Three days later, Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
Over the past five years, Kumogakure had undergone earth-shaking changes.
If the Kumogakure of five years ago had been a military fortress perched atop the mountains, a village founded on martial strength, then the Kumogakure of today was more like a prosperous modern city.
High-rises climbed the mountainside in layers, their glass curtain walls reflecting a cold gleam beneath the dazzling highland sun.
The training grounds that had once been visible everywhere had been replaced by commercial streets lined with neon signs.
New trams imported from Mist Village ran through the village. Well-dressed people stepped out of the stations, their clothes crisp and brightly colored. Compared with the uniform short combat outfits of five years ago, it was as though they had entered another era.
The arcade on the street corner buzzed with noise. Several young people crowded around a new arcade machine, controlling sword-wielding characters on the screen as they traded blows, erupting into cheers every now and then.
And the source of it all pointed toward the towering building standing at the highest point of Cloud Ravine.
That building had practically become Kumogakure's new landmark. A massive electronic screen hung on its exterior, continuously playing trailers for the latest "works" and various rankings around the clock.
Best of My Lifetime, Monthly Best, This Year's Sales Champion, Readers' Most Popular Artist Ranking...
The entire building resembled an unmoving god, looking down from above upon believers spread throughout the Ninja World.
It was the Kumogakure Doujinshi Association, also known as—the headquarters of the Ninja World Forbidden Manga Group!
In truth, though, the building's original name no longer mattered.
For five years, every Kumogakure villager had known what this building meant to the village.
It was Kumogakure's greatest money-making machine of this era, and