Mabo's face flushed red, her breath puffing out like mist.
Spicy.
Her taste buds seemed to register only that one sensation.
Yet strangely, it felt amazing.
Sweat seeped from her skin, dampening her thin clothes. Dark patches spread across the fabric.
But it really was delicious!
An entire table laden with Sichuan cuisine—although it was her first time tasting any of them, Mabo already believed this might be the best food she'd ever eaten in her life.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she panted softly.
She glanced toward Kushina across from her and the two foxes.
What shocked her more was how much these tiny foxes could eat.
Combined, she and Kushina hadn't eaten half as much as one of those foxes.
Mabo began to suspect these foxes might be some sort of ninja beast. They devoured food many times their own body weight yet showed no sign of slowing down.
"Mabo, are you full?"
Kushina lifted her head, noticing how Mabo had stopped using her chopsticks, her gaze seemingly fixed on the two nine-tails.
Following her line of sight, Kushina saw both nine-tails with cheeks stuffed like two large meat buns, looking incredibly cute.
"I'm full. Thank you for the meal."
Mabo smiled sincerely.
After a long day's work, being able to enjoy such a delicious dinner made all her previous efforts worthwhile.
But immediately, she grew cautious again.
She couldn't let herself be corrupted by Konoha's decadent lifestyle!
"It's fine."
Kushina handed her a slice of watermelon, then went back to eating.
Once she was done, the two nine-tails kept right on eating.
Kushina knew this wouldn't be nearly enough, but she also didn't want to spoil them.
Shortly thereafter, every dish on the table had been licked completely clean.
Mabo twitched her lip.
The plates were spotless and gleaming.
They practically didn't need washing anymore.
Were they reincarnated hungry ghosts?
As the thought crossed Mabo's mind, she remembered something else and asked, "Now should I return to the Cloud Hidden Village?"
Kushina shook her head. "There are still some things yet to arrive. No need to rush back—you can stay here tonight and return tomorrow."
"Alright."
Mabo didn't decline. Originally she had planned to inform other colleagues in the evening about needing to give evaluations, but now it didn't seem so urgent.
"Where will I rest tonight?"
"Hmm, just next door at the Kirito Theme Hotel."
Kushina left her seat, picked up the two nine-tailed foxes, and then headed down the hall.
Putting aside her curiosity about who Kirito was, Mabo followed her and soon saw Kirito.
Inside the room.
She stared at the full-body hugging pillow on the bed, along with various figurines, posters, books displayed on walls, counters, and televisions, lost in thought.
What was all this stuff?
"If you're curious, you can have a look."
Noticing the confusion on Mabo's face, Kushina pointed toward dozens of volumes of Sword Art Online.
Mabo nodded.
Once Kushina left, she grabbed one and opened it right away.
The night slipped by quietly.
Mabo instinctively glanced at the wall clock.
The hour and second hands looked like two swords.
"Six o'clock? In the morning?"
She rubbed her eyes groggily.
She had somehow spent the entire night reading without even realizing it.
Even now, a lingering sense of dissatisfaction remained.
Damn it!
Mabo silently cursed herself.
She clearly hated Konoha, so how had things ended up like this?
She hesitated before looking at the documents.
Could she take them with her?
She hadn't finished reading them, and that frustrated her.
Mabo gritted her teeth and quickly sealed the documents into a Storage Scroll.
"Are you awake?"
Kushina's voice came from outside the door.
Mabo was taken aback.
She patted her chest, took a deep breath, and hurried to open the door.
"You look tired."
Kushina glanced at her. Staying up all night left Mabo visibly exhausted.
"I'm fine."
Mabo smiled slightly and said, "I'll get back to the work I didn't finish yesterday."
"Not yet," Kushina said, shaking her head with a hint of excitement. "The Hokage-sama has returned and is calling for a Policy Department meeting. And this one's open to the public! Want to come see it?"
Mabo listened, unfamiliar with the department's workings.
After a moment's thought, she didn't refuse.
After all, she was also curious about what kind of meetings were held in Konoha.
Besides, Kushina had been kind to her.
"Follow me," Kushina grabbed her hand and headed toward the Hokage Building.
The village square was already filled with most of the villagers.
Mabo quickly scanned through the crowd, her gaze landing on the group in the front.
Although Haruki had taken nearly a third of the ninja with him, the remaining shinobi, especially members of the Policy Department, were still impressively powerful.
Mabo felt a chill run through her.
As the Raikage's secretary, she had an extensive understanding of Kumogakure's strength.
But now, she realized that even among just the ninja present in the square, Kumogakure couldn't compare to Konoha.
