Work Text:
"What is that?"
Konohamaru followed her gesture to the desk. It took him a moment to realize she was pointing at the computer.
"My father has one in his office," Yoriko continued. "Mom's counterpart has one in hers. I see them pushing buttons and words appearing on the glass. How do you get the information like that? Is it an electronic scroll? I have been learning about electricity and all sorts of things it can do. Like heat the water in a tank. But, wouldn't that be dangerous? I once sent a lightning current through a pond to get fish because they weren't going for the bait. Minato-nii-san and I were really hungry."
He listened to her rambling, forgetting the initial question. Yeah, if he could manipulate electric chakra, he would have probably done that a time or two himself. It amazed him how much she took in stride, yet things like this baffled her. To him, turning on a light was just flipping a switch. To her, it meant lighting an oil lamp and adjusting the wick. To him, hot water ran from the tap on command. To her, water had to be heated over a fire to get it hot. He could cook instant ramen in a microwave, but she would have to boil water on a wood stove after hand making noodles and chopping up other ingredients, possibly precooking meat as well. To Konohamaru, contacting another person was as easy as getting on the internet or picking up a phone. To Yoriko, a letter had to be sent by a person or messenger bird, or she had to go out and find the person herself.
Movies? Did she even know about those? Or television shows? What about radio? Had she encountered that yet?
Probably not, he figured.
"So, what is it called?" Yoriko broke him out of his thoughts, looking at him expectantly.
"It's called a personal computer, or PC for short," Konohamaru answered. "It isn't like a library, but it kind of is...? It's a way we can store and share information without using paper and ink. Transmission of information takes far less time with these. Not everybody has them, but more are being made every year. They're getting better, with more storage capacity and faster processing in smaller packages."
"What do you use yours for?"
"Work, mostly," Konohamaru answered honestly. "I use it to turn in reports or to study up on things I might need to know about where I'm headed next. Not every nation has the same general customs. I don't want to offend anyone if I can help it. International incidents are rather frowned upon by someone aiming to become Hokage."
"What else do you use it for?"
"Uh... reading?" Konohamaru scratched at the back of his neck. He wasn't sure he wanted to admit to what kind of reading he did in his off time. Icha Icha fanfiction would not be a great thing to admit liking to this girl, he thought. She probably had no clue about her father's obsession or any of the content material.
She was going to ask another question, but the phone on the wall rang loudly. He had the volume set all the way up so he could hear it from anywhere in the house and part of the yard. That didn't matter any more, though. Not one bit.
Why?
Because it startled Yoriko. It startled her so badly that she unthinkingly sent a senbon flying right through it.