After all, as of this week, Qingshui was the Fourth Kazekage, and from then on, everything in the Sand Village, from top to bottom, inside and out, would be decided by him.
Qingshui pondered for a moment, then spoke:
"I can provide a sealing jutsu that can suppress Tailed Beasts, but it must be one where we can leave behind contingencies. I'll modify the Blood Funeral Seal during this time, and once Rain Hidden relocates next year, we'll send it over. But it'll cost more; a mere two billion ryō certainly won't be enough."
Everyone present instantly brightened.
What a great idea!
You sly dog!
"Let's do this!"
"With that matter settled, let's move on to the next agenda item."
Seeing that everyone agreed, Qingshui took out a USB drive from his pocket and inserted it into the desktop port.
Immediately, a PPT presentation and a map of the Ninja World appeared on the table, displayed via a Genjutsu virtual projection.
Qingshui pulled with one hand, zooming in on the map to show the vast inland sea located at the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain, as well as the massive mountain range beside it.
"The Third Great Ninja War has ended. Regardless of when the Fourth Great Ninja War will erupt, there will be at least a few years of stable development. While we have indeed defeated Konoha and become the new hegemon of the Ninja World, we don't yet have the immediate strength to contend with the remaining ninja villages. And other villages will undoubtedly imitate our current system in the coming years to reform and strengthen themselves.
They won't actively provoke war until they are confident they can defeat us. Before then, we still have a considerable amount of time to develop.
Ninja training, the crafting of Puppets and ninja tools, food reserves, and economic development—all of these have been laid out. Most of my energy will also be focused on new Puppetry techniques."
Sasori, who had been sitting bored on the side, suddenly brightened.
It had been a long time since Qingshui had developed new Puppetry. Sasori had felt a lack of novelty in his recent research.
Qingshui continued:
"Therefore, the subsequent environmental transformation tasks must still be entrusted to all of you present."
"Environmental transformation? Is it like the canal construction back then?"
The Third Kazekage asked.
"It will be much grander than that. After all, we now possess more power and a more advanced theoretical understanding. My plan is that after cultivating three Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, we will use Tailed Beast Bombs to blast open the end peaks of the Golden Wheel Mountains, guiding the massive water vapor flow concentrated in the Land of Rain towards the desert of the Land of Wind, creating rainfall and transforming the environment."
The plan Qingshui proposed was very similar to the one suggested by a former richest man who wanted to use nuclear bombs to blow up the Himalayas and reshape the roof of the world, except Qingshui's plan had significantly higher feasibility.
The Himalayas are too high, and to blast a fifty-kilometer-wide gap would require a substantial number of nuclear bombs, making the cost alone prohibitive. Furthermore, in the extreme high-altitude environment, other construction conditions would be extremely harsh.
Even if it were successfully blasted, the warm, moist air reaching the Tibetan Plateau, with an average elevation of over four thousand meters, wouldn't turn into rainfall. It would only condense into ice and snow, leading to frequent blizzards.
Coupled with the impact on the countries on the other side of the Himalayas, potential induced earthquakes, and floods in the downstream Yangtze River caused by melting high-altitude ice and snow, this seemingly appealing plan was actually just a pipe dream, destined to remain on paper.
The impact would be too great, and the actual benefits wouldn't be as immense as imagined. With current human technology, such weather modification isn't feasible.
However, moving the location to the Ninja World, specifically to the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain, makes it truly feasible.
The Land of Wind doesn't have an elevation as high as the Tibetan Plateau. With enough water vapor, rainfall can definitely form. Moreover, the steep windward slopes of the mountains are sparsely populated, and below them lies an inland sea. The leeward slopes, due to the blocked water vapor, are truly barren, except for small river systems formed by melting snow.
The destructive power of a Tailed Beast Bomb isn't as terrifying as a nuclear bomb, but its advantage is that it costs nothing. Given the Chakra capacity of a Tailed Beast, the cost is virtually zero.
The Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails can unleash Tailed Beast Bombs like machine guns. The other Tailed Beasts are slightly less capable, but they still don't require much effort.
