The Shopkeeper of Konoha

"It means I was able to make it after I faltered for the 98th time." Aoto made up an excuse and also made sure that people knew that he had worked, instead of just advising people. Although he was certain that the department's staff thought he was a genius, there was still required evidence of his hard labor.

Thus these CDs were his hail mary in front of the cryptology department and the Hokage. He was fortunate that CD technology existed at the time since he would have had to request the creation of this technology once more. Since CD technology already existed, he refrained from asking to create floppy disk-related technology because that would be stupid. For now, a CD will do, however perhaps someone will develop USB technology later.

He quickly put the CD in the drive and waited for the computer to start up. He hoped that these individuals were able to create a functional processor for the time being. Thankfully, after some shirling noises from the CPU fans, it booted up and the command prompt appeared on his screen.

He installed the operating system by following the steps.

"Aoto, where did you make this software?" Others questioned how Aoto could create software when he didn't already have a computer or similar equipment. Aoto looked at Hokage as if he should answer this question.

In regards to why Aoto was staring at him, Hiruzen was perplexed as well. Then he understood what Aoto was alluding to.

"Cough.. Before requesting that the department create a system, Aoto already had one of his own. Yes, that is it." Hiruzen spoken. Additionally, it sounded like a lie from the way Hiruzen spoke. Inoichi in particular was certain that the Hokage had been lying through his teeth and hadn't known anything beforehand, but he remained silent.

It was best if he didn't pry because the Hokage and Aoto wished to keep anything a secret. A village like their always had some secrets and such kind of secrets weren't exactly harmful for them.

Knowing too much wasn't always good. Ignorance was bliss. Since the Hokage spoke for himself and Aoto, the other department members didn't ask any further questions. Because Hiruzen believed Aoto could control his yin and yang chakra and create a single system at home, he made up that lie.

If Aoto was able to combine chakra in such a way that he could create such complicated items, he must have been working extremely hard on his control. He had quietly checked on Aoto and saw that his chakra reserve had hardly increased. How he managed to create such things with such a meager supply was still a mystery.

However, he was at least honing his ninjutsu, which was encouraging. The operating system finally loaded, and everyone was able to see the desktop screen for the first time after waiting for approximately 30 minutes.

It featured a distinct visual style on its desktop screen. The default wallpaper depicted a serene green field with a blue sky, while the icons had a simple, flat design. The taskbar, located at the bottom, showcased the Start button on the left and open program windows and system tray icons on the right.

"This is the desktop screen and the reason why I needed a pointer type hardware is because of this." As he maneuvered the robotic mouse around, Aoto spoke. Suffice to say others in the room were impressed seeing the Windows 98 for the first time. Though for Aoto's taste it was too bland but living here for sometime had made him jump in joy seeing this old aged Windows 98 itself.

Aoto clicked the Start button and it revealed a cascading vertical Start Menu with program lists and system settings. Windows appeared as rectangular frames with title bars displaying program names and three buttons for minimizing, maximizing/restoring, and closing. The color scheme comprised blue and gray tones, with blue borders and a darker shade for active windows. The default font, Tahoma, was used throughout, providing a clean and legible appearance. Overall, the Windows 98 desktop screen boasted a recognizable interface with its iconic icons, taskbar, windows, and a harmonious blend of colors and fonts.

"This is incredible. It moves quickly and smoothly." One of the participants praised what she had seen. She was truly impressed and understood its allure. She wasn't merely complimenting Aoto.

"This is just the operating system. We will need to make softwares if we want to connect or use computer for bigger and better things and this is the boom for it." As he pulled out a book on language acquisition, including C, JAVA, and other foundational languages on which one might create software, Aoto added.

"Aoto-kun.. You have written books on this too?" Aoto was instructed by another employee of the department to set the books on the table as he pulled them out of his backpack.

"Of course, yes. For the department it's free , but for others who wants to learn it, one has to pay." Added Aoto. Fortunately, the system had provided a number of books about Windows 98 and how to link numerous machines together using servers. Since everyone in the department was eager to learn, they all started reading the books right away.

But as they read more, the blood from their faces began to dry up. As they read, it appeared as though someone was sucking the life out of them. When Hiruzen saw these young guys on the point of tears, he quavered in his knees and resolved never to read another of Aoto's pieces again.

If young men and women suffered after reading these books, he would probably die.

As Aoto demonstrated the built-in software that would enable this computer to link with other computers, he expressed his satisfaction with the work and received the assurance that the technology to connect the computers would arrive shortly.

"I recognize its potential. With it, we can communicate more quickly with one another and improve Konoha's security while simultaneously improving people's lives." Hiruzen could now understand why Aoto was so obsessed with this technology.