On December 31st, Year 32 of Konoha, the very first rail line in the shinobi world—co-built by Konoha and Sunagakure—officially opened today.
Just a few kilometers outside the forest near Konoha stood a station platform, thirty meters long, wide, and high, beside an endless stretch of railway tracks.
Its white walls were adorned with red, thorny patterns along the edges. Overall, its style greatly resembled that of Konoha's architecture.
Except for one thing—the numerous advertisements from Uchiha appearing and disappearing on the walls. One had to admit the designer was a true genius, managing to make even this station fall under the grasp of capitalists.
At least, that was what several village leaders present at the scene all believed.
The Daimyos? Surely they weren't out here sunbathing—they were being pampered and well-fed at the Konoha Grand Hotel!
These Daimyos, who never lifted a finger for anything, all agreed unanimously: if any issues arose, they would be resolved by their respective village leaders. For now, they would simply enjoy exploring the Commercial Street.
That morning at 8 a.m.,
"Raikage, hope you're doing all right," the representative of Takigakure said upon arrival, walking toward the Third Raikage, who sat in one of five central seats on the main stage.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, a figure clad in a black cloak passed before the two and approached the Third Hokage and the Third Kazekage—who were engaged in conversation.
"Hokage, Kazekage, hope you two are doing all right," Hanzo removed his face-covering hood.
"Oh, it's Hanzo," the Third Hokage spoke with sarcastic undertones, yet his face remained completely serious. "Seems like your abilities have improved significantly recently. I just saw your speed—it nearly matched the Raikage's."
The Third Kazekage wore the same expression: "Hanzo truly lives up to the title of Demigod of the shinobi world. Among the Kages of the Five Great Nations, none can rival you."
"Crack!" Nearby, the Third Raikage clenched his fists tightly, though he relaxed them within a second.
He clearly understood why Hanzo had ignored him and the representative of Takigakure.
Worse still, when Hanzo approached the hosts of the ceremony to greet them, it backfired into mockery aimed at himself.
The Third Raikage had already shown great restraint in keeping his temper.
Look at Hanzo, who after saying a few words quietly returned to his seat obediently—Even the proud "Demigod of the shinobi world" could do nothing but retreat under such sarcastic remarks.
"Kazekage, the weather sure is nice today."
"That's right, Hokage. Such a blue sky and those fluffy white clouds really cheer one up, don't they?"
"Ahhahaha!" ×2
The two chuckled loudly to themselves. Feeling all eyes fixed upon them, they laughed even more heartily.
"???" High in the air, the floating Third Tsuchikage almost lost balance and fell downward, startled by the echoing laughter that filled half the skies.
This smug, unfiltered laughter echoed through the crowd, filling the ears of thousands of ninjas gathered from across the nations.
Meanwhile, atop the rooftop terrace of the Konoha Grand Hotel,
Shen stood cross-armed, holding the Chakra Channeling Blade against his chest, gazing absentmindedly in the direction of the station.
The ninja villages with hidden motives would definitely choose a time after traffic resumes and at a considerable distance from Konoha to launch their attacks.
In other words, they wouldn't arrive earlier than this afternoon or at worst by nightfall before entering Konoha to carry out their plundering.
"Commander, the Anbu squad has nineteen members total. Everyone's here."
"Minister, the Scientific Combat Division has thirty-two members. Everyone's accounted for."
Nayou and Shinnosuke approached him and whispered their report.
Shen turned around, facing the forty-nine people ahead. "Scatter everyone and stay alert."
"Yes!"
They all responded in unison before vanishing from the rooftop hotel.
Only Nayou and Shinnosuke remained.
One was deputy head of the Scientific Combat Division while the other had recently completed training and been promoted to squad leader for this mission.
For someone like Shen, who practically ran an entire department, making his best friend the deputy head was perfectly natural.
After all, Nawaki and some Hyuga clan members Nayou had personally recruited were wholeheartedly cheering for this arrangement.
As for Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Konohamaru's father, Shen naturally felt a special fondness toward him.
Although he never appeared in the original story, chances were high that Shen already knew about this man who likely died shortly after Konohamaru was born while performing an Anbu mission.
Third Hokage arranged for Sarutobi Shinnosuke to join Shen's Elemental Chakra Mode training class, hoping his son could grow stronger and avoid dying easily during missions.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke proved himself worthy of the opportunity. Within just over a month, he surpassed other Anbu members, achieving dual-hand activation without compromising his judgment.
Persistence defined Sarutobi Shinnosuke's character.
He would go to any lengths to achieve his goals.
"This child's ruined. We should rather…" A Sarutobi over forty years old had said to his wife Biwako Sarutobi just days ago upon learning the news.
"Since I still need training before joining the Anbu, I'll finish it as soon as possible!" This was how Sarutobi Shinnosuke answered the coach's doubts while constantly requesting private training sessions.
Looking from Nayou on his left to Sarutobi Shinnosuke on his right, Shen noticed these two actually shared surprisingly similar personalities.
Both spoke little, possessed persistence, and showed extraordinary determination.
Except one was like an iceberg while the other looked constantly burdened, they practically came from the same mold.
"I should've kept that lovable goofball with me," Shen started missing Nawaki who had just left with the others.
Not in that kind of way though—having Nawaki around would at least make time pass quickly.
"Nayou, Deputy Head, and Captain Shinnosuke, what do you say we play [Fight the Landlord]?" Shen suggested while pulling out a deck of cards to pass the time.
"Sure."
"No."
Nayou voiced agreement—recently she had inexplicably developed an unusual affection for Shen, a kind of feeling where she simply enjoyed staying by his side.
Of course, Sarutobi Shinnosuke disagreed, emphasizing they should never relax even for a moment. If they let their guard down and allowed enemies to infiltrate Konoha for mass slaughter, the consequences would become extremely severe.
"Of course Nayou is hiding something, and Shinnosuke's just a quiet type," Shen quickly dismissed his earlier thoughts about Nayou and Shinnosuke.
He wasn't foolish. He could clearly see how one of them had started acting unusually obedient lately—he didn't need to think twice to understand why.
"It's only a couple of cracked ribs. I'll just sit down and talk to her later," Shen decided confidently, convinced he had figured everything out.
At the grand opening of the rail line ceremony site, after the elderly flying savior—the Third Tsuchikage—landed, he finally realized that the laughter came from the event's two hosts.
"They probably found out about our plans by now, but so what? We're not aiming to destroy Konoha anyway," the Third Tsuchikage said with a smile as he slowly walked toward the podium, heading for his designated front-row seat.
Now, except for the absent Mizukage, all nine Kages who had received invitations had arrived at the scene.
Meanwhile, Ji, having just entered the Hot Water Country, received unexpected help from a compassionate guard who lightly bandaged his wounds.
"I must deliver this information back," he thought with determination, staggering forward toward the Land of Lightning.
Even though he was badly injured, he kept pushing forward. The guards of the Hot Water Country couldn't help but admire his determination.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>