HTP: Ch. 43

Konoha's shopping district bustled with life.

Mei's high heels clicked to a stop in front of a dessert shop. The tricolor dango in the paper bag she had just picked up was still steaming. She gazed at the massive construction site in the distance, soon to be completed, the experimental building was having a giant metallic plaque hoisted up by crane.

At that moment, she felt like a girl from the shogunate era who had suddenly found herself in Las Vegas, not that she knew what or how Las Vegas would look like. The modernization gap between Konoha and Kiri left her with an indescribable feeling.

It was hard to even put this emotion into words.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, How much had Kiri missed out on during the Bloody Mist years?

Her diplomatic mission had been half successful.

The Third Hokage had agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations and signed a rather favorable draft alliance. He even agreed to provide some economic aid to the currently struggling Kiri.

Was Kisame really worth that much? Samehada was certainly rare, but Kiri had offered quite a price that outweighed Samehada in value.

After all, the Seven Ninja Swords had special significance only to Kiri.

Then there was something else, the Hokage had specifically requested a young ninja named Chōjūrō to study abroad in Konoha.

The official reason? To promote friendship and cultural understanding between the two villages.

Was this he some kind of hidden bloodline user from Kiri? Why would he be singled out by someone all the way across the continent? Maybe it was just that Kiri had been closed off for too long. Since Mei came to Konoha, she had felt like the times had completely changed.

At the same time, the Hokage's unusually friendly attitude had left her a bit flattered, and confused. She had clearly seen the Iwa envoy walk away with a dark face.

All of this left her puzzled.

Her thoughts were interrupted.

"Would you like to try our new item?"

After she paid for the dango, the shop clerk cheerfully handed her a honey-colored rice cake and continued the sales pitch, "It's made with honey from the Land of Tea~"

And… wow. There were so many more handsome men in Konoha than in Kiri. Even the guy working at the dango shop was a looker.

Soon enough, she gave in to the charm and happily bought more. Thinking back to Kiri, it was either the elderly, the sick, or the literally sharp-tongued.

Just then, a noisy trio passed by the shop. She turned to look.

A blond, a raven-head, and a pink-haired teen group walked past the shop.

---

"Hey, Naruto! Let's go to the training field and spar later!"

Ever since he had uncovered an Uchiha training scroll, and then became Orochimaru's apprentice, Sasuke had felt his power grow by leaps and bounds. Now, he was determined to reclaim the title of team leader by challenging Naruto.

At the moment, Naruto looked like a panda with his dark eye circles, hands behind his head, mumbling weakly, "I really don't have time right now. I'm stuck in cram school every night!"

"Is studying really that hard?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"No, it's not just regular schoolwork. There's stuff like space-time coordinates and… whatever… it's for a new jutsu." Naruto replied weakly.

Sakura tilted her head, curious. "What is it?"

"The Flying Thunder God Technique. I just can't learn it." Naruto groaned like he had been crushed. "Seriously, I can't figure it out at all, and the material is super thick, stacked up, it's taller than me."

He muttered to himself, "They're both forbidden jutsu, but why is this one so much harder than Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?"

Hearing the name Flying Thunder God Technique, Sasuke's ears perked up. Wasn't that the signature technique used by the Fourth Hokage? The legendary jutsu said to instantly defeat fifty jonin?

Seeing Sasuke's expression, Naruto guessed what he was thinking and muttered, "You can ask Orochimaru-sensei about it. I heard all these techniques will be available at the Advanced Academy Class, anyone skilled enough can learn them."

Sasuke gave a slight nod, interest fading from his challenge.

If Naruto couldn't learn it, that didn't mean he couldn't. Did he even know the worth of being the top student?

Naruto kept grumbling. "I had such a good feeling learning Sage Mode, but now they're forcing me to learn this instead."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Stop bluffing. It's probably just that Mount Myōboku Sage Mode is easier."

"Who said that?!"

"Obviously, Orochimaru-sensei did."

Sage Mode, huh. Sasuke now had a rough understanding of it too, but every time he asked Orochimaru, he got the same response: You're not ready yet.

Orochimaru had said that Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode carried much greater risks than Mount Myōboku's, and even he wasn't eager to take that chance.

Tch, coward. Just admit you're scared. No wonder the Third Hokage said you were the weakest of the Sannin.

He inwardly mocked Orochimaru for his cowardice.

During this entire exchange, Sakura had zoned out early on, her thoughts drifting far away. Not long ago, Tsunade had suddenly dumped a pile of medical ninja materials on her, telling her to try learning them on her own.

If I can master this, then I'll be one of the Sannin's disciples too, right? It'll feel like I've caught up with those two again.

Meanwhile, Mei took a bite of the sticky rice cake. The tea-infused honey melted on her tongue as she watched the three noisy teenagers walk off into the distance.

That boy called Naruto had casually mentioned something: Advanced Academy Class.

On the massive construction site, the crane was still hoisting the giant metallic school plaque. It reflected a golden glow under the setting sun.

Had Konoha's next generation already reached this level? Flying Thunder God Technique? Sage Mode? These were being put into Academy class now?

Could it be... Konoha was putting on a show just for her?

She couldn't help but wonder. She hoped that was the case.

---

As for why the future Fifth Mizukage was treated so politely, of course, it was because Hiruzen had become a fan of a certain masked vigilante version of Mei.

His consciousness drifted into hyperspace.

Hiruzen, having wrapped up his daily duties running Konoha, now entered his leisure time.

"This makes no sense. Why would you all vote the witch off in the first round?"

Trying out a new game, he couldn't understand the appeal. He found this game called Werewolf to have zero gameplay experience.

Bored with it, he noticed Ace was online.

In the vastness of hyperspace, it was still just the two of them, the only conscious entities capable of interaction here. Though they had never met face-to-face, after all this time, they could be considered online friends.

Their chats had become more casual.

He was curious about how someone from the One Piece world spent their free time. Unlike himself, who busily ran Konoha, Ace, locked in a maximum-security Marine prison, couldn't do anything in the real world.

All he could do was wait for execution day.

[Hiruzen]: What do you do with your time in prison?

After a pause, a reply came back.

[Ace]: Oh, right now I'm reading fanfiction.

...Fanfiction, huh. If the Naruto forums were a nightmare, then fanfiction was the abyss for Hiruzen. But hey, conversation had to keep going somehow.

[Hiruzen]: What kind? One Piece?

[Ace]: Naruto fanfiction.

He had a bad feeling about this.

[Ace]: I've read almost everything worth reading. I'm thinking about writing one myself.

Wow. You must really be bored in prison.

[Hiruzen]: Hahaha, I'll look forward to it then.

But in his mind, he was thinking: What are you going to title it...

[Ace]: I already have a title: Ace Reborn as an Uchiha: Starts by Roasting the Konoha Council. Hope that's okay with you.

I knew it!

[Hiruzen]: Of course I'm not bothered. Why would I care about something like that? Naruto's graffiti is all over my statue and I never complained.

After this chat, Hiruzen himself started to nurture a literary dream. He began drafting his own One Piece fanfiction: The Rise of the Marine King: Arresting Ace in Chapter One.

At that moment, in the boundless hyperspace, from nothing to something, from a single speck of light to a glowing patch, finally, a new consciousness-star began to shine.