Konoha, the land of the Uchiha clan.

In the snowy courtyard, the old man sat alone in the corridor with a fishing rod, leisurely fishing.

Soon, there was the sound of footsteps in the hallway, and the old man turned his head slightly, and saw that the Uchiha Lihuo was walking towards him.

"Life after retirement is really comfortable, Elder Quartet."

Lihuo laughed teasingly.

"I'm old, but I don't want to be at this age, and I have to intrigue with others all day long."

Elder Quartet said.

"But it's strange to say, the Hyuga family has become a lot more peaceful recently."

Lihuo touched his chin, as if thinking about something.

"Don't tell me an old man about this kind of thing."

"I just wanted you to refer to it. Maybe it will affect the Uchiha clan. ”

"Boring Q&A. What did you come to me for? ”

As for the actions of the high-level leaders, or the actions of the Hyuga family, the Quartet Elders did not intend to pay attention to it, and they were not interested in learning about it.

More than this, he wanted to know whether the fish he caught later, whether it was fat or not, and whether the maid at home could make a taste that satisfied him.

"You know Fuyue's child, right?"

Lihuo asked.

"Was it a child with that girl named Mai Trinal? I remember that the child was born in June of this year. ”

The Quartet Elder recalled it carefully and remembered this incident.

In June of this year, Uchiha Fugaku's child was born in the hospital. The Quartet Elders knew about this.

"Yes, that kid's name is Itachi Uchiha."

"Itachi? That's a good name. And then what does this have to do with me? ”

"Don't be so cold, Elder. Fuyue: He wants you to wait for his children to grow up and take them as disciples. ”

Lihuo said.

“…… I don't have as much energy as I used to be, and I've decided to ignore anything from the outside world. He's also the patriarch of the Uchiha, can't he teach a child? ”

The Quartet Elder's eyes were cold.

He knew very well what Fugaku meant.

wants to use him, an old man who has retired, to increase the weight of the so-called patriarch and deter the radical clansmen.

What wants him, an old man, to accept his children as disciples may also be a temptation.

"I'm just passing on what he me, there's no need to be angry with me, right?"

Lihuo scratched his head helplessly.

"I've only been the patriarch for a few months, and I dare to come and test my bottom line...... Instead of wasting energy on such boring tricks, it is better to focus on how to unify the voices of the clan. ”

It took him several years to establish enough prestige to unify the voice of the radicals in the clan, rather than all at once.

Fu Yue had only been the patriarch for half a year, and he was so eager to complete a career that surpassed his predecessors, and the Quartet Elders understood Fu Yue's mentality, the more he couldn't get anything, the more he wanted to prove to others that he had these powers. This kind of immature stubbornness is not a good thing for a family.

"Shall I reply to him like this, then?"

"Let him behave well on the battlefield and don't think about messy things."

There was a look of disappointment on the face of the Quartet Chief, but he still gave this kind of advice.

Although he didn't have much expectations for the Uchiha clan in the village, he didn't expect that less than half a year had passed, and Fugaku couldn't bear the pressure brought to him by the radicals, and vaguely asked him for help.

I want to be cold-blooded and iron-faced with the clansmen, but I can't be hard-hearted, and I want to tolerate everything to the clansmen, but I am always dissatisfied with the radicals' martial arts ideas, do not communicate with them, and blindly reject them.

He only hopes that through this war, Fuyue can mature and stop looking at the clan with this immature thinking.

However, the Quartet Elders also know that this kind of thing is difficult, and the negative power of writing wheels is affecting people's thinking and character, and pessimists can only see pessimism in their eyes. Fuyue is just one of the victims.

"Got it. I'll make it clear to him. ”

Lihuo nodded.

He was just a microphone, and seeing that the elders of the Quartet were in a bad mood, he retired and left.

◎

Even in the cold winter weather, you can still feel the warm sunlight shining from the sky.

Although the people of the Oni Country are living a little richer than before, they are still used to storing a lot of food at home and overusing it to survive the cold winter.

In this era when the labor force was not emancipated in large numbers, the way of life of the people in both the war zone and the people of the peaceful country could be described as pure hardship. Of course, the people of a country that is at war will have a more miserable life.

