Chapter Text
Letter From Konoha Construction Workers Union to Konohagakure Clan Municipality,
Date: 2nd August, 51
To the fine shinobi of the Clan Council,
we at the Construction Workers Union work to uphold this city, just as you do. The terms offered in our ongoing renegotiations have been deemed to be fair, especially regarding the current strain on the entire system after the damage from the Kyuubi Incident last year. We have settled for temporarily lowered wages in exchange of infrastructure recovery taking more time. But we ask, for the good of both us and yours, that you do not make our jobs any harder. More damage to walls and pillars and roofs is being reported on a daily basis. Mostly this is only caused by a certain handful of shinobi – but we will not be naming names.
Please make a point of informing all registered shinobi to keep any and all spars/grudge matches/tantrums/bets in training grounds. Far from any wall, building, or fence whatsoever. If changes are not implemented, we shall call for higher salaries and involve the Capital’s civilian court.
Kind regards,
Chihiro, Spokesperson for the KCWU
Konohagakure Clan Municipality Response
Date: 20th August, 51
KCWU,
the Council accepts begrudging responsibility over this matter. Retraining sessions regarding situation deescalation and anger management will be implemented and Military Police will crack down harder on this matter. You may review the material of the lessons and gauge the effects of it.
Hopefully this matter can reach a quick conclusion,
Shibi, Speaker for Konohagakure Clan Municipality
Additional Note from Individual Members: The Hatake clan leader would wish to extend his apologies on behalf of the Sanbi jinchuuriki’s part in the damage.
RYUTAN TECH MAGAZINE (August, 62 HVE): Exclusive Interview With Nanami Sai!
[Accompanying the article is a picture of a man in his mid-twenties sitting on a bar stool next to a bulky screen surrounded by shelves of wires. He has light brown skin, hair carefully combed in a side-parting, and burn scars that cover his hands and forearms. His smile is stiff and he’s looking off-screen.]
The previous month, the growing behemoth of Nanami Corporation became estimated to be worth three trillion ryo. In light of this, we were able to convince Nanami Sai – the reclusive co-founder, second majority shareholder, and head of NanCorp’s Software Development and Game Design departments – to sit down for an interview with us.
Notoriously avoidant of publicity, this was the rare request he actually agreed to. We met on the rooftop of the NanCorp Headquarters, where an open-air workspace had been set up.
Ryutan Tech: This is a lovely place! You can see the entire company from up here. Is this where you do your work?
Nanami Sai: Thank you. I like- I like to see the sky and the horizon. And, er, no. I actually come up here to unwind from my work and… program some more. That probably sounds really sad, huh?
RT: Not at all! You’re a leading figure in the field, so it’s nice to hear that you enjoy your work this much!
NS: Heh… Wouldn’t really call myself a ‘leading figure’. It’s a bit like stolen valor from my perspective, when other people have done so much more to bring us to this point.
RT: Have you had any notable mentors in this sense, or are you just saying that generally?
NS: Well, there’s a lot of people who have gotten me to this point. Friends and family who protected me. Ryuusui, Kaseki, Francois.
RT: And in regards to your computer science expertise?
NS: Of course there were pione ers in programming that I owe my knowledge to . A l-Jazari, Margaret Hamilton, Feng-hsiung Hsu… Too many to list, really.
RT: … … … How do you spell these names ? Except for Nakashima.
NS, face looking drawn and voice saddened: I guess it doesn’t matter really. All of their work is gone. Just memories left in their wake.
(It should be noted to younger readers that this is likely in reference to the multiple Shinobi Wars and the general turmoil of the Warring States Era before that led to a lot of information being destroyed either by choice or accident. It’s not an era too far gone from the memories of the older generation, but context is being given just in case.)
RT: Well… they can’t be completely gone if you were able to build off their work, right?
NS: Right. Y-you’ve got a point. Sorry, this is why I don’t do interviews. I get all mopey. Ryuusui’s much better at this kind of thing.
RT: No, no, I find you quite insightful! Have you been working on anything interesting recently?
