As the clouds churned, the colossal behemoth hovering over Konoha quietly departed.
People bathed in the not-so-warm light, gazing up at the sky. Snowflakes drifted down, and the heavy weight pressing on their hearts seemed to leave silently along with the continent in the sky, allowing them to relax heavily.
"Woo woo..."
Some knelt on the ground, covering their faces and crying.
Then, as if contagious, it spread throughout the entire village.
No one could say whether these were tears of sadness and grief or tears of joy after surviving a catastrophe.
Perhaps both.
But Konoha's sky was enveloped in sorrow.
In the Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen took in the village's current state, a deep frown on his face.
He was also grieving, but as the Hokage, he didn't even have time for sorrow.
After this battle, Konoha suffered heavy losses.
Over half of the urban buildings were damaged or destroyed. Over 1,300 defenders were lost, including a large number of elite Shinobi. This turned the advantage on the front lines against Iwagakure back into a stalemate. The war situation, which had been becoming clear, became obscured and uncertain again.
Not only that, he also had to consider threats from other Shinobi Villages.
Putting aside other small and medium-sized villages, among the remaining Great Five Shinobi Villages… Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure...
Sunagakure could be disregarded for a short while. If Sunagakure wanted to start a war, they wouldn't have retreated this time.
As for Kumogakure... Although crippled half a year ago, they still preserved a considerable degree of strength. After half a year of recuperation, their current strength is arguably stronger than both Iwagakure and Konoha.
As for Kirigakure, they also recently ended their civil war.
Although their strength was greatly reduced due to years of internal conflict, judging from their previous attack on the Land of Wind, their strength still surpasses Iwagakure and Konoha.
In other words, on paper, Sunagakure is currently the strongest in the Shinobi World, followed by Kumogakure and Kirigakure, with Konoha and Iwagakure at the bottom.
Yet ironically, the two weakest, Konoha and Iwagakure, are locked in a fierce war.
Under these circumstances, the probability of Kumogakure and Kirigakure taking advantage of the situation is very high.
Especially Kumogakure.
This village has always been ambitious and highly aggressive.
Having been betrayed by an ally and defeated in the war half a year ago, they certainly wouldn't just let it go.
These are yet-to-happen matters, merely precautions.
But Sunagakure's Floating Continent is a very real and present threat.
Today, Ryuji could bring the Floating Continent over Konoha to force Konoha to lower its head and admit its mistake. He could do the same next time.
If they don't find a solution or countermeasure, they will forever be at the mercy of others.
"But how exactly can we solve this?"
Hiruzen looked out the window, his mind delving into the vast repository of knowledge in his head, hoping to find a solution.
Then, he actually found one.
"If we can create that thing, we'll have the capital to oppose the Floating Continent."
"Hokage-sama!"
An Anbu suddenly appeared in the room.
Hiruzen snapped back to reality and glanced behind him. "What is it?"
"A student at the Shinobi Academy has awakened Wood Release!"
"Wood Release?"
Hiruzen was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened in disbelief as he turned around to confirm. "Confirmed to be self-awakened?"
"Yes." The Anbu narrated, "At the time, the students of the Shinobi Academy and ordinary villagers were taking shelter in the refuge on the Hokage Rock. Five male students had an urgent need to urinate and sneaked outside to relieve themselves."
"..."
Hiruzen was speechless, a row of black lines descending on his forehead.
The area outside the refuge was the Hokage's face.
In other words, these five little brats were standing on the Hokage's face, urinating into the wind!
The Anbu, unaware of Hiruzen's feelings, continued, "At that time, an enemy puppet discovered and attacked them. At the critical moment, one student awakened Wood Release, destroyed the puppet, and rescued everyone."
"To be able to defeat a Chunin-level puppet immediately upon awakening..." Hiruzen's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but smile. "The ancestors were right. Only the children are the future of the village."
"By the way, what's the child's name?"
"Yomatsuya."
...
"Cheers!"
Ryuji raised his glass high, clinked it virtually with those below, and then drank it all in one go.
The clamor of cheers and music intertwined, creating the festive atmosphere of a banquet.
Having traveled abroad for half a year to learn Konoha's advanced medical and educational system knowledge and technology, and then experiencing a seemingly hopeless desperate situation on the very day of their return... After all this, everyone needed to relax and vent.
Hence, this party.
Several hours later, the banquet ended.
Ryuji and Ebizo took a stroll outside, discussing relevant matters.
"How is the Mechanical City progressing now?"
"Currently constructing the Sky Ladders; no progress on the rest." Ebizo pondered. "The initial plan is to build one hundred Sky Ladders; follow-up plans are pending."
The so-called Sky Ladders are mechanical elevators made using geared central shafts. Carriages and other vehicles can also use them to enter and exit; they are not actual ladders.
"How many meters is the frame?"
