New Year Festival

Night had fallen, lanterns had just been lit, and Konoha's streets were packed with bustling crowds, brimming with excitement.

After tonight, it would be a new year once more.

With the war having only recently ended and the new year fast approaching, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had specially approved an order lifting the curfew for the time being. The whole of Konoha seemed to have come "alive" because of it.

Standing before the window of the Hokage's Office and watching the villagers outside laugh and play, Hiruzen Sarutobi was filled with emotion.

"Looks like the war put even greater pressure on the villagers than we imagined!"

"Yes, which is why we must protect this hard-won peace even better!" His old friend, Utatane Koharu, picked up the conversation. "Hiruzen, everyone we invited is here. Shall we begin the meeting?"

"Yes, Konoha's peace depends on us to protect it!" Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, then added silently in his heart, This is what our teachers hoped for as well!

"Let's go. To the meeting room."

Hiruzen Sarutobi composed himself, took the lead, and pulled open the doors to the meeting room.

When the people inside saw the Hokage arrive, they all rose to their feet and offered greetings.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and motioned for everyone to sit. After straightening his Hokage robes, he took the seat at the head of the table.

Looking around, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction. Representatives from the major clans had all arrived. Only the Uchiha Clan had some absentees due to their need to patrol all of Konoha, but their new clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, had come to the meeting room.

Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat before speaking. "I called you all here today because there are several matters that need discussing..."

"The first is Konoha's security over the next few days. Fugaku, this will depend on your Uchiha Clan. With the curfew lifted, there have been especially many outsiders in and around the village recently, so security is extremely important. But with you here, I trust there will be no problems?"

"Third Hokage, please rest assured. We Uchiha will absolutely protect Konoha's safety and will not let a single troublemaker succeed." Fugaku rose to his feet, his voice firm and forceful.

"The Hyuga Clan, the Yamanaka Clan, and the others will need to lend their strength as well. But there is no need to be overly tense. Have your people remain on standby at all times."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." x2

Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga Clan, and Yamanaka Jingshu, head of the Yamanaka Clan, bowed together to accept the assignment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction. During this war, he had solidified his position as Hokage through his formidable strength and mastery of ninjutsu of every nature. It was no longer like when he had first become Hokage, when most people had distrusted him and even deliberately held him back.

Even if there were still dissenting voices now, they stemmed only from differences in political views and nothing else.

"The second matter is the expansion of enrollment at the Leaf Ninja Academy. Some children of civilian ninja families will be selected and admitted to the school. The specific policies have already been discussed, so you may take a look. I will give a brief explanation: broadly speaking, ninja clan children and civilian children will be admitted at a one-to-one ratio."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said this because although the Leaf Ninja Academy had been open for many years, its early admissions had mainly consisted of children from ninja clans. Civilian children were also admitted, but their numbers had been small.

After this Shinobi World War, although Konoha had emerged victorious, a great many ninja had lost their lives. The major ninja clans had also suffered heavy casualties. On top of that, Konoha's reconstruction was ongoing and required more ninja. If things continued as before, manpower would become severely insufficient.

Moreover, changes in the international situation of the Fire Country meant Konoha needed more ninja to better control the situation. Expanding the Ninja School's enrollment was now an urgent necessity!

At the same time, this was a means for the Hokage to grant favor. As long as the policy was promoted properly, it was hard to say how the ninja clans' ninja would react, but those civilian ninja would certainly be grateful to him as Hokage—or at least view him favorably!

It could be said that this was a plan that killed several birds with one stone, as well as an open scheme.

After all, expanding the Ninja School's enrollment would require more supplies and more school buildings for education. Those were all sources of profit.

After reading through the expansion policy, most of the people in the meeting room were quite satisfied. Hiruzen Sarutobi and the higher-ups had already considered most of the circumstances beforehand and prepared corresponding measures, balancing the interests of all sides as much as possible. It was impossible to satisfy everyone, but as long as the majority approved, that was enough.

After everyone had finished reading, several people exchanged looks and voiced their opinions.

