Chapter 195: A New Look for the Cloud (Part 2)
"Mume," her husband said, "what do you think of this spot? From here, you can see the green mountains to the north. And it's not far from the core area."
He was excitedly pointing at a spot on the village's map. She, on the other hand, was a little hesitant.
Though the village was offering a very low price for the land, she didn't think a family of three needed such a large residence. All that cleaning would be a nightmare.
"Honey," she said, "isn't our current apartment comfortable?"
Her husband was a research-type Jonin, and she had a generous dowry. The apartment they had bought when they got married was already quite large.
"We can keep the apartment," he said. "But I want a house with a courtyard here. That way, when Yugito-chan is older, she can play in the yard. I can plant a tree for her and build a swing. And even if we have another baby, the house won't feel crowded."
"Honey," she said, blushing, "Yugito-chan is right here. And besides, if you plant a tree now, by the time she's big enough, she won't need a swing anymore."
"You forget what I do for a living," he said, patting his chest. "Don't worry. Yugito won't have to wait that long."
"I'm going to have a baby brother or sister!" the five-year-old Yugito cheered. "Mom and Dad, hurry up and make one for me! I want one today!"
The news of the Cloud's great construction project could not be kept a secret. After all, you can't just level a mountain and expect no one to notice. Many of the merchant guilds and nobles wanted a piece of the pie.
But the Cloud was a ninja village. Everything was centered around the ninja. Only the village's own ninja and clans could get in on the ground floor. The rest of the development had to be planned by the village.
This had made the single ninja in the village, especially the civilian-born ones, a hot commodity on the marriage market.
In the past, a ninja's income was high, but so was the risk. It was a small probability that you would live to a ripe old age. They were not very desirable partners.
But in recent years, the Cloud had become strong, so strong that they had won a war with minimal losses, so strong that the other villages had to give them face. The overall sense of security for a ninja had increased. And with the village's development, being a Cloud ninja came with many privileges. They had naturally become more popular.
"What are you busy with, Kuroki-senpai?"
The moment she had returned from a C-rank mission, Mihara had immediately contacted Ryosuke Kuroki. She had heard that many of the single ninja in the village, especially the Jonin-level ones, were suddenly being swarmed by potential suitors. Even she had been approached by relatives who wanted to set her up.
She couldn't let anyone get in while she was away. So the moment she got back, she had used her new Communication Snail to call him.
"I'm sorry," his voice came through, low and hushed. "I'm on a blind date right now. I'll call you back later."
She silently took out her kunai. The people around her felt a cold, murderous aura.
She then ran to the five places in the village that were suitable for a blind date and finally found him.
He seemed to have just come out of a restaurant.
"Kuroki-senpai," she said with a sweet smile, her hand with the kunai hidden behind her back, "how was the date?"
"It went very well," he said with a satisfied smile.
She silently tied an explosive tag to the kunai.
Just then, another ninja came out of the restaurant. He seemed to be a colleague of his. He threw his arm around his shoulder.
"Hey, Kuroki-kun," he said, "thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known what to do. I'm very satisfied with Aiko-san. If things go well, I'll be sure to thank you properly."
"Not at all," he said politely. "It was all you, Kin."
The man, Kin, looked at her, confused. "Oh, is this beautiful lady your girlfriend, Kuroki-kun?"
"Don't be ridiculous," he said, quickly waving his hand. "I'm not so lucky."
She silently hid the kunai and the explosive tag and put on a bright smile. "Kuroki-senpai, have you eaten?" she said. "I'm starving. Come on, I heard there's a new sushi restaurant in the village. Let's go and try it."
"I just had... sushi."
"I don't care! Come on, let's go!"
She dragged the blushing Kuroki away, just as a red-haired family of four was passing by, studying a map.
"So not all the new areas are available?" Hiroto's father said, looking at the map, confused. "The planned residential space is only in these few sections?"
"Honey," his mother said nervously, "are you sure we should buy land?"
The family had been living in a small apartment provided by the village. In recent years, with Hiroto and Kayo growing up, their income had gradually increased, especially with Hiroto's scholarship and the Chunin Exam prize money. They had saved up a good sum.
But to buy land in the new development area and build a house would basically wipe out all their savings.
His mother was instinctively worried.
"This is the best time," his father said, though he was also a little nervous. "The village is offering a big discount to encourage people to move. If we miss this chance, it will only be more expensive in the future."
"Dad is right," Kayo chimed in. "It will only get more expensive. And my brother and I are famous now. A lot of clients are specifically requesting the 'Crimson Fortress' to catch their cats. And with the scholarship, don't worry, Mom."
His father gave his wife a reassuring look, then whispered to him, "But Hiroto, can you go and ask your friend, Yotsuki-kun, where we should choose? Does he have any inside information?"
Hiroto rolled his eyes, but in the end, he took out his Communication Snail. It was a big decision for the family.
"Dana... yes, it's like that... mm-hmm... right, right... is that so... okay."
After ending the call, he whispered, "From a residential perspective, he suggests we choose area number two on the north side. There will be a few parks built there in the future. If we're thinking about the property value, he suggests we buy in area number three on the south side. There are commercial areas planned on either side of it."
His voice dropped even lower, almost to a whisper. "And he also said," he said, "that he can help us reserve one or two shops, in a prime location. Even if we just rent them out, it's a sure thing!"
The family's voices grew lower and lower, and they finally found a dark, deserted alley to discuss their plans.
From a distance, they looked like a group of villains, plotting some evil scheme.