After dinner, the next morning arrived quietly. Tsunade, along with her tagalongs Katsuyu and the Nine-Tails, Kurama walked through the bustling streets of Kumogakure.
It was a truly prosperous place. Everywhere they looked, ninjas were performing their duties. Some worked on top of buildings and bridges, repairing damage or constructing new structures. Others were seen hanging upside down, calmly welding metal with devices powered by chakra, sparks scattering beneath them as if gravity itself had become optional. Some operated complex machinery, while others relied purely on their physical prowess, working alongside civilians to haul materials, reinforce structures, or clear paths.
The current Kumogakure felt like a living organism, constantly evolving and adjusting. It was an ever-changing metropolis that stood at the forefront of the ninja world. Yet even so, it was clear that the village itself was struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of change. New inventions and systems appeared one after another, most of which were influenced directly or indirectly by Ron. It felt almost like playing a game where, just as you finished upgrading one part of the village, a new update arrived and forced everything to adapt again.
As a result, both ninjas and civilians were always learning, always adjusting, busy with their own lives yet moving in unison with the village's growth.
As Tsunade and her companions walked along the pristine roads and bridges that interconnected Kumogakure's rugged mountain peaks, a complicated feeling welled up within her. Whether it was the architecture or the flashing lights scattered throughout certain districts, everything felt unfamiliar. Some areas looked modern and advanced, while others appeared traditional, even old-fashioned. Yet this contrast was not strange in the current ninja world; it was simply normal, but here in Kumogakure, it felt like things of the past; the current kumogakure could accommodate both the past and the future in its architecture and style.
The Raikage's mansion was a perfect example. From the outside, it looked completely traditional, lacking any obvious modern flair. But only those who lived inside truly understood how heavily protected it was. Barriers, hidden mechanisms, and advanced internal systems made it one of the safest places in the world.
Elsewhere in Kumogakure, the contrast was even more striking. Fancy restaurants with elaborate lighting, music, and performances existed side by side with traditional food carts and stalls. Modern food trucks rolled past vendors selling age-old recipes. To someone from a modern world, it would look like multiple time periods had gathered in one place. Yet somehow, everything existed in harmony.
Tsunade, unaccustomed to such an environment, did not try too hard to analyze it. Instead, she simply indulged herself, tasting one delicious dish after another, sampling unfamiliar drinks with clear enthusiasm. Kurama and Katsuyu did much the same, though unlike Tsunade, they observed far more than they indulged. Despite being far older, they were actively trying to understand these new systems, these new ways of living, quietly learning as they watched the village move around them.