As for potential earthquakes and floods that might follow, these could be tricky for a normal technological world, but with the Earth Release and Water Release abilities of ninjas, as long as the plan is scientifically sound enough, they can be completely prevented, controlled, and guided.
And how does one arrive at a scientific plan?
It's simple: gather detailed data on the mountains and geography of that area, including rainfall, geological structure, soil composition, and then feed it to a powerful Artificial Intelligence supported by supercomputers.
"Blast open the mountains and draw the abundant rain from the Land of Rain to our side? Is this really something ninjas can achieve?"
"As long as we utilize this power scientifically, it's theoretically possible. And we can proceed in phases, minimizing the environmental impact, and observe the results."
Qingshui pointed to a section of the mountain range, saying:
"For example, next year, we'll only blast this particular section. According to calculations, the directly affected area will only be this region. No one lives here, and there are no rivers or mines. At that time, we'll only need to use Earth Release to raise the ground here, transforming it into a windward slope capable of intercepting some water vapor.
The estimated rainfall after environmental modification could increase to around 1,200 millimeters, which is equivalent to the level in the central and northern regions of the Land of Fire. This is suitable for rice cultivation and other intensive agriculture. The surrounding area will see a gradual decrease in rainfall. This is the approximate rainfall distribution map after calculations."
The Genjutsu holographic projection immediately displayed the rainfall levels for different areas on the map using colors.
This area wasn't small, though it was still relatively small compared to the size of a country. However, once developed, it would be enough to become a small agricultural granary.
The Kazekage's office fell silent for a moment. Everyone meticulously reviewed Qingshui's PPT and proposal, occasionally discussing a point or asking Qingshui for clarification on specific details.
Blasting mountains to divert the abundant water vapor from the Land of Rain to the Land of Wind—such a bold plan reminded the high-ranking officials of the Sand Village of the time, years ago, when the entire village's strength was mobilized to dig a canal.
This time, however, the plan was clearly more audacious and on a grander scale.
The impact and costs were on completely different levels, and there were far too many factors to consider.
Qingshui patiently, over and over, spent an entire afternoon explaining every detail, including the underlying principles, almost lecturing for half the afternoon. Only then did the group of high-ranking Sand Village officials grasp the general idea.
There was no other way; only if these people understood could anything truly get done. Qingshui himself was very busy; he even had twenty or thirty Shadow Clones working overtime in the laboratory.
After the explanation, Sasori seemed to have truly understood. Chiyo and Ebizo were probably close behind, as one couldn't achieve such high accomplishments in Puppetry without being intelligent.
As for the remaining individuals like the Third Kazekage and Pakura, they could grasp the basic principles, though some of the more practical, harder-to-understand details still eluded them. Nevertheless, they recognized that the plan was indeed feasible.
This was already sufficient. With their respective specialized skills, they could accomplish a great deal. For instance, personnel management was the Third Kazekage's strong suit. Karura's expertise in manipulating sand would be even more helpful for a task like moving mountains. Even Rasa, despite his supposed weakness, had worked in the Anbu for a long time, making him excellent at reconnaissance and surveying geographical environments, which were closely linked to battlefields.
The discussion on this segment finally concluded as the sun began to set.
The Third Kazekage rubbed his throbbing temples, looking a bit weary. He said, "These things... I understand the principles, and they're very appealing. But ultimately, I'm getting old. I can understand it, but doing it, I know how difficult it would be. If I had to lead people to do it myself, honestly, I don't have the confidence.
You're the Fourth Kazekage. If you're confident, then we'll proceed as planned. After all, it's just an uninhabited area first. Even if there are a few residents nearby, the impact can be controlled.
However, the Jinchuriki candidate hasn't been decided yet, has it? There's less than a year. Are you sure you can train a qualified Jinchuriki in such a short time?"
Qingshui replied, "The Heavenly Funeral Seal's effect is nearly twice as strong as the Grand Funeral Seal's. The caster can also freely adjust the amount of Tailed Beast Chakra leaking from the seal, making it easier for the Jinchuriki to gradually control the Tailed Beast Chakra, from small amounts to large. As for the malice within the Tailed Beast Chakra, that's not an issue. As long as they have a sufficient ninja foundation, one year is completely enough to train a qualified Jinchuriki.
