Konoha Village is situated in the heart of the Land of Fire, the most prosperous place among the Five Great Nations.The Land of Fire acts like a link, binding the northern and southern lands firmly together; its fertile soil nurtures countless resources and talents.Because of this, it has become the strongest power among the Five Great Nations.Konoha is the fist of the Land of Fire—it represents the military power of this nation.The Land of Fire is wealthy, naturally keeping Konoha well-fed and strong, allowing it to surpass all other Ninja Villages.The Village was founded jointly by the Senju Clanand the Uchiha Clan.Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, could use the Wood Release Bloodline Limit, and the character "Wood" comes from him.The emblem of the Uchiha Clan is fan-shaped, and thus the character "Leaf" fell to them.The symbol of Konoha looks, as a whole, like an unfolded fan.Whoever steps into the Village can look up and see the row of Hokage statues on the mountaintop—the strongest Ninja of each generation, all of whom traded their lives for the Village's prosperity.The statues stand at the highest point, and from there, one can take in the entire view of Konoha.Konoha has a rigorous operational system, known as the Fire System.There are six known departments, each managing its own affairs, keeping the Village vibrant.The Anbu is one of the hidden blades, officially named the "Tactical Special Operations Department," which, simply put, is the special forces among Ninja.Those selected are all top-tier experts in the Village, wearing white masks shaped like animals, tasked with protecting the Hokage and fending off external enemies, occasionally sneaking behind enemy lines to gather intelligence or eliminate targets.Task details are kept strictly under wraps, and even their existence is a secret.The Anbu reports directly to the Hokage; orders come from him, and the department is divided into several squads, with squad captains passing down instructions and leading the work.The function of the Administrative Department, simply put, is to manage the various miscellaneous affairs of Konoha on behalf of the Hokage.To some extent, it also serves as the embodiment of the Village's legislation.On one hand, this department must provide the Hokage with reliable advice to prevent impulsive decisions; on the other hand, it acts as a mouthpiece between the Land of Fire and Konoha—relaying news from the capital, receiving funds allocated to the Village by the country, and occasionally reporting the Village's situation to the Daimyo.As for the Medical Department, it didn't amount to much originally.But ever since Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin, proposed a revolutionary concept—assigning one Medical Ninja to every four-man combat team—Konoha's medical system expanded rapidly, as if injected with adrenaline.Today, it has branched out into several divisions: the Emergency Medical Squad, the Corpse Disposal Squad, and the Animal Care Squad.The people in the Emergency Medical Squad are dedicated to treating Ninja who have lost half their lives in missions or accidents.Those who can join this squad are all experts at Medical Ninjutsu, always wearing that blindingly white specialized uniform when on missions.As for the Corpse Disposal Squad, they handle the job of collecting bodies.A Ninja's corpse is not simple; it hides a lot of intelligence—each Village's unique Ninjutsu, Chakra attributes, and even traces of special drugs used can be unearthed from a corpse.To prevent these things from leaking out, someone must handle them exclusively.This department is not only responsible for cleaning up corpses that appear in the Village, but every so often, they send personnel to the Anbu to help deal with the corpses of rogue Ninja who have fled the Village.The Animal Care Squad mainly provides medical treatment for injured Summoned beasts and pets.Most of its members are veterinarians.After all, these beasts often go on missions with their masters, and broken arms and legs are almost a daily occurrence, so the existence of this squad is indispensable.Konoha Hospital is the headquarters of the entire Medical Department.The place is quite large, with all kinds of medical equipment fully stocked; there is basically nothing missing.The main body of the Education Department is actually the Ninja Academy.It can be said that this is the cradle of every Ninja.Countless outstanding Ninja took the first step of their Ninja careers from this place.The school hides everyone's childhood memories—some were happy here, some felt sad, some were full of worries, and some tasted all the hardships.Sweet, sour, bitter, spicy—it has every flavor, and these feelings fill the hearts of Ninja, making this sentimental school seem even heavier.The official name of the Interrogation Department is the "Konoha Torture and Interrogation