Minato was naturally very happy; the ban had made him feel a little cooped up for the past few days. He couldn't take on missions or leave the village, but now it was finally lifted.
"Tomorrow, Sakumo will probably take you out on missions. Since you haven't done any missions these past few days, you'll probably be busy for the next few."
Minato had already expected this. Sakumo wasn't a casual person. Even though they hadn't done missions these past few days, he didn't let them slack off. They had to train at the academy's training grounds every day. But tonight, he could have a good time. Konoha had never held a bonfire festival like this before! He could go and find Kushina to have fun with. Ever since he graduated, he and Kushina could only contact each other by phone. One had to go to school, and the other had to go on missions, so it wasn't easy for them to meet.
"Big Brother, what time does it start tonight?! I need to go get a good spot fast!"
Torifu smiled slightly and patted his head. "Around five-thirty. The sun will be just about to set, so it won't be too dark to see anything."
"Hehe, okay! Then I'll go out and see if there's anything I can help with!" After he said that, Minato ran out the door.
Torifu shook his head. He was still just a kid, getting so excited over something like this. It was only noon right now; there was still a long time until evening.
Hearing the sounds from the yard, Amado opened the door and walked out. "I heard you talking about a festival. What's going on? Is there a celebration in Konoha?"
Torifu spread his hands. "No, but there was a disaster."
"Oh? What happened?"
Torifu told Amado about what happened at the interrogation unit, and the guy gasped. "A living person! Reduced to ashes in seconds?! And they were Kage-level? What kind of ninjutsu is that? It's too vicious!"
Torifu also wanted to ask someone what kind of jutsu it was, but unfortunately, no one could answer. "Don't do any experiments this afternoon. The village is having a bonfire festival tonight. You should go and join the fun."
Amado scratched his head. "Fine. I don't have much to do these days anyway." The second generation of electrical appliances had already been put into production at the factory and would be sold soon. He had spent the previous days overseeing the factory to make sure there were no mistakes, so he had been idle for the past few days. He had been thinking of going out for a walk to relax. But then the ban happened, and the entire village's atmosphere was low, so going out would have just ruined his mood. Amado had just been cooped up at home for days. He had finally made it through.
"Is it five-thirty tonight? I think I just heard that time."
"Yep, five-thirty. Remember to change into a clean set of clothes. You're a great inventor; you have to pay attention to your appearance when you go out."
Amado sighed. "You have requirements for that, too? Fine, fine."
Then Torifu turned and left to do his own things. He was too lazy to cook lunch, so he just called Teuchi to deliver some ramen. It wasn't long before Torifu sensed that someone had arrived.
"Hokage-sama, are you home? Hokage-sama, are you there?"
Torifu walked to the door and saw Teuchi craning his neck and calling out. "I'm here. Come on in."
Teuchi carried a wooden box and followed Torifu to the gazebo. He then placed the box on the table and opened the lid. A fragrant smell wafted out. "Your deluxe tonkotsu ramen. Please enjoy."
Torifu thanked him and then asked, "How's the shop selection going? Do you have a place in mind?"
Teuchi nodded. "Yes, I do. It's on the main street, but the price there is a bit high."
Torifu waved his hand. "That's not a problem. Just stick to our agreement and give me thirty percent of your monthly income."
Teuchi's face broke into a smile. "Okay! Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Alright, go on and get busy. Your stall must be packed with people by now."
Teuchi chuckled. "No, I specially made this for you. The head of commerce sent out a notice to us small vendors, assigning us our stalls for tonight. I was just about to go check out the spot when I got your call."
Torifu nodded. He knew the boss was efficient, but he didn't expect him to be this efficient. How long had he been back? The boss had already assigned the spots.
"Alright, then go on. Tonight is Konoha's festival. You can use this to improve your reputation. After all, not everyone goes to the morning market."
Teuchi also knew this, so he was preparing to go and scout out the area in advance to avoid any mistakes. After saying goodbye to Torifu, Teuchi scurried away.
Torifu also enjoyed his meal with a peaceful mind. Just like that, the time quickly came to five-twenty. The main street square was already full of people. In the center was a very large pile of wood that had been neatly arranged by the ninjas. A lot of oil had been poured over it to make it easy to light. In addition to the bonfire on the main street, the other streets were all decorated with small lanterns. They would be lit after dark, which would make the atmosphere even better.
"Hokage-sama, you've arrived."
"It's Shinku. How have you been? It's been a while."
Shinku smiled. "I've been well. I was planning on going out on a mission, but I heard you were holding a bonfire festival tonight, so I decided to come and join the fun."
Torifu patted his shoulder. "That's more like it. You're always just doing missions. That's not how you get people to like you. Tonight is a good opportunity. See if you can find a girl you like."
When Torifu said that, Shinku looked a little embarrassed. All these years, he had been working hard to improve his strength and had never thought about a relationship. But when he thought about it, his classmates all had loved ones, and some were even married. He was the only one who was still single. But you can never know with matters of the heart. You just have to take it one step at a time.
The two of them walked together to the large bonfire. The bonfire stand was a full person's height, and the surrounding area was very spacious, so there was no need to worry about fire. Torifu was very satisfied with this. He also heard that the members of the Senju clan were the ones who set it up. It must have been his master's orders. He wondered if the old man would come tonight.
Ten minutes passed quickly. Standing on a high platform in the distance, he looked at every street in Konoha. They were all already packed with people. But with the ninjas constantly directing traffic, people could still walk normally. Torifu clapped his hands, and more than ten crystals that looked like large screens flew out and hovered over each street. From them, people could see the bonfire on the main street and Torifu standing on the platform.
"Good evening, everyone. The bonfire festival officially begins tonight. I hope you all have a wonderful night!"