During the night, at a small stall under a tree, Team 10 gathered for dinner at a small roadside stall.
"Hey, what's this communicator project? Does it have something to do with the thing Ino's working on?" Choji asked, taking a bite of tempura and a swig of sake.
"Yes." Naruto chimed in, having joined their gathering.
Shikamaru, now married, had begun to grow a bit of a beard. He still looked as lazy as ever, picking at his food absentmindedly before slowly lifting his head to glance around the group.
"The communicator will indeed make things more convenient. The era of Shinobi is gradually fading. Honestly, I don't have any big ambitions anymore. After getting married, I feel like I can't keep up."
At the mention of 'can't keep up', both Naruto and Ino looked up at Shikamaru, then turned to stare pointedly at Choji.
Feeling uneasy under their gazes, Choji waved his plump hands in protest, "Don't look at me! You two are impossible!"
There wasn't a dirty implication in sight, but Choji was still disgusted by this shameless pair. A casual remark from Shikamaru had drawn all the attention onto him.
'What did that mean? What was their problem? It wasn't like I was eating all their food. How annoying!'
"Cough." Naruto coughed mischievously, wearing a playful grin. They were all adults now, and also childhood friends, so nothing was off-limits.
Choji's face flushed red, and he wanted to stand up and leave when he heard Naruto's cough, but he held back when he saw that there was still food on the table.
"The communicator is a complex project. From construction to implementation, the fastest estimate is about half a year, and that's just within the village. If we want to cover the entire Land of Fire, it'll probably take two years." Ino explained.
The topic shifted back to the communicator, and the group's focus returned to the project.
"I heard the Land of Lightning has already partially implemented the Chakra-based communications and has even developed Chakra-based weapons." Shikamaru said, taking a sip of his drink.
"Technological development is bound to impact the status of Shinobi. That's why those old Advisors are reluctant to accept new technology."
"Whether they accept it or not, the era of technology is inevitable." Naruto added, "It's the trend of the times. We're just the transitional generation."
"If Chakra weapons emerge, wouldn't that weaken the need for Shinobi in the future?" Choji asked with some concern, "Anyone with the right weapon could kill."
"The era of Shinobi will inevitably come to an end, and perhaps there will be no Shinobi in the future." Shikamaru said.
He wasn't being pessimistic, just making a prediction for the future.
"The end of one thing is the beginning of another. Weapons ultimately need people to use them." Ino added. As the leader of the communicator project, she felt a deeper connection to the topic.
"The power of Shinobi is too strong, which is not good for the Shinobi World. If technology can balance it out, it could open up a new era." Naruto said, rubbing his sake cup thoughtfully.
"Imagine if Shinobi could fly or burrow underground, but technology had advanced to the point where we were entering the age of planetary warships…" Naruto continued, getting more excited, only to realize the table had gone completely silent.
Three pairs of eyes stared blankly at him, as if they were looking at a fool.
"Uh… I was just kidding."
With the communicator project officially starting, Ino became fully absorbed in her work. Naruto, not wanting to disturb her, shifted his focus elsewhere.
Laboratory of the Medical Department.
Sakura tied her hair back, removed her protective gear, and washed her hands thoroughly before leaving the lab. Seeing Naruto waiting for her, she couldn't help but quickened her pace.
"How come you have time to come here?"
"Just got a break, so I came to check on you." Naruto stretched his head to look left and right like a bumpkin, and when he saw that Sakura didn't stop him, he wanted to reach out and touch the experimental materials.
"Hey, don't touch that."
"Oh, right." He quickly pulled his hand back.
Sakura couldn't help but laugh at his antics and explained, "That's a new batch of seeds I've been cultivating. Took me almost half a month."
"Why did you suddenly decide to grow your hair out?" Naruto glanced at her and suddenly asked, "You used to have short hair. You changed it after that time, but I forgot to ask why."
"I don't remember who said it, but I heard long hair can be inconvenient for research."
"Yeah, but didn't you always like long hair?" Sakura shot him a look, nearly rolling her eyes, "Why else would I have grown it out?"
"Uh…" Naruto glanced at her pink ponytail, momentarily at a loss for words. He did like long hair, after all.
Short hair suited cute, innocent girls, but in the Shinobi World… well, there weren't many of those left. The cute and innocent ones had long been wiped out.
"Don't you like it?"
"I like it." He nodded.
Sakura's clear eyes fixed on him for a moment before she suddenly smiled. Her gaze was like delicate threads, brushing lightly over him, making Naruto feel a bit itchy inside.
He was all too familiar with that look. He glanced up at the sky, struggled briefly, but in the end, he nodded.
In an abandoned warehouse in the Medical Department, the two had a deep discussion about whether the Mystical Palm Technique could be widely promoted among Medical-nin.
Naruto, using his solid practical experience and supported by theoretical data, completely convinced Sakura. She blushed deeply, admitting defeat with no other choice.
"When are you coming by next time?" Sakura looked up at him.
"This time, I mainly came to ask if the top-secret information I gave you last time was useful." Naruto said.
"It was, but I still need to study it more." Sakura's dark blue eyes flickered, "It's definitely helpful, though. I'll let you know once I make more progress."
"Alright, don't lie to me. You know the consequences." Naruto said again, not entirely trusting her.
"I know." Sakura turned her head, biting her lip gently, likely recalling some unpleasant memories.
This man could be cruel when he wanted to be, and every word he said felt like a knife stabbing into her heart. Sakura didn't want to provoke him anymore, as things were already good enough for her as they were.
She enjoyed her work, and Naruto would come to visit her. She could feel that someone genuinely cared about her, and even if she was just a second personality, he didn't want her to disappear.
"Oh, by the way, take a look at this."
Sakura pushed aside the pile of documents on her workbench and pulled out a thick report from a locked drawer at the bottom. It said:
The titles on the report read:
[Speculative Research on the Fusion of Human and God Blood.]
[Theoretical and Practical Research on Gene Fusion.]
[The Fallen God Project.]