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Instead of a deafening roar, a burst of light appeared first. Countless blinding white beams erupted from the clay drills, instantly engulfing the entire mountainside in the target area. The light was so intense that everyone instinctively squinted or raised their hands to shield their eyes.

Immediately afterwards, a deep yet extremely penetrating hum resounded, as if the earth itself was groaning. The mountain began to tremble violently, but the tremor was strictly limited to the area Deidara had predetermined.

Then came the explosions. Thousands upon thousands of incredibly dense and precisely rhythmic explosions, a grand symphony! Rocks were precisely pulverized and stripped away, not scattered haphazardly. Smoke billowed into the sky, but was controlled by Temari's well-prepared Wind Release ninja team, who used swirling air currents to confine it within a certain area, preventing large-scale spread.

Kakashi's Sharingan quietly activated, Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique was poised to strike, and Onoki had prepared Dust Release just in case. But they were all astonished to find that Deidara's control was at an astonishing level. The vast majority of the explosion's energy was channeled into the mountainside, efficiently breaking down and excavating it.

The entire process lasted nearly ten minutes. As the echo of the final explosion dissipated in the valley, and the smoke and dust slowly settled and were washed away by the rain thanks to the efforts of Temari's Wind Release ninjas, the scene before them made everyone hold their breath.

The majestic mountain range still stands tall, but on its originally intact and continuous mountain body, a huge, regular, seemingly naturally formed pass has suddenly appeared! For the first time, the sunlight shines through this newborn gap without any obstruction, like a golden beam of light, piercing through the perpetual dark clouds of the Rain Province and warmly shining on the damp land.

At the same time, the cumulonimbus clouds that linger year-round in the direction of the Rain Province also began to slowly move towards the desert through the mountain pass, bringing a new life.

It was a success. Deidara truly used his art of explosion to precisely blast open a huge passage without causing catastrophic consequences.

Deidara stood on the high platform, panting heavily, his chakra depleted, but his face beamed with an extremely satisfied and proud smile. He spread his arms and shouted to the sky, "See this! This is true art! This is my greatest work! Yes!!"

Temari gazed at the mountain pass, a glint of light in her eyes, already planning trade routes and future climate improvement strategies in her mind. Kankuro couldn't help but whistle.

Nagato's eyes reflected the ray of sunlight breaking through the gloom, and she nodded slightly. Konan tilted the paper umbrella in her hand slightly, letting some sunlight fall on her face.

Onoki stared blankly for a long time, then finally snorted and turned his head away, but there seemed to be a barely perceptible curve at the corner of his mouth as he muttered, "...That little rascal, he actually... managed to pull it off..."

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his guard, pulled down his mask, and revealed a helpless smile. He looked at the excited Deidara, the calmly planning Temari, the pensive Nagato, and the huge pass in the distance that symbolized change and possibility.

Is this the new "way of the ninja" in peacetime? Using the power once used for war to open up new frontiers, build new ones, and bring about change. The process is still thrilling, full of surprises and risks, but the goal is completely different.

"Honestly... they're all more troublesome than the last," Kakashi muttered, but his gaze lingered on the ray of light piercing through the clouds.

A new path has been opened, and no one knows what the future holds. But change has already occurred.

Perhaps this is also a kind of...explosive progress.

“Let’s go back,” Kakashi said, turning his head. “However, it will be Neji’s turn to worry about what happens next. Now that the passage between the two countries has been opened, the subsequent agricultural plans and road planning will all be his responsibility as the Minister of the Left.”

"By the way, any news about Naruto lately?" Kakashi asked casually.

“Who can find him?” Shikamaru said with a wry smile. “Ever since that guy learned the Sage Mode, his aura has become almost one with nature. Traditional detection methods can’t find a trace of his presence.”

"Sigh, I hope he'll be more sensible and come back soon. Otherwise, if he's not even there when his wife is giving birth, his master's wife will beat me up again. She always thinks that Jiraiya and I led Naruto astray. I, as the Hokage, also have some dignity," Kakashi sighed.

