Two years passed quietly… yet in that short span, the entire shinobi world underwent a transformation unlike anything in its long history.
The world map was unified. The Uzumaki Empire was formally established.
Two years ago, it was a moment of unprecedented celebration.
With unification came rapid development. The former hidden villages of the Five Great Nations were reorganized and converted into administrative cities—now known across the world as the Five Great Cities.
Konoha, once a peaceful but modest village, now looked like a city that had leapt decades into the future.
Skyscrapers pierced the sky, streets bustled with endless crowds, and prosperity could be felt in every corner.
Konoha had become the headquarters of Umbrella, as well as the central hub governing the entire shinobi world.
Umbrella itself had evolved into an organization of near-religious weight. Its outer units were open to the public, but its inner divisions were another matter entirely. Only those with exceptional talent—true geniuses or extraordinary shinobi—were qualified to enter and receive specialized training.
It resembled the Anbu of the past… minus the heavy responsibilities of assassination, covert warfare, and intelligence operations.
Those functions now belonged to independent departments, each refined and made more efficient.
Konoha's central district was redesigned entirely. Although many residents were initially resistant to relocation, their new homes were objectively superior; before long, they grew genuinely grateful for the changes.
It was a feeling not unlike being forcibly relocated—only to discover the new place was far better than the old one.
In the heart of the city, an enormous statue stood proudly: a colossal figure of Naruto himself. Some had once proposed carving his likeness into the Hokage Rock, but that idea was rejected. Given Naruto's current power and political status, placing him alongside the past Hokage was simply no longer appropriate.
Thus, the stone giant was built—quiet and imposing.
Few knew the truth: the statue was far from ornamental. It housed a vast reservoir of energy and could project a barrier covering the entirety of Konoha. To most people, it was just a monument. To a select handful, it was one of the village's greatest protective forces.
Konoha was now the largest city and the central administrative capital of the world.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha Clan flatly refused to return. They chose instead to remain in the former Land of Snow—now renamed Snow Capital, a metropolis rivaling Konoha in magnificence.
Technology and chakra rapidly intertwined, and the world formally entered the age of Chakra Technology.
Two years later, humanity's eyes had already turned outward… toward outer space.
And in that same period, people from the Moon descended to Earth once again. The radical changes sweeping through the world had even influenced the Ōtsutsuki descendants. This time, although the conflict between the main and branch families occurred as usual, it did not end in annihilation.
A partial reconciliation was reached.
After watching the shinobi world evolve, even they began to change.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself had been welcomed back. She preferred living on the Moon—among people who believed themselves to be her descendants—lessening her millennia-old loneliness.
As for Black Zetsu, Naruto had drafted him directly. For the past two years, he scoured the world under Naruto's command, seeking out rare resources. His unique nature yielded remarkable results.
Because Naruto existed, Ōtsutsuki Toneri no longer dared entertain any delusions regarding Hinata. Instead, he occasionally visited Earth to reconnect with the Hyūga Clan, establishing cooperative ties with the world government.
Seeing his improved attitude, Naruto temporarily shelved plans to deal with him.
However, the massive Tenseigan on the Moon remained firmly within Naruto's sights.
To him, it was a superweapon—a "super radar," capable not only of unleashing overwhelming power but also of functioning as the eyes of the world.
But Naruto could not act rashly. Those people were nominally Kaguya's descendants. He needed delicate, political methods… and for now, the priority remained the development of the world.
At this moment, inside a spacious room, Naruto sat across from Shikamaru, the two in the midst of a quiet discussion.
Both were seated cross-legged on chairs, a shogi board placed between them.
Shikamaru's former laziness and youthful immaturity had completely faded. In their place were sharp restraint and a deep sense of maturity.
Naruto too exuded the aura of a true leader.
His snow-white robes, threaded with gold, made him appear like a refined aristocrat—elegant as jade, yet undeniably commanding.
Two years of massive reconstruction had convinced the entire world of the power of technology and allowed everyone to enjoy the convenience it provided.
Naruto set down a shogi piece and spoke calmly:
"It's time to begin the next Three-Year Plan."
Naruto, expression serious, slowly placed a shogi piece on the board.
The arrangement before him shifted as if it had come alive—what had moments ago been a foggy, losing position suddenly reversed. His formation surged forward like a well-timed ambush, a thousand troops striking from the shadows in a perfectly coordinated offensive.
"Your shogi skills have improved again…"
Shikamaru sighed as he set down two pieces, a hint of frustration in his voice.
But he quickly shifted back to the real matter at hand.
"It's about time."
The Three-Year Plan was a comprehensive development blueprint Naruto had proposed earlier. If fully executed, it would guide the shinobi world through its next transformative phase.
The traditional ninja mission system had already been mostly phased out, replaced with a new societal structure.
Shinobi now took part in research, construction, productivity development, or specialized combat units. The world was moving beyond the old model of endlessly taking missions for pay.
Just a year ago, at considerable cost, Naruto had revived a number of key individuals—among them his own parents and Sasuke's parents.
Sasuke's parents had been revived with minimal expenditure because their bodies were perfectly preserved. The same applied to Neji's father, as well as the First and Second Hokage.
The Sage of Six Paths had once warned Naruto:
the laws governing life and death must not be tampered with lightly.
The consequences were severe, especially for anyone lacking the strength to bear the backlash.
Moreover, reviving the dead risked drawing the attention of the Shinigami Clan—beings who governed death itself.
Thus, after bringing back a few critical figures, Naruto ceased the practice entirely.
He had also summoned Madara, but Madara rejected the idea of resurrection altogether. Naruto respected his decision and set the matter aside—for now.
Meanwhile, the administrative system governing the unified shinobi world continued taking shape. In this new era, the most prestigious professions were:
Researchers
Research Shinobi
Martial Arts Creators
Research Shinobi were not combat-oriented. They resembled specialized scholars—Medical-nin being one subset—focused on advancement and innovation.
Ordinary researchers, the original civilian experts, suddenly found themselves highly valued. Their accumulated knowledge made them indispensable during the technological revolution, and their social status rose dramatically.
Martial Arts Creators was a profession born only within the last two years.
Although Naruto had outlined the foundational direction of martial arts and even paved the road forward, the discipline was still far from reaching the maturity of the shinobi system.
Very few martial artists could match a Five Kage–level shinobi.
It was, ironically, still easier for a shinobi to become Kage than for a martial artist to reach equivalent strength.
Martial artists needed resources.
Shinobi needed talent.
But in the end, both paths inevitably required talent and comprehension.
With so many shinobi and martial artists unable to break their bottlenecks, a new generation of martial arts creators suddenly emerged—far more than Naruto expected. It was as if heaven itself had pushed the discipline forward.
The world was experiencing a martial arts big bang.
Foundational martial arts were refined, new basic techniques were invented daily, and martial skills proliferated. For martial artists, these martial skills functioned much like ninjutsu for shinobi.
Though Naruto had attempted to rename shinobi as "sorcerers," almost everyone still preferred the traditional term: ninja.
Ninja development also surged forward. To strengthen the global population, Naruto gathered every Chakra Refining Technique in existence and created a new version—one three times more efficient than any previous method.
It was still undergoing continuous refinement.
Likewise, martial artists now had guiding techniques of their own—foundation-building methods modeled after the principles of chakra refinement—to help newcomers enter the path properly.