Konoha.
News that Naruto and Sasuke had defeated two members of the Ōtsutsuki clan—and even captured one of them alive—spread rapidly throughout the Divine Kingdom.
The two had already become widely known as the "Sons of the Emperor."
Now, after defeating Momoshiki and Kinshiki, they had firmly established themselves as the most prominent leaders of the shinobi world's younger generation.
The people of the Divine Kingdom also became far more confident about the inevitable war against the Ōtsutsuki clan.
After all, Momoshiki and Kinshiki had completely stripped away the veil of mystery surrounding their race.
"Have you heard? Lord Naruto and Lord Sasuke discovered two Ōtsutsuki who came to the shinobi world intending to destroy everything!"
"Who hasn't heard? Footage of their battle has already spread everywhere."
"I never imagined there really were other civilizations out in the universe!"
"Civilization, my ass! They gain power by devouring their own companions. They're nothing but animals!"
"The Ōtsutsuki clan may be powerful, but they're far from invincible. Under His Majesty's leadership, we'll definitely defeat them!"
"Still, time really does fly. In the blink of an eye, Lord Naruto and Lord Sasuke have already grown this strong."
"That's right. Even among the older generation's greatest fighters, there probably aren't many who can still defeat them..."
Hearing the villagers' discussions, Naruto and Sasuke could barely contain their excitement.
Wasn't this the kind of recognition they had sought their entire lives—acknowledgment for who they truly were?
Naruto turned to Itachi beside him.
"Big Brother, you heard them, right? Everyone finally recognizes us."
Itachi smiled and nodded.
"You've both worked hard enough to deserve it, so I always knew this day would come."
"Naruto, Sasuke—you've already walked farther than your big brother."
Seeing the affectionate look in Itachi's eyes, Sasuke waved dismissively.
"That's not true... There are still plenty of things we need to learn from you."
"Besides, I'm sure you would've done an even better job."
Itachi shook his head with an amused smile.
"Sasuke, when did you become so modest?"
Sasuke pursed his lips.
"It's not like I'm still a little kid who'll never grow up..."
Itachi chuckled before turning toward Gaara beside him.
"Gaara, you'd better start working harder too."
Gaara kept both hands in his pockets.
"Not interested."
"..."
Looking at Gaara's dark eye makeup and earrings, Itachi fell silent for a moment.
He couldn't understand how the adorable, well-behaved little brother from his childhood had grown into this!
"Forget it. I'll treat you all to three-color dango."
"All right!"
Not long after the four brothers left, two men wearing green jumpsuits came walking down the street on their hands, drenched in sweat.
"Lee! You've heard about Sasuke and Naruto, haven't you? You need to work even harder!"
Hearing Might Guy's words, Rock Lee nodded vigorously.
"Don't worry, Guy-sensei! I'll keep working hard forever!"
"Besides, Grandpa Duy said he recently met a child named Metal who seemed very promising."
"I believe that no matter how much time passes, youth will never come to an end!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Guy came to an abrupt halt.
Lee stopped as well.
"Lee!"
"Guy-sensei!"
With tears streaming down their faces, the two threw their arms around each other.
A wide, empty circle immediately formed around them on Konoha's bustling street.
Experimental Base.
Orochimaru, Sanzu Amado, Sasori, and Deidara had all gathered in one room.
Yuzuru Uchiha sat at the head of the table, silently studying a map of the shinobi world.
Only after a long while did he finally speak.
"Don't you all think the shinobi world has become too small?"
Orochimaru nodded.
"Indeed. I previously ran some calculations. At the current rate of population growth, the shinobi world's resources will be stretched to their limits in less than a century."
"When that happens, the prosperity we enjoy today will cease to exist."
"That was why I previously proposed implementing population-control policies."
Yuzuru waved a hand dismissively.
"There's no need."
"The shinobi world's resources may be limited, but what if we broaden our perspective to include the entire universe?"
"Rather than racking our brains for ways to control the population, we should simply expand our territory."
Everyone's eyes lit up upon hearing his words.
They were all intelligent people. They naturally understood that Yuzuru wouldn't have brought this up without a reason.
Sure enough, he continued.
"I obtained a great deal of information from Momoshiki, including the locations of several planets containing abundant life energy."
"I believe the time has come to launch our planetary exploration program."
Excitement immediately appeared on everyone's faces.
Deidara and Sasori were especially enthusiastic. They rose directly from their seats and spoke loudly.
"Lord Yuzuru, we've been ready for a long time! The fleet can depart whenever you give the order!"
Amado nodded as well.
"I improved the core Delta originally used. We have now developed an unmanned advance drone squadron capable of operating in space."
"Once you give the command, it can be immediately integrated into the fleet."
Satisfied with their answers, Yuzuru nodded.
"Excellent. Begin making preparations. We depart in one month."
Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled.
"Yuzuru, why don't you name the warships and this operation?"
The others immediately voiced their agreement.
"That's a wonderful idea. This operation carries extraordinary significance. His Majesty should be the one to name it."
Faced with their enthusiasm, Yuzuru could only frown helplessly and begin thinking.
After contemplating for a moment, he slowly spoke.
"The flagship will be called Kunlun, the escort ships will be called Dragonfish, and the drone squadrons will be called Bifang..."
"As for the operation's code name..."
"Zhenyu."
Orochimaru and the others looked somewhat bewildered by his answer.
They had never heard any of those names before, yet each one seemed to possess an inexplicable sense of grandeur.
Yuzuru offered no explanation.
Aside from Zhenyu, which represented the idea of imposing their might upon the universe, the other names had simply been selected from those he remembered reading in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
They certainly sounded impressive, but there was no particularly profound meaning behind them.
"All right. Since there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
"Carry on with your work."
Yuzuru stood and prepared to leave, but Orochimaru suddenly called out to him.
"Yuzuru, wait a moment."
Yuzuru glanced at him curiously.
"What is it?"
Orochimaru smiled.
"I prepared a gift for you. Please follow me."
Yuzuru paused in surprise, but ultimately followed him.
Watching the two leave, Sasori, Deidara, and Amado couldn't help feeling deeply impressed.
There was a reason Orochimaru was qualified to be their leader.
This was valuable experience.
They would have to learn from him in the future!