Zeno sat by the open window of his new office—the top floor of a four-story building nestled near the edge of the Hidden Leaf's market district. It had only been three months since his Project Arklight had lit up the streets, homes, and training centers across the village. And yet, his world had changed more than anyone could've imagined.
Gone were the days of cold shadows and oil lanterns. Thanks to his invention, citizens could now choose white chakra lights for reading and home tasks, and switch to calming greens or energetic reds during festivals. The Chakra Color Modulator, a feature he had added mid-way through Arklight's development, became a fan favorite. Children loved watching their bedroom lights cycle through rainbow hues, and shopkeepers claimed it doubled their customers at night.
But Zeno wasn't content to stop.
He leaned back in his custom-built chair, the walls of his office lined with prototypes and sketches. His company, now officially renamed Zeno Industries, was the talk of the village—and beyond. Orders were flowing in from Suna and even the Land of Iron. Lightstones, his branded chakra-powered lamps, were being mass-produced on the third floor of his building. The fourth floor held his chocolate division, which had grown into a phenomenon all its own. 'ZenoBars' were now a staple among young ninja and academy students, known for their rich taste and subtle chakra-boosting effects.
Despite his success, Zeno knew this was just the beginning.
His next idea was dangerous—but potentially revolutionary.
Project Pulse.
It had started as a whisper in his mind the night Arklight went public. He had wondered: "What if I could transmit not just light… but sound, or even data, through chakra waves?" The ninja world had messenger birds and scrolls, yes, but they were slow and unreliable. Even the fastest hawks couldn't compete with instant communication.
He imagined a world where shinobi in the middle of missions could relay their positions, request backup, or share maps—all wirelessly. But to do that, he needed to crack one of chakra's most elusive properties: pulse pattern retention.
"Zeno," a voice called from outside the door. It was Inari, his operations lead.
"Come in."
Inari stepped inside, followed by Tetsu and Amaya—Zeno's closest friends since his early days in the village.
"Supply check's complete. Production's stable. Lightstones V3 should be ready for export next week," Inari reported. "But… we have another problem."
Amaya handed Zeno a scroll. "We're hearing whispers. People are trying to reverse-engineer your tech. There's a black-market group calling themselves Sparkwing. They're selling faulty knockoffs—poor chakra converters, unstable core gems."
Zeno narrowed his eyes. "If someone burns down their house using fake tech, they'll blame us."
"Exactly," Tetsu added.
Zeno stood and walked to the window. The village below was glowing, its streets warm with colored lights, laughter, and life. It was a city changed. But that light was fragile.
He turned to the others. "We'll fight them—not with violence, but with innovation. We make our tech better, cheaper, impossible to imitate."
Amaya raised a brow. "How?"
Zeno smiled. "With Pulse."
---
The lab on the second floor of Zeno Industries buzzed with energy for the next two weeks. Wires connected to chakra nodes, pulse stabilizers glowed with eerie blue light, and scrolls containing old theories lay scattered across tables. Zeno worked with a mix of precision and obsession.
The breakthrough came on a quiet night. He and Tetsu were testing the latest chakra transceiver. The goal: to send a simple message across the building without a wire or scroll.
Zeno focused his chakra into the emitter. "Initializing pulse stream... now."
The crystal hummed. A second later, the receiver across the room lit up. A symbol etched in ink glowed on the surface of a scroll:
"Test successful."
Tetsu stared. "It worked."
Zeno grinned. "It worked."
Within days, they refined it further. Messages could now be sent up to 200 meters. Next, 1 kilometer. They added encryption glyphs, user identifiers, and feedback signals. Project Pulse wasn't just a success—it was a miracle.
When Zeno demonstrated Pulse to the Hokage and the village council, it caused an uproar. Instant chakra-based messaging? Coordinated defense systems? Academy-level communication for young ninja?
He became a legend.
The next morning, a crowd of over 500 gathered outside his building to witness a live demonstration of Pulse connecting Leaf and Sand envoys during a training event. It worked flawlessly. Zeno Industries received a government grant that afternoon.
With newfound resources, Zeno hired over 60 workers, from young inventors to experienced chakra artisans. His building expanded again—six stories now, with sleek glass windows enchanted to glow in soft chakra light. A new wing was built exclusively for Pulse development.
Still, Zeno didn't work all the time.
He had learned the danger of isolation. Once every week, he'd close his lab and spend time with his friends. They'd eat ramen at Ichiraku, race each other across the rooftops, or just lay under the stars and talk.
During one of these quiet nights, Amaya nudged him. "You're becoming more than just an inventor, you know. You're becoming a symbol."
Zeno smiled faintly. "Let's just make sure I don't become a statue."
Back at work, his team added a public-use version of Pulse. Villagers could now send chakra-messages to family members across town using simple wristbands sold at Zeno Stores. He also launched a subscription-free network—ZenoNet—for businesses to place orders or communicate with suppliers.
With both Arklight and Pulse operational, Zeno Industries became the heart of modern Konoha.
But even with all this progress, Zeno knew one truth:
"This world was still running on outdated systems. And if I didn't upgrade it… someone else would."
He stared at a blank scroll on his desk, drawing the first symbol for his next idea: a decentralized economy.
He would call it… Bitcoin