Early morning.
The Land of Whirlpools.
As usual, by seven in the morning, they woke up just like any other day, ate breakfast, and prepared to go to work.
Now, the Land of Whirlpools was growing stronger and more prosperous.
All the citizens living in the Land of Whirlpools could feel it...
How many years had it been?
Since their parents' generation, they had never experienced a life like this. It was something unimaginable in the shinobi world, especially when they saw the refugees who had come to the Land of Whirlpools due to war. The original residents of the Land of Whirlpools would puff out their chests and raise their heads proudly.
Moreover, among those living in the Land of Whirlpools now, there were some who had not yet obtained citizenship. Compared to everyone else, they longed even more to live here, to become residents of this country where there was no war, no oppression, where they had food to eat and houses to live in.
So...
They...
Were more law-abiding than anyone else.
"Tai, good morning!" A middle-aged man greeted a short-haired man standing nearby. "Waiting for the bus?"
"Good morning." Tai nodded politely. "Yes, ever since the Land of Whirlpools introduced this thing called a 'car,' I haven't taken a horse-drawn carriage anymore."
Horse-drawn carriages were slow, bumpy, and uncomfortable to ride in. Taking the bus was much better, allowing him to sleep a few extra minutes in the morning.
"Dai, which bus line are you taking?" Tai asked curiously. "I'm on Bus Line 1."
"Line 3," Dai replied helplessly. "In a few days, the team will be surveying uncharted areas."
They were preparing for new infrastructure projects.
"The Land of Whirlpools is still too small," Tai sighed. "If only it were as big as the Land of Fire, how great would that be?"
"Yeah," Dai agreed. "If the entire shinobi world belonged to the Land of Whirlpools, that would be perfect." Then, his face showed a hint of complaint. "I heard that because the territory is too small, newcomers like us can't get citizenship."
"To be honest..."
"If the whole shinobi world were the Land of Whirlpools, it would be better. Those stupid nobles and shinobi outside only know how to exploit us, even killing us for no reason."
"Don't be naive," Tai shook his head. "That's impossible."
The entire shinobi world as the Land of Whirlpools...
That was simply impossible. After all, the Five Great Shinobi Villages were incredibly powerful.
"Haha," Dai chuckled. "Just complaining, that's all."
"If only other countries were like the Land of Whirlpools..."
"Bus Line 3 is here." Dai quickly lined up in the queue. "I'll go first."
No matter what...
They were now half-citizens of the Land of Whirlpools, so they had to obey the law, be civilized, and not bring shame to the Land of Whirlpools.
"Mm." Tai nodded with a smile. "Mine should be coming soon too."
He sighed inwardly...
He also had to work hard!
Just a few more points, and he could officially become a citizen of the Land of Whirlpools.
...
"The invention you wanted is done," Chiro said with a hint of complaint. "Honestly, what's the point of this thing?"
"Cars!" Uzumaki Jun replied, unfazed by Chiro's tone. Inventors were always a bit eccentric, and though Chiro used to specialize in puppets, there was no denying his technical skills. "They're great!"
Did the shinobi world really expect people to travel on foot and communicate by shouting?
No way. Science and technology were the primary productive forces, the core of the Land of Whirlpools' national policy.
Without something unique, how could they stand out?
So, after developing chakra-powered cars, Jun established the New Energy Public Transportation Company, reorganized the roads into vehicle lanes and pedestrian paths, installed traffic lights, and implemented traffic regulations...
The Land of Whirlpools was starting to feel more and more familiar.
"But if we design it according to your standards—cool and stylish," Chiro said helplessly, "it affects performance."
After working together for a while, he had come to understand the personality of the Land of Whirlpools' leader. And honestly...
He was a good person.
As long as you followed the rules and completed assigned tasks properly, he wouldn't give you any trouble.
"Performance isn't that important," Jun said casually. "These are for export anyway."
The automobile industry...
Was also a money-maker!
Especially with a technological monopoly.
"Don't make them too perfect. Leave some flaws," Jun said with a familiar smile, narrowing his eyes. "Optimize them every year. That's how you make money."
Divide the cars into generations—first generation, second generation, A5, A8, and so on!
Sell the same model dozens of times.
After all, only the Land of Whirlpools had cars. No one else could sell them.
"Whatever you say," Chiro sighed. "I'm just here to work."
Consider it repayment for the Land of Whirlpools saving his life.
"How's the development of the jutsu tank going?" Jun asked curiously. "That's the real national treasure!"
"I don't know what you're thinking," Chiro said, his expression turning serious. "These things could be dangerous to shinobi."
If even ordinary people could wield such power...
He couldn't imagine what would happen to shinobi in the future.
"But they'll bring peace to the shinobi world," Jun said earnestly. "Power itself isn't good or bad. It depends on how people use it—for the benefit of the people and the world."
"Besides..."
"Aren't the shinobi in the Land of Whirlpools living well now?"
Jun smiled at Chiro. He wasn't a stubborn person.
Or rather...
Anything related to peace in the shinobi world would win over a certain group of people.
After all...
This was a world where even terrorists longed for peace.
"Maybe you're right," Chiro sighed. "You're a great leader."
Like in the Land of Whirlpools now...
Shinobi had started secondary industries, especially in infrastructure construction, where earth and water release users were in high demand.
Perhaps...
This was the trend of the future.
Shinobi contributing to production.
"We're already collaborating with the research team," Chiro said, turning serious when discussing technical matters. "But the power still isn't strong enough, and the defense can't even withstand a B-rank jutsu."
On the battlefield, such a huge metal box...
Was useless.
"I see," Jun sighed. "Technology really has to progress step by step."
"By the way, where's Hiroshi?"
He glanced around the workshop.
"Wasn't she your assistant?"
Did they have a falling out?
"Her?" Chiro glanced at Jun. "A while ago, she went to teach physics to the academy students, and then..."
"She decided she was better suited to being a teacher, so she quit."
"..."
Jun laughed awkwardly. This was partly his fault. Recently, with the increase in students, there was a shortage of teachers, especially in specialized fields.
But...
He hadn't expected the clan head to recruit from the mechanical department.
That was...
A great idea.
"Do you need me to find you another assistant?" Jun asked.
"No," Chiro shook his head. "I work better alone. No distractions."
"..."
Hmm—
A tech otaku, held back only by being a shinobi.
Jun sighed inwardly. He...
Had saved another technical talent.
"By the way, have you thought about bringing Sasori here?" Jun asked after a moment. "His life isn't easy right now."
Sasori was a future tech genius, so...
The Land of Whirlpools absolutely wouldn't give up on him.
Besides, Jun wasn't wrong.
After Chiyo avenged her son, the people of Sunagakure held a grudge against her. Under the Third Kazekage's subtle influence, most blamed her for their loved ones' deaths.
So...
That hatred extended to Sasori.
"I..." Chiro fell silent at Jun's words. Finally, he sighed and said helplessly, "I'll talk to Hiroshi about it later."
He could guess what kind of treatment Sasori and his mother were receiving in Sunagakure, but...
If he took Sasori away, even if his uncle was there for him, his mother would still be heartbroken.
But Sasori...
He was just a child. If neither his father nor mother were by his side, he would be miserable.
Besides, Hiroshi had mentioned a while ago that she wanted to bring Sasori over because...
The education in the Land of Whirlpools was better.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━