Among the original Konoha 12, aside from Naruto and his two teammates, most never approached true Kage-level in the future.
Rock Lee, through the Eight Gates, could temporarily reach Shadow-level strength, but Lee could not be considered a genius. His power came purely from relentless effort; his growth was directly proportional to the training he endured.
Only shinobi like Kakashi, the Fourth Hokage, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Shisui could truly be called geniuses—top-tier prodigies recognized even among elite clans.
Naruto's own potential was only unlocked in the later stages of the original timeline. In his early years, he was malnourished, neglected, and constantly bullied.
The one who truly allowed his power to blossom was Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's teaching ability, in hindsight, was extraordinary—comparable to Orochimaru's in terms of drawing out latent potential.
Sasuke's abilities were sharpened through Orochimaru's brutal, tailored training.
Sakura's progress was the result of Tsunade's precise, unforgiving teaching.
Having a strong master determined how far a student could rise.
The Konoha 12 never had their potential fully cultivated.
Most young geniuses gained fame early because they possessed both natural talent and an overwhelming work ethic. With both combined, early brilliance was inevitable.
Those who managed to reach Super-Kage–class before the age of fifteen were considered super-geniuses. Even in the present era, not a single shinobi had achieved such a feat.
Perhaps Boruto, in the future, might be the one.
Anyone who reached Super-Kage before age twenty was already a rare, undeniable genius.
At this moment, Naruto was reviewing intelligence reports—one of which made his pulse rise.
Traces of an organization known as Kara had been discovered.
Ever since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto had assigned covert teams to secretly track any hint of Kara's existence, hoping to identify signs of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
He did not know whether Isshiki would still appear after the world had undergone such drastic transformation.
For five years, the investigation produced nothing.
But now, concrete clues had finally surfaced.
Finding Kara meant finding Isshiki.
Isshiki was like a buried nail—deeply embedded in the Shinobi World.
Meanwhile, Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, and Morita finished their meal, ending their cheerful conversation. The group left the restaurant and headed toward their actual destination: the Mecha Exhibition.
"It must be said—the person who invented mechs is a true genius," Morita sighed.
Powerful mechs had elevated the overall strength of the Shinobi World by a tremendous margin.
"Sasori-sama really is a genius."
Morita repeated the sentiment. He knew little about Sasori; the man had only become widely known in recent years.
Tobirama, however, was fully aware of Sasori's identity.
Yes—modern mechs, or Gundams as many casually called them—were Sasori's creation.
Sasori originally operated under the name Hiruko, but once his identity was exposed, he returned to using his real name. After the Akatsuki disbanded, he eventually joined the Umbrella Organization, where his creativity flourished without restraint.
Mechs were Sasori's ambition finally given perfect form.
Traditional puppets required an immense amount of technical, anatomical, and engineering knowledge. They were expensive, slow, and required elite craftsmanship.
Mechs, on the other hand—despite being more complex—benefited from a massive pool of engineers, researchers, and metallurgists. With the combined resources of the entire Shinobi World, Sasori's work reached unparalleled refinement.
Modern metallurgy advanced rapidly.
New composite metals could be synthesized artificially.
Every nation contributed resources.
Sasori had become astonishingly wealthy.
To prevent waste on needless scale, modern mechs were no longer gargantuan like his early creations.
Today's mech classes were standardized:
Small-class mechs (5–10 meters)
Simple, beginner-friendly, cheap to maintain. Medium-class mechs (20–50 meters)
The mainstay of the battlefield—high output, stable, and the most common. Large-class mechs (70–100 meters)
Imperial weapons of overwhelming destructive power.
Each one was essentially a national treasure.
Soon, the group arrived at the Mecha Exhibition.
Many people had already gathered. Upon entering, Madara quietly cast a subtle genjutsu veil around the group.
Everyone present was strong—many were on Morita's level, and several even surpassed him.
Drawing attention was unnecessary.
The group stepped through a towering, twenty-meter-tall entrance. People streamed in and out, voices echoing across the vast hall.
But the true highlight stood on elevated platforms:
Rows of towering mechs gleamed beneath the light pouring in from the enormous open skylight above.
The massive skylight overhead clearly existed for a practical reason—it served as the entrance and exit for mechs. In a place like this, the sky itself was the doorway.
As the group took in the sight, Tobirama suddenly noticed that his older brother and Madara had quietly vanished.
"Hm? Where did Hashirama-sama and Madara go?"
Morita also looked around, realizing the two were gone.
"Let them wander," Tobirama sighed helplessly.
He was interested in mechs, of course, but that field wasn't his specialty. His work focused on Ninjutsu systems, biotechnology, barrier techniques, forbidden jutsu, and improvements to cultivation methods.
In truth, he could be called the Master of Forbidden Techniques.
Most of Konoha's research projects were tied to him one way or another.
The mech exhibition area was enormous, built at the outskirts of town near the back mountain, giving the entire space a wide, open atmosphere.
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, having slipped away early, quickly reached one of the major exhibition zones.
The two stood before a colossal mech—eighty-five meters tall—surrounded by crowds.
This was the only large-class mech on display, and naturally, it drew the most attention.
Hashirama stared with exaggerated awe.
Its sleek, polished armor… towering build… and elegant design.
Compared to this, even the Nine-Tails seemed less impressive.
Madara, however, viewed it differently. His Sharingan spun silently, immediately peering past the outer shell, analyzing the internal systems piece by piece. The mech's structure unfolded in his vision.
But the moment he looked toward the cockpit, he stopped.
"Interesting."
Madara narrowed his eyes, arms folded.
His probing was blocked by a special barrier woven into the cockpit's design—something intricate and unfamiliar.
Even so, what he managed to see amazed him.
The mech's core was powered by a Chakra Reactor.
Its frame incorporated barrier formations and sealing techniques he didn't recognize.
Obscure weapon compartments were built into its limbs and torso.
And then there was the sword—
a super-alloy blade tens of meters long, housing internal mechanisms that were anything but simple.
For the first time, Madara found himself thinking that this machine might rival a Tailed Beast.
It might even compare to Susanoo.
The thought stirred genuine interest.
What if this mech were clad in Susanoo's armor?
Should he ask Sasori to build something like that?
While Madara entertained dangerous possibilities, Hashirama had somehow already climbed onto the mech, causing an uproar among the onlookers.
Madara turned, watching as his brother was surrounded by excited spectators.
From the distance, he faintly heard Hashirama's voice:
"I want to buy him!"