Mechanical Science Research Institute.
In the massive hall stood a giant towering tens of meters high—strictly speaking, it was merely a skeletal frame assembled from metal, shaped like a humanoid figure.
But at such an immense height, looking up from below still evoked the overwhelming awe of gazing upon a mountain.
Various mechanical instruments operated continuously, with numerous platforms erected across the space.
Workers bustled about, tending to their respective tasks.
This was originally an open-air site, but a special barrier had been set up, concealing its existence from the outside world.
"The skeletal frame forged from chakra metal has been fully assembled. However, Minister Kabuto's progress on the flesh armor still requires a considerable amount of time."
On one of the high platforms, Tonogawa was reporting the latest progress to the Hokage.
"What about the technique formulas?"
"The basic movement formulas have been completed. We're planning to conduct limb movement experiments soon."
Makoto nodded slightly and said, "The progress has already been quite fast."
It had exceeded his initial expectations.
At any given time, the efficiency of ninjas in executing tasks was extraordinarily high.
Unlike ordinary craftsmen, certain delicate or complex operations that machinery couldn't achieve had to be handled personally by ninjas.
As for the flesh armor being developed under Kabuto's department, the process was divided into two phases: cultivation and tempering.
The time required for both was considerable.
Covering the entire giant with flesh armor would demand an enormous quantity of material.
Completing everything would take years rather than months.
No matter how urgent, this wasn't something that could be rushed.
Besides, Makoto had more than enough time on his hands.
Standing on the platform, Makoto gazed at the skeletal frame of the giant before him.
While it appeared humanoid in form, its chakra-metal frame was currently layered with temporary armor.
These simulated the expected weight of the future flesh armor, allowing them to calculate chakra consumption during movement experiments in the near future.
Every minor detail had to be refined and perfected through rigorous research and experimentation.
The researchers in the institute had poured immense effort into this project.
Each person performed their duties with dedication, working tirelessly day and night—all for the day when this colossal being would descend upon the ninja world.
After leaving the Mechanical Science Research Institute, Makoto attended a banquet—an event primarily gathering merchants, though it also included members of various prominent clans.
The expansion of Konoha's new city had finally been completed after more than two months, increasing the village's original size by more than three times.
This was largely thanks to Obito's dedicated efforts in construction.
As promised, Makoto held a special commendation ceremony for him, awarding him a medal in front of numerous villagers and ninja to express gratitude for his contributions to Konoha's development.
With the new city established, various tasks related to urban planning needed to be undertaken.
This banquet was specifically organized to promote the commercial and economic development of Konoha's new district.
The city would welcome more foreign merchants, and under the Hokage's leadership, a Konoha Chamber of Commerce was formed in collaboration with existing local business owners.
The goal was to establish regulations and planning strategies that would ensure mutual benefit and prosperity.
Originally, Konoha was merely a ninja village—a place dedicated to training ninja and providing legal military force for the country.
Now, with its expansion into a large-scale city, its size rivaled that of the original capital.
This transformation made Konoha's role and the identity of its ninja far more complex.
Makoto's vision was to develop Konoha into the economic and political center of the Land of Fire.
Beyond that, there was another major initiative that Makoto had contemplated for a long time before finally putting it into action.
He sent envoys to summon the leaders of all notable mercenary groups and independent ninja factions across the Land of Fire, bringing them to Konoha for a special conference.
These groups were unofficial forces, unrecognized by the nation, yet tolerated.
They survived by taking on various mission commissions, but in a country where Konoha had an overwhelming monopoly, their existence was difficult.
To attract clients, they had to offer services at much lower prices than Konoha.
Makoto's plan was to reorganize and unify these scattered ninja forces by creating a Land of Fire Ninja Guild, officially registered and recognized by the state.
From now on, all mission commissions would be centralized, processed under a single system, and then distributed to them.
Konoha would oversee this process and take a percentage as a handling fee.
Major cities across the Land of Fire would have official mission offices, all managed by Konoha.
Simply put, these independent ninja would essentially become subcontracted workers for Konoha, earning their livelihood under Konoha's administration.
This plan had both advantages and disadvantages, depending on how they viewed it.
Larger factions that had already built a reputation and gained loyal clientele would see this as a severe loss of autonomy.
Previously, they ruled their own territories and operated as independent bosses, but under this system, they would have to submit everything to Konoha—working under its banner, following its regulations, and relying on it for sustenance.
For anyone with power, that was hardly an appealing prospect.
Some of the smaller and weaker factions, however, were naturally eager to seize such an opportunity, as having a stable source of income was an undeniable advantage for them.
The Ninja Guild wouldn't just absorb mercenary organizations and independent ninja groups—it would also be open to rogue ninja within the country.
As long as they were willing to register and accept oversight, the state would ensure they had work.
In the future, this initiative could even extend to rogue ninja from other nations.
Makoto had already discussed this idea with some of the village's higher-ups, but his bold proposal was met with little understanding.
Many officials argued that these civilian ninja groups and mercenaries only had access to a limited number of mission commissions—the vast majority of high-value commissions were still under Konoha's control.