In other words, even without considering Haruki and his group, Konoha's overall might was nearly double that of Kumogakure.
A wave of discouragement washed over Mabo.
Kumogakure had been too arrogant.
They had completely underestimated Konoha's true power.
No, more accurately, they had believed that during the Chunin Exams they could defeat Tsunade.
But since then, they had suffered defeat after defeat—without a single win.
"Mabo, we're sitting up front."
Kushina pulled her through the sea of people.
As Haruki's apprentice, she naturally had a reserved seat in the Policy Department.
"The Policy Department doesn't usually hold such open meetings," Kushina explained as she pulled up a wooden chair next to hers for Mabo. "Normally, when we have something important, proposals are submitted to the Policy Department for discussion and voting. If more than half approve, the proposal gets carried out."
Mabo silently nodded.
This system seemed like an expanded version of the Jonin meetings.
But was it really necessary to delegate authority to lower-ranked chunin and ordinary villagers?
She thought back to Haruki's lesson from yesterday.
Konoha seemed vastly different from what she had read in reports.
And the root of these changes lay in Tsunade becoming Hokage.
As she waited, the Fourth Hokage, Tsunade, finally made her appearance.
Mabo's first impression was that she was every bit as formidable as the legends claimed.
Kushina had never seen Tsunade before.
"Oh, the people behind Hokage-sama resemble Yahiko and Nagato-senpai."
Kushina noticed those two familiar figures.
She had visited the Land of Rain on previous missions.
This, however, was actually their first visit to Konoha.
She recalled that the two hadn't held Konoha in high regard, so she couldn't help wondering why they were here with Tsunade this time.
Before long, Tsunade noticed her and smiled.
Kushina immediately waved back.
Then she saw Tsunade say something to Yahiko and Nagato.
The next moment, the two walked straight toward her.
"Tsunade-sama asked us to come sit with you," Yahiko explained.
His gaze flicked briefly to Mabo, who was sitting nearby.
That skin tone was definitely not common among Konoha villagers.
"Alright."
Kushina quickly ordered more wooden chairs to be brought over.
Once seated, she introduced Mabo to the two.
"This is Mabo, a ninja from Kumogakure and secretary of the Fourth Raikage. These two are Master Jiraiya's apprentices and leaders of the Akatsuki Organization—Yahiko and Nagato."
All three hesitated at once, clearly surprised by the introductions.
Although Yahiko and Nagato were aware that Kumogakure had fallen, they hadn't expected the Raikage's secretary would appear in Konoha.
Mabo, however, was stunned to hear that the famed Akatsuki leaders were actually Jiraiya's apprentices.
After brief small talk, the four fell silent and waited for the meeting to start.
Initially, Haruki had only extended an invitation to Nagato.
He had forgotten that prior to Yahiko's death, the Akatsuki had originally been led by him.
His idealistic vision of peace had drawn in many new members.
This was also the Akatsuki's philosophy of peace.
Peace achieved through dialogue among people and mutual aid.
In essence, this idea wasn't all that different from Hashirama Senju's concept of peace.
Both relied heavily on individual strength.
Quite naïve.
Once the strong leader fell, the balance would collapse, inevitably reigniting conflict.
When Nagato informed them he would go to Konoha Village, Yahiko had also requested to accompany him.
Tsunade naturally agreed.
Yahiko's reason for coming was to discover why Konoha had become so powerful in just seven short years, defeating Kumogakure almost effortlessly.
They had arrived yesterday at sunset.
After dinner, both explored Konoha, seeing scenery completely unknown outside its borders.
Everyone lived peacefully, coexisted harmoniously, and wore joyful expressions.
To those who had long suffered through war-torn times in the Land of Rain, this sight felt like a dream.
Yahiko felt especially moved.
His vision of peace seemed to have taken form here in Konoha.
At least, this was what he saw.
So he resolved to stay in Konoha for an extended time.
Nagato shared similar feelings too.
He remembered Haruki mentioning the Regulatory Division.
Perhaps this could truly lead to lasting peace.
A few minutes later,
Tsunade surveyed the room—nearly every member of the Policy Department was present.
Outside, a large crowd of curious villagers had gathered.
She raised her hand.
The plaza instantly fell silent.
Over these years, her prestige had reached its absolute peak.
Most ninja and civilians didn't care how powerful you were; what mattered to them was the benefits you brought.
It was clear they had enjoyed considerable comfort under Tsunade's leadership.
Compared to the time of the Third Hokage, overall prosperity had nearly quadrupled.
They would willingly support and follow her without Tsunade needing to give any grand, inspiring speeches.
