Hokage Tower.
Minato Namikaze had been summoned. He knelt respectfully before Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Lord Hokage."
"Minato."
Hiruzen looked at him for a long moment, eyes full of weight.
"I've always believed you are the true inheritor of the Will of Fire. I want to entrust Konoha's future—and the future of the shinobi world—to you."
"Are you willing to accept this responsibility?"
Recently, Hiruzen's actions had already hinted that this was coming.
Minato's expression was resolute. "I will not let you down."
"Good."
Hiruzen nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"Originally, I had hoped to hold the succession ceremony in a more ideal environment. But the road ahead of you will be filled with thorns."
"I'm ready for whatever comes. I've made up my mind."
Hiruzen's expression softened slightly, and he smiled.
"If it's you, I believe you'll do well."
Only then did Minato allow a faint smile of honor to show.
After this brief exchange, he returned home and shared the news with his wife, Kushina Uzumaki.
Hiruzen didn't keep other factions guessing. He gave no room for Danzo Shimura or the treacherous Uchiha clan to speculate or manipulate behind the scenes.
Danzo had no chance from the beginning. He'd made major blunders during the Third Great Ninja War—his reckless decisions drove Kiri, once an ally of Konoha, into Kumogakure's arms.
And as for Orochimaru—despite being Hiruzen's own student, he was now entangled with Danzo. Hiruzen would never pass the title to him.
Compared to that, Minato, the student of Jiraiya and Hiruzen's "grandstudent," aligned far more with Hiruzen's vision.
Just four days after publicly announcing his retirement…
Hiruzen formally named the Fourth Hokage: Minato Namikaze, the war hero of the Third Great Ninja War!
No one could object to a hero like him taking the mantle—not even Danzo or Fugaku Uchiha.
This was the man who made even the proud Tsuchikage, Onoki, issue orders to abandon missions at the mere sight of the Yellow Flash.
Had Minato not fought so fiercely on the Iwa and Kumo fronts, it's entirely possible Konoha might not have won the war at all.
Apart from a few schemers eyeing the Hokage seat for themselves, the rest of Konoha erupted in joy when they heard the announcement!
It was clear that Minato Namikaze, the people's hero, had earned the unwavering trust of the village.
...
At that very moment, Konan and a Kiri ninja had arrived at a port in the eastern region of the Land of Fire.
Thanks to Kakuzu—the notorious money-burner—neither of them had dared to waste any time along the way.
As they traveled through the Land of Fire, Konan keenly noticed the changes taking place.
In nearly every town and village they passed, locals wearing uniforms stamped with the Kirigakure company logo were busy running errands. Some delivered parcels, others helped with farm work or cleaning.
Once they completed their tasks swiftly and to a high standard, these workers—clearly trained—would politely ask for feedback, and if anything was lacking, they would correct it immediately.
Konan had seen her fair share of commission work before. The Akatsuki had often taken missions to fund themselves, and she'd witnessed how Amegakure shinobi carried out jobs.
To be honest, the Akatsuki's service attitude had already surpassed Amegakure's usual standards—but compared to these civilian workers, there was still a considerable gap.
She even visited one of the network centers, where technicians were patiently teaching newcomers how to submit requests through a centralized webpage—filling in contact info, postal codes, addresses—all of it saved for future use.
Depending on the nature of the request, the system would automatically match it with the appropriate service company, calculating cost based on distance, time, and difficulty. Fees rarely exceeded four digits.
Customers could pay on-site or upon job completion.
There were first-time users—and many returning customers who realized that compared to hiring shinobi, this was both better quality and more affordable.
It was all incredibly organized. The system had clearly taken root.
Konan asked the staff about their wages, how they were paid, and what kind of tasks they handled.
Beautiful girls rarely encountered resistance—let alone someone like Konan, who was stunning and handed out paper flowers.
The local workers answered warmly, and everything they shared was positive.
Konan didn't yet fully understand the implications of all this. But one thing was clear—what she saw was real, and the people genuinely seemed better off.
"And what about Konoha's shinobi?"
Konan hesitated, then asked, "Did they ever give you any trouble?"
"They came asking questions at first."
"There was even a time they almost fought with Kiri shinobi!"
"But then someone from the daimyo's government stepped in and stopped them!"
"Haha! I was there—it pissed them off so bad!"
The workers couldn't stop talking, each more eager than the last to gossip and explain everything to the outsiders.
The excitement in their voices didn't sound like they were citizens of the Land of Fire—it felt more like they belonged to the Land of Water.
Then one added with a grin, "Oh yeah, the guy from Kiri? I heard he's a Uzumaki. Used to be one of Konoha's allies, but then something happened and they cut ties. Guess Konoha felt guilty, so they didn't dare push it too far."
A ninja from the Uzumaki clan.
Konan knew that well. Her close friend, Nagato, was a descendant of the Uzumaki who fled to the Land of Rain after the destruction of Uzushio.
She handed out a few more paper flowers to thank the enthusiastic staff.
...
Watching the workers chatting animatedly as they walked off, Konan couldn't deny her feelings of shock.
In just a few years—maybe not even a full year—the hearts of the Land of Fire's lower class had clearly turned away from Konoha.
According to her investigation along the way, these companies had only emerged in the past year.
But the computer centers? They'd been installed even earlier.
Originally, the machines were just for selling entertainment software and video games—which proved popular and helped the centers spread rapidly across the country.
In the final months of the war, when Konoha was still too tied up to notice, Yagura and his advisors laid out the entire foundation.
Then, just as the war ended, the companies launched with a web-based commission system—and all those centers already scattered across the country became like planted explosives waiting to detonate.
Konan passed through more than one village in the Land of Fire.
Aside from the capital, where Konoha still held some sway, the rest of the country had all but slipped through its fingers.
Konan was happy for the people of the Land of Fire, even imagining a future where the Land of Rain's citizens could enjoy the same prosperity.
But she also felt a chill on behalf of Konoha.
This silent economic war—no blood, no blades—was something she had never even heard of. It might be the first of its kind in the entire shinobi world.
From that perspective, Hiruzen Sarutobi really was handing Minato a Konoha with a very thorny future.
Konan turned to the Kiri kunoichi. "If the Akatsuki accepts your proposal… will the Land of Rain end up like this too?"
The blue-haired girl thought for a moment, then replied candidly, "Not entirely."
It was an honest answer. No one could guarantee that, with a precedent now set, Hanzo of the Salamander wouldn't fall into the same trap Konoha did.
If the Kiri ninja had confidently said it was a sure thing, Konan would've been even more suspicious.
But at least this offered a real possibility—a real chance—something far more tangible than that vague, distant dream of 'peace.'
Just as Konan was working through her thoughts...
The Kiri ninja added bluntly, "But... doesn't your Land of Rain not even have internet? Kind of like the Land of Wind."
So yeah, the whole computer-network strategy wouldn't even work there.
"At best," she added with a sheepish grin, "you could sit at the same table with the Wind Daimyo."
Sometimes the truth cuts sharper than any kunai.
Konan's spark of newfound motivation shattered to dust.
Konan: ^_^
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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