Konoha had ushered in an unprecedented construction frenzy.
Ever since the Second Great Ninja War ended with Konoha's complete victory, the entire village had been immersed in an atmosphere of high spirits and enthusiasm.
And the ones leading this trend were none other than the two big shots who were once the most feared, but now the most... laughable figures.
The General Manager of the Konoha Construction Team, Shimura Danzo.
The General Manager of the Konoha Ecological Farm, Hatake Sakumo.
One in infrastructure, one in farming.
These two men, who should have shone brightly in the Anbu or on the battlefield, were now competing to new heights in their respective "one-acre, three-tenths of land."
"Report to Lord Hokage! Advisor Danzo worked overnight yesterday and successfully completed the paving of the southern section of Hokage Avenue three days ahead of schedule! Now the entire avenue is fully connected, with a flatness error of no more than three centimeters!"
"Report to Lord Hokage! Manager Sakumo also worked overnight yesterday to deliver piglets. Big Black Flower in Farm Area A successfully gave birth to twelve healthy piglets, setting a new record for the number of piglets in a single litter in the village!"
In the Hokage's Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the good news handed up by two Anbu members, feeling his temples throbbing.
He put down the brush in his hand, rubbed his brow wearily, his heart filled with a sense of powerlessness.
"Is this the Hokage's Office, or the production team's headquarters?"
He couldn't help but complain in his heart. "One reports how many meters of road have been paved, the other reports how many piglets have been born... What kind of stuff am I worrying about?"
However, complaints aside, seeing the village getting better day by day and more smiles on the villagers' faces, his heart was still filled with satisfaction.
"Alright, I got it."
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand. "Tell Danzo that the road is well built, but pay attention to construction safety. And tell Sakumo to keep up with the postpartum care for the sow, don't let her fall ill."
"Yes!" The two Anbu acknowledged the order and vanished instantly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long sigh and picked up the document again.
Although the process had gone a bit off track, the result was good.
Konoha was steadily advancing towards the powerful and happy ninja utopia of his ideals.
Shimura Danzo had been in a very good mood recently, one might even say a little elated.
Ever since Hiruzen handed him the heavy burden of the Konoha Construction Team, he felt as if a brand-new door had opened in his life.
Watching wide and flat roads being born in his hands, watching brand-new houses rising from the ground, the sense of accomplishment from turning ruins into a prosperous neighborhood was far more tangible and... addictive than planning a successful assassination in the dark.
He, Shimura Danzo, was using his own hands to pour the most solid foundation for the great tree of Konoha.
This feeling kept him motivated every day, making him feel that even sleeping was a waste of time.
However, this wonderful mood was completely shattered today by a report from the Konoha Ecological Farm.
"What? The first batch of special-supply pigs has been born? And because they used the Akimichi clan's secret feed and the Inuzuka clan's happy free-range method, they've been named Konoha No. 1 Pork by Lord Hokage?"
Danzo held the report in his hand, black lines covering his forehead.
Hatake Sakumo!
Ever since Hiruzen gave him the S-rank mission of the farm, this white-haired guy had been acting like he was on stimulants.
He had simply moved the Anbu management model to the farm intact.
"Postpartum Care Manual for Sows (Anbu Edition)," "Analysis Report on the Commonality between Rice Growth Cycles and Infiltration Missions," and he even came up with a "Pigsty KPI Assessment System." Pigs that didn't meet the target were said to have their feed deducted the next day.
Outrageous! Simply outrageous!
But what was even more outrageous was that his method actually worked!
The construction speed of the farm was progressing by leaps and bounds, and now even the first batch of results had come out.
On his side, although Hokage Avenue was fully connected, most of the subsequent renovations were still in the blueprint stage.
A strong sense of competition burned in Danzo's heart.
He felt as if he had returned to the days when he and Hiruzen competed for positions under the Second Hokage.
"Someone come!" Danzo shouted out the door.
A Root ninja appeared silently before him.