Before the New Year's festival, Shiraishi, who had nothing to do, once again took people to explore the rural area of the country of ghosts.

The main roads between the towns of Ononi have been leveled, and even if they need to pass through forests and mountains, they have been opened by professional ninjas. Roads to rural areas are also being carried out in an orderly manner. Some of the areas are remote and difficult to build, but they are also necessary for the development plans for the next few years.

Shiraishi does not expect to change the way of life of the people of this country all at once, and even a special profession such as ninja, which has a lot of productivity in itself, cannot completely change the way of life and the level of a country in just one year.

Otherwise, an area like the Wind Country would have been able to use water to escape ninjutsu and carry out lake-building campaigns, and the Wind Country would not have regarded water sources as so important, and would have to import them from foreign countries every year and spend a lot of money.

Ninjutsu is time-sensitive, and so is the flow of water created by the water escape, and when the chakra in the water disappears, the water flow will naturally disappear, and the lake caused by it will also disappear. It can be used to solve urgent needs, but with such a large population in the Land of Winds, it is not possible to use just the right amount of water to solve urgent needs every time.

In the same way, the same is true for earth escape, thunder escape, and so on. However, there are also special retreats that can be maintained. For example, Mu Dun.

Therefore, if the ninja does not learn professional knowledge of road construction, the road created will only last for a period of time, and then it will immediately collapse. Ninja's ninjutsu only accelerates the process, not in one step, and with a random ninjutsu, you can do it once and for all. Otherwise, there really is little point in the existence of civilians.

However, as long as the ninjas are instilled with the corresponding construction knowledge, then they can be one hundred in the construction industry. Some special personnel can be done to the point of being a thousand, such as when Ruri opened Susanohu to carry building materials, and Ayane demolished old buildings with divine air, which can save a lot of manpower and material resources, and the consumption of funds will be relatively reduced.

The rational use of every resource in his hands, neither can he despise the convenience brought by ninjutsu, nor can he ignore the sense of glory of ordinary people's participation in labor, which is what Shiraishi asks to do.

The great era will come, not created by the individual, but by the entire human collective. Human history is created by humanity as a collective, not by a single person. In this world, people without organization can't do anything, and that's what human beings are. They don't want to cater to the organization, but they must rely on the strength of the organization to survive in this world.

After inspecting the rural areas in these remote places, Shiraishi was generally satisfied. Although some places are not very perfect, the attitude of the subordinates to work seriously should be rewarded in a timely manner, rather than blindly discouraged their enthusiasm.

After all, the New Year is coming, no matter how enthusiastic you are about work, you will miss your parents and children at home, and miss your wife, which is human nature.

Some employees have been away from home to reunite with their loved ones, causing the project to be slow, but as long as it can be completed by the beginning of next spring, Shiraishi will not be harsh.

It took nearly half a month to inspect these places, and all of them were inspected, but some areas were immediately selected for work inspection.

Although I am willing to believe that the people under my hands will not gradually forget their original intentions because of the affluence of life, this trust is not an obligation that must be indulged. Shiraishi has always believed that without hands-on practice, there is no right to speak. I guess it's for my own responsibility.

◎

It snows at this time of year.

The stove in the room was blazing, and the windows were covered with dew.

After returning from the inspection mission, it was already dusk, and Shiraishi sat in the entrance and began to take off his shoes.

"It's a little early to come back this time."

Ruri, dressed in loungewear, appeared behind Shiraishi and said this.

In the past, when Shiraishi went out to carry out inspections, it would take at least a month.

While changing into taking off his shoes at home, Bai Shi turned his head slightly and said with a smile: "Because not every place is inspected, just a few places are randomly selected as key investigation targets, of course, it is faster than the usual inspection." ”

Shiraishi noticed that the slippers on the shoe cabinet were missing, and asked suspiciously, "Is there anyone here?" ”

"Hmph, just look at it."

Ruri snorted lightly, turned around and walked in.

Shiraishi didn't care, and when he came to the living room, he found that it was indeed someone.

And it's not a stranger.,Ruri's mother, Miyoko Uchiha.,And Ayane.,Are sitting there talking about something.,Judging by the atmosphere of the conversation.,It should be quite good to get along.。

Ruri also sat across from them, picked up a teacup, and drank tea quietly.

