Naori's eyes were completely filled with the splendor of the fireworks, but Torifu's eyes held only Naori.
"Thank you, Torifu. This is the most beautiful flower I've ever seen, even though it only blooms for a moment."
Torifu smiled faintly. "Perhaps the beauty of a fleeting moment is even more precious."
Every firework that bloomed and faded was a unique beauty that no other firework could ever imitate. Naori was overjoyed. Any slight disappointment she had felt that morning because Torifu wasn't home had completely vanished.
The two of them stood atop the cliff on Konoha's back mountain, a vantage point that couldn't be beaten. They were so close to the fireworks that it felt as if they could reach out and pluck a bloom.
Tonight, Konoha was destined to be sleepless. Nearly all the villagers poured into the streets or their own yards to watch the display.
Hashirama and Mito had been given prior notice by Torifu, so they had secured a good viewing spot early on. Mito had even put on a beautiful dress for the occasion.
"I have to say, old man, you were never this romantic when we got married."
Hashirama scratched his head and laughed heartily. "Oh, we didn't have these kinds of resources back then, did we? This boy, Torifu, is always pulling off spectacular feats. You can't compare me to him."
Mito rolled her eyes at Hashirama. "I knew you'd say that. Good thing I stopped craving things like this long ago, or I'd be green with envy."
Though she complained, Mito tightly held Hashirama's hand. Both of them smiled as they watched the flowers blooming across the night sky.
Meanwhile, Tobirama, standing alone, could only watch his older brother and sister-in-law's loving display. He didn't even have anyone to watch the fireworks with. He sighed, leaning solo against a utility pole. Living alone his entire life was a bit lonely. But it didn't matter; even without a wife, he had the stack of jutsu he'd developed to keep him company—those were his children. And as for the jutsu? Of course, they were locked up in the prison archives.
The entire Konoha Village was immersed in the beauty of the fireworks. Even the food stall owners abandoned their businesses, looking up at the sky. The bizarre events of the last two days—first the wedding in the sky, now the fireworks—completely redefined their understanding of the world. More than anything, they were thrilled. Seeing new things they had never imagined made them feel like they weren't being left behind by the world.
"Incredible, truly incredible! What method did Hokage-sama use to pull off a spectacle like this?"
The Kage present were completely clueless; this was genuinely the first time any of them had seen something like this. They struggled to find the words to describe it. The Kage were intently watching the fireworks, each bloom unique. The visual effects varied: some looked like blossoming peonies, while others resembled fiery, silver trees.
"Do you think we could make a request to the Hokage-sama to purchase these things? If our villages had something like this for celebrations, it would be quite a prestige boost." The Kazekage suggested this, and the other Kage immediately took a keen interest in buying them. However, they knew that since this was a new invention by the Hokage, the price would certainly not be cheap!
"How about we find some time tomorrow to speak with the Hokage? We haven't even visited the Hokage's home yet," Ōnoki suggested.
The other Kage naturally shared the sentiment. Since someone had taken the lead, they were all eager to visit the legendary Kumotsuru Clan compound. After all, this mythical clan had left behind many stories in the Ninja World.
"Very well, then I will take the lead. Tomorrow around eight or nine o'clock, we few will visit the Hokage-sama's home. No one is planning to leave tomorrow, are they?"
Ōnoki glanced around, and all the Kage shook their heads. If this hadn't happened, they would have planned to depart tomorrow, but the sight of these Firework Cannons made them too covetous. They had to try and secure some.
In truth, while a single cannon would produce a nice effect, it wouldn't be anywhere near as spectacular as this current display! This was twenty Firework Cannons firing non-stop for almost ten minutes! As long as the Chakra in the barrel wasn't depleted, it could be used continuously. If the Kage were only able to acquire one, the effect would be vastly inferior.
However, Torifu might not even be willing to sell them. After all, this item came from the system store, and its function was quite miraculous. The fact that it required no external materials and was purely activated by Chakra might raise suspicion.
Putting that aside for the moment, Torifu and Naori watched the fireworks from the mountain until the Chakra in the Firework Cannons was gradually exhausted. Only then did they prepare to go home. Seeing the fireworks diminish, the villagers also began to head back to sleep. A half-hour of such beauty was enough to give them sweet dreams all night.
After the display ended, the clones immediately collected the Firework Cannons in the village. However, the recently fired barrels were like red-hot irons and couldn't be touched by hand. The clones had to use Cloud Release to encase them and gradually cool them down.
Seeing the number of villagers on the streets decrease, the vendors also headed home. It had been a volatile night; although many villagers were out, they were only focused on the fireworks, and no one was buying food. Even the vendors themselves were captivated by the display and had no mind for business. But they could afford to lose one night; Konoha Village's food stalls were always popular.
When Torifu and Naori returned to the compound, Minato and the others instantly swarmed them.
"Big Brother, Big Sister-in-law! What was that thing? It was so beautiful!"
Torifu smiled faintly. "Fireworks. The fact that it was beautiful means the show was a success."
Smiles filled the faces of his little brothers and disciples. Torifu was naturally very happy as well.
Thinking aloud, the Kage from the other villages must have seen the fireworks and might come looking for him tomorrow. He then retrieved a blueprint from his ring and handed it to Amado. "Take a look. This is the instruction manual for manufacturing the fireworks. It's not very difficult, and I had you try to mix the gunpowder ingredients two months ago, so there shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Amado took the instruction manual and began reading. His initial frown quickly vanished. "I didn't expect the manufacturing process to be so simple. I can start experimenting with it very soon."
Torifu nodded. "Good. Of course, the effect won't be exactly the same as my cannon, but it shouldn't be too far off."
Torifu's main reason for doing this was to prepare for the Kage who would likely arrive tomorrow. This would also give Konoha another commodity it could sell. After all, Konoha currently had too few items to export.