Department."Their job is to look after the enemy Ninja captured and brought back—especially spies—as well as some rogue Ninja who ran away from the Village, and incidentally, pry some information out of them.Because such tasks are mostly handled by the Anbu, this department often works together with the Anbu.The interrogated intelligence is not told to any other organization or individual but is sent directly to the Hokage.The Konoha Police Force no longer exists.Back when this department was still around, it was mainly responsible for maintaining public order in the Village and occasionally helping the Anbu with the Village's defense work.Since a long, long time ago, this department had always been controlled by one of Konoha's elite families—the Uchiha Clan.Therefore, the emblem of the Konoha Police Force still retains the family crest of the Uchiha Clan: that fan of fire.In Konoha's lineage of noble families, the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan are the most prominent.The Hyuga Clan inherits ancient traditions—adult men wear kimonos, their wide sleeves fluttering in the wind like silent flags.Their unique Byakugan can expose the flow of Chakra, like laying out the veins of a leaf under the sun.Relying on this vision, the Hyuga's Gentle Fist Artwas born: the moment the palm touches, Chakrapierces into the opponent's body like a fine needle, exploding along the meridians.Combined with the footwork of the Eight Trigrams Palms, they almost block all paths of retreat in close-quarters combat.However, the inheritance of power hides shadows.Legend has it that the Hyuga Ichizoku ancestor established a rule: the eldest son inherits the Main House, while the other children are relegated to the Branch House.The foreheads of the Branch House are branded with a seal, a mark like a nail embedded in the skull—the Main House can crush the nerves inside at any time.Countless geniuses of the Branch House stood silently in the shadows like this, their talents crushed into dust by the seal.The Uchiha Clan is a different scene.When the Sharingan rotates, the three tomoe spin like blood drops on the iris, and every nerve of the opponent is gripped by fear.When the stronger Mangekyo appears in the eyes, the Tsukuyomi can plunge the mind into an inescapable cage, and the black flames of Amaterasu will burn from the point of focus.Every generation of Uchiha has geniuses; they snap off the Ninjutsu of other nations like tree branches and graft them into the soil of Konoha, letting those techniques grow new leaves.The Senju Clan was once the premier family of Konoha—three Hokage emerged from their clan.But after the death of the Second Hokage, their names became like smoke scattered by the wind, gradually no longer mentioned.The secret technique clans each have their own aloofness.The Akimichi Clan masters the Multi-Size Technique, capable of inflating their bodies like balloons to crush enemies.The military rations pills popular in Konoha were originally circulated from the Akimichi family's prescriptions.Their secret medicines also include the Three-Colored Pills—the green one can briefly stimulate Chakra, the yellow one has more potent medicinal power, but the side effects are like a rope tightening around the throat.The Nara Clan relies on pharmacy to establish their standing, and deer antler is their most adept material.To catch wild deer, the ancestors devised a method to control the opponent's movements using shadows.Later, this move evolved into the Shadow Possession Jutsu and Shadow Strangle Jutsu, passed down from generation to generation among the clan members.The Yamanaka Clan is obsessed with controlling the human heart—their Mind Transfer Jutsu can splash their consciousness into someone else's brain like water, but when encountering someone with a strong will, that water will be bounced back.The mountain breeze of Konoha Village, carrying the smoke of cooking fires, passed through the streets and alleys. Naruto squatted on the bench in front of the ramen stand, picking up a slice of char siu with wooden chopsticks, the oily sheen shimmering in the setting sun.The proprietress of the sweet shop next door was skewering rice dumplings onto bamboo sticks. The cloying sweetness of red bean soup mixed with the sour smell of fermented natto, fighting in his nasal cavity—a faded coupon advertisement was posted in the small shop, reading "Buy ten bowls, get one free," its paper edges curled from the steam.When the youth of the Aburame family passed through the crowd, his black high-collared jacket covered most of his face, and there was a faint, extremely subtle crawling sound under his sleeves.He stopped his steps and reached out to catch a withered leaf drifting from the eaves; the swarm of insects at his fingertips squirmed under his skin for a moment before returning to calm.People of this clan sign a contract with