novel-bin Chapter 124 Birthday
Chapter 124 Birthday
"This is..." Naruto, now a new Naruto after his shift, hadn't forgotten what had happened before, so he was puzzled by the bustling village again. As usual, he went up to ask if he needed help, but before he could finish speaking, he was thrown out of the busy scene.
"This is a tradition in our village. Only villagers can perform this ritual to bless the next year's harvest," Shanming lied earnestly, though his guilt was so slight that it wasn't enough to be discovered.
Naruto said he didn't understand but respected what she said, and was about to go find his friends when Sakura pushed him onto the bed and said that he should get some rest since he was on night shift. Then she took Sasuke and Shin and went out.
You ask where the sacrificial ceremony is? He's on guard duty.
Naruto had a feeling they were up to something, but what big trouble could teenagers possibly cause? So he simply lay down, because he was really tired.
The rescue operation began after the first typhoon passed. The Kingdom of Chuan's resources are largely unreliant on maritime trade; its narrow border dictates that they only trade with the two neighboring major powers, acting as a buffer zone for these powerful nations. Therefore, the king completely ignored the plight of those along the coast, only offering symbolic aid to their only city, Wande. Moreover, those aided were not the city's residents, but rather the city lord who, sensing the danger, had fled to a safe zone. Once everything was over and the people had largely recovered on their own, he would lead his troops to retake Wande.
This has been the case with every major disaster in the past, and even the people have become numb and used to it.
But this year is different. A group of people calling themselves volunteers broke into people's numb lives. They looked like a group of well-trained ninjas, skilled in everything from wading through water to scaling walls and building roads. Instead of harming the people in the disaster area, they rowed boats, carrying food, and organized to rescue those trapped and move them to safety. There, they found clean water and food, and a group of young ninjas were protecting them.
Previously, they had only encountered ninjas on battlefields; caught between powerful nations, their fate was to become a battlefield themselves. Even if those ninjas didn't harm them, they would still ravage the land, leaving behind only devastation. But now, this group of ninjas, appearing from nowhere, saved them in their most desperate moment.
Hope shines brightest in the face of despair. When Hui hastily stepped forward to help with disaster relief, the people they saved will surely reciprocate with their kindness.
Naruto's clone slept until the afternoon, and Naruto himself returned to base and lay down after dispelling the still-early typhoon. With the strongest medical ninja there, he was indeed safe, though his body needed to recover through sleep, while his mind remained focused on receiving real-time intelligence for rescue.
"I'm even more certain now that you'll die from overwork." Kurama had given up. With the natural disaster looming, not only him, but even the entire Hikaru team taking turns couldn't persuade this stubborn guy. It was only when Naruto was truly unable to move that he lay down to rest.
"Didn't Uncle Hashirama say I was fine? It's not like there are such serious natural disasters every day." Naruto's verbal tic only comes out when he's relaxed or anxious. Right now, he's sprawled out on the orange fur, and he's definitely as relaxed as he can be.
"Hmph." Kurama expressed his disbelief. He knew Naruto too well. According to Hui's plan, when they were fighting in several countries, Naruto would definitely want to be on every battlefield, or at least help with logistics.
Nine-Tailed Fox was right. The reason the fox and the human could chat so leisurely was because Hui's efficiency was incredibly strong. After two days of racing against time to rescue people, the situation in the disaster area was finally basically stabilized. However, rescuing people was only the first step. When something like this happens during the autumn harvest season, it's a miracle if half of the grain is saved. Many more people lose their homes and everything overnight. Winter is just around the corner, and there's no time to plant new crops in such a short period.
The resettlement of disaster victims, the supply of food, the repair of damage, the prevention and control of epidemics, and even the psychological counseling of disaster victims are all urgent matters that leave no time for them to catch their breath.
"There's no need to worry about security; large-scale epidemic prevention is already underway. However, food supplies might not be enough if we only draw from the base. These are all experimental fields; they're more than enough for the children normally, but not enough for the disaster victims." The intelligence department has been compiling disaster statistics these past few days, and they produced the data as soon as the relief efforts ended.
“We have quite a few overseas bases, and there will always be some that yield good results. We can transfer some over from there.” Hashirama finally remembered his responsibilities as the Minister of Construction, and theoretically, all overseas bases should be under his jurisdiction.
“Transferring is possible, but we have to pay, and it can’t be done through the bank account. We have to use the Flying Thunder God Technique directly,” Naruto said.
"You don't need to tell me, there's absolutely no way those incompetent bastards will take a single penny of tax." The Minister of Transport patted his chest and assured him that the mission would be accomplished.
"Speaking of which, we've been in the Land of Rivers for seven or eight years now. We've infiltrated all the places we needed to, so why not take this opportunity to expand on a large scale? I've been eyeing Wande City for a long time." Izuna had reached the limit of his patience with the ruler of the Land of Rivers. Of course, this guy's outrageous actions weren't limited to just this year's little bit; he was even capable of spouting nonsense like "Only the strong can survive" during a natural disaster.
Tobirama readily agreed. The traces of their operation could not be erased, and it was crucial to control the local tyrant. "The lord's departure is indeed an opportunity. We also need to help with post-disaster reconstruction. Let's occupy the land first. When the lord returns, we'll lure him into the city and control him."
"Yes, let's not let the ruler of the Land of Rivers feel threatened. We should avoid war for now; the Kage villages are worried about where to make money. We'll wait a few years, when they're too busy to bother us, and then take them all at once." Naruto was all too aware of the future and had already planned out a golden opportunity for a counterattack. The Land of Rivers was one of the battlefields of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Once the ninja world started fighting, they wouldn't have time to deal with anything else. Whether it was organizing an army of ordinary people to launch a strong attack or sending an elite squad for a surprise attack, they could quickly overthrow a small country. Of course, Naruto preferred the former.
After the department heads finished their rescue debriefing meeting, everyone walked out the door in twos and threes as usual. Naruto planned to go directly into the inner room and switch places with his clone; he wanted to see Sasuke in person, not experience it through a clone. However, Uncle Hashirama mysteriously walked over, grabbed Naruto's arm, and dragged him out.
Naruto was stunned, but he was already used to the eccentric Hashirama, so he didn't struggle. As soon as he stepped out the door, there were two loud bangs, and confetti exploded and landed on his face.
The sky was a clear, bright blue after the rain, and the children's smiles were innocent and radiant. Their singing of "Happy Birthday" gradually drew in the adults around them, who were also clapping, and the song spread throughout the entire base.
"Happy birthday, Lord Jinlun!"