A major meeting was taking place in Konoha this morning. Normally, everyone gathered at the beginning of each month, but due to Kumo's actions within the Land of Fire's territory, it was decided to hold the meeting earlier than scheduled.
After intense war discussions, which led to a few heated arguments here and there, the focus shifted to Konoha's development, where each clan presented their challenges and the state of their respective industries.
Due to the previous purge of merchants who had been selling information, competition between nations in certain sectors was now struggling to keep up with Konoha's rapid progress.
Already prepared for today's meeting, Mutsuy had consulted Mito Uzumaki regarding the establishment of the Sealing Department, placing her as its direct head. To avoid relocating people, land was donated from the Senju Clan, specifically an area bordering the Forest of Death, for the department's construction.
Days had passed since the mission against Kumo, and due to Mutsuy's insistence that the village put its full effort into this, several Earth Release masters had been working tirelessly on the basic structure of the facility.
During this period, while overseeing the construction, a notification suddenly appeared in his vision: "Hoi-Poi Capsules Available." Mutsuy was left speechless. Is this really possible? Why only now? I could have built a much more modern shop back then… He sighed.
After going through the list of high-tech structures, most of which had a sleek white design with a slightly circular shape, he selected a pentagonal design—the largest one available. With a Poof, a blue capsule with a house symbol in the center appeared in his hand.
Regardless of whether he would have to explain it later, he decided to make a series of exaggerated hand signs, imitating the movements of casting a grand jutsu, before tossing the capsule into the center of the site. Silently, a majestic complex materialized, radiating a certain futuristic charm.
After coming up with thousands of excuses, he finally settled on a reasonable explanation: these were Compression Capsules, capable of compacting any structure within them. Whether or not this could be replicated in the future was a matter for later.
After several check-ups, everything was settled. Within the village, there were around ten masters of sealing jutsu. It was decided that sealing masters would not be called upon for shinobi battles—their sole objective would be research and the development of new sealing technologies.
Returning to the meeting, Mutsuy was concluding his explanations.
"As you can see, the ten sealing jutsu masters of the newly established department, under the supervision of Mito-sama, will be teaching sealing jutsu and working on developing new ideas. That's why I've divided them across different sub-departments: Military Force Development, Agriculture, Territorial Protection Formations, and Trade & Commerce.
Due to the demand for resource generation, the Trade & Commerce division will have the largest number of students, as they will be responsible for the creation, production, and sale of sealing formulas for various sectors of society.
Therefore, just as we hold a Jōnin meeting at the beginning of each month, there will now be a Sealing Masters' Meeting to share new creations. This is necessary because, for example, by examining the rune that generates heat—if we use only half of it and continue the process, we can create explosive tags.
To maintain the village's ideals, all clans will be required to send five-year-old children to the sealing jutsu training program. Keep in mind that these students will not undergo standard shinobi combat training. However, I believe they should still be able to protect themselves. Thus, the Sealing Academy will offer appropriate compensation to Konoha's taijutsu masters to ensure their general formation and physical training."
Following this, the Third Hokage delivered a long speech about the Will of Fire and the young shinobi who would embark on this new chapter of Konoha's development. He announced that he would request the Uzumaki Clan to send established couples with considerable knowledge of sealing jutsu to Konoha.
Additionally, he placed the village on high alert, reinforcing both land and maritime borders by deploying more shinobi. Of course, he did not forget the military communication device known as the "Cell Phone."
One year had passed since the last major events in Konoha. Mutsuy had now turned fifteen. On this winter day, he was nestled in the warmth and comfort of his home with Aiko. His work desk was once again cluttered with papers filled with strange diagrams and formulas, as he was deeply engrossed in the creation of new seals.
This time, he had drawn inspiration from magical romances and was determined to complete this long-standing project that had occupied him for the past few months. The idea of having a magical spirit to assist with administration had always intrigued him.
However, the core concept only truly took shape after he met Dan Katō, a shinobi of the same age from the Katō Clan—known for their expertise in the spiritual aspects of ninja techniques. After witnessing how it was possible for a spirit to leave the body and take control of others with weak wills, Mutsuy's curiosity was piqued. Seeking guidance on the spiritual realm, he asked a simple yet profound question:
"Is it possible to extract the spirit of animals?"
Dan considered the idea and concluded that it wasn't impossible—the only requirement was a container to house the spirit. After extensive consultations with Mito and a series of innovative experiments, Mutsuy finally achieved his ultimate goal: a chakra stone the size of an anvil.
The only remaining step was to refine the spirit into something between human and beyond human. After months of nurturing and imparting knowledge, he believed the spirit had developed to the equivalent of an adult human's intelligence.
Today, he was installing the mechanisms throughout Konoha to allow the spirit to travel freely. He had created several host nodes linked to sealing jutsu across various Konoha departments. With rapid technological advancement, Konoha had now entered the age of computers—but not through basic human technology. Instead, everything functioned through runic methods.
Connected directly to the mind of the Hokage, the spirit could make independent decisions based on the ruler's ideals. In the future, it would be as simple as removing the seal to transfer authority to the next Hokage. A seamless transition.
Nowadays, Hiruzen Sarutobi was rarely found in his office. At most, only a shadow clone remained there. With the burden of paperwork lifted, his life had transformed. He resumed intense training, dedicated more time to teaching his students, and spent more time around the village—most notably, inspecting the bathhouses under the pretext of security checks.
By now, Konoha had become completely self-sufficient. Since the events involving Kumo, not a single moment had been wasted. At present, the village had the resources to sustain many years of war if necessary.
These developments had caught the attention of the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. Realizing he was losing political influence, he had no choice but to submit. Currently, Konoha's revenue had far surpassed the total civil revenue of the entire country.
New agreements were forged, leading to the creation of a new position: Prime Minister. This role held authority above the Daimyō but below the Hokage. A Nara Clan ninja was appointed to this position, and ever since, the royal family had become nothing more than a symbolic entity—similar to a certain monarchy in another universe.
"Alright, rookies! Today marks the beginning of your training to become unmatched masters of water release!"
A hundred young shinobi stood in formation, divided into groups of ten, barely able to contain their excitement. After all, who didn't want to become a ninja these days?
Step one: Undergo specialized taijutsu training to expand your chakra points.
Step two: Learn new Water Release jutsu and engage in both team and solo combat.
Step three: Cast Water Release techniques until you hit mind zero, completely exhausting your chakra.
This was the training regimen these young ninjas would undergo for the next three years.
For this purpose, they had been brought to the southern coast of the Land of Fire. This location was home to Konoha's navy—a massive port responsible for receiving foreign shipments and developing the local economy.
New ship designs had been developed by Konoha's Sealing Department, and as a result, Mutsuy was not only supervising his students but also overseeing the production of these advanced vessels.
To prevent the destruction of Uzushiogakure, Mutsuy had previously traveled to the country with Danzo to secure maritime investments and conduct military operations in the region. The goal was to establish a stronger defensive barrier, especially against Kirigakure.