Just when the shinobi world was steadily moving toward peace and prosperity, Ryoma joined forces with Orochimaru, now the Director of the Scientific Research and Technology Bureau, to launch something unprecedented—
the Internet.
Although the technological path of the shinobi world was admittedly a little crooked compared to the original world, it was far from primitive. Electronic devices already existed, roughly equivalent to the technological level of the late twentieth to early twenty-first century.
When Ryoma officially rolled out the Internet along with its supporting hardware infrastructure, the reaction of the people far exceeded his expectations.
Online shopping.
Online education.
Remote work and social platforms.
Film, television, and live entertainment.
The development speed of the Internet within the shinobi world shocked even Ryoma himself. In just a short time, it surpassed not only his projections, but even the technological progress seen in the Boruto era.
Within a single year, people everywhere were marveling at how completely their lives had changed.
Food, clothing, housing, and transportation—once constant concerns—were no longer problems.
War and famine had disappeared.
Even in places like Amegakure, which had once been plagued by chaos and crime, criminal activity had dropped to almost nothing. At most, there were occasional petty thefts, with no casualties to speak of.
Technological change was even more astonishing.
Travel methods underwent a complete transformation. Traditional carriages, trains, and airships were replaced by space gates. With the latest unified ID cards issued by the Technology Bureau, anyone could pass through a space gate to reach their destination.
Geographical barriers between nations effectively vanished.
People could freely choose where they lived and worked—
working in Konoha during the day, then returning home to Kumogakure in the evening to have dinner with family.
The commercial environment changed just as drastically.
Merchants could trade across nations instantly using space gates, and within a short time, a new class of roaming traders emerged—businessmen who transported goods across the entire continent with ease.
At this moment, the central space gate hub of Konoha was packed with people.
Despite the hall's immense size, it felt crowded.
Passenger traffic had surged over the past week, all for one reason—
The Continental Joint Chūnin Examination would begin in two weeks.
In the past, each shinobi village held its own Chūnin Exams twice a year, sometimes hosting joint exams with one or two allied villages. These events were often used by the major powers to display military strength.
But this time was different.
This was an examination jointly held by all shinobi villages across the entire continent.
A truly united Chūnin Exam.
Its scale was unprecedented in recorded history.
Under Ryoma's directive, the exam cycle was reduced to once a year. To ensure the selection of truly elite shinobi, the difficulty was significantly increased, and the test environments became far more diverse and unpredictable.
Visitors from all over the world poured into Konoha through the space gates.
Some were participating ninja.
Others were tourists and merchants who came purely to witness the spectacle.
"Look—doesn't that beautiful woman look like Mei Terumī from Kirigakure?"
"Yeah! And over there—that's Maki from Sunagakure, right?"
Groups of men and women held up their mobile phones, comparing photos on their screens with the shinobi emerging from the space gates, their voices filled with excitement and disbelief.
Half a year earlier, when Ryoma first introduced the Internet and its supporting devices, the shinobi world's enthusiasm for new technology had already surpassed expectations.
The online platforms he designed—shopping, education, work communication, and entertainment—were embraced by countless people, accelerating development across all industries.
The overall technological level had already exceeded that of the Boruto era.
To help ordinary civilians better understand shinobi, Ryoma later instructed the Scientific Research Bureau, along with several private companies, to establish a ninja-focused live broadcast platform.
Through mobile phones and televisions, people could watch various ninja-related programs. Occasionally, live broadcasts of ninja competitions were organized, complete with professional commentary.
The commentary teams even invited figures such as Hatake Sakumo and Nara Shikahisa to provide expert analysis.
Sensing opportunity, merchants quickly entered the market, producing publications that introduced famous shinobi from each village.
Among them, a magazine titled Ninja Honshi stood out.
It frequently invited academy instructors and veteran shinobi for interviews, offering both insight and authority.
Issue by issue, its sales climbed higher.
Before long, Ninja Honshi became one of the most popular and influential publications on the entire continent.
Readers couldn't help but admire the dazzling and powerful ninjutsu introduced in the magazine, along with the shinobi who wielded them.
For a time, something akin to a fan economy quietly emerged—except the objects of admiration were no longer entertainers or idols, but formidable shinobi themselves.
Because the recent issues of Ninja Honshi had focused on introducing the seed contestants of the Continental Joint Chūnin Examination, many of these shinobi were now instantly recognizable to the public.
While the outside world buzzed with excitement, Ryoma sat quietly in the Hokage's office.
On the desktop of his computer, a special interface was displayed.
This was an intelligence system developed by Orochimaru's team, capable of collecting and storing vast amounts of information gathered through virtual networks and electronic monitoring devices.
Naturally, recording everything would place an unbearable burden on the system. As such, Orochimaru limited its scope to intelligence related to crime, rebellion, and active ninja organizations.
At this moment, Ryoma was reviewing data on a particular group—
the Shadow Empire.
Although the continent had been unified under his rule, its sheer size meant that manpower was always limited. Many local organizations had long been embedded within their regions, forming relatively stable social structures. Eradicating them recklessly would only create chaos.
Thus, from a purely pragmatic and economic standpoint, Ryoma did not completely eliminate such organizations.
Instead, he removed leaders who refused to submit and replaced them with individuals who were absolutely loyal to him.
His eyes moved steadily across the screen as he processed the information.
Then, a new file was transmitted over.
It was sent by Orochimaru.
Ryoma opened it. As he read, his eyes slowly narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing within them.
"These people are really courting death."
The document detailed the activities of the so-called "Remnants of the Former Regime."
They were composed of unpurged opposition figures from the former Five Great Nations, along with individuals dissatisfied with Ryoma's rule. Together, they had formed an armed force calling itself the Resistance Army, operating across the continent.
Their bases were believed to be located in extremely remote regions—areas far from space gates—where they could quietly amass strength.
Most outrageous of all, remnants of Chiyo's faction had even planned to kidnap Kushina Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha, both of whom were heavily pregnant, in an attempt to blackmail him.
If not for the Scientific Research and Technology Bureau's near-complete surveillance coverage of the world, Ryoma might never have learned of their plans in time.
"Chiyo will be holding a mobilization meeting in two days…"
A faint, cold smile appeared on Ryoma's face.
"…Perfect. I'll wipe you all out in one go."
His gaze swept over the information once more, committing every detail to memory—the locations of the rebel strongholds, the timing of their operations, and the identities of all those involved.
Then, he formed a seal with one hand.
Eight Wood Release clones separated from his body.
"Destroy them all."
The moment his words fell, the eight clones vanished without a trace.
...
TN:
🦊 Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin (+30 Chaps)
(Support me! 😊)