The Shopkeeper of Konoha

Shikuro arrived from his 'school' duties in the meantime and stiffened somewhat upon seeing Konan, but otherwise he behaved normally. Though he viewed her as enemy, he could also understand the failures of his and his past superior and the atrocities that had been inflicted upon her and her friends.

But a significant portion of him didn't think highly of her and believed Aoto to be a traitor of some sort. But the seal in him didn't allow him to speak about it to anybody and he loved his son that had just been born.

At this time, he didn't want to risk losing his life. He did, however, make a promise to himself that if Aoto did decide to betray Konoha, he would disclose Aoto's hidden deal before dying himself, even if it meant facing death.

Aoto gave her the assignments after a long conversation with Konan. He handed her the blueprints and the supplies she needs in order to break into the new market.

"So you want the Hidden Sand village to make these so called hard drives which could save information, fan to cool the system and cables required to connect the other small systems inside?" As she and Aoto studied the complete schematics for an hour, Konan questioned.

It was safe to say that she didn't fully comprehend what would be created. But she did understand the core idea. She had talked with Nagato and she gave a general overview of what she had talked with Aoto. His eyes glistened more and more as he listened.

He seemed to understand what kind of system Aoto was trying to build and after hearing the whole thing from her, he ordered his 6 paths to contact with Sasori. Sasori had newly joined the organization and he was quite helpful when Konan entered Konoha.

Nagato agreed, as had Aoto, that even if they did develop the system, it would still require a suitable set of data to launch it and enable it to function. Nagato explained that even if they created the system on their own, they would still require a suitable set of data, which is another way of saying "software."

After much deliberation, Konan agreed to take on the task of creating factories that could produce the hard drives, ports, cables, and other minor components needed to construct a CPU.

"Do you already have the software?" Konan questioned towards the conclusion as Aoto discussed software and clarified what it was.

"I do, of course. Konoha has already constructed its first system, and locals will soon be able to use it. If the Hidden Sand village wants to be as advanced as we are, they must move quickly... Hahaha." At the end, Aoto teased. Even Konan laughed at the joke.

"The Hidden Sand village will start its production soon and will send the materials. I hope the next time we meet, you can give us some of these so called software. Sorry, I don't understand the terms, hope it doesn't bother you." Konan made a timid comment. Since both Nagato and this mysterious genius were gushing about this PC, she genuinely felt like a fool in front of them and resolved to figure it out in due time.

"Not at all. Once you get to see and work on a computer, everything will come naturally to you." Aoto was unconcerned by her ignorance.

"It will take some time so please give us a few months." Konan enquired.

"Absolutely. Just make the things of better quality. A quality check will be performed as well as a check to see whether any snooping tools is concealed within. I hope you understand." Added Aoto.

"That is customary. The communication between our villages is quite recent, therefore those actions would come naturally." said Konan. Somehow, nobody of them felt uncomfortable discussing this. There was too much animosity amongst the villages, and getting rid of them wasn't simple.

Any village would inspect the goods that arrived from somewhere to determine whether there were any "problems" with them. Shikuro remained silent while seeing all of this from the side. After eating lunch, which Aoto insisted she have before leaving, Konan departed.

Seeing the good will, she accepted. She didn't even consider that eating lunch here would be risky for her given that she was wearing the Kazekage seal and that her death on Konoha property might spark a war. Even though the seal was obviously fake, this served as a sufficient deterrent.

After saying her thanks, Konan left with a bag full of papers that included the agreements and blueprints. She also enjoyed KFC cuisine, so she decided to bring some fried chicken back with her.

"Are you still moving forward with the transaction? You know she hates Konoha." After she had gone, Shikuro questioned.

"Konoha is Konoha. It's not me. Despite my affection for Konoha, I will not overlook any wrongs that Konoha has committed in the past. My sense of patriotism hasn't changed. Just like a person need introspection, the village too needs the same along with people. It's time we acknowledged that we aren't the best." Aoto stated firmly.

Shikuro did get the reasoning behind this after spending time with Aoto, but decades of unwavering love for Konoha in the sake of the Will of Fire couldn't be easily erased. Konoha needed reforms, it was true, but he wasn't sure whether they would ever be attainable. Maybe Aoto could accomplish that with his strength, but he was also perplexed as to why, with his superior might, he wasn't simply putting things right.

He often struggled with the question, but he never had the courage to ask.

More time had passed since Konan had come to meet him and soon it was a year of crossing to the shinobi world for Aoto. This indicated that Naruto had reached his first birthday and was still residing in the Hokage's care. Aoto wondered if Danzo would still spread the word that Naruto was the Jinchuriki.