Naruto turned his head and saw Kankuro standing beside a cold, white metal box, slowly opening its door. A mechanical arm retrieved a blue can of drink from inside and gently tossed it toward him.
Naruto quickly caught it and said, "This is a drink?"
"Yeah, a drink that makes you feel happy after drinking it. A must-have in every household."
After Kankuro finished speaking, he grabbed four more cans, tossing them to Yamato, Sakura, Sai, and Mukade, then opened one for himself and chugged it greedily, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Hmm… it tastes really good, cold, refreshing, better than any drink I've had before."
Naruto didn't think much and took a gulp.
"Kankuro-sama… you said this airship, with a speed of five thousand kilometers per hour, is used for household travel?"
Yamato held the drink, not drinking it, and spoke with a somewhat serious expression.
"Of course, but only the wealthy own these. Ordinary people can't ride them. If commoners want to travel out of town or to another continent for tourism, they usually take the subway train. That thing's much slower, only about two or three hundred kilometers per hour."
As he spoke, Kankuro walked to a leather sofa and sat down.
"Two or three hundred kilometers per hour… only?" Yamato muttered.
*HUM!*
At that moment, the airship vibrated gently.
The next second, the 'glass' around them turned opaque.
Naruto, Sakura, Yamato, Sai, and the others realized the airship had started flying at high speed!
But… it was too stable, wasn't it?
Sitting inside something moving so fast, they didn't feel the slightest jolt?
Was this the technology of the Shinobi Empire?
And this was just for civilian use?
Yamato felt the vast technological gap for the first time.
"Kanpachiro!"
Kankuro, lounging on the sofa, called out loudly.
"I'm here, Master!"
A light, agile voice responded, startling Naruto, his three teammates, and Mukade.
"Who's talking?"
Naruto exclaimed, looking left and right.
"That's Kanpachiro! My artificial intelligence servant. You can think of it as an invisible summoning beast." Kankuro explained.
"Kanpachiro! Turn on the TV." Kankuro said again.
A black screen in front of them suddenly lit up.
A man in a white chef's outfit, looking somewhat old, was speaking fluently:
"Why can I make the best ramen? The answer is just one word! Heart!"
"Because I make ramen with heart! Constantly researching, trying various combinations, only then can I create the best ramen! In ramen-making, the broth is the most important, then the chewiness of the noodles…"
"Wait, isn't that Uncle Teuchi? Why's he on TV?"
Naruto and the others weren't surprised by the television.
After all, their world already had TVs, refrigerators, and other appliances.
"What's so strange about it? He's the most famous ramen master in the Fire Continent right now. The Ichiraku Ramen chain has over a hundred and fifty branches worldwide." Kankuro said flatly.
"Whoa! Whoa! That's amazing! As expected of Uncle Teuchi! I wonder which tastes better, the Ichiraku Ramen in this world or the one in our world! I really want to try it!"
As he spoke, Naruto unconsciously swallowed hard.
"You'll get the chance." Kankuro replied casually.
"Kanpachiro, change."
*CLICK!*
"No! I can't take it anymore! Guy-sensei! I really can't go on… I… I need a break…"
"You fools! What do you think martial arts are? Have you forgotten the Shinobi Emperor's words? Training in martial arts is like rowing against the current—if you don't advance, you fall back!"
"Follow me! If you can't keep up, add a thousand jump rope reps! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"
On the screen, a group of men in tight green outfits looked exhausted, following a young man also in a tight green outfit, with thick eyebrows and round eyes, constantly complaining.
In response, the thick-browed, round-eyed young man turned with a hint of anger and scolded them.
"This… Lee?" Naruto stared at the thick-browed, round-eyed man and couldn't help but exclaim.
"Lee here is super strong." Sakura said, shocked.
"I don't know who this Lee you're talking about is. But this guy's name is Rock Lee, a disciple of the martial arts maniac Might Guy." Kankuro said.
"The martial arts maniac Might Guy? The thick-browed teacher here is called the martial arts maniac? Hmm… considering how crazy he was back then, if his personality is the same in this world, that nickname doesn't seem wrong. The thick-browed teacher in this world must be really strong, right?"
"Of course… he's the highest-level martial artist aside from the Shinobi Emperor." Kankuro said with a serious expression.
"As expected of the thick-browed teacher, so awesome!"
Naruto grinned and praised.
"Kanpachiro, change."
*CLICK!*
*Tut! Tut! Tut! Tut tut tut…*
Dynamic music played.
On stage, a woman with long blonde hair, wearing a purple dress that exposed her midriff, along with two other beautiful women, performed a lively dance.
Beautiful lyrics flowed from the blonde woman's mouth:
"Red lanterns light up one by one… the rhythm of the festival has become the code…"
"This… this, this, this is Ino?"
Naruto pointed at the blonde woman on the TV and shouted in shock.
"She's Yamanaka Ino, the lead vocalist of the famous Fire Continent music group, [Gokuraku Butoudan] (Nirvana Dance Group)." Kankuro explained.
"Whoa! Whoa! That's incredible! Ino in this world became a huge star? Hahaha… so awesome!" Naruto laughed loudly.
"Tch!"
Seeing Ino on stage, Sakura unconsciously made a strange sound, a hint of displeasure on her face:
"Um… can you tell me what I'm doing in this world?"
"You? Haruno Sakura… I don't know."
Kankuro thought for a moment and slowly shook his head.
"…"
Hearing that, Sakura didn't want to talk anymore.
Her fists clenched!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Time passed minute by minute, second by second.
Kankuro watched TV, and when he got hungry, a mechanical puppet delivered food.
The food was delicious, tastier than anything they'd ever eaten in Konoha, making Naruto and his group feel delighted.
Sakura couldn't even hold back a sigh:
"This life is so comfortable… if I could live in a house this nice in the future, that would truly be the peak of happiness."
Hmm… of course, it would have to be with Sasuke.
"Heh… this is the Shinobi Empire founded by His Majesty."
Hearing that, Kankuro said proudly.
Sai, watching this, couldn't help but say: "Ninja shouldn't constantly indulge in pleasure; it'll make them sluggish."
"Hmm?"
Kankuro glanced at Sai with disdain, a hint of mockery:
"Can't constantly indulge in pleasure, becoming sluggish? What a laughable statement. Why should the strong become stronger than others? Isn't it to enjoy more privileges?"
"You say you're from the ninja village era in another world. I don't even understand why you let a bunch of ordinary people called daimyo ride on your heads—truly ridiculous."
"And… you're weak, not even as strong as a group of ordinary guards. You have no right to talk about 'sluggishness.' It just makes people laugh."