Thirteen Years Without Shinki

The Land of Fire.

Konoha.

Following that war of usurpation that shocked the entire Shinobi World, Konoha, with its highly advanced technology Hokage's residence, became the political and cultural center of the Land of Fire!

Konoha currently has a resident population of over five million, and it continues to increase year by year.

In this environment, soaring housing prices have become a matter of course.

In Shinki Park, Sakura ran into her old friend Tenten, and they were chatting together.

Tenten: "Luckily, I'm a native of Konoha and own property in the city center. Otherwise, in Konoha is so valuable these days, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have a place to stay."

Sakura echoed, "That's right! If Shinki hadn't given Sasuke a house back then, I'd be sleeping on a bridge right now."

"Since the Shinobi World stabilized, the number of requests has decreased year by year, and most Ninjas have been forced to take on other professions. Although I work in a hospital, it will still be hundreds of years before I can buy a house."

"Speaking of the Shinki... has there been any news about your Sasuke's trip this time?" Tenten asked curiously.

Sakura shook her head regretfully. "Thirteen years have passed since Shinki left."

"The year after Sasuke left the Shinki, he volunteered to use his Rinnegan to gather information about the Ōtsutsuki throughout the Shinobi World."

That's what he says, but everyone knows what he's really thinking.

"The world that Shinki went to was the world of the Ōtsutsuki, but no one knows its exact location. Sasuke wanted to find his best friend this way..."

"Over the past twelve years, he has traveled to countless Ruins throughout the Shinobi World, but he has never found any information about 'Takamagahara' or 'Underworld Land'." Sakura sighed as she finished speaking.

"You've suffered so much these past few years." Tenten gently patted Sakura's back.

Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes, but she grinned and said, "As long as he's willing to look, I'll always support him."

The Hokage's Office.

This place is no longer what it was twelve years ago; it has been transformed into an office building.

In the largest Office in the building, Naruto was reviewing documents.

Not far from Naruto's seat, Konohamaru was slumped over a small desk.

"Naruto, this is the financial report for the southern province for the past year. Take a look." Shikamaru, who had grown a beard, pushed open the Office door and walked in carrying a stack of documents.

"Okay." Naruto took the document, glanced through it carefully, and then handed it to the desk next to him. "Konohamaru, take a look at this report and see if there are any problems."

Konohamaru took the document, glanced through it carefully, and said, "This report seems detailed, but it has many flaws and needs to be thoroughly investigated..."

Naruto nodded. "Corruption is rampant in the southern provinces; it really needs to be addressed."

"Konohamaru, you take this task and handle it. If you succeed, it will be considered a merit on your part... so that when you Hokage in the future, others won't gossip about you."

"Lord Hokage, I..." Konohamaru was flattered.

"Don't make excuses. I've already decided on this, and I'll bring it up at the next meeting."

As he spoke, Naruto stood up, gazing at the skyscrapers outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a look of reminiscence in his eyes. "More than a decade ago, Shinki went to Takamagahara, and I took over Konoha. At the time, I also felt at a loss, but as I did it, I got used to it... It's just that Shinki isn't by my side anymore, and I still haven't gotten used to it..."

"A few years later, I realized the political failure of the Land of Fire. Although the Land of Fire was relatively peaceful at the time, bandits were rampant, and the people were displaced..."

"Shinki once told me that if you feel the world is bad, then try to change it; see the world with your own eyes."

"I witnessed the failure of the Daimyo's politics, so I joined forces with Ninjas and the army to launch that 'Country-Stealing War'."

"There were many who opposed the Daimyo, so the battle ended quickly. After that, 'Hokage' became synonymous with 'monarch' of the Land of Fire."

"However, I dislike 'monarchs' and 'hereditary succession,' so the leaders of the Land of Fire after me have all been elected by the people."

"And you, Konohamaru, are the undisputed next Hokage in the eyes of most people in the Land of Fire, and I feel the same way. (ﾉ∇︎ )"

"Konohamaru, don't underestimate yourself. You can do it! You're not only an excellent Ninja, but you'll also become a brilliant politician in the future!"

"Don't forget, you're still his brother. ❛‿˂̵✧"

After Naruto finished speaking, Konohamaru nodded vigorously. "I understand, Lord Hokage! ୧⍢⃝୨"

"Then go and make preparations for the trip to the southern provinces. We'll set off tomorrow," Naruto said.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" After saying that, Konohamaru quickly tidied up the things on his desk, pushed open the door, and walked out of the Office.

As he stepped out of the Office, he ran into an acquaintance and politely greeted her, "Miss Ada."

Ada nodded slightly as a greeting, then walked straight into the Hokage's Office.

Orochimaru's Research Institute.

Shortly after Naruto became Hokage, Orochimaru was released from Prison and worked with Amado and Katatsuke to develop many new technologies.

However, because Orochimaru had an eccentric and Wuchang personality, they set up a separate research institute for him on the outskirts of the village.

"Lord Orochimaru, how's the new research going? Will we be able to find the Shinki?" Karin, asked expectantly.

Orochimaru was speechless. "Stop asking. You ask, Tsunade asks, Jiraiya keeps coming to ask."

"These questions are driving me crazy! ╮(￣⊿￣)╭"

"You think Wormhole Travel is so easy to study?"

Karin: "That's true, but you've been researching this technology for many years... Also, can this technology really be used to find the Shinki?"

Orochimaru: "No, but this technology will allow us to move faster in space... As for finding the Shinki, that's up to you."

"In Aerospace Base located on the Land of Fire Border, there's a Spacecraft containing the Sensory Amplifier that Amado and I jointly developed."

"Once you're in space, you can use the Sensory Amplifier to search for the Chakra of the Shinki in the universe..."

"However, the universe is so vast that it's extremely difficult to locate someone's Chakra using only sensory perception."

"If Sasuke could find the exact location of Takamagahara within the Ōtsutsuki Ruins, that would be great, but as things stand, the chances are slim."

"Anyway, you should probably lower your expectations a bit. (||๐_๐)"

"I just can't understand what's so great about that Shinki kid that you've been thinking about him for so many years. ¯_(ツ)_/¯"

"Lord Orochimaru, you say that, but haven't you put in a lot of effort over the years to find the Shinki, spending time researching all sorts of strange things? ヽ(*´∀`)ﾉ" Karin teased.

Orochimaru sneered, "I'm just simply curious about the universe and the Ōtsutsuki."

"Of course, I'm also curious why this inhumanly powerful Shinki has mysteriously disappeared for so many years."

"My feelings for him are quite complicated."