The lights are on in the living room, filling the room with a bright and clean atmosphere.

"Little Baishi is back."

Miyoko greeted Shiraishi with a smile.

"Yes."

"I always feel more and more manly, if my aunt is twenty years younger, maybe she will chase after her."

Miyoko, who is a mother, is not afraid of death in front of Ruri.

As a way to liven up the atmosphere, Shiraishi was worried that Ruri would immediately throw the cup out of his hand and make his mother's head bloom.

But this kind of thing didn't happen, because Liuli just drank tea calmly, and seemed to be accustomed to her mother's off-line behavior.

"But Auntie is now old and decrepit, and she can no longer attract the attention of young people."

Miyoko, who wears gorgeous twelve orders anytime and anywhere, and maintains her appearance in her twenties, is the least qualified person to say such things in Shiraishi's opinion.

"No, Auntie looks very young now, like a teenage girl."

Ayane laughed from the side.

"Ayane-chan is still so sweet when she speaks, it would be nice if Xiao Ruri could do the same. Isn't it, little Ruri? ”

Miyoko covered her mouth and chuckled, although she knew that Ayane was saying polite words, but she was still in a happy mood when she was said to be a teenage girl, and then hinted at Ruri with her eyes, as if she hoped that she would also say some happy words of praise.

"Middle-aged women don't learn from little girls to pretend to be tender, crow's feet come out when you laugh."

Ruri put down the teacup and said this sentence that made the corners of Miyoko's mouth twitch.

"Sure enough, boys are more fun. So, little Baishi, I'll leave it to you at night. ”

Miyoko smiled and hinted with her eyes.

Please, what? At night I was the one below. Shiraishi complained in his heart.

And children aren't something to play with.

"By the way, how did Auntie and Ayane appear here together?"

Shiraishi asked about the topic.

"We're talking about what to prepare for the festival in the near future."

Ayane replied.

For a lively event like a festival, women always put a lot of enthusiasm into it.

"Is that so? Then you talk slowly, don't worry about me, I'll go up and rest first. ”

Shiraishi wasn't very interested in the topic of women, and the ghost knew what was going on with these people, he was tired to death now, and he just wanted to take a good rest.

Leaving the three women in the living room to discuss the festival, Shiraishi returned to the room alone and fell asleep.

Although it is true that ninjas have more energy than ordinary people, no matter how energetic they are in high-intensity work for so many days in a row, they will feel mentally exhausted.

I fell asleep in a groggy state, and when I woke up, I suddenly felt a little thirsty in my mouth and a little blocked in my nose.

It was already bright outside, and it was clear that it was the next morning.

The wind is whining, and although it will feel cold just by listening to the sound, this is the atmosphere of the New Year.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Ruri, who was sleeping next to her, opened her eyes and seemed to realize that something was not quite right with Shiraishi.

"yes, I think I've got a cold."

Shiraishi covered the pain and said a little helplessly.

"It's said that you should pay more attention to your body when you go out alone, but you're still a medical ninja."

Ruri sat up from the bed, then got out of bed, went outside to pour a cup of hot water, and looked for cold medicine, and put it on the bedside table on the side of Shiraishi.

"Sorry for bothering you."

Shiraishi picked up the medicine and put it in his mouth, then took another sip of hot water.

"Are you going to work today?"

"No, I want to take a good rest at home, and it's okay to delay the work there for a day or two."

"Really, I was going to let you go out shopping with us today."

Ruri seems to have a bit of a headache.

"Anyway, it's not the Chinese New Year's Eve festival, I'll take care of my body in the next few days." Just have fun. ”

Shiraishi felt a little dizzy, he had known that he should have prepared more things when he went out to patrol, instead of traveling lightly.

After taking the cold medicine, Shiraishi continued to lie down, not wanting to move.

When Liuli saw Baishi's appearance, he also felt that it was really inappropriate for him to go out at this time, and his usual work was also very busy, and the night at home was also very hard, so he should give him a few days off.

After getting dressed, Liuli washed up briefly and went out.

There are shadow dancers there, so don't worry that Shiraishi has no one to take care of you.