"I think everyone might have already heard something," Tsunade said with a slight smile—graceful and poised, while still embodying the dignity of the Hokage.
"Haruki and Sakumo Hatake led Konoha's ninja in capturing Kumogakure, while Minato Namikaze led the Land of Fire's army to defeat the Land of Lightning and occupy the Metropolis."
The plaza remained still for a second before erupting into an incredible roar.
"Yeah!"
At the sound of Minato's name, Kushina immediately shot up her right hand and waved it around excitedly.
Even though she had known beforehand, her heart still raced.
After all, he was her boyfriend.
The three people beside her, however, remained calm.
Nagato and Yahiko had already known the news, and strictly speaking, it wasn't really related to them, so they stayed composed.
Mabo, however, could only feel bitterness.
Happiness was theirs, and she had none of it.
She regretted coming to this gathering in Konoha at all—a Kumogakure ninja like her had no place here.
It was pure torture.
Tsunade waited until the cheers began to die down before raising her hand once more.
The plaza fell silent once again.
Yet their eyes still burned with excitement.
Tsunade understood them.
Since the village's founding, Konoha had never achieved such great success.
Only her grandfather, Hashirama Senju—who ended the Warring Era—could claim a greater achievement.
"First, after merging the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, the old names no longer fit. Following discussions within the Executive Department, a proposal was drafted and submitted to the Policy Department."
Tsunade paused briefly, then continued, "The new nation will be named the Xia Nation, officially recognized as the Summer Country. Meanwhile, Kumogakure will now be known as New Leaf Village. The title of Raikage will be abolished, and the Hokage's assistants will assume control. Now, let's proceed with a full vote."
Murmurs immediately arose.
However, no one voiced any opposition.
All members of the Policy Department were affiliated with the Xia Organization and fully understood the significance behind the new national name.
Besides, the original names weren't that great anyway.
The Five Great Countries were named based on chakra natures.
As for Kumogakure? No one really cared about its meaning anyway.
New Leaf Village clearly implied a new Konoha.
A former member of the Five Great Villages had now fallen into a subordinate role under their very own village.
It was deeply satisfying—especially for those ninja who harbored longstanding grudges against Kumogakure.
"Secondly, many positions will open up in the newly-formed Summer Nation and New Leaf Village. According to the Executive Department's plan, a job examination will be held one week from today, and anyone is qualified to participate. With so many positions opening up, these exams will be less difficult than Konoha's past departmental exams."
After Tsunade finished speaking, another round of cheers erupted across the plaza.
Someone shouted, "Long live Hokage-sama!" and soon, it turned into a unified chant.
Since Konoha's reforms, joining one of the major departments had become the ultimate dream for every resident.
Eight-hour workdays, weekends off, Five Social Insurances and One Housing Fund, fixed monthly salary along with performance-based evaluations, and an annual bonus.
On top of that, you could take on missions.
And mission rewards wouldn't be shared—the entire payment would go to the ninja who completed it.
This was paradise.
But positions within the organization were limited.
Most people couldn't pass the qualification exam.
Now, however, an opportunity had finally come.
Whether one stayed in Konoha or not wasn't important.
The movement was grand—
so much so that Mao felt trapped within it.
Yahiko, on the other hand, experienced completely different emotions.
He seemed to be seeing exactly what he had always hoped for.
Everyone wore smiles of true happiness shining from deep within.
Peace.
This was the peace he envisioned.
Everyone working together with one heart and one mind, striving collectively instead of endlessly clashing with one another.
Tsunade let the excitement linger longer this time before finally calming everyone down.
"The third matter is that the Ministry of Commerce will be holding a project bidding process. The content involves construction projects between Xia Nation and the Land of Rain. Interested chambers of commerce may sign up. Individual participation is also encouraged."
"The fourth issue…"
Three hours passed.
Mao returned to her post.
But the earlier meeting had left a deep impression on her.
She had always thought Kumogakure had the strongest unity and best spirit.
However, Konoha seemed even better.
She recalled those nearly fanatically enthusiastic residents.
This time, their Kumogakure had truly made a grave mistake.
Unfortunately, there was no chance for redemption anymore.
Failure meant complete defeat.
Mao spent another hour returning the remaining supplies to Kumogakure—no, it should now be called New Leaf Village.
Filled with mixed emotions, she arrived at the reborn Cloud Hidden Village via the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In just a single day,
Skyscrapers had risen from the ground.
Countless wires strung up bright, beautiful lights.
Scrolling screens displayed various movies and…
The main street had tripled in width,
extending all the way up to the Raikage Building.
Mao could hardly recognize the building at all anymore.
[End of Volume Two: Sparks Igniting the Plains]