"How many days has Lord Hokage been gone?"
"Half a month."
"Seriously… he disappears all the time. He doesn't act like a Hokage at all. How can someone be this lazy?"
"Forget it. The village runs fine without him. We can handle everything ourselves. Compared to the beginning, we actually have less work now. If Lord Hokage wants to relax, let him."
Inside the Hokage Building, several elders were leisurely playing mahjong.
After the initial chaos of the reorganization, once Konoha's shinobi adjusted to the new structure and workflow, the village began operating like a perfectly oiled machine.
Smooth.
Efficient.
Accelerating.
As members of the Cabinet Council—Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, Akiyama Shige, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—their workload had actually decreased. Once everything was structured properly, management became easier.
As for Hokage?
He had practically become Konoha's mascot.
He rarely appeared in the Hokage Building. When he did, he would give a few concise instructions, set the overall direction, and vanish again—leaving the actual execution to the elders.
Nearly half a year had passed since Naruto became the Fifth Hokage.
When Konoha began its sweeping reforms, the entire ninja world had been waiting to laugh.
They believed the new Hokage was powerful—but too young and reckless.
Surely the reforms would collapse into chaos.
Surely Konoha would fall apart.
But six months later, the world was stunned.
Red Sun TV broadcasted detailed coverage of Konoha's transformation. The entire ninja world witnessed it firsthand.
The forests around Konoha were selectively cleared, opening up massive areas of land.
New buildings rose constantly.
The village expanded outward like an inflating balloon.
A brand-new Konoha emerged before the world.
Amusement parks.
Cinemas.
Commercial streets.
Food districts.
Office buildings.
Apartment complexes.
Parks.
Public squares.
People from all over the Land of Fire flocked to Konoha. The once traditional ninja village was transforming into a bustling modern city.
What shocked the ninja world the most was this:
Konoha shinobi were no longer limited to combat missions.
They had entered everyday life.
Earth Style users built roads and bridges, opened farmland, and became master builders.
Fire Style users fired bricks, created ceramics, powered hot springs, and designed fireworks shows.
Water Style users operated water rides in amusement parks, created surfing attractions, and handled sanitation systems.
Wind Style users powered wind turbines, transported goods at high speed, and handled logistics.
Lightning Style users generated electricity.
In short—
Konoha no longer treated shinobi as disposable weapons.
Shinobi became a profession.
Integrated into society.
Using ninjutsu to improve daily life—and earning stable income in the process.
Of course, Konoha still maintained combat divisions.
Those shinobi trained constantly.
Their job was simple: grow stronger.
When needed, they would fight.
The Konoha Proving Ground became the holy land of battle-focused shinobi.
In addition to Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, Orochimaru, and Shimura Danzō, many other notorious criminals had been captured over the past six months.
Naruto had ordered large-scale operations.
Konoha elites swept across the ninja world.
The black market fell into despair.
Many high-bounty targets were gone.
The bounty lists were nearly empty.
Konoha shinobi both suffered and benefited.
They fought powerful enemies daily.
Gained real combat experience.
Improved rapidly.
And did so without risk of death.
Bruises, broken bones, blood?
Commonplace.
Tsunade even established a branch hospital inside the Proving Ground to treat injured trainees.
"This is what a true elite ANBU should be. The old ANBU just cleaned up minor trash."
"Lord Hokage's Proving Ground is insane. Even hitting the walls helps you improve. How can dirt be this hard?"
"The Earth Style ninjas have gone crazy. They keep shouting: 'The enemy may stand—but the earth wall must fall!' They're obsessed with breaking that wall."
"Break it? Dream on. That wall is the strongest defense in the ninja world."
Under this environment, Konoha's combat shinobi grew explosively stronger.
After half a year, the other four Great Ninja Villages began feeling immense pressure.
Even in minor border skirmishes, Konoha shinobi dominated.
The others were forced to retreat repeatedly.
"Did Konoha feed their ninjas some kind of miracle drug?"
"It's not just the Fifth Hokage anymore. Even ordinary Konoha shinobi are terrifying."
"Is reform really that effective?"
"We need to reform too. Even if we can't surpass Konoha, we can't fall too far behind."
"Copy their system!"
Some villages tried to imitate.
Some failed miserably.
Others saw real improvements.
Whether they wanted to or not, Konoha had become the model.
The center of the storm.
Meanwhile, Red Sun TV quietly guided public opinion.
Naruto gave new instructions.
"Let them copy. Let them learn."
"If we want to change the ninja world, we start with details. Let them accept new ideas gradually."
"Next, the TV station focuses on two themes."
"First: document the tragedies of past wars. The darkness. The sacrifices. The suffering shinobi endured."
"Second: show the new way—shinobi living normal lives, taking off their masks."
"Let the world compare."
"Let them think about where shinobi should go."
"Karin, this will be heavy work."
Karin nodded seriously.
Red Sun TV had grown into the most influential media force in the ninja world.
She now fully understood the power of information.
Under Naruto's leadership, the ninja world truly was changing.
Naruto leaned back in his chair.
"Konoha is stable."
"The Red Sun Society is expanding."
"The Land of Fire is practically in our hands."
He narrowed his eyes.
"When do we harvest the Land of Fire?"
Taking control wouldn't be hard.
The difficulty was political backlash.
Touching a daimyo meant provoking every other nation.
It required timing.
"Not yet," Naruto muttered.
"Let the Land of Fire ripen a little longer."
He stood and looked toward the direction of the Rain Village.
"Next… Akatsuki."
"Nagato."
"Six Paths of Pain."
"Konan."
"Kakuzu."
"Deidara."
"Hidan…"
Naruto smiled brightly.
Young Sasuke had reminded him of the hidden dangers lurking in the shadows.
Now—
It was time to clean them up.
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