NS, visibly happier: As a matter of fact, I’ve been working on voice command software! It’s mainly to take pressure off my hands, but I’m taking it commercial because I know a lot of people could make good use of it. The working principle is…
[Music track winds down…]
“Alright, folks, that was Killer B-sama’s newest single! You aren’t legally required to give it good reviews and buy five copies each, but I would suggest maybe doing that. We’ve got a great lineup of music waiting for you, but let’s chat a bit before that. You gotta know that the entertainment business in Lightning is branching out beyond the radiowaves! I know we’re a province over, but did anyone listening in get to go to the Dragon Cinema opening?” […] “Oh, we’re getting a call in, already! Hello, ma’am. Anything to add to the topic?”
“H-Hey. Yeah, I was there. Went out to visit family and decided to make a trip out of it.”
“Ohh, lucky! I wanted to go out there, but couldn’t figure out transport. Was the screen really as big as they said? Pictures of the event haven’t been sent out yet and I gotta know.”
“It was enormous. At least a hundred people were in there, and it wasn’t cramped or stuffy at all! They had this cool – heh – new ventilation system that made the room feel like an icebox. And the movie itself was incredible. I’ve seen the Princess Fuin stageplay before, but cameras capture a completely different vibe. And Fujikaze was a fantastic lead.”
“When the cinema was announced, discourse was sparked about how the lack of backstage and post-show interaction with the actors would cause a divide between the actors and the audience. Care to share your thoughts on the matter?”
“Hahh, can’t really speak to that, because the main cast was all here to celebrate the premiere. They watched the movie with us, and hung around at the afterparty Nanami Ryuusui threw. The director even had a twenty-minute speech about this being his magnum opus.”
“Isn’t this… the first movie aired in the world? It can only go up from there, I think.”
“Yeah.”
“Well! He’s richer and more influential than us and I’m sure this is simply the peak of his career so far. Now, here’s Waterworks.”
[Music track fades in…]
— Archived broadcast recording from Raiko City Local Radio (13/2/58)
VISIT LAND OF WAVES TODAY!!!
Feeling tired of the cramped city life? Want some peace and quiet and a charming look into a much more simple life? Waves has it all for you!
This island is primarily a fishing community with many unique delicacies to expand your tastes. With plenty of incredible beaches to visit and alleviate stress. For more adventurous tourists, there are also cliff-diving sites around the coastline.
Within the residential areas, you will find an incredible community to welcome you, even if you are just temporarily passing through. A plethora of souvenirs can be found here from all over the continent.
Our artisans are considered the best in the world, and it’s easy to see why when you take a walk through town and see all the amazing feats of architecture displayed there!
Visit the Land of Waves, where every day is a wonder.
[FLYER ISSUED BY LAND OF WAVES TOURISM DEPARTMENT, 60 HVE]
I was merely a child when my family decided to withdraw from Earth Country and travel to the peaceful Land of Hot Water.
We were nobles, able to afford guards of the highest class. Simply moving away from the capital if things were to get extremely bad. We never expected to get caught up in the fighting of it all. My family truly thought we were above all that.
They had little understanding of the indifferent nature of war. Of how it trampled over everyone, no matter on what side. How it could turn the ground, the trees, the skies into weapons to rain violence upon us hapless mortals.
Through the grace of the Brigade and the Akatsuki, a bare few members of our traveling party survived the trek through Ame. My three aunts. A grandparent. A retainer. A samurai acting as a guard. And me; scarcely able to walk.
Of course, I had few memories of that time; I was only three when we parted from the Brigade. But I have a crystalline image immortalized in my mind from that time.
Paper birds. Smaller than my baby hand, dyed colors using berries they couldn’t possibly have to spare.
To this day, Konan is famous for her fearsome reputation. My interviews with those older than me informs me that even back then, she wasn’t comfortable with young children. I couldn’t remember anything around that situation; not what her face looked like, or who was around me, or if were deep underground, hiding from shinobi marching above us.
I just remember her paper birds, dancing through the gloom.
This month, I returned to Ame as an adult. Truthfully, the visit was no vacation, it was a work trip to analyze the change of morale with the loss of the Yondaime Hokage, and the effect of the new Ame authority on the nation. You can read my full investigative report on that topic in the Daybreak Institute GeoPolitics Journal. In this piece, I would simply like to reflect on the memories reawoken on this trip.
