Chapter 336: When the Fireworks End
After a full day of marathon shopping, Dana felt utterly exhausted.
Fugaku Uchiha and Minato Namikaze had dropped out halfway; only Dana, with his monstrous physical fitness, could persist to the end.
With more and more items in hand, Dana finally resorted to using a super-large sealing scroll.
The main shopper was naturally his mother, Satomi. In Dana's opinion, 99.9% of these things were useless to her.
After all, she usually stayed in the clan grounds, wanting for nothing. If she needed anything, she just had to say the word, and someone would provide it.
In Satomi's own words, shopping was about the atmosphere; she could give the items away as gifts later.
After finishing shopping in New Kumogakure, the group returned to the outskirts of the Old Cloud Village. Here, right next to the cliff separating the New and Old Cloud, a circle of lawn had been built, becoming the "Cloud Ring Park" (or Cliffside Park).
The Cloud Ring Park circled the Old Cloud Village. With its beautiful environment and many public facilities, it was one of the most popular places in the Cloud.
The ladies sat side by side on a bench, gazing entranced at the brilliantly lit city below.
Natsu sighed with emotion. "So beautiful... I've never seen a city like this..."
Satomi said proudly, "Of course! My husband and sons built this bit by bit! Most of New Kumogakure was built by Dana personally!"
The Cloud Village's current state wasn't solely the credit of the Third Raikage's family, but Satomi often took pride in it.
Dana smiled. "There will be a fireworks display at midnight. We can see it perfectly from this direction. There's still half an hour; shall we wait here?"
Kayo said happily, "Okay! Okay!"
Natsu added, "Fireworks! I haven't seen them in a long time!"
Maki asked curiously, "Will they be launched from the Raikage Building?"
"No. So everyone can see, the launch site is outside the Cloud Village."
Sure enough, more and more people gathered in the Cliffside Park. Many knew about the fireworks and knew this was an excellent viewing spot.
In the crowd, Dana spotted Minato and Kushina, the Kakashi Trio, Dodai, and even Umeko's family of three.
There were too many acquaintances, so Dana didn't go over to greet them. Instead, everyone exchanged smiles from afar when they saw someone they knew.
Taking out his pocket watch to check, Dana said, "Almost time. Three minutes left."
The Cliffside Park was packed. Children's noise, young couples' whispers, and the bustling sounds of the crowd below wove together into a tapestry of sound.
Estimating the time, Dana counted silently in his heart:
3... 2... 1...
In the distance, a line of fire shot up from the ground, soaring into the sky with a sharp whistle.
SREEEE!
"Over there!"
Reaching its peak, the point of light exploded with a BANG, plunging the sky back into darkness.
This commotion attracted the attention of those who didn't know about the fireworks tonight. They looked curiously in that direction but saw nothing.
In the next instant, a sea of flowers bloomed in the night sky, colorful flames igniting the darkness.
BOOM!
A gigantic spherical firework completely illuminated the night sky.
"Look! Fireworks!"
"What?! There are fireworks too?!"
"Oh my god, come out and see!"
Following that, endless brilliant fireworks dyed the sky with magnificent colors.
Clearly, the first one was just the opening act; the main event was yet to come.
The entire Cloud Village fell silent... mesmerized by the flames on the horizon.
Diners in restaurants ran out onto the streets with bowls in hand, staring dumbfounded at the fireworks.
BOOM! CRACKLE!
A child catching goldfish was startled by the explosion, tearing his net.
In the Raikage's Office, the Third Raikage and Arashi glanced out the window, smiled at each other, and returned to work, the flickering light of the fireworks serving as their backdrop.
In the crowd, Minato and Kushina's hands quietly touched. A certain deep voice cursed, but no one in the crowd cared.
BANG! POP!
Inside Ichiraku Ramen, Kakashi, Guy, and Obito lifted the curtain, looking out curiously, attracted by the beautiful scenery.
On the roof of the Sealing Corps base outside the Cloud, Blue Bee and Samui sat in a daze.
At the foot of the "Will of the Cloud" statue, Konan and Nagato looked up blankly. Suddenly, someone patted their shoulders. Looking back, it was a smiling Yahiko, arriving late.
"So beautiful..."
Yugito Nii's young face was full of wonder, her clear pupils reflecting the colorful sky.
Umeko picked up her daughter. "Little Yugito must become an excellent ninja in the future to protect such beautiful fireworks, okay?"
"Mn! Definitely!"
However, no matter how beautiful the fireworks, they must end.
As the colorful flames on the horizon faded, Satomi said regretfully:
"No matter how grand or brilliant the fireworks are, when they end, it's hard not to feel lonely..."
Dana thought for a moment and smiled. "Then let's have something that won't dissipate."
With that, Dana flew up amidst the gasps of the surrounding crowd.
"Hey! Someone is flying over there!"
"Is that Dana-sama? Was he standing so close to me just now?"
Mid-flight, Dana entered Sage Mode. Reaching mid-air, he clapped his hands together.
"Sage Lightning Art: Multiple Thunder Dragon Technique!"
Under the astonished gazes of tens of thousands of people.
Nine massive chakra thunder dragons, radiating electric light, flew from Dana's hands.
These thunder dragons were lifelike, with distinct scales and horns, tens of meters long. They winded through the air, occasionally letting out a dragon roar.
"Look! What is that?!!"
"Heavens! Those are dragons!"
"Is there another program I didn't know about?!"
Under Dana's control, the nine thunder dragons' chakra energy was no longer violent but emitted a soft storm light. They circled freely above the Cloud Village, bringing a magical and beautiful scene to everyone.
Inside New Kumogakure, Madara Uchiha watched the figure in the sky and the nine dazzling thunder dragons from afar.
"Tch... flashy tricks..."
Behind him, Yotsuki Teru (Kaguya)'s eyes were already misty.
"Such... a beautiful body... Yotsuki... Dana...-sama..."
Mid-air, watching the nine thunder dragons scatter above the Cloud, drawing gasps from the ground, Dana suddenly felt that just dragons were a bit monotonous.
"Then..."
"Sage Lightning Art: (Name not decided yet but) Multiple Lightning Release Mimicry Technique!"
Soon, elk radiating lightning, crystal-clear unicorns, scratching monkeys, bouncing rabbits...
Creatures formed of Lightning Chakra decorated the sky like daylight.
These little guys, including the nine thunder dragons, would roam the sky above the Cloud Village all night until dawn.
And at that time, the celebration would end, and the ceremony would begin.