insects from birth; their limbs are nests, and when fighting, they let those tiny allies charge for them.They never show emotion; even when facing the weakest opponent, their pupils always hold that calm, scrutinizing meaning.Inuzuka Kiba ran from the street corner leading a white puppy, its paws stepping through a puddle and splashing mud.He squatted down to pick up the dog, pressed his ear against the dog's belly to listen to its heartbeat, and muttered, "Should I give it extra food tonight or train?"People of the Inuzuka family have to share the same bed and the same food bowl with their puppies from childhood. By the time the dog is old enough to crush bones, they have to go into the forest together to hunt beasts.That clan can be considered prosperous among the secret technique clans in Konoha, but over the years, many new graves added to the cemetery also bear the surname Inuzuka.The four faces on the Hokage Rock silently overlooked the Village.It has been said that a child of the Hatake family should be born with a Kunai in their hand—although this is an exaggeration, every Ninja of that surname can indeed rank among the elite.It's just that the people of that clan are pitifully few, like the last leaf on a branch in late autumn, ready to fall with a single gust of wind.The Kurama family's mansion sank at the edge of the Village; weeds in the courtyard were waist-high, and knife marks from the Ninja War remained on the pillars.They used to be able to go toe-to-toe with the Uchiha, relying on a Bloodline Limit that could trap people to death in illusions: as long as you stabbed the opponent's throat in the illusion space, the person in reality would also collapse holding their neck.Unfortunately, in recent years, the clan hasn't been able to produce any more qualified Chunin, and the glory has just been left on the dust-covered memorial tablets, looking dim even when the moonlight shines in.The scrolls of Uzushiogakure are kept in a secret room in Konoha; alongside their sealing techniques, the Uzumaki Clan's red hair and long lifespan are equally famous.It was called the "Land of Longevity," but longevity could not stop the fate of national destruction.When the flames of war scorched the Land of Whirlpools, Konoha took in the surviving children of this clan. Today, the markings of the Uzumaki are still sewn onto the shoulders of the Ninja uniforms; that is the "Forever" written by the two Villages in a blood pact.Naruto raised his head, sweat rolling down from his temple, dripping into the soup bowl and rippling a circle of oil.He possessed the iconic vitality of his red-haired distant relatives, but no one told him any of this.Branches in the forest were pushed aside; the Inuzuka family's dog smelled the aroma of roasted meat.Someone set up a stove in the clearing behind the Hokage Rock; meat slices skewered on bamboo sticks sizzled on the iron grate, and grease dripped, splashing up charcoal ash.The Kurama family's child secretly poked his head out from the top of the wall, watching the commoners' children frolicking in the light spots leaking through the gaps in the leaves.And the man from the Aburame family leaned against a tree trunk, the insects in his cuffs crawling out quietly, stopping on a blade of grass, their antennae trembling gently—they were listening to all the sounds in the wind.In the dream that Uchiha Naruto often had, there was always a mirror.The mirror surface was covered with cracks, as if blown open from the inside by some force.The face reflected in the mirror was half himself and half someone else.That person had golden hair like his, but deep in the pupils were embedded two overlapping rings, one pitch-black, one glowing with a faint blue light.He wanted to reach out to touch it, but as soon as his fingertips touched the mirror surface, the whole world cracked open from under his feet.The sound of wind, the sound of water, some kind of low chanting—all sounds stirred together and poured into his ears, and then he woke up.When he woke up, his forehead was pressing against the window frame, and the morning light fell on the tatami mat through the paper door.A scent lingered in his nasal cavity, like soil after rain, and also like burnt spell paper.Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and sat up.He didn't have much emotion about that dream, just like a minor scar on his body; after getting used to it, he felt it had been there all along.The only thing that puzzled him was that every time he woke up, there would be an extra piece of paper by his pillow.There was nothing written on the paper, but the edges were so neat that it didn't look like it was torn off casually; it looked more like a page clipped from a book.He kept those papers in a wooden box, hidden under the bed board, and so far, he had collected six.Regarding the matter of the eyes, he never brought it up voluntarily.
