Chapter 277 Completed
Chapter 277 Completed
Fugaku Uchiha's wedding, which caused a sensation throughout most of Konoha, seemed to be a pause for the busy people.
As the red lanterns of Nanga Shrine were taken down one by one, and as the last bit of noise at the banquet subsided, time seemed to have been secretly sped up by the gods.
There are less than two weeks left until the Chunin Exams, a joint exam for the five great ninja villages.
The new center of Konoha, once a ruin and barren land, has been completely transformed, showcasing a modern and futuristic appearance that is unfamiliar to all the original inhabitants.
"The last piece of the glass curtain wall for Shopping Mall No. 3 has been assembled!"
"The underground chakra communication fiber optic cable across the administrative district is fully operational, and the signal is stable during testing!"
"The gravity-buffered barrier in the arena's stands is complete, and Dean Orochimaru has personally inspected it!"
Nishikawa Tetsuya stood in the temporary command center wearing a yellow hard hat. His jacket was nowhere to be found, and the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up high.
"Great! Tell Director Xiao Nan that everyone should work overtime tonight to get all the streetlights in the commercial street powered on and tested!"
"To ensure that there are no shoddy construction projects, every building must be inspected again."
He wiped the sweat mixed with dust from his forehead and exhaled a long breath.
"Phew... Finally, it's almost over."
Beside him, his secretary, Yoshida Kazushima, had bloodshot eyes and bags under his eyes that were practically drooping down to his chin.
"Vice Minister..." Yoshida's voice was so weak it sounded like a gust of wind could blow it away, "The budget... the budget only has 50 million taels left... all the suppliers have settled their outstanding payments, and the keys to the resettlement houses have been distributed to the villagers..."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work these past few days."
Nishikawa Tetsu turned his head, looked at the secretary who seemed about to die at any moment, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Once the Chunin Exams are over, I'll grant you a two-week paid vacation to go to the Land of Hot Springs for a relaxing soak. The club will cover all expenses, and you can bring your family."
"Really?" Yoshida's dim eyes suddenly flashed with two green lights.
"Really." Nishikawa Tetsu nodded solemnly. He knew Yoshida's behavior best during this period. Since becoming his secretary, Yoshida had hardly had time to spend with his wife and daughter.
"Thank you, Vice Minister. I feel full of energy again!"
……
Two days later, on a sunny morning.
Thousands of villagers gathered outside the gates of Konoha Village. Many of them were residents who had been relocated from old, dilapidated neighborhoods; today was the day they were to receive their keys back to their new homes.
"Look, look! Isn't that our new home?"
"My God, this is so high! One, two, three... there are a full twenty floors!"
A series of incredulous gasps erupted from the crowd.
Before their eyes, the once low-lying, dilapidated shantytown, which became muddy and impassable on rainy days, disappeared.
In its place stand a dozen or so uniform high-rise apartment buildings with brightly colored exteriors.
Wide, smooth asphalt roads wind between buildings, with newly transplanted cherry blossom trees planted on both sides.
Each building has a clean and bright supermarket and vending machines on the ground floor, which sell not only various drinks, but also some snacks that I have never seen before.
"Fellow villagers!"
Nishikawa Tetsu stood on the makeshift stage, microphone in hand, smiling broadly as he looked down at the excited crowd.
Welcome home!
"From today onwards, you will no longer have to endure leaky roofs or fetch water from blocks away! Every apartment comes with a private bathroom, 24-hour hot and cold water, and—"
Nishikawa Tetsu snapped his fingers.
Behind them, a huge banner on an apartment building was pulled down, revealing several large, gleaming characters:
[Konoha Home Appliances, Cool Down This Summer! One Air Conditioner Per Household!]
"Wow--!!!"
The crowd erupted in excitement. For ordinary people who couldn't even afford a fan, air conditioning was a luxury that only the wealthy could afford.
"Long live Minister Nishikawa!"
"Long live the Hokage!"
Seeing the villagers who received the keys and were moved to tears, Nishikawa Tetsu put down the microphone with satisfaction.
The simple and honest villagers of Konoha all have a scale in their hearts to tell who is truly good to them.
……
Meanwhile, in the other administrative district.
The newly built Hokage Building branch is magnificent. Although it is not as tall as the apartment buildings in the residential area, its thick chakra metal exterior walls and oppressive architectural style highlight the heritage of Konoha.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, accompanied by his advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, is inspecting this brand-new office area.
"Hiruzen, this...this is simply unbelievable."
Xiaochun, who was switching dorm rooms, pushed up her glasses and looked at the huge electronic display screen in the lobby.
The screen displays real-time information on the security situation in various parts of Konoha, mission assignments, and weather forecasts.
"The police department, the finance department, the secret liaison office... all the core departments have set up independent yet interconnected offices here. What used to take half a village to get all the stamps can now be done in an elevator."
Mitokado Yan nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with shock.
"That kid Nishikawa Tetsuya... is not only a good businessman who knows how to make money, but also a pragmatic person with strong planning skills. This improvement in administrative efficiency is a great thing for the villagers of Konoha."
The Third Hokage didn't speak; he simply walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the largest and most eye-catching building not far away.
The main venue for the Joint Chunin Exams—Konoha Dome.
It's like a giant steel behemoth, perched on the edge of the Death Forest.
The fully covered, explosion-proof transparent dome reflects a cold metallic luster under the sunlight.
"That arena..." The Third Hokage took a drag on his pipe and exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke.
"I heard that to test its defenses, Orochimaru and Jiraiya teamed up and unleashed a powerful S-rank combination ninjutsu inside, but it didn't even scratch a layer of skin?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Minato Namikaze, who had been following behind, stepped forward and answered respectfully.
"The dome can not only withstand high-intensity ninjutsu, but is also equipped with a comprehensive image capture system. The audience can watch not only with their naked eyes, but also through three large screens in the center of the arena. There are multiple functional barriers throughout the arena, with no less than eight types of defensive barriers alone, layer upon layer to ensure the safety of the audience and the venue."
Shuimen paused:
"Che said this is called the ultimate viewing experience brought by technology. He wants to make those daimyo and nobles from other villages feel that the matches they used to watch were simply like watching a circus."
Actually, Nishikawa Tetsu's original words were "monkey show," which Minato slightly modified himself.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The Third Hokage burst into hearty laughter.
"Great! What a wonderful circus!"
"Now that the stage is set up, we're just waiting for our guests to arrive."
The third generation turned around, their eyes piercing.
"Watergate, notify all departments."
"Starting tomorrow, Konoha will be fully prepared to welcome guests. Let those ninjas from other villages see what the true power of the world's number one village is!"
"yes!"
Summer of Konoha Year 46.
There are ten days left until the joint Chunin Exams officially begin.
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