With the Third Hokage's official commendation and resources arriving one after another, Taoyuan Village's construction entered a phase of explosive growth. Duanmu Ci's renown as the "Konoha Azure Dragon" and his status as a jonin, combined with Tsunade's influence as one of the Sannin, drew in countless people yearning for peace and stability.
An influx of talent:
Medical personnel: Not only did core staff from Konoha Hospital arrive after hearing of the project, but elite medical ninja like Yakushi Nonō—the "Wandering Miko"—who had grown weary of the Intelligence Division's darkness and longed for pure salvation, were also drawn here. Tsunade personally conducted interviews and assembled a core Medical Team far stronger than that of any ordinary hospital.
Construction personnel: Craftsmen sent by Konoha worked closely with civilian craftsmen recruited locally. Duanmu Ci's Wood Release became an invaluable construction tool—his cultivated "Ironwood" was as tough as steel, making it excellent for beams and pillars; the rapidly growing Fast-Growing Cedar provided ample ordinary lumber; he could even alter the terrain on a small scale, leveling ground and carving irrigation channels.
Guard force: Retired ninja and ninja from small clans who had experienced war and yearned for a settled life—including some branch members of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans—came to join them. Under Tsunade's careful screening, the Taoyuan Guard was initially formed, led directly and personally trained by Duanmu Ci, who mainly taught coordinated attacks and defensive formations.
Civilians and orphans: The wounds of war allowed many displaced people and orphans to see hope. They became Taoyuan Village's first residents, working in farming, logistics, and other fields. Duanmu Ci specifically set aside an area as the House of Hope to shelter and educate war orphans.
Functional district divisions:
Combining knowledge from his previous life with the realities of the Shinobi World, Duanmu Ci began drafting a blueprint:
Core medical district: Located at the center, a large comprehensive medical center was under construction, with Tsunade overseeing its design. It included operating rooms, intensive care units, general wards, pharmacies, laboratories, and more, with the goal of becoming a top-tier medical institution in the Shinobi World.
Research and development district: Adjacent to the medical district, it was led by Duanmu Ci and Nonō. Combining his "wild ideas"—modern medical concepts—with Tsunade's secret techniques and knowledge of toxicology, they researched new medicines, new treatments, and improvements to medical equipment, such as attempting to use Chakra to power a simple centrifuge.
Residential district: Spreading outward around the medical district, it contained neatly planned housing, rapidly built with the aid of Wood Release, as well as a marketplace and the beginnings of a school. Duanmu Ci planned to introduce basic academic education in the future.
Training district: A large area near the edge of the Forest of Death was designated for the Taoyuan Guard's training, as well as for Duanmu Ci's own cultivation of Wood Release and Sage Jutsu. Multiple barriers had been set up to block prying eyes.
Agricultural testing district: This was Duanmu Ci's testing ground for "black technology." He attempted to use Wood Release to cultivate improved crop seeds with short growth cycles, high yields, and perhaps trace amounts of Chakra, while planning to introduce water conservancy irrigation in the future with the help of Water Release ninja. Row after row of orderly furrows and verdant seedlings grew rapidly under the nourishment of Wood Release, symbolizing future self-sufficiency.
Tsunade's role: She was no longer the dispirited Sannin who drowned her sorrows in drink. As the chief medical director and Duanmu Ci's staunchest support, she used her prestige and connections to bring many scarce resources and talented people to Taoyuan Village. She personally took part in designing the medical center and training medical ninja, seeming to have been reborn entirely. Occasionally, she still dragged Duanmu Ci out for drinks, but their conversations were more often about Taoyuan Village's future.
As the sun set, the busy Taoyuan Village gradually quieted down. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from several newly built rows of wooden houses, orders ending the guards' drills echoed from the training ground, and warm light shone from the medical center.
Duanmu Ci and Tsunade stood side by side on the lookout tower at the highest point of the base. Beneath them lay the settlement, already taking shape. In the distance stretched the lush, vast land that belonged to them, and farther still were the hazy outline of the Forest of Death and the direction of Konoha Village.
"So much has changed in such a short time..." Tsunade said with emotion, her golden hair fluttering softly in the evening breeze.
"Yeah. This is only the foundation." Duanmu Ci's gaze was deep. "The main structure of the core medical center will take another three months to complete. The school, larger residential areas, commercial streets... and trade routes to Konoha and neighboring countries will all take time. The agricultural testing district has only just begun. Whether it succeeds still needs to be verified."
"It's already very good." Tsunade turned to look at him, her eyes holding trust and a trace of barely perceptible admiration. "With you here, with everyone working together, I believe it will only get better and better." She paused, her tone turning firm. "I'll stay here always—helping you, and helping ourselves—until we build this place into a true paradise."
Warmth surged through Duanmu Ci's heart. He reached out and took Tsunade's hand again, their fingers interlocking.
"I know." He looked at Tsunade, then toward the distance, as though his gaze could pierce through space itself. "We will take root here, but this paradise will not belong only to Konoha in the future. It should become a lamp that illuminates the shadow of war hanging over the entire Shinobi World. Let medicine know no borders, let shelter have no limits, and let peace... have branches to rest upon."
His words were calm yet powerful, carrying a vision and sense of mission far beyond his years.
Tsunade did not argue. She only tightened her grip on his hand and turned her gaze toward the distance as well. She knew that the world held within the heart of the man beside her was far larger than this land that had only just begun to take shape. And she was willing to accompany him in bringing that seemingly unreachable dream to life.
Undercurrents still surged. Danzo's Root watched from the shadows, Konoha's upper ranks were far from united, and the Shinobi World's conflicts had yet to settle. Yet at this moment, standing on the soil of Taoyuan Village, feeling the warmth in his hand and the solid foundation beneath his feet, Duanmu Ci was filled with unprecedented confidence and fighting spirit.
He was no longer the insignificant genin struggling to survive on the battlefield. He was Duanmu Ci, a Konoha Jonin; the "Azure Dragon" who possessed Wood Release and a Sage Body; Tsunade's chosen partner; and the founder and guardian of this haven called Taoyuan Village.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched their shadows long across the vibrant land. The lookout tower was crude, and the base was crude, yet they carried incomparably weighty hope.
Duanmu Ci took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air scented with earth and newly sprouted grass and trees.
"Taoyuan Village..." he softly spoke the name, as if making a solemn oath. "...has set sail."
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