I've already screened the current Jinchuriki candidate list. Besides Uzumaki Ayane, there are seven other candidates. All are between twelve and sixteen years old, have passed background checks, possess relatively large Chakra reserves, and have excellent temperaments and wills that are firmer than their peers. Among them, Baki should secure a spot; his overall qualities are the best among these seven."
When meeting the basic conditions, Jinchuriki candidates should ideally be as young as possible. After all, they will steadily become Kage-level powerhouses in the future, so the longer their 'shelf life,' the better.
Suddenly, the Genjutsu holographic projection on the conference table displayed all the information for the eight candidates.
Among them, besides Baki, Uzumaki Ayane, as a member of the Uzumaki Clan with high bloodline purity and Kagura's Mind Eye, had also essentially secured a Tailed Beast.
In other words, they actually needed to choose one from the remaining six people.
To Qingshui, these few seemed similar. They all possessed talent and good temperaments. The youngest among them was already a Chunin, and the two oldest were already Special Jonin.
If left to develop normally, they all had a certain probability of becoming Elite Jonin in the future. As for whether they had the potential to become Kage-level powerhouses, that was hard to say.
After all, even Konoha, which had the most Kage-level powerhouses, with over ten thousand ninjas, had only just over ten since its founding. On average, only one emerged every few years.
It couldn't be said that these six had no chance, but they certainly hadn't shown the potential of true geniuses, because the most talented individuals in their age group were currently sitting at the table.
"Miki, Baishan, Yura... these are all good prospects. Perhaps some of them will become Jonin in a few years. It's truly difficult to choose."
The Third Kazekage didn't even need to look too closely at their profiles; the relevant information automatically popped into his mind.
He truly cared about training the Sand Village's young ninjas. He remembered clearly which ninjas in each generation were worth cultivating.
"Then there's no need to choose. Let me do it. I should also meet the conditions, and I'll definitely be better than them."
Sasori suddenly spoke.
Chiyo immediately frowned, looking bewildered.
"Sasori, are you serious? Your Puppetry is destined to surpass Grandma's, and you are already a top-tier master in the Ninja World, with room for further improvement. Why take the risk of becoming a Jinchuriki?"
In Chiyo's view, as long as Sasori developed steadily, he would definitely become a Kage-level peak master. He already possessed combat power approaching Kage-level, so there was no need to become a Jinchuriki for power.
Not just Chiyo, but Ebizo and the Third Kazekage also disapproved.
Sasori could already be considered a Kage-level powerhouse; there was no need for him to occupy a Jinchuriki slot that could cultivate another Kage-level powerhouse.
Sasori glanced at Qingshui, then said, "With the Heavenly Funeral Seal, and the mind Ninjutsu developed by Qingshui that can suppress the malice of Tailed Beast Chakra, becoming a Jinchuriki is no longer a risky endeavor. As for the reason... it's because I'm not satisfied with my current strength, and also because I believe that with the power of a Tailed Beast, I can become stronger, strong enough to be worthy of the value of a Jinchuriki slot!"
Everyone present understood Sasori's unspoken meaning.
He wanted to become a powerhouse like Qingshui, one who had almost transcended the Kage-level.
To be worthy of the value of a Jinchuriki slot, it meant Sasori alone could be worth two, or even three, Kage-level powerhouses on the battlefield.
And currently, in the Ninja World, only Qingshui could achieve that.
Sasori yearned to become the second individual with such power.
Qingshui suddenly said, "You want the Five-Tails?"
"Yes, the Five-Tails' steam is an excellent way to generate driving energy. If we use a Tailed Beast as an energy source and steam as propulsion, how powerful a Puppet could we control? Do you think such a Puppet would be worth that value?"
Sasori answered confidently.
A Puppet driven by a Tailed Beast...
This kid wants to build a Gundam...
"If I can create an energy source with enough power to drive such a powerful Puppet, do you still think you'd need to become a Jinchuriki?"
"Yes!"
Sasori answered decisively.
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