"Considering the strong winds at high altitudes, designing them too long is prone to accidents, so they are designed to be one hundred meters. This is already the limit of what the current materials can withstand."
"Hmm." Ryuji nodded slightly. "In that case, the Floating Continent only needs to hover at a hundred meters altitude to allow easy access."
"If possible, I'd still prefer to develop flying transport vehicles." Ebizo suggested. "The Floating Continent is too large. Hovering at a hundred meters makes it a target. The Sky Ladders are also easily focused and destroyed. If there's a sudden emergency, it's easy to encounter accidents."
"I've thought about that too. The design drawings for airships are being made."
In fact, Ryuji had the idea to create airships when he was making the design drawings for the Mechanical City.
After all, it's a flying city. If it's only used as a city, that would be too wasteful.
However,
To manufacture and use a large number of airships, the issue of ports must be considered. And the location of the ports depends on the placement of other areas.
Ryuji planned to consider the issues of ports and airships after the initial framework of the Mechanical City was built.
"It's good that you've considered this issue." Ebizo nodded, saying no more.
"How much construction funds are left?"
"Not much. After the Sky Ladders are built, we'll have to wait for the next funding allocation from the Daimyo."
"Have the ransom payments from other villages also been used up?"
"There's a little left, but not enough to do anything significant."
"I see."
Ryuji became troubled.
After this battle, the threat posed by the Floating Continent in the eyes of the Shinobi World would skyrocket, and the same would apply to Sunagakure, its creator.
Although it might not come to a united front against them, actions targeting them would certainly not be few.
If they couldn't complete the Mechanical City quickly and move the entire Sunagakure up, accidents could easily occur midway.
"Actually, there's another way to obtain a large amount of funds in a short time." Ebizo suddenly spoke up.
"What method?"
"Raise funds from the villagers themselves." Ebizo said. "The Mechanical City will also be the city where the villagers live, their home. They should pay for it themselves."
"That's true in principle, but it's not like they themselves wanted to move there."
"No, they do want to." Ebizo corrected. "Initially, Shinobi Villages were simply settlements of shinobi. Some ordinary people joined to gain a safe living environment. The presence of ordinary people also facilitated the shinobi's daily life needs, so everyone lived together peacefully. Therefore..."
"If the Shinobi move away, those ordinary villagers will also move away, right?" Ryuji said the rest first.
"Exactly." Ebizo nodded. "Ordinary people provide daily life conveniences for Shinobi through commerce or farming. The Shinobi, in turn, provide protection for the ordinary people."
"Of course, they also become their customer base, but neither side owes the other. The village also has no obligation to provide them with free housing."
"I see."
Ryuji pinched his chin, falling into deep thought.
Ebizo's words weren't wrong. If it were in the past, this could be implemented.
But now it's different.
Ryuji plans to follow Konoha's example and have the Shinobi Academy recruit students from among ordinary people.
In that case, the village would have an obligation to provide living places for ordinary villagers. Even war orphans would need funds for their upbringing.
If funds were raised from ordinary villagers as Ebizo suggested, it would further sever the relationship between the village and the ordinary villagers, which would not be conducive to future plan development.
But Ebizo's suggestion wasn't without merit. It gave Ryuji an idea.
Since ordinary people come to Shinobi Villages for safe living places, why not open it up to ordinary people from other places?
No, no.
Opening the Mechanical City to other ordinary people was part of the plan from the beginning.
After all, Sunagakure has a small population. To develop rapidly, the population must be increased. The Floating Continent is about the same size as Konoha; even absorbing an additional two to three hundred thousand residents wouldn't make it feel overcrowded.
However, Ryuji initially only aimed to increase Sunagakure's development potential through population growth.
Now, it's about making money.
No, it's about making money and increasing the population simultaneously.
"We can construct a large number of houses in the Mechanical City and then sell them to ordinary people from the outside world, especially those wealthy merchants and nobles. We can build separate villas and sell them to them."
Hearing this, Ebizo's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but praise, "Marvelous! Brilliant!"
Charging your own people hurts feelings, but when it comes to outsiders, there's nothing to be said.
After this battle, the Floating Continent's fame will definitely soar and spread throughout the Shinobi World. If opened to outsiders, people will definitely break their necks trying to live here.
Even if they have to pay, it's the same.
Although the Shinobi World is plagued by constant war, most battlefields are in some small and medium-sized countries. The common people in the Five Great Nations live relatively well, and there are many wealthy individuals.
By then, building luxurious mansions for the rich to sell at high prices, and apartments for ordinary people to sell at normal prices, will definitely bring in huge profits.
After all, the land costs nothing.
Ryuji said excitedly, "This plan has high feasibility, Ebizo-senpai. Please prepare a detailed proposal."
'Opening to the outside world also has many disadvantages, especially regarding spies. A strict screening mechanism is needed.'