Nine years in the Northern Lands, 59 years in Konoha.
Rock Lee, Tenten graduated from the Ninja Academy.
At the same time, ninjas in the Northern Lands region also began to emerge.
After so many years of development, both its economic strength and the skill level of its ninjas have gradually improved.
On this day, on the land that was once the Land of Grass, a group of workers were busily working.
"My lord, this should be the last one, right?"
A site manager is looking down at the construction progress below.
Looking around, a railway track has already taken shape next to a village, and it looks like it will be completed soon.
"Yes! All the other places have been completed and opened to traffic, only ours is left!"
The one who spoke was the person in charge here, Kazahana Dōtō, a scientist from the Northern Lands.
Each small ninja kingdom conquered by the Northern Lands had two leaders: one was mainly responsible for the construction progress of the site, and the other was responsible for the safety of the railway tracks.
As the saying goes, it's easier to conquer a country than to govern it. In almost every place, there are some short-sighted people who don't want to see the changes in the Northern Lands.
Among these people were former ninja village members who had escaped the net, as well as those secretly obstructed by major powers.
Although the major powers were unclear about what the Land of Gold was up to, following their lead was the right thing to do.
While most of the railways have recently begun operation, progress here has been relatively slow.
Therefore, the pressure here is the greatest, as there's a fear that something unexpected might happen in the final stage.
"As expected of Lord Gold Kage! I never thought that just two rails could move such a heavy lump of iron!"
At this point, the manager's tone suddenly became excited.
There's no need to elaborate on technological innovations like trains; they remained relevant on Blue Star for over a century, from World War II to the 21st century, demonstrating their exceptional usefulness.
Its advantages are equally applicable in the Ninja World; whether for hauling goods or transporting people, it is a revolutionary product.
It can be said that once the railway was built, the entire Land of Gold was connected, making it much more convenient for ninjas to carry out missions.
"Sir, you certainly have excellent judgment!"
Kazahana Dōtō's eyes were somewhat complicated. Strictly speaking, trains first appeared in the Land of Snow, but at that time, trains were only two or three sections, and their main purpose was for his rebellion plan.
It's not that his vision and perspective are not broad enough; there's really no need to make the Land of Snow, such a small place, so interconnected.
"Let's all keep up the good work! I'll treat everyone to drinks when we're done!"
Kazahana Dōtō patted the administrator on the shoulder. He had been away for some time. For a researcher like him, the most important task was still to do research.
Just as the two were talking, an explosion suddenly rang out from the distant forest!
"What's going on! Have the enemy come to sabotage us again?"
The administrator's face turned ashen the instant he heard the explosion, and Kazahana Dōtō beside him also had a gloomy look in his eyes.
This kind of thing happens occasionally; it's only happened in other places before, but I never thought it would happen to them today.
The Net of the Northern Lands is not just a figurehead; as the Northern Land City grows stronger, the influence of the Net has become apparent.
Even if we don't expand our business overseas, we should at least be able to defend our own territory!
Previously, when someone caused trouble, they were caught and killed one by one. With such swift and decisive measures, very few people dare to provoke them anymore.
Just as the two were lost in thought, a sharp female voice entered their ears.
"Hehe...! I thought this trip would be boring, but I didn't expect to actually get into trouble!"
A woman with a strange hairstyle walked slowly towards them.
Upon seeing the woman with dark red hair, the two men's expressions instantly became respectful.
Kazahana Dōtō was alright, after all, he was someone who had seen a lot, but the administrator was different.
For Konoha's core leaders, no matter how talented they are, they are just employees.
There's a saying, "No pain, no gain!"
"Lord Ame Yuri! X2"
The person who came was none other Ringo Ameyuri, the "safety officer" in charge of railway construction.
Since being healed by Orochimaru, she has felt a sense of belonging to this emerging country, and what she has seen and heard in the past few years has given her hope.
Completely different from the system of the Five Great Nations, the quality of life for both commoners and ninjas has been gradually improved.
She could genuinely see that Orochimaru was thinking about the people, which was much better than the original Land of Water.
Ignoring the two, Ringo Ameyuri took the lead and quickly ran towards the location of the explosion.
At the same time, a signal flare shot into the sky, and all the Northern Lands ninjas who saw it rushed over.
At the epicenter of the explosion, after the smoke cleared, three figures slowly emerged.
"Fūka, won't that cause misunderstandings in the Northern Lands?"
A slightly androgynous female voice rang out first, and as soon as she finished speaking, several figures of Northern Lands ninjas appeared in front of them.
"We're still quite far away, and we haven't disrupted their construction, so it should be fine!"
The female ninja named Fūka spoke slowly. All three of them wore straw hats, revealing only the lower half of their faces.
If Orochimaru were there, he would have recognized the three of them immediately. Aren't they three of the Ninja World Grave Robber Four?
As for the one with a resolute face and a slightly arrogant expression, he remained Fudō.
"Making such a fuss, are you all tired of living?!"
The first person to arrive was naturally Ringo Ameyuri, but after scanning her surroundings, her eyes filled with doubt.
Before she could figure out the situation, Fūka on the other side slowly spoke.
"We meant no harm; we just wanted to get your attention this way!"
As he spoke, Fūka took off his straw hat first, and the two people behind him also revealed their true faces.
"Oh? Your motives are rather suspicious!"
Ringo Ameyuri didn't act immediately; a series of thoughts flashed through her mind.
"Could this be a diversionary tactic?"
"We are all Rogue Ninja from various villages. We came here specifically to serve the Northern Lands because we heard that they are eager for talented people!"
The previously silent Fudō had dropped his arrogant expression, because he recognized the two long swords at Ringo Ameyuri's waist.
That was one of the Seven Ninja Blade the Kirigakure — the Lightning Blade: Kiba.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have very famous and easily recognizable Ninja Blade in the Ninja World, and he was fortunate enough to have seen one!
Fudō, she took out a letter from her bosom and threw it at Ringo Ameyuri.
Fūka was from Sunagakure, Fu'en was from the Amegakure, but he was from the Land of Fire.
The three were recruited by the Net by chance, and after meeting up with Fu'en from the Amegakure, they came here with a letter of introduction.
The Land of Grass is adjacent to the Amegakure, and there are ninjas from the Northern Lands stationed there. Getting to the Northern Lands smoothly will not only involve going through many obstacles, but will also be quite troublesome.
So the group decided to reveal their identities here and have the ninjas from the Northern Lands lead them there.
Using this method to attract people is a last resort, as this construction site is strictly off-limits to unauthorized personnel.
I'm also worried that getting too close might cause more trouble, so it's better to meet here without knowing the other party's attitude.
If things don't go your way, you can always distance yourself; these few people are certainly making pretty clever plans.
"Serving the country? Quite a few people have served the country over the years, but not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry is useful!"
After reading the letter, Ringo Ameyuri not only did not suppress her hostility, but a smile appeared on her face instead.
Before the three could fully grasp her words, Ringo Ameyuri her waist.
"If you want to join the Northern Lands, you'd better have enough value to them! Let me see if you're qualified!"