At this moment, in the Land of Snow, Shisui had already relocated his base there and brought the scientists once working under Doto Kazahana under his command.
The technological level of the Land of Snow was already quite advanced compared to most other nations—they had even developed electricity. Under Naruto's guidance, the country began a frenzied technological revolution.
They started copying the technological paths from Naruto's previous life. After all, the development of this world was peculiar: electricity existed, yet no one had invented cars. Airplanes hadn't appeared either. The direction of progress was skewed, so Naruto naturally wanted to set it straight.
Good technology meant a better life, and Naruto was determined to pursue a comfortable, high-class lifestyle. Cooking for himself all the time was simply not acceptable.
If he didn't make improvements, who knew—he might still be stuck drinking spoiled milk back in Konoha.
It was only because the Naruto of the original timeline had a sturdy body and the Nine-Tails within him that he survived his reckless diet. Without them, he would have died countless times.
Shisui's choice of the Land of Snow made sense: though small, it was safe and secluded.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yu went to the Land of Tea to establish another base. The Land of Tea was the world's largest exporter of grain, and Naruto had no intention of leaving it alone. There, they founded the Seven Colors Grain Company. By using newly developed high-yield grains and special cultivation methods, they quickly seized a share of the market.
This inevitably cut into the profits of local nobles, but the Seven Colors Company was backed by Kirigakure of the Land of Water. Any resistance was swiftly crushed.
In the end, the nobles had no choice but to accept the Seven Colors Grain Company's presence.
The Land of Tea had no ninja village, but its territory was fertile and rich in resources. Its large population also made it an ideal place to recruit members. Thus, Uchiha Yu laid the foundation for a new organization there.
...
Konoha…
"Neji and Lee should have graduated by now, right? Why don't we go see them?" Sasuke asked coolly, arms crossed. His tone was calm, but Naruto knew Sasuke still longed for the life of a shinobi.
After all, Sasuke's dream had once been to become strong and restore the honor of the Uchiha clan.
"Alright," Naruto replied. "Let's celebrate their short-lived shinobi careers. Come on, let's go!"
Dusting himself off, Naruto stood and the two set off.
It was their break period. By next year, they too would graduate—though they didn't know if Kakashi would still be their teacher by then.
They first went to Lee's house and knocked, but no one answered.
"No one home. He must be out training already. Just graduated, and he's not even taking two days' rest," Naruto said, shaking his head helplessly.
They headed toward a nearby training ground, since it was close to Lee's house. Sure enough, they soon heard a familiar voice.
"Three thousand three hundred sixty-nine… three thousand three hundred seventy…"
Lee was there, performing one-handed handstand push-ups, his body drenched in sweat. If nothing else, he was probably still wearing his weights too.
"Lee!"
Naruto's shout made Lee pause in surprise. He wiped the sweat from his brow and grinned.
"Naruto! Sasuke! What brings you here?"
"What, can't we drop by without a reason?" Naruto asked with a smile.
"Of course you can! You're always welcome. Are you here to train with me?" Lee asked, scratching his head cheerfully.
"Training can wait," Naruto replied. "You graduated yesterday, remember? To celebrate properly, I'm treating you to a big meal. Come on—let's go find Neji."
Lee nodded happily. Graduation from the Academy was a big deal. There was nothing more to learn in class anyway; now they could focus on real growth.
The three of them went to the Hyūga compound, which was—as always—grand and imposing.
Neji, however, wasn't training. Instead, he was reading a scroll of the Martial Arts System that Naruto had compiled.
To prevent leaks, Naruto had personally inscribed a sealing technique on the scroll so that only select people could access it.
Both Lee and Neji had already begun studying this Martial Arts System. For Lee in particular, it was invaluable. Unlike chakra cultivation, Martial Arts focused on nourishing the body at the cellular level.
The two systems clashed somewhat—chakra drained energy from cells, while martial cultivation restored and strengthened them. If one practiced chakra after training in martial arts, progress would slow until the body recovered.
Still, this didn't mean the two paths were incompatible. With careful balance, both could coexist.
If one cultivated both chakra and martial arts, they couldn't be practiced at the same time. While refining chakra, martial arts growth would stagnate. When training martial arts to nourish the body's cells, chakra cultivation would pause.
In other words, the pace of growth was essentially cut in half.
However, once the body grew stronger through martial arts, chakra refined afterward would be multiplied several times over—so long as it wasn't pushed too far. Over-refining would damage the body, draining vitality and weakening physical strength.
Naruto, of course, didn't have this problem. His chakra reserves were already massive, and if he ever ran short, he could borrow power from the Nine-Tails.
So for him, focusing on martial arts—even if the pace seemed slower—meant far greater strength and potential in the future.
As for Sasuke, Naruto advised him not to start martial arts training until he had reached the level of a Kage. Before that, it would only slow his growth.
Neji, like Naruto, pursued both paths, as the Hyūga clan relied heavily on taijutsu.
Lee, on the other hand, had completely transformed. He gave up refining chakra altogether, devoting himself fully to martial arts. The transition cost him some of his earlier strength, but all of his past training became the foundation for a deeper, sturdier base.
Neji was a little surprised when they arrived.
"Why are you all here?"
"Come on, let's relax for once. A single day won't set you back," Naruto said with a grin.
Soon, they were seated in a private room at the Seven Colors Restaurant, a steaming hot pot laid out before them.
"Your sensei is Might Guy, right?" Naruto asked confidently.
Neji nodded. "Yes… though he's a bit… well, a bit too much like Lee."
For a moment he hesitated, then admitted, "The first time I saw him, I thought he was Lee's father. They look and act almost exactly alike."
"Hahahaha!"
Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other and burst into laughter, while Lee tilted his head in confusion. Even Neji gave a rare chuckle.
They could easily imagine it: Lee and Guy standing side by side, identical poses, identical haircuts, thick eyebrows, and both masters of taijutsu. Anyone who didn't know better would swear they were father and son.
After the laughter faded, the conversation turned back to business.
"How have things been these last few days?" Naruto asked Neji quietly.
"It's fine," Neji replied. "Though one of my teammates is a girl, and her strength is… lacking."
"You mean Tenten, right?" Naruto said at once.
Neji looked at him curiously. "What, you know her too?"
"You could say that. She's the founder of Money Style," Naruto said with a sigh of admiration.
"Money Style? What the heck is that?"
Both Neji and Sasuke blinked, confused. Was that supposed to be a ninjutsu?
"You'll understand when you see her fight," Naruto chuckled, before eagerly digging into the Seven Colors hot pot.
...
TN:
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