"Lord Hokage, we approve of this plan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and nodded, then continued, "Then this matter will be implemented as proposed. Next, let us discuss the third matter: Konoha's expansion..."

Looking at the delighted expressions of those below, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew this proposal should not be difficult to pass. Sure enough, matters that benefited them were easily approved.

The agenda items were discussed one by one. Some were implemented, some were shelved, and others needed to be reconsidered. Overall, however, the atmosphere in the meeting room that day was lively and positive, because most of the proposals aligned with everyone's interests and received their approval.

Of course, there were still discordant moments. The most notable was the expansion of the Konoha Military Police Force, which Fugaku Uchiha rejected.

No, it was not that he opposed expansion. The Uchiha Clan supported expanding the Military Police Force; they simply hoped to recruit on their own, without the Hokage's involvement.

Considering the Uchiha Clan's status and role within the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi ultimately agreed, though he developed some misgivings toward the Uchiha Clan.

The night deepened. The lights in the distance gradually went out, and there was scarcely anyone left on the streets.

If one looked down from Hokage Rock at that moment, all of Konoha resembled the night sky, dotted with stars, with the occasional point of starlight suddenly blinking out.

After playing all day, Hyuga Iwa lay in bed in Zen Contemplation.

A hazy sensation rose from the depths of his heart. Though it was not very clear, it felt utterly real.

Hyuga Iwa thought, Right now, I am sensing things in the outside world. What if I used it to sense inside my own body? How would that differ from what I see with the Byakugan?

As soon as the thought arose, he tried it, but how exactly to do so stumped Hyuga Iwa.

He had only managed to sense the outside world that morning. Now that he wanted to sense himself, Hyuga Iwa suddenly realized it was not as simple as he had imagined!

A feeling was not something one could freely control just because one wanted to. At least, Hyuga Iwa could not do so yet.

After several attempts, Hyuga Iwa gave up. No matter what he tried, that vague, elusive sensation was like a cat's scratch—he wanted to grasp it, but could not.

"Forget it. Take it slow. Haste makes waste. I haven't even laid a solid foundation yet, so I can't aim too high."

As Hyuga Iwa thought, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

Konoha beneath the night gradually fell silent, and even the lights seemed to have gone to sleep.

Suddenly, a crow cawed. The morning sun slowly climbed over the distant mountaintops, spilling broad swathes of sunlight that illuminated all of Konoha. Konoha came alive once more.

Early in the morning, Konoha's villagers rose early. After breakfast, they began putting up decorations around their homes.

The adults led the children in pasting good-fortune paper on their doors, then hanging red cords before the entrances to ward off demons and ghosts and pray for peace in the coming year.

Bells rang in the distance, tolling 108 times in succession. This symbolized each person's 108 wishes for the new year, and those who heard the bells could purify their hearts.

Hyuga Iwa, still enjoying a rendezvous with the Duke of Zhou, was also awakened by the distant bells. Opening his bleary eyes, he immediately spotted the red envelope not far from his bedside—the New Year's money his mother had given him.

Today, the Hyuga Clan was holding its annual clan assembly. The clan head had sent people early in the morning to notify every member. Aside from a few essential personnel, everyone put on the clan's traditional kimono and gathered at the main family's ancestral shrine.

The Hyuga Clan could be called Konoha's oldest clan. Whether in terms of its origins, clothing, or the traditions preserved by the main family, it was exceptionally conservative. Even across the entire Shinobi World, it ranked among the top three!

There were many events today, the most important being the worship of their ancestors. However, the Hyuga Clan's rituals were especially cumbersome, and the elders of the clan placed particular importance on them. For lively, restless children, today might be the most torturous day of the year!

Hyuga Iwa spent the entire day in a daze. As someone who did not believe in ghosts or gods, he found this kind of clan assembly intensely uncomfortable.

Fortunately, it only happened once a year, Hyuga Iwa grumbled to himself.

Looking at the clan members one after another with their cataract-like eyes, Hyuga Iwa boredly thought of his distant relatives on the moon. He wondered what they were doing now.

On this day, Konoha was filled with laughter and joy.