Chapter 194: A New Look for the Cloud (Part 1)
Dana was holding a massive blueprint.
If you were to use an analogy, the Cloud's expansion was like adding a large, low-lying circle to a smaller, high-lying circle. The small circle was the original village, and the large circle was the new development area. The radius ratio was about 1:2.
Of the great villages, the smallest were likely the insular Hidden Mist and the resource-poor Hidden Sand, which practiced a policy of quality over quantity. The largest was the populous Hidden Stone. The Cloud was in the middle. But after this expansion, they would probably be able to compete with the Stone for the title of the largest.
The surrounding mountains had all been leveled. And because they had used the softened mountain rock, the material of the "large circle" was a cross between rock and hard earth.
The height difference between the "large circle" and the "small circle" was about thirty meters. Besides the six main ramps that connected the two, at 60-degree intervals, the rest was a near-vertical rock face. Of course, a ninja wouldn't bother with the ramps. They would just jump.
The "large circle" was almost complete, but to bring it to life, the village had to do some planning and mobilization.
The new plan had already been submitted to the village, and the various clans had begun to choose their new territories. To encourage them, they could purchase the new land from the village at a very low price. The new territories would be much larger than the old ones, and the old ones would be given to the village in exchange.
The village could also use the "Thousand-Machine Construction Technique" to build their houses. If they had any of their own ideas, they could just change the blueprints.
This was a very attractive offer for the clans. Sufficient space was a necessity for a family's development. And who didn't want a grand and respectable residence?
And the space that was freed up in the "small circle," the original village, would be used to expand the Ninja Academy, to establish a permanent location for the "advanced ninja school" and the "specialized ninja school," which had never had their own, to build two new hospitals and a research institute, and to build a number of dense residential buildings for the village's civilian ninja, especially the single ones.
Of course, if a wealthy civilian ninja wanted a large courtyard, they had the same right as the clans and could just buy one.
As for the Yotsuki clan, with their special status, they had purchased a large area of land. Many of their clan members would also be moving there, to enjoy better living conditions. The old compound would be preserved as the "old residence," and the core members of the family would still live there.
And in the "large circle," after all the clans had chosen their locations, commercial facilities would be built.
In a vacant lot, Dana, a white towel over his shoulders and a yellow hard hat on his head, was directing a group of men. He had had the hard hat specially made. Though it was not of much use to a ninja, it had a certain ceremonial feel to it.
He now looked just like a seasoned construction worker.
He was measuring the distance with a team, followed by Tetsuo Okine and his grandfather, Tetsuo Okine.
They stopped in front of a vacant lot. He took out a blueprint. "Let me see," he said. "The new territory of the Tetsuo clan. Heh, it's quite large."
Tetsuo scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"Lord Yotsuki," his grandfather said excitedly, "it is a rare and generous policy from the village."
As a later addition to the village, the Steel Release clan had been lacking in space. When they had arrived, there had not been many good spots left. With this opportunity, they had gone all-in, paying a large sum to the village for a territory that was large enough for their current numbers. The blueprint had also been specially designed with the help of the research department. It was a major investment, a foundation for a hundred years.
Many other clans had done the same, which showed that the large and small families of the village were very optimistic about the Cloud's future.
"This special blueprint of yours," he said, "the material consumption will definitely be over the limit. You'll have to go and make a supplementary payment to the village later."
"No problem, my lord," the grandfather said.
They had already paid so much. What was a little more?
He then began to allocate the materials. "Three units of cement," he said into his Communication Snail, "four units of wood, two units of stone, and seven units of steel. Yes, you heard me right, seven units. This is a custom blueprint. It's going to be very grand."
Someone then placed the corresponding super-sized sealing scrolls in the center of the vacant lot. A "unit" was the maximum capacity of one sealing scroll. Such a complex and large-scale construction project required a not-insignificant amount of materials.
It was worth noting that besides the steel and cement, which were produced by United Iron & Steel, the other materials were all collected from nature.
For example, for wood, a team of ninja would go to a suitable forest with an empty scroll, use Wind Release to cut down the trees, and then just pack them in the scroll and come back. The natural resources of the ninja world were still in a stage where they could be savagely exploited, so the materials were not very expensive. But out of consideration for the environment, he had had the collection teams go as far away as possible.
It was a shame they didn't share a border with the Land of Fire. Otherwise, they could have just secretly cut down their forests.
After all the materials were ready, six ninja, each with a blueprint, stood in their respective positions and, at the same time, used the "Thousand-Machine Construction Technique."
This was not their first time. They were very practiced.
A massive courtyard rose from the ground. In just a few breaths, they had completed a job that would have taken ordinary craftsmen months.
The most distinctive feature of the new Steel Release clan's compound was its gate, which was made entirely of steel, nearly five meters high and dozens of centimeters thick. It looked very imposing. On it was their clan's crest. Inside was a small training ground, also filled with steel cylinders, likely to facilitate their bloodline training.
This was why they needed so many units of steel.
The grandfather and grandson looked at the magnificent steel gate, and the metallic sheen of their clan's crest, their eyes shining. This was the residence they had always dreamed of, the foundation of their clan for a hundred years.
They eagerly went to push the gate open.
They pushed... but it didn't move.
They pushed again... still nothing.
Frustrated, they channeled their chakra, their faces red, the veins on their foreheads bulging, and finally, they managed to open the heavy iron gate.
Dana, in the back, covered his face. He wondered if the children and the non-ninja of the clan would just despair every time they came home.
He ignored the two of them and, after collecting the empty sealing scrolls, said, "The 'Thousand-Machine Construction Technique' has only completed the main structure. You'll have to decorate the interior yourselves. And pay attention to the daily maintenance, so it doesn't all rust."
They both nodded vigorously.
"Well then," he said, "next... ah, the Dodai family. Such a traditional structure."
He led his men to the next site.
The yellow hard hat, combined with his Jonin flak jacket, gave him a swaggering gait.