Time flew by. The Akatsuki began operating throughout the shinobi world, and Juzo Biwa died at the hands of Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage.
The Kubikiribōchō thus returned to Mist Shadow, but they could not hold on to their treasure either. Before long, Zabuza defected from Kirigakure, taking the Kubikiribōchō with him.
After an assessment of his overall abilities, Zabuza failed to meet the Akatsuki's recruitment standards.
As for the Kubikiribōchō, it was merely a large sword that could repair itself. It did not interest the Akatsuki.
Meanwhile, Sunagakure's ambitions grew, and it began encroaching on more of the Land of Fire's territory.
Yet Konoha showed no reaction, as though it knew nothing about it, as though nothing had happened.
This left the other major shinobi villages itching to act as well.
Meanwhile, the alliance of trading companies led by the Land of Grass grew even larger, encompassing nearly all the small countries.
The Land of Demons, the Land of Ghosts, and the Land of Hot Water all joined the alliance.
Even the Land of Tea, situated on a peninsula, joined the alliance through a sea route passing through the Land of Rivers.
Only the isolationist Land of Snow and the lonely island nation of the Land of Waves remained outside the Small Country Alliance.
As the Commercial Alliance's influence grew, smartphones spread even further.
At the same time, various industries related to mobile apps began flourishing. The most popular app was a social platform called the Shinobi World Forum.
People from all across the shinobi world could exchange information on this forum.
Quite a few shinobi also liked gathering mission information there.
Tetsuya had quietly opened a discussion board on the forum as well, calling it Shinobi World Dream Master and randomly choosing youngsters whose wishes he would grant.
The people