"Immediately summon all construction squad leaders! Everyone works overtime tonight! Before dawn tomorrow, I want to see the foundation of the West District Commercial Street fully laid! Anyone who dares to delay will have this month's bonus cancelled!"
"Yes!"
Just as Danzo was preparing to go all out and compete with Sakumo's farm, an accident happened.
"Lord Danzo! Bad news!" A Root ninja responsible for the daily patrol of Hokage Avenue rushed in with a panicked expression.
"What's the panic! Has the sky fallen?"
Danzo shouted irritably.
"No... no, it's... it's on Hokage Avenue..."
"..."
Danzo's pupils contracted violently.
Hokage Avenue, the face project of Konoha that he had personally supervised and had only been open to traffic for a few days.
Now, a life had been lost there?
Without a word, his figure flashed and disappeared from the office.
When he arrived at the scene, it had already been cordoned off by Uchiha ninja from the Military Police Force.
In the crowd, he saw the body lying on the ground at a glance.
The deceased was a young ninja wearing the attire of the Hyuga clan.
His death was miserable, clearly having suffered immense pain.
"What happened?"
Danzo's voice was icy.
An Uchiha captain from the Military Police Force hurriedly stepped forward and reported respectfully, "Lord Danzo, according to the preliminary investigation, the deceased is a member of the Hyuga branch family named Hyuga Kumo. According to witnesses, after an argument with a main family member today, the main family member activated the Caged Bird seal on his forehead with a curse mark, and he eventually died in pain due to brain tissue destruction."
"Where is that main family member?" Danzo's face grew uglier.
"He has been detained by us, right over there."
Danzo looked in the direction he pointed and saw a young Hyuga main family ninja, also looking terrified and bewildered, being held on the ground by two Uchiha ninja.
Danzo's fists clenched tightly.
An uncontrollable rage exploded from his chest.
Hokage Avenue!
How many all-nighters had he pulled to build this road? How many lazy workers had he scolded? He had even personally used Earth Release to reinforce the foundation.
This was his achievement dedicated to Hiruzen, to Konoha, the pioneering work of his Konoha Construction Team.
Now, it had been defiled by the Hyuga clan!
A living life had died miserably on the road he had built with his own hands, which symbolized the rebirth of Konoha, all because of that ridiculous, backward main family-branch family system.
This was not just a human life.
This was a slap in his face! A slap in Hiruzen's face!
A slap in the face of the entire Konoha!
"Good, good, good."
Danzo squeezed these words out from between his teeth.
"Is this the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird? It's too terrifying..."
"Sigh, the lives of branch family members really aren't worth anything."
These discussions were like needles pricking Danzo's heart.
The united atmosphere of the village that Hiruzen had worked so hard to build was cracking because of the stupidity of the Hyuga main family.
"I won't trouble Hiruzen with this matter."
This thought flashed through Danzo's mind instantly.
He glanced in the direction of the Hokage building. Hiruzen must still be busy with various major affairs of the village.
Such a dirty, shameful internal family scandal shouldn't be brought to him to add to his troubles.
This darkness, this filth, should be handled by me, by Root!
"Take that murderer back to the Military Police Force and keep him under strict guard!"
Danzo ordered the Uchiha guard member beside him.
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
"As for the body..."
Danzo glanced at the cold body on the ground, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "Notify the Hyuga family to come and collect it themselves."
With that, he turned and walked towards Root's underground base.
His shadow was stretched long under the setting sun, looking incredibly gloomy.
He was going to see someone.
Uchiha Kagami.
Because Kagami's identity was too special.
He understood the stubbornness of the great clans, yet he agreed with Hiruzen's philosophy.
It would be most appropriate for the two of them to come forward together, one playing the bad cop, the other the good cop.
"The Hyuga family..." A cold glint flashed in Danzo's eyes.
"The problem that Sensei couldn't solve back then, today, I will solve it completely for Hiruzen!"
He had already made up his mind.
This fire ignited by the Hyuga family themselves would completely burn down their rotten main family system.
And he would be the one to add the fiercest firewood.
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