Chapter 324 Extra Chapter 2: The New Generation (1)

In the 16th year of the Fire Federation, the early autumn morning light streamed through the glass curtain walls of Konoha's high-rise buildings, illuminating the traditional grounds of the Uchiha clan. In the dining room of the clan head's residence, Sasuke was having breakfast with his wife, Karin Uzumaki, and daughter, Sarada Uchiha. On the table were miso soup, grilled fish, and rice, exuding a gentle, warm family atmosphere.

Sasuke put down his chopsticks and got up to walk towards the entrance. He picked up the tuxedo embroidered with the words "Seventh Hokage" in gold and draped it smoothly over his shoulders. As he turned, he said softly to his wife and daughter, "I have to have a meeting with Neji and the provincial governors tonight, so I won't be home for dinner."

Karin looked up, adjusted her glasses, and replied gently, "I understand." Her smile beneath her red hair remained bright, but she didn't notice the increasingly tense expression on her daughter's face beside her.

Just then, Sarada suddenly slammed the bowl down on the table, breaking the silence with a loud "bang".

"Sarana?" Karin frowned and looked over.

The girl looked up, her voice tinged with grievance and dissatisfaction: "Do you know what day it is today?" She deliberately dragged out the last four syllables, "Seventh—Household—Master?"

Sasuke paused, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes: "Isn't today... the day of the Federation's routine provincial meetings?"

"Hmph!" Sarada's lips twitched, and she abruptly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound. Without looking back, she stormed out of the dining room, her footsteps pounding down the hallway before finally disappearing with the slam of the door closing.

Sasuke stood there, a rare look of helplessness on his usually stern face: "What's wrong with her?"

Karin stood up and gently patted his arm: "You go to the Hokage Building first, I'll take care of Sarada."

"Thank you for your help."

“Why say such things between husband and wife?” Karin smiled. Although their marriage began as a political alliance, after many years together, they had long since developed a comfortable relationship.

After Sasuke left, Karin walked to Sarada's door and knocked twice. There was no response. She sighed and pushed the door open.

Sarada was buried in the blankets, looking like a sulking little animal. Karin sat down on the edge of the bed and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

The blanket was suddenly pulled off, and Sarada glared angrily, "You wretched father! You even forgot such an important day!"

"An important day?" Karin was still a little confused.

"You even forgot about Mom?" Sarada sat up in disbelief. "Today is your wedding anniversary!"

Karin was taken aback, then suddenly realized, and couldn't help but slap her forehead: "Look at my memory!"

"Are you two even married?!" Sarada almost jumped up. "Who forgets their wedding anniversary together?!"

Karin was both amused and annoyed. She reached out and gently pinched her daughter's cheek: "If you're not husband and wife, where did you get your household registration from?"

"But what couple gets along like you two!" Sarada broke free from her mother's hand, jumped off the bed, rushed out of the room, and ran out of the house in the blink of an eye.

Karin watched her daughter's departing figure, shook her head with a helpless smile, and muttered to herself, "This child... since she cares so much, I should go and remind Sasuke later."

……

Sarada walked alone through the bustling streets of Konoha. Skyscrapers stood tall, electronic screens hovering in the air, broadcasting Federation news. The images of Sasuke in his Hokage robes attending various meetings flashed by intermittently—each frame solemn and distant. Sarada looked away, a strange unease rising within her.

She wandered aimlessly, eventually arriving at the training grounds near the ninja academy. The sharp whistling of kunai cutting through the air, the booming of explosive tags, and the hum of electronic equipment emanated from the area.

"No way? That guy is still training even on vacation?" Sarada muttered, unable to resist jumping onto the wall.

In the training field, a golden figure darted about like lightning. It was Boruto Uzumaki, son of the Hyuga clan's eldest princess and "Golden Fox Sage" Naruto Uzumaki. The Uzumaki clan crest on his back fluttered in the wind as he moved with fluid grace amidst countless kunai, shuriken, and simulated explosions, all attacks grazing past him without touching him in the slightest.

Sarada took a deep breath and shouted into the arena, "Boruto!"

Boruto's eyes sharpened at the sound, and a ghostly blue light flashed from the devices on his wrists, instantly materializing two chakra beam guns. He spun in mid-air and fired a series of precise shots, more than ten beams piercing the core of the training equipment in an instant. All mechanisms stopped functioning immediately.

