Konoha New Year

Konoha was about to welcome the New Year.

Though there was still a month to go, the village had already begun putting up lanterns and decorations, and the festive atmosphere grew stronger by the day. Compared to the fear and unease brought by war a year ago, people's faces were now filled with happy smiles.

Over the past year, Konoha had changed greatly.

After a year of continual adjustment among Konoha's clans, coupled with the Konoha Guard Department's strict enforcement of the law and severe handling of several clans' troublemakers, there had been no major incidents between the clans so far, aside from a few minor frictions.

During this time, because Senju Momoka shouted the Guard Department's motto every time he enforced the law, Uchiha Yan specially awarded Momoka a dragonfly medal. As a result, Senju Momoka gained a title—Dragonfly Captain.

Dragonflies were insects of victory. They only flew forward and never retreated, hunting with swift decisiveness, and were greatly admired by samurai.

Ever since the daimyo and nobles settled in, Konoha's commercial district had become increasingly prosperous.

Little Leaf Tea had now become a luxury product in the Land of Fire. With the Hokage and the daimyo endorsing it, nobles and ninja clan heads throughout the Land of Fire took pride in drinking Little Leaf Tea. If you did not brew a pot of Little Leaf Tea when entertaining guests at home, it meant you lacked taste and had failed to show proper hospitality.

Merchants from nearby smaller nations, such as the Land of Waterfalls, Land of Grass, Land of Rice Fields, and Land of Rivers, also gradually began trading here more frequently. Shops lined Konoha's streets one after another, making them extraordinarily lively.

Under the efforts of every department, Konoha now changed with each passing day. Compared to a year ago, it was simply worlds apart.

Rows of tall, orderly houses, wide and clean streets, and beautiful, refined greenery filled the village. A stone monument stood at the center of the street, carved with Konoha's emblem. Konoha's emblem was now a five-pointed maple leaf, symbolizing unity, equality, peace, friendship, and justice.

This was Konoha's first New Year. Uchiha Yan decided to hold a "Village Gala" on New Year's Eve.

He summoned Sarutobi Sasuke to discuss it.

"The Konoha Village Gala must include all of Konoha's people. From the Hokage at the top to peddlers and laborers at the bottom, everyone must be able to feel that Konoha is one big family," Uchiha Yan said. "Sarutobi Sasuke, you are the Minister of Rites. Your performance this past year has been outstanding, so I would like to hear your thoughts."

"Lord Yan, I think we could put on song and dance performances. We could invite some famous performers and singers from the Land of Fire to perform in Konoha."

Uchiha Yan tapped on the table without speaking.

"Good, but not good enough."

After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Yan took a sheet of paper from a drawer and handed it to Sarutobi Sasuke.

"This is a new song I wrote, called Konoha, One Family. Take it back and have the schoolchildren start rehearsing it immediately. Have the students perform it as a choir." They had to get it ready by Konoha's New Year's Eve, to serve as the gala's finale.

"Lord Yan truly deserves to be called Konoha's Qilin."

"Konoha has been established for one year. The village went from having everything in ruins to flourishing in every trade, while its people went from being displaced and homeless to living and working in peace. All of this could be called the 'Konoha Miracle,' but we must not forget the road that brought us here," Uchiha Yan continued. "Pick a few clever, quick-witted students and have them put on a play about how the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan turned their swords into plowshares and moved forward hand in hand. Let the world know that Konoha's peace and stability did not come easily."

"Also, prepare a skit for the end. Call it Let's Eat Ramen Together. The story will be about a Konoha ninja who spends the entire year working hard on missions outside the village and neglects his family. Even during the New Year, he is still carrying out a mission. When he finally returns home on New Year's Eve, he finds that his wife has long since cooked ramen and waited for her husband's return. Their child has also learned how to make ramen. In the end, the family sits together and happily eats ramen."

"That will be the arrangement for now."

"Yes, sir."

As the New Year drew closer, Konoha's two great pillars, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, who had been busy outside capturing tailed beasts, also returned to the village.

"Lord Madara, Lord Hashirama, you have finally returned."

For others, the hardest part of capturing tailed beasts was defeating them. But for Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, the hardest part was finding them. Though they knew the tailed beasts' general locations, the beasts were constantly changing positions. The two had traveled all around the ninja world before finally finding a few of them.

Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama had successfully captured Two-Tails Matatabi, Four-Tails Son Goku, and Six-Tails Saiken. The three tailed beasts had been jointly sealed by Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Uori. Unfortunately, the Nine-Tails that Uchiha Yan had so dearly hoped for had not been captured.

"Lord Madara, Lord Hashirama, Lady Mito and Miss Uori are both pregnant now, and their due dates are after the New Year. Lady Mito and Lord Izuna have been eagerly awaiting your return, Lord Hashirama and Lord Madara."

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara both froze for a moment. Then they shouted at each other at the same time.

"I... I'm going to be a father."

"I'm going to be an uncle."

"Madara, I'm going to be a father! Hahaha—" Senju Hashirama burst into delighted laughter.

"Hashirama, I'm going to be an uncle too!" Uchiha Madara laughed as well. As someone utterly devoted to his younger brother, Madara was even happier than Izuna that Izuna was about to become a father.

"Lord Hashirama, hurry home and spend more time with Lady Mito. Lady Mito has been asking all this time when you would return. And Lord Madara, Lord Izuna is waiting for you to name the child."

Uchiha Madara looked at Uchiha Yan and nodded.

"Yan, you have worked hard," Uchiha Madara said. "Once Izuna's child is born, I want the child to recognize you as their godfather."

Uchiha Madara knew that he had been an inadequate Hokage. Uchiha Yan had handled nearly all the village's affairs.

"Then I will thank you in advance, Lord Madara."

As the New Year approached, Konoha grew increasingly busy.

Red lanterns hung throughout Konoha's streets, every household had pasted fortune characters by its door, and people busied themselves buying New Year goods. Merchants also launched major sales for the holiday, and the entire village was immersed in a joyful, festive atmosphere.

Senju Momoka led the guards in maintaining order on the streets. As the New Year season arrived, more and more people came to Konoha. Where there were many people, trouble was more likely to arise. Petty thieves, unscrupulous merchants, and local thugs were all targets for his crackdown. As Konoha's "Dragonfly Captain," Senju Momoka had established six market security prohibitions for the guard force.

First: no setting off fireworks or firecrackers inside courtyards.

Second: no casually burning dead branches or weeds.

Third: no selling counterfeit or inferior products.

Uchiha Yui and Senju Tobirama remained as they always were. Every day, they played out the drama of an overbearing president and a lowly employee. With the end of the year approaching, every department was rushing to meet deadlines, and the documents exchanged between the Ministry of Revenue and the Chancellery were several times more numerous than usual. Senju Tobirama's roars could still be heard every few days, but they had become much less frequent than before.