The recent ghost invasion caused significant damage to Konoha Village. During the period when Danzo was "slandered," the ghosts that invaded were generally weak, causing only minimal damage. A house or two might have been destroyed, but as long as there were no casualties, it wasn't considered a big deal. Even if a few people died, it wouldn't stir much concern in the village.
But this time was different. The damage caused by this ghost was severe.
An entire block was destroyed, and hundreds of people were injured. Although no one was killed, the direct and indirect losses Konoha suffered were substantial. The explosion had lasting consequences.
Afterward, Konoha sent a team to investigate the explosion site. While the surface destruction was evident, the real concern lay underground. The team confirmed that all underground facilities in the affected block had been destroyed.
The cause of the damage was the ghost's self-destruction before its defeat. According to ninjas skilled in forensic analysis, the ghost mixed its blood with the air and spread it through the sewers, causing a massive explosion. The gas within the sewers was ignited, amplifying the destruction. As a result, not only was the immediate battlefield obliterated, but underground structures in adjacent blocks were severely damaged.
This explosion caused hundreds of millions in losses for Konoha Village. If the destruction had spread further, it could have been as devastating as the Nine-Tails attack years ago.
However, financial losses were just the beginning of Konoha's troubles.
Thousands of buildings in the block were completely ruined, and hundreds more in neighboring areas were close to collapse. Tens of thousands of villagers were displaced. This situation would have been simpler if they had perished, but with so many survivors, it created a significant instability within the village. The Third Hokage now had to focus his efforts and resources on calming and resettling these villagers, all while allocating funds to rebuild their homes.
The villagers, already shaken by the disaster, began to realize that relying solely on others for protection wasn't enough. It became clear that having the ability to defend oneself was crucial. As a result, just three days after the attack, a village-wide craze for learning breathing techniques erupted.
Before the attack, there had already been a growing interest in breathing techniques among Konoha's residents. After all, who wouldn't want to become stronger? However, outside of those with natural talent who could attend the ninja academy, there were few paths to gain power. Those who couldn't attend ninja school were typically left to learn trades or life skills instead.
Breathing techniques offered a new way to grow stronger, and many villagers wanted to learn. But while there was interest, not many were willing to pay for formal training. Most hoped others would sign up for classes and then teach them informally, allowing them to avoid paying for lessons.
It was obvious, however, that teachers in the formal classes were much better equipped to teach than those informal learners. Many of these would-be teachers barely understood the techniques themselves, and their students wouldn't make any real progress without proper instruction.
Originally, this slow, informal method was acceptable since the threat of danger felt distant. But that had changed.
With the ghosts becoming more aggressive and a major attack occurring right in the heart of Konoha, the villagers who had lived in relative safety for so long were now terrified. They no longer wanted to wait for protection—they wanted the strength to defend themselves, and they wanted it immediately.
As a result, the people of Konoha swarmed to learn breathing techniques with unprecedented enthusiasm. Anyone who could afford the tuition, regardless of age or gender, rushed to sign up for classes. The demand was so high that the doors of the training centers were nearly burst open by the crowd.
Sasuke, taken aback by the villagers' overwhelming response, quickly stepped in to calm the situation.
"This is madness," he thought. With Konoha's population in the hundreds of thousands, even if only a tenth of the villagers signed up, it would still mean tens of thousands of people. There was no way the current training classes could handle such numbers.
To address this, Sasuke expanded the training programs from twelve classes to thirty-two, adding twenty new classes at once. When selecting students, he prioritized younger men, knowing they were quicker learners and naturally more physically capable. He made sure to choose one person from each household to make the process as fair as possible.
In the meantime, Sasuke requested assistance from the Third Hokage, asking for ninjas to help manage the registration process. This not only ensured smoother operations but also allowed for a quick census of the village. Despite these efforts, the number of instructors remained insufficient.
Many of Sasuke's subordinates were skilled fighters, but few had the patience or ability to teach. With the security company already stretched thin, Sasuke couldn't spare more of his men to work as instructors.
To cope with the overwhelming demand, Sasuke recruited standout students who excelled at teaching and assigned them to tutor the newcomers. Though not ideal, this method allowed the training to continue at a steady pace.
In just a few days, the Uchiha Breathing Technique had firmly taken root in Konoha. If there had been any doubt before about its relevance, it was now clear that breathing techniques were here to stay. The villagers understood that while the ninja were powerful, they couldn't always be relied on for protection. The realization that they needed to protect themselves became the strongest motivation for the people of Konoha.
The Third Hokage, observing the growing movement, chose not to intervene. There was little he could do to stop the surge in interest, nor did he want to. He saw the benefits of having a village filled with capable and self-sufficient citizens.
Since the attack, all available ninjas not assigned to missions or protecting the village were sent out on a search for Kibutsuji Muzan, the elusive ghost king. Hiruzen reasoned that despite their mysterious appearances, ghosts still had a fundamental weakness—they couldn't survive in sunlight. This meant their movements were limited, and if they had infiltrated Konoha, there must be an unknown path or entry point. Danzo had sent his own people to search for this channel in the past, but the Third Hokage hadn't seen the ghosts as a significant threat then.
Now, however, things had changed.
(End of the Chapter).
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