As the dust settled, he put away his light gun, leaped to the wall, and a bright smile appeared on his face: "Yo, Sarada, what are you doing here?"

Sunlight fell on his sweaty smile, but this smile made Sarada feel a little uncomfortable. The reason was simple: Boruto's smile was too similar to Sasuke's when he was interviewed as Hokage—standard, but it looked like a machine.

"Boruto, I don't remember you smiling so much," Sarada said, her expression turning somber.

"Is that so?" Upon hearing this, Boruto's smile vanished, and he spoke expressionlessly.

“That’s more like it.” Sarada sighed. “Your smile just now looked so fake.”

"Really?" Boruto's lips twitched slightly before he sighed softly. "It seems I still have a lot to learn if I want to become someone like Grandpa Touko and your father."

"What's so great about becoming someone like him! Hokage, Hokage... Why does everyone want to be Hokage?" Sarada exploded like a firecracker the moment Boruto mentioned her father, her voice filled with barely suppressed resentment.

Boruto didn't answer immediately. He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at her seriously: "What's wrong with being Hokage?"

Sarada was speechless for a moment. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a rebuttal. She lowered her head, her voice gradually softening, carrying a stubborn grievance: "If... the price of being Hokage is not being able to take care of your own family, then what's the point of being Hokage?"

“Sarazana…” Boruto sighed, his voice softening, “But do you know? Becoming Hokage means carrying the weight of the entire village, even the entire ninja world, on your shoulders. In a sense—everyone in the ninja world is the Hokage’s family.”

“That makes sense, but…” Sarada gripped the hem of her clothes, the words caught in her throat. She suddenly looked up, as if making a decision: “By the way, will your father… be coming back to the village soon?”

Boruto paused for a moment, then shrugged irritably: "His whereabouts are elusive; even your father, the Hokage, probably doesn't know him. How would I know? Why are you looking for him?"

“Uncle Naruto, he used to be my dad’s nemesis, right?” Sarada’s eyes were burning.

"That's what Grandpa Touko said. Although I really can't understand why that middle-aged street urchin who just wanders around outside all day would become the Seventh Hokage's nemesis..." Boruto said, taking a big gulp from the water bottle next to him, "but Grandpa Touko wouldn't lie to me."

"That's right!" Sarada clapped her hands, a determined glint in her eyes. "I'm going to become your father's apprentice!"

"Pfft—!" Boruto spat out a mouthful of water, choking and coughing repeatedly, his face turning red. After finally catching his breath, he widened his eyes and asked, "You want to become his apprentice? Aren't the Seventh Hokage and Aunt Karin enough to teach you?"

"Who needs him to teach me!" Sarada clenched her fists tightly, her voice suddenly rising, "I'm going to defeat him myself someday!"

Boruto was speechless for a moment, only able to silently watch the girl's fighting spirit burn. After a long while, he rubbed his forehead and said, "Your courage is commendable... but if you really want to challenge the Seventh Hokage, I think it would be more reliable to go to Uncle Neji." No one knew his father's character better than him—he really couldn't bear to see Sarada jump into this "fire pit."

“The Grand Minister of State is busier than my father, how could he have time to teach me? Besides, I don’t have the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan.” Sarada shook her head in denial, her tone resolute. “Anyway, if Uncle Naruto returns to Konoha, you must tell me!”

"...Alright." Seeing that she had made up her mind, Boruto could only nod helplessly.

After saying goodbye to Boruto, Sarada wandered aimlessly through the streets for a long time. It wasn't until evening, when a wave of hunger washed over her, that she finally turned into her familiar Ichiraku Ramen.

The shop door opened, and a delicious aroma wafted out. But as soon as she stepped inside, her gaze was drawn to something in the corner—

A dazzling golden hue quietly hides behind wisps of steam.

"I'm starting!" A blond middle-aged man held chopsticks, clasped his hands together in prayer, and then eagerly buried his head in his food.

My new book, "Slaying the Millennial Dreams of Noble Families: Starting from the End of the Eastern Han Dynasty," has been released.

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