Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 614 The Peaceful and Tranquil Hidden Leaf Village

"Kashin Koji?" Kakashi Hatake stared at the figure that had vanished in an instant.

Today, only members of the Shell organization can accurately track their movements.

After the group was defeated a few years ago, the remaining members completely disappeared.

He glanced at the bewildered child beside him, a hint of murderous intent quietly rising in his heart.

But faced with that pure, innocent face, like that of a newborn child, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.

Well, Konoha is already in this state, so how much worse can things get with any more changes?

Kakashi gently nudged the child on the ground with his foot: "Hey, what's your name?"

"Kawaki," the dark-skinned child looked up and answered.

After that day, the Ninja Academy gained a new student from outside the academy.

-

Within Konoha Village, after several years of governance by Kakashi Hatake, and with the Yamanaka clan continuously using their spiritual techniques to guide and heal the villagers' minds, the entire village appeared to be thriving on the surface.

At seven o'clock in the morning, the hazy light of dawn fell on the brand-new, wide streets.

The houses on both sides of the road are neatly arranged, all with white walls and gray tiles, and each house has the same camellias planted in front of its door.

This is a favorite of the mountain tribes, who say that this flower can calm the mind and soothe emotions.

"Good morning, Mrs. Toyota!"

"Good morning, Mr. Edano!"

The villagers wore standardized smiles and bowed to each other in greeting.

The children, carrying their schoolbags, walked together toward the school.

After years of reforms, the village school no longer only teaches ninja skills, but also introduces knowledge from the outside world, although the content has been strictly reduced.

Military and political content was completely removed, and only the Will of Fire was taught in the classroom.

Official history no longer exists; instead, it is replaced by legendary stories of Konoha ninjas achieving great deeds throughout the ages.

For a long time, the history and perception of the village have been deliberately distorted.

The elders warned the younger generation from a young age: "Demons lurk outside the village; it is these bandits who have stolen Konoha's once abundant resources."

The sole purpose of a ninja's training to become stronger is to drive away the demons and reclaim their homeland.

The children in the school still practice ninjutsu and play unique ninja games during breaks.

The shops along the street were still bustling, and the shop owners warmly greeted passersby.

The currency and salary system have long been abolished here, and a unified distribution model for materials was implemented three years ago.

The villagers line up in order every day to receive the food and daily necessities they need. All the supplies are of the same style and type, leaving no room for selection.

This is a rule established by the village ninjas after discussion: by ensuring that resources are completely identical, the desire to compare can be eliminated, thus reducing disputes and conflicts at their source.

In the center of the campus stands a towering tree. In the past, this was a place where villagers commemorated the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. Now, the tree is lush and leafy, and has become a place for people to cool off and rest.

Several elderly men with white hair sat around a tree playing chess, their faces beaming as they chatted about their lives.

"Life is so peaceful now, we don't have to worry about food, clothing, or daily necessities."

"Yes, this kind of life is quite fulfilling. There's only one worry: none of the young people in the family want to have children."

"You're lucky. My younger generation won't even get married." Someone sighed softly. When talking about the declining population, everyone's expressions darkened, and they quickly changed the subject.

"General! I've won!"

"Oops, I made a mistake just now, let's play another round!"

The defeated old man wanted to take back his move, but when he caught a glimpse of a patrolling ninja, he could only smile wryly, abandon his thoughts, and push over the chessboard to start a new game.

Arguments, insults, and negative emotions are strictly prohibited in the village; this was a rule set by the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi.

Negative words and actions can breed resentment and disrupt the stability of the village.

Over time, everyone got used to maintaining a happy and peaceful demeanor in front of others, especially the patrolling ninjas.

Ninjas remain the highest-ranking profession in Konoha.

However, in recent years, fewer and fewer young people have been able to pass the Chunin Academy's examinations, with only a few dozen new ninjas successfully becoming official members each day.

However, this new generation is quite strong, with a starting level at least comparable to the Chunin of yesteryear, and their taijutsu skills are approaching those of Jonin.

This is an advantage brought about by the times: the village has a large reserve of specially made nutrient solutions and insect-based medicines, and the villagers say by word of mouth that these divine items were bestowed by the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi.

Young children even revered him as a god, and it was said that he could conjure food and divine medicine from his eyes.

When Konoha residents encounter ninjas on the road, they will give way and bow respectfully.

This reverence did not stem from Kakashi's decrees, but rather from a concept ingrained in everyone's bones after a large-scale ideological rectification campaign was carried out in the village in the early years.

Over time, the ninja community gradually developed an arrogant mentality, and the class divisions within the village became increasingly apparent.

Kakashi tried several times to adjust the situation, but with little success. Instead, the people's awe deepened, and the whole village was filled with a distant and reserved politeness.

In the streets and alleys, a young mother leads her child slowly forward.

The child looked up at the sky, his face full of confusion: "Mom, the book says the sky is blue, but the sky I see is always grayish-black."

The mother froze, and after a few seconds she managed a forced smile.

Just then, a patrolling ninja walked by. Her expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly covered the child's mouth, whispering a scolding, "Don't talk nonsense. Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Be good."

Once the ninja was out of sight, she released her grip, her gaze towards the child complex and eerie: "Remember, you must become a ninja someday, you must leave this place. The outside world is vast and boundless; we shouldn't be confined to this small place."

The child has lived in Konoha since birth and has long accepted that everything in front of him is the world as it is.

He seemed to understand, but still nodded obediently, "I understand, Mother."

A few days later, the boy made a new friend at the academy named Kawaki.

The teacher said he came from the big world outside.

Kawaki describes a world that is both novel and vast: the world is filled with strange insect swarms, and people can fly, burrow underground, and travel in the deep sea.

The boy had never seen the sea before and asked curiously what it looked like.

Kawaki described with a smile: "The ocean is full of water, with countless fish, and huge whales. Legend has it that some whales are larger than the entire Leaf Village combined."

Although it may sound exaggerated, there are giant sea monsters thousands of meters long and massive underground centipede trains in the outside world, things that the villagers of Konoha have never even heard of.

The child longed for it and begged his mother for it that night.

The mother, holding her child, heard that outsiders had appeared in the village, and a hint of hatred flashed in her eyes.

Has Konoha started accepting outsiders?

Is it possible that the higher-ups in the ninja clan can all leave, while we're stuck here? They must have already sided with the demons, right?