Peach Blossom Spring Eternal, Azure Dragon Takes a Bride!

The formal recognition and abundant resources from Konoha's high command injected even stronger fuel into the high-speed train of Taoyuan Village. Under the joint leadership of Duanmu Ci and Lord Tsunade, the entire "Special Zone" entered an unprecedented period of rapid development, brimming with new vitality every single day.

Construction frenzy:

Konoha Second Medical Center / Medical Ninja Academy: Under Tsunade's direction, this area became the core of construction. Massive foundations were laid swiftly, with enormous wooden beams specially treated for fire and rot resistance, grown by Duanmu Ci's Wood Release, forming the main framework and quickly taking on a magnificent shape. The planned zones—surgical areas, inpatient wards, pharmaceutical R&D buildings, teaching districts, and a library—were clearly demarcated. Shizune led a large team of recruited craftsmen and medical ninjas working day and night, while advanced medical equipment streamed in from Konoha and other regions. Tsunade personally designed the curriculum, preparing to pass on her lifetime of knowledge and Taoyuan Village's unique medical philosophy (integrating Yang Style and Life Force application). This place would become the future holy land of medical care in the ninja world.

Core residential area expansion: Building on the existing foundation, Wood Release efficiently grew timber, and rows of neatly planned, uniformly styled (blending traditional Konoha with natural elements) residential blocks rose from the ground. The houses were sturdy and spacious, equipped with simple running water and sewage systems (built through the cooperation of Earth Release and Water Release ninjas). Streets were widened, lined with ornamental trees and flowers grown by Duanmu Ci that stayed green year-round. The central plaza was expanded, and an Azure Dragon Wood Carving, carved by Duanmu Ci himself, was erected as a symbol of protection.

Guard garrison and training ground upgrade: The guard garrison was relocated to a more open area on the outskirts of Taoyuan Village, where a fortress-style barracks, tactical drill grounds, ninjutsu target ranges, and a large comprehensive physical training ground (including various obstacle facilities) were established. Duanmu Ci personally drafted a stricter training syllabus and began selecting promising civilians and orphans to expand the guard force. He taught not only combat techniques but also emphasized teamwork, the conviction to protect, and the laws of Taoyuan Village. A disciplined, loyal, and elite force was taking shape.

Workshop district and agricultural zone: The area near the river was designated as the workshop district, where blacksmith forges, woodworking shops, textile mills, and pottery kilns were gradually established, beginning to produce tools, furniture, and clothing for Taoyuan Village's own use, with plans for future trade. The fertile plains were cultivated into farmland, irrigated by river water, growing high-yield crops and some medicinal herbs. The orphanage and basic school run by Yakushi Nonō were also moved into brighter, more spacious new buildings.

Defense system reinforcement: Duanmu Ci planted more "living defense points" grown from his Wood Release cells at key nodes around Taoyuan Village's perimeter, integrated with the terrain. These points normally resembled ordinary trees or rocks, but once triggered or remotely activated by Duanmu Ci, they could rapidly grow into sturdy wooden barriers or release binding vines. Combined with the existing barrier and guard patrols, this formed a three-dimensional defense network.

The entire Taoyuan Village, like a precise and efficient machine, roared forward under Duanmu Ci's blueprint and Tsunade's coordination. Everyone was full of drive, knowing that what they were building was not just a place to live, but a home carrying peace and hope.

The bond between Hinata and Sakura:

Hizashi Hyuga kept his promise and often brought Hinata to stay in Taoyuan Village. Five-year-old Hinata, having shed her initial timidity, grew much more cheerful in the peaceful, kind-hearted atmosphere of Taoyuan Village. Her pure Byakugan and gentle nature endeared her to everyone.

Her favorite places, aside from the brilliantly blooming flowers in the herb garden nourished by Duanmu Ci's gentle Wood Release, were the edges of the training ground where Duanmu Ci occasionally instructed the guards in basic drills. She would sit quietly nearby, gazing at him with adoration. When Duanmu Ci finished training, walked over to her, and gently asked about her Gentle Fist practice or simply patted her head, Hinata's small face would turn bright red, but her eyes sparkled with radiant light as she nodded vigorously. In her heart, Duanmu Ci was a powerful, gentle, all-capable guardian deity—the "Lord Duanmu" she admired and relied on.

With her parents' support (Haruno Arashi and his wife were deeply grateful to Duanmu Ci), Sakura became a frequent visitor to Taoyuan Village, almost a half-resident. She threw herself into the soon-to-be-completed medical academy area, becoming its youngest "unofficial apprentice." She displayed astonishing academic talent and chakra control, eagerly absorbing the teachings of Tsunade and Duanmu Ci. She was no longer just Duanmu Ci's "little fangirl"; she aspired to become a powerful medical ninja like Lord Tsunade, to one day be able to help Lord Duanmu. She studied exceptionally hard, often pestering Shizune with questions or practicing precise chakra control on her own at the training ground (like trying to thread a needle with chakra threads or shaping water flow into specific forms). Her effort and determination earned the admiration of both Tsunade and Duanmu Ci.

Two little girls—one gentle and introverted like moonlight, the other passionate and persistent like the morning sun—gradually grew close through their shared admiration for Duanmu Ci and the special place that was Taoyuan Village. Hinata would quietly watch Sakura practice, while Sakura would cheerfully pull Hinata into conversation, sharing the "new knowledge" she had learned. Between them, a budding, innocent friendship was taking root.

Undercurrents and signs:

Beneath the surface prosperity, not everything was without shadow.

Danzo's surveillance: Although Sarutobi's strict orders kept Root's overt activities away from Taoyuan Village, Danzo had not given up. Through more covert channels—bribing traveling merchants, planting informants among the refugees entering Taoyuan Village, and even using intelligence brokers from minor ninja villages—he continuously gathered intelligence on Taoyuan Village, especially any traces of Duanmu Ci's "gravity secret technique" and deeper applications of Wood Release. He lurked like a venomous snake in the shadows, patiently waiting for his prey to show a weakness.

The Rinnegan's tremor: While fully engaged in building Taoyuan Village and preparing for his wedding, Duanmu Ci did not slacken in his own training. His control over the Rinnegan's basic abilities (Shinra Tensei, Banshō Ten'in) grew increasingly refined, with greatly reduced consumption and backlash. But recently, he often felt a faint, inexplicable unease. Especially late at night, or when he sank his mental energy deep into the Rinnegan for perception, he could vaguely sense a distant, vast chakra source, filled with chaos and malice, seemingly "calling out" or "resonating" with something unconsciously. This sensation was very faint, intermittent, like looking through thick frosted glass, but each time it appeared, it caused a barely perceptible tremor in his Rinnegan, as if a sleeping beast had been disturbed. This left him with a vague sense of unease, linking it to the major event about to unfold in the original story—the Nine-Tails Incident! Had Obito... or rather, Black Zetsu and Madara behind him, already begun to act? Was this tremor an early warning from the Rinnegan about a power of the same origin (the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path? Ten-Tails chakra?).

He suppressed this unease deep in his heart, not telling Tsunade to avoid worrying her. But he secretly increased the frequency of his sage-sense perception toward Konoha, especially around Kushina's residence, and instructed Nonō's intelligence network to watch for any abnormal movements within Konoha, particularly anything concerning the Jinchuriki's safety.