Outside, her mother, Miyoko, and Ayane, who can be called a sworn enemy, are already waiting there.

"Strange, why didn't Shiraishi-kun come out?"

Ayane tilted her head, confused.

"I have a cold, I have to recuperate at home today."

Ruri replied.

"That's terrible. Indeed, Shiraishi-kun's physique has decreased a bit compared to before. ”

Ayane touched her chin and commented in a very professional tone.

"Maybe there was too much deficit in the night. Although they are not married yet, they are like newlyweds who fall in love and can't extricate themselves, but Xiao Liuli also has to be restrained in this regard. But just like my mother at that time, my father worked very hard to let Xiao Liuli be born. ”

Miyoko said with a smile.

"What nonsense! Is this what a mother should say? ”

Ruri was a little embarrassed.

The fact that Baishi caught a cold was the same as her unrestrained demanding.

No, she is just a very normal physiological need for human beings to live in this world, and she just needs a little more than normal people in that regard.

"Don't talk about this kind of meaningless topic, I just pushed off the cultivation time before I agreed to come out to relax."

Ruri took a heavy breath and ended the topic.

"Yes, yes, Xiao Liuli is also very cute. So let's stop there. After all, the festival in the country of ghosts is still very lively, so you need to prepare well. ”

"Aunt Miyoko has lived here for many years, so she must have attended many festivals. How about comparing it to Konoha? ”

Ayane asked curiously.

"Konoha? After all, I rarely go back to Konoha during the Chinese New Year, and in recent years, I only go back occasionally to see, or through secret channels...... Anyway, each has its own merits. However, on the side of the Oni Country, the characteristics of regional customs and culture are a little more prominent. ”

Miyoko has been living in the Land of Oni for many years and is well aware of most of the things here.

It has a different customs and culture from the land of Konoha and fire, and it makes people from all over the world feel very new.

If I had to say anything, it was the gap in faith.

As far as Miyoko knows, the Land of Fire believes in monks, that is, the existence of the Temple of Fire with the characteristics of a 'Buddha'. Unlike the Land of Fire, Konoha Ninja Village believes in the Will of Fire, but the Will of Fire was born for too short, and in terms of faith and cultural cohesion, it naturally cannot be compared with the witch culture of the Land of Demons.

Afterwards, the three of them wandered around the commercial street of Aster City.

Because their identities are too sensitive, the clothes worn by Ruri and Ayane are clothes without family crests, and their faces are also covered with masks.

There are now more and more people from abroad in the country of ghosts, all of which are the result of Shiraishi's leadership, but you must also be careful not to reveal your identity.

After all, Ruri and Ayane, who are S-level rebels, are also well-known figures in the ninja world.

Originally, they were born in the White Fang Squad, but their names have been reflected in the eyes of the high-level leaders of various countries, and they are familiar, and the defection has further expanded their fame. Despite this fame, it comes with a lot of negative effects.

And Shiraishi is an ordinary ninja, because Konoha has not given any decent information, and the perception of Shiraishi in each village is still at the level of medical ninja without the slightest threat. From this point of view, it cannot be said that it is completely wrong.

Throwing away the combat ability of a few clones, the level itself is only the level of elite ninja.

Although Xiao Baishi does not know how to do business, he sometimes has his own unique views on how to develop business. It only took a few months to bring this commercial street to life. ”

Miyoko pointed to the various shops in the shopping street with brands, whether it is goods or shops, most of them are hardcovered, and they look like luxury goods. But in fact, the price is very close to the people, which dredges the vitality of the business of the Oni Country.

"Isn't this something you and dad made?"

Ruri asked suspiciously.

"No, the meticulous development is indeed made by us, but the grand strategy is provided by Xiao Baishi." Miyoko showed a look of appreciation and said with a smile: "He said very politely at the time that wealth is concentrated in the rich, the common people lose the opportunity to climb up, and the goods in the store will be monopolized by the rich, which will lead to a downturn in the entire market, and holding dead money will eventually lead to the decline of the country's power." ”

Although Ruri and Ayane don't understand business issues very well, according to the current situation of the commercial street, even some civilians have started business with the help of loans given by the Shion Flower Chamber of Commerce, and the business is still very hot, which means that the grand strategy given by Shiraishi is not wrong, and it has really helped the economic development of the country of ghosts.

