Her face was full of smiles, and Shinku's face was also a little red. He looked very shy. Kosuke touched his chin after seeing this. "Alright, alright. So this is what you're doing, huh? Pulling off something big without a word!"
Torifu smiled. "I told him to. I told him to make good use of this opportunity at the bonfire festival. After all, he's a little too stiff when it comes to relationships."
Kosuke also nodded when he heard this. "Who says he isn't? Sigh, this kid just does missions every day and even asks me to come along. I don't even have time to get a girlfriend."
Naori patted Kosuke's shoulder. "With your way with words, you won't have any trouble finding someone. Don't worry."
Kosuke smiled when he heard this. "Hehe, is that so? I thought so, too."
In this world, Kosuke was already a jōnin in Konoha because Torifu had told him to not be greedy for achievements when he first graduated. So he had always been steadily doing missions and improving his strength. Naturally, he hadn't sacrificed any of his teammates for quick success.
"Alright, I'm not going to talk to you two anymore. You both have company, and I need to go find someone to walk with!" With that, Kosuke waved his hand and ran off.
Torifu watched his retreating figure and smiled. "This guy seems a little anxious, too."
"Maybe he felt a little unbalanced seeing all of us in pairs."
At this moment, Shinku and the girl had finished talking and were walking together toward the main street. They were laughing and chatting, so it seemed to be going pretty well.
"Maybe."
After a while, it got dark. The small lanterns hanging from the eaves on both sides of the road all lit up at once. The warm yellow light made all of Konoha feel very cozy, and the atmosphere was elevated to another level. Many couples were walking hand in hand, laughing and talking. It looked like a scene of pure happiness.
"How do you feel tonight?" Torifu asked.
Naori answered without even thinking. "It's great! It's several times more lively than the Hokage inauguration ceremony. This is the first time I've ever experienced something like this since I was born. It's so much fun. Why don't we do this once every year?"
Torifu actually had the same idea. Since Naori also brought it up, he might as well make this day a national holiday for Konoha.
"That's a great idea. From now on, everyone can have a celebration every year. But since it's a festival, we should give it a name. How about 'Carnival'?"
Naori nodded. "This is a festival you created, so you should be the one to name it. I have no objections."
Torifu smiled and touched Naori's head. "Alright, let's call it the Carnival. Every year on this day, Konoha will light a bonfire and begin the Carnival!"
Tonight was undoubtedly an unforgettable night. The bonfire gradually burned out, and the flying fire crane also became smaller and smaller. As the piled-up wood turned into charcoal, the night also grew deeper. Most of the villagers had ended their carnival for the night and had returned home to get ready for bed. But Torifu, as the Hokage, couldn't leave early. The bonfire that he had lit must also be extinguished by him.
A water ball was thrown onto it, and the flame that was already about to die out disappeared completely, also signifying the end of the bonfire festival.
"Everyone, tonight's carnival has ended. You can all go home and rest. On this day every year, we will light a bonfire here again and begin a new carnival."
Hearing that the carnival was ending, the villagers were undoubtedly a little disappointed, but when they heard that it would be held again next year, they were no longer so upset. As long as it wasn't the last time, there was still hope for everything.
The bonfire had already been extinguished, and only a wisp of smoke was still drifting away. So much charcoal couldn't be cleaned up all at once, so he would just have to wait for the people in charge of cleaning the streets to handle it tomorrow. Even so, Torifu cleaned up some of the larger pieces of charcoal, leaving only some small fragments.
"Let's go, Naori. I'll walk you home."
Naori shook her head. "No, it's already very late. You should go back first and see if Minato has made it home."
When Naori said that, Torifu suddenly remembered that he hadn't seen Minato all night. But that kid probably went to play with Kushina, which was near Ashina's place, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Alright, then you should also go back quickly. Don't ruin your rest." The two of them waved their hands, then returned to their respective compounds.
Time passed quickly, and three days passed in the blink of an eye. Torifu was getting his appearance in order in front of a mirror. Yesterday morning, Ibiki had already returned to the interrogation unit to formally interrogate the leader. A day had already passed, so there should be some results.
Torifu was about to head to the interrogation unit. This time, he didn't gather all the clan heads to go with him. If there wasn't any progress, it would be a wasted trip for them all.
But Torifu himself didn't have anything to do, so he might as well take a walk. After the bonfire festival three days ago, the atmosphere in Konoha had finally returned to normal. Everyone's faces were once again filled with motivation for life. This was what Torifu wanted to see. No one would like a village that was lifeless.
Torifu walked quickly through the village and soon arrived at the interrogation unit. When the guard saw the Hokage, he immediately bowed. Torifu waved his hand and walked straight in.
"Ibiki , where are you?"
Ibiki, who was in the middle of an interrogation, vaguely heard Torifu's voice and immediately walked out. "Hokage-sama, why have you come in person? I'm in the middle of an interrogation."
"I'm just here to take a look since I have nothing to do. How's it going? Have you gotten any information?"
Ibiki nodded. "I've gotten some, but he definitely knows more and is just holding back."
Torifu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're the head of the interrogation unit, and he's got you figured out?"
"Alright, first, tell me what information you've gotten."
Ibiki led Torifu to his office and had him sit in the main chair. He himself stood.
"After a full day of continuous interrogation yesterday, I learned from his mouth that he is actually from the Hidden Rain Village."
When this information came out, Torifu's eyes widened.
"The Hidden Rain Village? Besides Hanzō, can the Hidden Rain Village have someone this strong? And twelve of them at once?"
Ibiki sighed. "That's what I thought, too, so I continued to interrogate him. I finally learned that he is Hanzō's confidant and only takes orders from Hanzō."
"He wouldn't say anything else. His mouth is very tight, so I'm continuing to beat him to get some more valuable information."
Torifu nodded after hearing this. "Good. You've worked hard. Continue to interrogate him. I'll just watch from the side."