and more prosperous. Not only do we have no worries about food and clothing, but now we don't even have to pay for medical treatment! How could we have such a good thing a few decades ago?"

The middle-aged man agreed with his face: "Who said it wasn't true? My son who didn't live up to his expectations has become a Chunin now. He stays in the office all day to study some machinery. There is no danger at all. He also gets a generous salary every month. It's nothing like he had to put his head on the line to fight a few years ago!"

"Everything is fine. As long as we follow the Hokage wholeheartedly, our lives will surely become more and more prosperous!"

Just as the two were chatting and laughing, they received a call from the easternmost side about two ninjas wearing Konoha standard vests. They were of medium height and ordinary looks, and were carrying a briefcase in their hands. They were obviously ninjas in charge of clerical work.

The old man saw that the two men were unfamiliar, so he stepped forward and said, "Where are you two going? It's the westernmost part of the village. There's a building being built there, and it's a bit dirty and messy."

The ninja on the left bowed with a smile and said, "We are not on the wrong road. We are going there to deliver some documents. You are not young anymore, why do you have to sweep the floor yourself? It will be troublesome if you bump into something."

"Hi!" The old man waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "I see you two are unfamiliar. Where is Kenta, who was in charge of escorting the documents?"

"He has been promoted, and we are his subordinates."

"Can you get a promotion just by submitting a document?" The old man was very surprised.

"Look at what you said. The captain is an elite Chunin after all. He has passed the selection test and will go to the Land of Whirlpools to take up his post after the New Year. It is a sure promotion."

"What are your names?"

"Mizunozuki"

"Kaguya"

The old man's eyes suddenly changed, and he vowed: "You guys work hard, and soon this job will definitely be replaced!"

The reason is very simple. Every three-year-old child in the entire Konoha Village knows that these two families are now in their heyday and are deeply loved by the Hokage. Their clan leaders have been entrusted with important tasks and have completed seven or eight level jumps in a short period of time. They are redder than red lanterns!

"You are joking. No matter how high or low the position is, it is all about making contributions to the village. Lord Hokage is very observant and has always promoted the capable and demoted the mediocre. There is absolutely no reason to appoint people based on their names."

"Ah, yes, yes! What did Hokage-sama say? It's called appointing people based on merit!"

As he spoke, the old man leaned closer and said mysteriously, "Can you tell me the truth? Will this neighborhood be demolished? If it is, I will be all alone, so I have to prepare early."

The two of them didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but they patiently explained, "According to the plan released by the Hokage's office, this area has been divided into a commercial street. It will definitely not be demolished in the short term. Many businessmen have already bid to move in. You should hurry up and clean up the place and rent it out to outsiders. The monthly rent will be enough for your retirement."

After that, the two of them did not linger and continued to walk westward. The old man curled his lips and muttered a little unhappyly: "A large piece of farmland was demolished two years ago. The compensation given by the Hokage-sama was a sky-high price. If my family's land was really demolished, why would my two sons have to run around outside without anyone to talk to?"

At the end of the street, a large number of high-rise buildings are under construction. Workers work in three shifts, taking a break while the machines keep running, striving to complete the project before the New Year. Every night, the place is illuminated by lights as bright as day, creating a lively scene.

The old man swept the floor for a while, and when there was no more debris on the road, he put away the broom reluctantly, put on his cotton jacket, half-closed the wooden door, and ran towards the Konoha Hospital at the brisk pace following the middle-aged man's instructions, obviously wanting to reserve a seat first.

Time had unknowingly come to noon, the sun that used to hang in the sky early was still nowhere to be seen, a thick layer of leaden clouds covered the sky, and the air became moist unconsciously. Experienced old people knew that this was a sign of the coming of heavy snow, and judging from the thickness of the clouds, the snow would not be small, at least several feet deep.

As expected, when each household was making lunch, the children playing outside burst into cheers. After brewing for a few days, the heavy snow finally fell shyly and soon wrapped the Konoha Ninja Village in a layer of silver-white coat, which was very beautiful.

Auspicious snow means a good harvest. People all know the benefits of snow, and they also know that snow also means the old year is about to become history and a brand new year is about to come.

The snow in Konoha's forty-seventh year came later than in previous years.