"Can just one sentence stir up the market?"

"No, maybe it has something to do with the road."

Miyoko looked at the ordinary road under her feet, and her eyes showed a contemplative look.

At first, she was hesitant about Shiraishi's suggestion to build a road.

If it weren't for Liuli threatening them with Sharingan, she really didn't want to take out such a huge amount of money to do such a thing that was not beneficial to herself.

She's just a businessman, essentially a vampire who exploits the interests of the common people, not a charity. Benefiting the common people is tantamount to cutting off one's own interests and reducing one's wealth. This kind of loss-making business, as a businessman, she doesn't want to do it anyway.

Now it seems that as a top businessman in the ninja world, she has been taught a lesson.

Building roads, which seems to be a very loss-making business, is the real way to make money.

Lost funds will come back, and it will be a tenfold, hundredfold return.

After the road of the country of ghosts was rested, more merchants were willing to come to the country of ghosts, which led to the interaction of commerce, and the country of ghosts was able to develop so quickly, and these foreign merchants also contributed to it.

Unlike Ruri and Ayane, they are interested in the packaging, quality, and function of the goods, but Miyoko, as a businessman, is able to see more distant things through the changes in the past six months.

The path that the ninja world has never conceived of is quietly going on inside the country of ghosts.

I picked a lot of goods and bought them, and I didn't need to think about the problem of funds, and I didn't stop until noon.

The commercial streets of Oni no Kuni are much larger than those of Konoha, and the variety and quality of goods are much larger.

After all, this is not only driven by the merchants of the Oni Country, but also a large number of wealthy merchants from abroad are concentrated here, so that wealth flows, and the commercial street will naturally develop rapidly.

"Ah, my stomach is over. I didn't expect to be able to eat so much delicious food here. ”

Ayane returned to the box from the bathroom, where she could eat and drink without being disturbed by outsiders.

"If you eat so much every time, it's time to lose weight."

Ruri looked at the empty plates in front of Ayane and said this to her.

"It's rude, I'm just a little bit fuller in my breasts. The figure is not out of shape. ”

Ayane coughed.

"It's okay, it's a blessing for a girl to be able to eat. However, it is a very test of her husband's earning ability. There's no problem with how much Ayane-chan wants to eat, and the aunt will pay the bill. ”

Miyoko likes Ayane's cheerful temperament very much, although she doesn't have a word of truth in her mouth, but it makes people feel very comfortable getting along.

"Thank you, Aunt Miyoko. Then you're welcome. After all, it feels like too much waste not to eat so much food. ”

After a long time, Ayane was still eating and drinking at the table.

Although Hu Tianhai eats like this, Ayane's eating action is very elegant, without the slightest rudeness, and at first glance it is a very educated lady, giving people a pleasing feeling.

Ruri looked at Ayane's happy eating, and was also a little jealous, this woman always eats so much, why does she only have breasts that shouldn't grow up? Normal people have long been fattened pigs.

Ruri sat in a few different positions, and Ayane was still eating and drinking there, with no intention of stopping with a full stomach.

After such a long time, she was still eating and drinking, and Ruri felt that she was dragging a lot more than usual.

Dragged ...... than usual

Liuli sensed that something was wrong, usually even if this woman would eat a lot, but this time it took too long.

His face changed suddenly, and his eyes immediately turned scarlet, matching Ayane's gaze that happened to be raised.

Ayane's eyes were glazed, her body stiffened, and the cutlery she was holding in her hand was in the air.

"Hey, Ruri, you're doing this-"

When Miyoko saw this scene, she immediately knew that Ruri had used illusion on Ayane.

Although she knew that Ruri hated Ayane, it was too much to sneak up on her companion with the Sharingan Illusion.

Bang!

Ayane's body turned into a cloud of white smoke and disappeared into the seat opposite.

Miyoko's voice came to an abrupt end.

Shadow clone?

Not only can't hear a word of truth in her mouth, but even the behavior itself is a deceitful woman. Miyoko seriously felt Ayane's cunning and danger at this time.