I visited many landmarks throughout the country. The Brigade of Hospitality Memorial, the Sanshouo Lake, some sites common between people interested with the history of the Akatsuki. Most of my stay was at the Hotel Nanami several miles out from Amegakure.
The rumors stand true; while their products line the shelves as they do with every other city and country, the Nanami Corporation does not have direct business in the capital of Ame.
But my experience there was good! The service was exemplary – I don’t know why, but that is really the first word that comes to mind – and the environment was- Well, it wasn’t completely alien. There was a strong sense of deja vu that hung over it, even though I can’t remember a time in my life when I’ve looked upon such fancy clocks or chocolate sculptures.
Perhaps it was a remnant of my childhood in the Iwa noble compound? It left me feeling unmoored. Lost in a time long faded in my mind. Maybe this barrage of deja vu left me susceptible to seeing things from the past, for when I went into Amegakure, I saw something which stopped me in my tracks.
Origami birds. Made of the new type of colored paper that comes pre-dyed. Dancing through the skies when there was just a brief reprieve from the rain.
It was nothing more than a glimpse, and the only other time I saw such a bird in the Village was one lying in a puddle of water, utterly soaked. Children must make these to cast around. I wonder if any of them know that I see them and think only of Konan?
— Opinion Travel Article in Hot Water Digest (November, 66), Rashinban Minami
A lesson Ryuusui was learning the hard way was that he was bad at making bread.
He’d cycled over an entire lifetime now. And he still wasn’t any closer to making an exemplary loaf of bread. It was n’t that bad, just not…
It didn’t really matter. He could just pay professional chefs to make anything he felt like having. Their products would at least meet Francois’ standards. But for this, he figured they’d lower the bar because of the added sentimental value.
I n front of the Brigade of Hospitality Memorial, he placed a wrapped, somewhat misshapen loaf . Thirteen years had been good for the place – grass had overtaken the entire field, and well-maintained trees and shrubs were growing on the edges of the stone paths placed through it . People were mingling around. The place was never free of well-wishers, but staring at the wall of names upon names, Ryuusui felt entirely alone .
B efore the green light came over the horizon, Ryuusui had had the world at his fingertips. Yet he’d been almost entirely alone, barring one solid pillar.
An entire lifetime had circled around. He was older than he’d been when the stone encased him. He had reached heights impossible for him back then. The world they were in was still the same world it had always been, as impossible as it seemed at first blush. And the one solid pillar wasn’t there to see it with him.
The sound of sneakers slapping against concrete jerked him solidly into noting his surroundings. Ryuusui could never forget what it was like to hear people run.
“You got here early,” Sai noted, skidding to a stop. His chunky laptop was clutched carefully to his chest using his elbow.
“Negotiations took less time than I thought!” Ryuusui explained, smile feeling just a bit too forced.
Sai nodded, placed his own tribute at the memorial. They stood in silence for a bit, Ryuusui letting Sai take his time until he finally turned his attention back to him.
“How’d it go? The negotiations, I mean.”
“Wrangled a majority stake for us,” Ryuusui boasted.
“You mean yourself?”
“Ha-ha! What’s mine is yours, so I suppose you could say that,” Ryuusui snapped his fingers. “And, and, I got word back from the shipping side of the company. My statue’s at the house now.”
Sai made a face. “I’m going to make it a coat rack.”
He didn’t really mind, Ryuusui was certain. Would put up a way bigger fuss if he really thought it was creepy.
“Well, you can’t until we get back. Shouldn’t your convention thing be in full swing already? We’ve got no time to waste on our departure!”
Sai groaned. “Preps are dragging. With the type of fires I’m hearing about, the whole thing’s looking to be a disaster. There’s a pretty cool drone demonstration though, so I’m sticking it out.”
Ryuusui snapped his fingers, “Ha-HA! I desire it!”
“They aren’t letting you walk out with the two dozen samples of the current pinnacle of drone tech.”
Well, now that Sai ’d shot it down , Ryuusui needed it .