Naruto kept opening doors one after another.
Soon, Tsunade and Orochimaru were released as well.
In front of Naruto, Orochimaru was obedient to the extreme—no trace of his usual arrogance or gloom.
After the final passage was opened and every sealed space connected, the entire underground structure finally took proper shape.
Naruto stopped and nodded in satisfaction.
This space was now large enough for Konoha's shinobi to train freely.
"Open it up. If this place is meant for Konoha's shinobi, there's no point keeping it secret."
He adjusted the entrance and exit once again.
Since it hadn't been officially announced yet, he could modify it however he liked.
He stood in front of the massive gate, resting his chin in thought.
"Konoha Heavenly Prison?"
"Konoha Proving Grounds?"
"Uzumaki Prison?"
"Naruto Training Field?"
He frowned slightly.
If it existed, it needed a proper name.
After a moment, he nodded.
"Konoha Proving Ground."
Putting his own name on it felt a little too shameless.
He turned his awareness toward the core of the facility.
"You will guard the Konoha Proving Ground. I've demonstrated the seven basic chakra attributes and the fluctuations of space-time ninjutsu. Memorize them."
"Priority rule: prevent prisoners from escaping. Stop all lethal attacks. Suppress riots."
"Authority hierarchy—Konoha shinobi have higher clearance than prisoners. All decisions favor higher authority."
"The highest authority command has been recorded."
"Standard protocols generated."
"Auto-calibration initiated."
Naruto smiled faintly.
At first, the artificial core would behave rigidly and mechanically. But over time, as it accumulated operational data, it would grow more intelligent—eventually evolving into advanced artificial intelligence.
With this system in place, even if several Otsutsuki showed up, escaping would be impossible.
Nearby, young Sasuke continued fighting Otsutsuki Urashiki.
He had clearly taken Naruto's words to heart and was pushing himself seriously.
Urashiki, on the other hand, had no interest in becoming someone else's training dummy—but he had no choice. Forced to fight, he gradually stopped holding back.
Jiraiya and Tsunade studied the Proving Ground's structure, discussing improvements and training rotations for Konoha shinobi.
Shisui had already left—he had other responsibilities to handle.
Itachi remained, observing Sasuke while continuing to refine his illusion techniques.
Everyone had something to do.
Except the Hokage.
Naruto was just about to sneak away when—
"Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage!"
An ANBU shinobi appeared.
"Fifth Hokage-sama, the Council of Elders requests your immediate return. There are urgent documents requiring your review."
Naruto blinked.
"Didn't I delegate authority to them? Can't they handle it?"
Konoha had endless paperwork—permits, requests, approvals. Traditionally, the Hokage had to sign everything.
Naruto had created the Council precisely to avoid drowning in bureaucracy.
Jiraiya and Tsunade mostly held honorary positions.
The real work was handled by Nara Shikahisa as strategist, with Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, and Akiyama executing operations.
They'd been enthusiastic—almost too enthusiastic.
So why call him back?
"Fine. I'll go."
One step—
He vanished.
---
He reappeared inside the Hokage office.
"Lord Hokage…"
The elders stood up from behind mountains of paperwork.
Hyuga Hiashi in particular looked half exhausted, half resentful.
At first, becoming an elder had been glorious.
Power. Influence. Prestige for the Hyuga clan.
But as days passed, joy turned into endless labor.
Work never stopped.
Hyuga Hiashi felt like a spinning top—constantly rotating without rest.
Pain and pride mixed together.
Naruto glanced at the piles of documents and frowned.
"Is this really necessary?"
He randomly grabbed a few.
"Guard duty disputes?"
"Hospital equipment procurement?"
"Training field repair budget?"
He slammed the papers down.
"Why are these on my desk?"
The room fell silent.
"Didn't I tell you to reorganize Konoha's structure? Authority levels determine document levels. Low-tier matters go to low-tier departments. High-tier matters escalate."
"Stop dumping every trivial issue on the Hokage's desk."
"What are the departments for? Decoration?"
His voice was sharp.
Even Hiashi didn't dare breathe too loudly.
"Organize authority. Restructure responsibilities. Finish it quickly."
"This mess is embarrassing."
Naruto suddenly felt grateful he hadn't unified the entire ninja world on impulse.
Conquering is easy.
Governing is hell.
If one village was this chaotic, imagine managing the whole world.
He exhaled.
"Now. What's urgent?"
Nara Shikahisa hesitated.
"Lord Hokage… about forming a village caravan… conducting commerce across the ninja world…"
He lowered his voice.
"Konoha has always relied on daimyo funding and mission commissions. This change… is significant."
For over sixty years, the system of "one country, one village" had been standard. The daimyo provided funds. Ninja villages performed missions.
Naruto's plan would disrupt that balance.
Naruto nodded.
"Konoha needs development. Development requires capital."
"Relying solely on the daimyo is dangerous. What if he cuts funding? Do we starve?"
"Missions alone aren't enough. The village needs diversified income."
"Ninjas can do more than fight."
He looked at them calmly.
"Many shinobi don't enjoy killing. Sending them to battlefields as cannon fodder wastes lives."
"They can contribute in other ways."
"Commerce. Logistics. Infrastructure. Research."
"Let fighting return to fighting."
"Let daily life return to daily life."
"Ninja need more paths forward."
The elders fell silent.
Naruto wasn't just restructuring Konoha.
He was redefining what it meant to be a ninja.
And that… was far more revolutionary than any war.
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