The bloody atmosphere of the Land of Demons Shrine has not yet dissipated, and a shocking news has swept across the entire west of Shinobi World like a storm: Land of Demons, the great name Hamayen Shun, and his demon nobles were slaughtered by a group of mysterious rebel forces.
And the witch Miroku, the living totem that symbolizes Land of Demons's millennium faith, openly announced that she would lead the entire Land of Demons to join the rebellious country, Land of Stars, which was established less than a year ago but has already caused turmoil in the western part of the continent!
When the news arrived, it was like boiling oil poured into a frozen lake, causing ripples all over the sky.
Capital of the Land of Demons In that tormented city, the ruins of the city were still filled with the mixed smell of burnt and blood.
The frightened people huddled under the dilapidated roofs, watching blankly as teams of completely different ninjas entered the city.
Wearing uniforms of dark blue and almost black, they move quickly and have strict discipline. Their eyes are sharp but they don't have the stubbornness or indifference that ordinary ninjas have when facing civilians.
These Hoshinin quickly took over the remaining city defense system and set up checkpoints at key points of the collapsed city gates and damaged city walls. Their actions were clean and neat, silently announcing the complete collapse of the old order.
Following closely behind the ninja troops were groups of capable personnel wearing Land of Stars civilian uniforms.
Carrying a large number of scrolls, account books and measuring tools, they quickly settled in the luxurious mansions and official offices that originally belonged to daimyo and nobles under the anxious gaze of the surviving officials.
Most of these mansions had been damaged or looted in the turmoil, but the civil servants did not care. They set up temporary tents next to the ruins, lit lights, and started working all night long.
Counting household registrations, verifying acres of land, registering losses, counting the population, and taking over the remaining materials in the government's treasury, like a precise and efficient machine, began to forcibly incorporate the traumatized land of Land of Demons into the completely different operating system of Land of Stars.
Land of Stars, the territory of this newly born country is like a greedy beast, swallowing up Land of Demons's vast land in an instant.
The population of Land of Stars has also increased rapidly: the original population of more than 1.2 million, plus the nearly two million people of Land of Demons, the total population of Land of Stars has exceeded 3.2 million.
A medium-sized country that cannot be ignored on the Shinobi World territory has taken shape!
Although it is not as large as Five Great Nations with a population of tens of millions, it already stands out among the many small countries in the surrounding area.
What makes the rulers of surrounding countries even more troubled is the huge influence represented by the witch Miroku herself.
As the spiritual leader of Land of Demons, she has almost divine prestige among many small countries with similar beliefs in the western part of Shinobi World continent.
Land of Stars's concepts of "abolition of aristocratic privileges", "equality of ninja civilians", and "concentrating efforts to end troubled times" spread like wildfire among the oppressed lower class people and the frustrated little ninja clan.
Countless pairs of eyes looked at the land that was said to have "no nobles and no excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes", and the seeds of restlessness were quietly sown.
Land of Stars's ideas and systems, like an invisible tide, began to quietly penetrate into those small countries that were still firmly controlled by daimyo and noble lords.
The news swept through the surrounding small countries like a hurricane. The daimyo and nobles of the small countries who were caught in the cracks of Five Great Nations and were always worried about being annexed were horrified to find that Land of Stars's tentacles had not stopped.
Land of Birds, Land of Snow, Land of Vegetables, Land of Swamps--
Time slipped by quietly amid silent expansion and intense preparation.
Konoha 56 At the beginning of the new year, a thin layer of snow covered the village.
In the evening, the smoke rises, mixing with the aroma of food wafting from each house, adding a touch of warmth to the cold air.
In Naruto's house, smoke rarely rose from the kitchen.
Warm yellow light shines through the window, illuminating the sumptuous dishes on the table: steaming miso soup, golden and crispy Tempura, stewed potatoes and beef that are soft and delicious, and a large plate of stacked fried dumplings.
"It's time to eat, Naruto." Menma has already removed all the decorations belonging to "Asura".
At this moment, he was wearing an ordinary dark blue turtleneck, and his short black hair looked much softer under the light.
"I'm starting!" Naruto couldn't wait to grab the chopsticks, his blue eyes were shining, and his little face was filled with pure happiness.
His cheeks were bulging and filled with fried dumplings, and he muttered vaguely, "Menma brother makes the best fried dumplings!"
Menma sat opposite Naruto, slowly drinking the soup in his bowl. Looking at Naruto's sunny and cheerful smiling face, the nerves that had been tense for a whole year seemed to relax a little.
There was a trace of realism in the corner of his mouth. "Eat slowly, no one will compete with you."
"Hehe." Naruto scratched his dazzling blond hair sheepishly, his blue eyes sparkling. "Because it feels great to have the New Year's dinner with brother Menma! It's like-"
The excited words stopped abruptly, and the smile on Naruto's face dimmed for a moment, but he quickly shook his head to dispel it, and raised a big, silly smile again, "Ah! It feels like home!"
In the past, Naruto could only feel envious when he saw other people's family harmony, but since getting to know Menma, Naruto feels like he has found a family, full of joy and happiness.
Menma quietly looked at the pure and almost obsessive longing in Naruto's eyes and the undetectable loneliness hidden under the smile,
Menma Deep in the black eyes, a trace of extremely complex emotions passed through, including regret, determination to protect, and an unshakable will.
He picked up a cup of tea next to him and took a sip, temporarily suppressing the surging thoughts in his heart.
Naruto enjoyed this meal very happily and wiped out all the delicious food on the table like a storm. In comparison, Menma's eating style was much more graceful.
Tuk-tuk-tuk!
Outside the door, three steady knocks sounded.
"It's coming, it's coming!" Naruto immediately jumped up like a spring and ran quickly to open the door.
The cold air outside the house rushed in along with the fine snow foam.
There was an old man standing at the door, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He was wearing a white red-edged Hokage robe, lined with thick home clothes, and had a gray beard on his chin. He was holding a gift box carefully wrapped in colored paper, with a usual, amiable smile on his face, and kind wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
He looks like an ordinary old man who comes to give New Year's gifts to his grandchildren.
"Grandpa Third Hokage!" Naruto shouted in surprise and enthusiastically opened the door:
:"Come in, come in! It's so cold outside!"
"Haha, happy New Year, Naruto." Hiruzen Sarutobi walked into the warm room with a smile, his eyes gently swept across the room, and finally fell on Menma who stood up. There was an elusive scrutiny deep in his eyes that passed very quickly.
This orphan who often plays with Naruto, Hiruzen Sarutobi can almost recite the information about Menma by heart.
It is precisely because the other party is also an orphan of Konoha that Hiruzen Sarutobi allows them to play together.
"Oh, Menma is here too. Happy New Year." Hiruzen Sarutobi said kindly.
"Lord Hokage, Happy New Year." Menma bowed slightly and saluted, with standard movements and a respectful attitude. There was no fault in it.
His lowered eyes and face concealed all his emotions very well,
"Okay, everything is okay." Hiruzen Sarutobi handed the gift box in his hand to the eager Naruto: "Here, Naruto, a New Year's gift for you."
"Wow! Thank you, Grandpa Third Hokage!" Naruto took the box happily and couldn't wait to hold it in his arms, with pure joy on his little face.