As long as these rogue factions didn't cause trouble, Konoha had no real reason to concern itself with their survival.
Even if Konoha absorbed them, it wouldn't necessarily be beneficial.
Not only would it mean sharing some of the available mission commissions, but these independent ninja were inconsistent in quality, unpredictable, and often untrustworthy.
Integrating them into the system could ultimately tarnish Konoha's reputation.
Of course, all of these objections were just excuses.
Makoto quickly realized that most of Konoha's own people carried a natural sense of arrogance when dealing with these "wild" ninja.
They looked down on them, as if simply being born in Konoha made them inherently superior.
Makoto couldn't be bothered to argue with them.
He simply pushed forward with his decision, insisting that strict laws be put in place and that these independent ninja undergo rigorous skill and conduct evaluations before being reclassified into a proper ranking system.
As for the factions that refused to join the guild, Makoto made his stance clear: once the guild was officially established, a public decree would be issued—any individual or group not registered under the Ninja Guild would not be recognized by the state, and any private citizen or organization commissioning unregistered ninja would be held accountable.
This naturally led to dissatisfaction among some mercenary groups, but none dared to openly protest.
The law? In the Land of Fire, Konoha was the law.
Even the most prominent mercenary organizations were nothing more than ants in front of Konoha.
Challenging the village was not an option.
Some couldn't understand why Makoto was pushing for this reform, but there were others—like Tonogawa—who immediately saw the bigger picture.
He saw through Makoto's ambition in an instant.
This wasn't just a domestic reform—it was a test run.
A preparatory step for something far greater: the unification of the entire ninja world.
Such an idea would sound laughable and absurd to outsiders.
But Tonogawa knew better.
The moment that giant in the research facility took to the skies, there would be nothing in this world capable of stopping the Hokage's advance.
For now, the Land of Fire's internal rebellions had been completely suppressed.
But once the rebel forces laid down their weapons, they all became refugees.
After all, this was still an agricultural era—if you didn't farm, you didn't eat.
When they were rebels, they had survived by looting and pillaging, leaving their own fields abandoned and barren.
Now, with winter approaching, many of them were bound to starve to death.
Makoto couldn't just ignore this problem.
If he allowed starvation to spread unchecked, then when the land was filled with corpses and despair, these desperate commoners—knowing they were doomed anyway—would have no choice but to rebel again.
The rebellion had already left the Land of Fire weakened, its treasury emptied, and there were nowhere near enough funds and food supplies for proper disaster relief.
The only option was to borrow grain from neighboring countries.
Fortunately, on the Moon, Makoto had discovered several mines, including a gold mine.
He immediately dispatched ninja squads to recruit strong laborers and transport them through teleportation arrays to begin mining.
The extracted gold could then be exchanged for food from other nations, helping the Land of Fire survive this difficult year.
The Otsutsuki ruins had also contained a significant amount of currency, but unfortunately, the coins were obsolete and unusable, fit only to be stored as antiques.
.............
It was deep winter now, and snow had already fallen several times over Konoha.
The residents of Adofuku Street were gradually relocating to the village, and the new city district had officially opened.
These days, Konoha was livelier than ever.
Many original Konoha residents had taken to wandering around the new district, curious about the newcomers and eager to welcome them.
Among them was Obito.
The man proudly wore the medal bestowed upon him by the Hokage, pinning it to his chest.
Every day, no matter how cold it was, he would wake up early and start patrolling the new district, checking to see how many new residents had arrived today—as if he were inspecting his own territory.
The new district was massive, built as a circular expansion around Konoha.
Even after all of Adofuku Street's residents moved in, it still wouldn't be fully occupied.
Makoto put up a section of the newly developed area for public housing sales, and almost instantly, a wave of wealthy individuals from the Land of Fire rushed in, offering outrageous prices to secure a spot.
Even an idiot could see that Konoha was set to become the new capital of the Land of Fire—who would pass up the opportunity to live within its walls?
Housing prices in Konoha skyrocketed overnight, turning the market into a frenzied bidding war.
Eventually, the situation escalated into a major incident, forcing Konoha to intervene—but even then, they could only control what was happening in the open.
It was now inevitable that the auctioned district would become Konoha's future elite neighborhood.
...........
Another heavy snowfall blanketed the entire village in a layer of pure white.
Makoto, draped in a black cloak lined with soft white fur around the collar, stood atop the Hokage Building's rooftop, gazing down at his Konoha.
"Lord Hokage."
At that moment, Samui approached, carrying a steaming cup of tea in both hands.
Makoto took a sip, feeling warmth spread through his body, then suddenly mused aloud:
"When spring arrives, Konoha will be reborn."
"It's all thanks to your leadership, Lord Hokage."
Hearing this, Makoto smirked and replied without hesitation:
"Of course it is."
Had the Third Hokage or Fourth Hokage still been in power, Konoha would have stagnated, clinging to the outdated illusion of being the number one ninja village, without true progress.
Maybe Danzo would still be alive, wasting his time fighting Uchiha.
Short-sighted fools like that deserved nothing but death.
Taking another sip of tea, Makoto turned away from the snowy view and headed back toward the Hokage's office.
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