Chapter 212
Hidden Leaf Village.
Technology Development Department.
Looking at the sealing device of the dragon vein energy core, Orochimaru, who was wearing the Hokage robe, had a strange look in his eyes.
"Is this the dragon vein power reported in the mission that can travel through time and space?"
"Yes." Lu Ni, who was standing behind Orochimaru, looked at the crystal with a purple halo and answered.
"Aren't you at all tempted by the power of the dragon vein, Lu Nie?"
Orochimaru moved his gaze away from the dragon vein seal, turned his eyes to Lu Nie, and asked curiously.
Able to travel through time and space!
Who would not be tempted after knowing this kind of energy?
"Teacher, you really have an idea about the power of dragon veins." Lu Nie looked at Orochimaru and raised his eyebrows as expected, as if he had already known Orochimaru's eagerness after he knew that the energy of dragon veins had the ability to travel through time and space.
"Of course I would be tempted! If given the chance, who would refuse to go back to the past and make up for their regrets?"
There were only the master and his disciple in the room, so Orochimaru was very straightforward. He had so many regrets and things he wanted to redeem, some of which were unforgettable.
"You won't." Lu Nie looked at Orochimaru seriously and shook his head.
"Your tone is very confident! Do you trust me that much? My personality is not that trustworthy." Orochimaru smiled at Lu Nie's firm answer.
"What do you want to go back to the past to redeem?" Lu Ni asked. Without waiting for Orochimaru to answer, he took the initiative to continue.
"Do you want to undo your parents' death? Or the death of Rope Tree Senior? Or something else?"
Orochimaru's face froze.
"We have a better way to do this. Besides, haven't you already let go of a lot of things in your heart?
In other words, teacher, you have just succeeded to the throne of the Fourth Hokage. Do you want to abandon this position and responsibility and go back to the past to pursue some illusory regrets?
Even if you could go back to the past, would you be able to redeem your regrets or change anything? Time and space are complicated. Maybe you would end up in another world?"
Lu Nie stepped forward and stood in front of the sealing device of the dragon vein core crystal, and said softly: "What's more, the power of the dragon vein has just been calmed down and has become incomplete. It is already difficult to take people through time and space."
"Really?" Orochimaru smiled meaningfully and retorted: "Since the dragon vein is a natural energy formed by the power of the earth, unless the natural energy of the earth is exhausted, the energy you take away will eventually recover.
It's nothing more than a matter of time. You're using this kind of rhetoric to fool me, which is a bit disrespectful."
Lu Nie didn't say anything else.
Orochimaru was silent for a moment, and as he turned to leave, he said, "Don't worry, I was just moved for a moment.
I have walked out of the shadow of my heart and seen a wider world. If you want to go back to the past to solve problems when you encounter setbacks and regrets, it will only be a temporary solution.
Unless the world stops, as long as you are still alive and can think, there will be more regrets and setbacks waiting for you. Do I have to travel through time and space again and again to make changes?
If time and space had consciousness, I'm afraid it would erase my existence.
The established history that has already happened is the past that cannot be changed. The only thing we can pursue and change is the future.
But you want to use the dragon vein to cooperate with the Sand Village, I want to hear your plan. "
The two left the technical development department and walked on the street leading to the Hokage's office, responding to the villagers who greeted them on the street.
Although he has only been the Hokage for a while, Orochimaru's temperament has changed significantly compared to before.
The coldness and gloom in him had been reduced a lot. When facing the enthusiastic villagers, he would respond with a smile even though he usually had a cold face.
It cannot be said that he has the unique friendliness of Minato Namikaze, but he still surprises people who know him.
"Money." Lu Nie whispered and pointed out the core of his plan.
"Money? Do you mean accepting the mission from Sand Village?" Orochimaru frowned: "It can't take care of itself now, right?
I heard that the Daimyo of the Wind Country is planning to cut the military spending of the Sand Village, and will entrust the reduced portion to the Hidden Leaf Village of the Fire Country, and hire the village's ninjas to carry out missions.
If we continue to push our limits, the Sand Village will probably fight back."
“The desert environment of the Wind Country means that many of its resources, such as food and timber, need to be supplied by other countries.
But at the same time, they also have their own unique products.
We can cooperate step by step and completely tie the Sand Village to Konoha's chariot." Lu Nie replied.
"Do you mean supplying food to the Sand Village and then exchanging it for what Konoha needs?" Orochimaru thought for a moment and asked, "The question is, what is there in the Sand Village that Konoha should care about?"
In Orochimaru's mind, or in the minds of successive Hokage, the environment of the Wind Country is so bad that no one would want to invade it.
Even in the Sand Village in the Wind Country, successive Kages have launched wars with the intention of breaking out of the siege and plundering resources.
After all, among the five major countries, the poorest is the Wind Country, and the poorest ninja village is also in the Wind Country.
If the Sand Village had not always been obsessed with the fertile land of the Fire Country and had not always wanted to come to Konoha Village to steal their home, the successive Kages of Konoha would not have wanted to go to war with the Sand Village.
"Poison, minerals, and a unique puppetry technique."
Lu Nie knew very well that the current ninjas were all focused on how to use ninjutsu to fight, and they had never even thought about using ninjutsu to increase productivity. Even if someone thought of it, they would not do it under the general environment of the ninja world, let alone do it. For thousands of years, it seemed that a powerful force had taken root in the hearts of ninjas.
Lu Nie even believed that even if he broke this window paper, not many people would be willing to respond or even change their minds.
After all, the identity of a ninja in this world is equivalent to that of a samurai in history, and they can become nobles. If you want them to lower their status and change their deep-rooted ideas, you must have some kind of technique that can influence and distort the consciousness of the entire ninja world.
Lu Nie does not have any grand goal to start a change in thinking for the people and ninjas in the ninja world, but he is still very interested if he can better accumulate wealth and talents so as to better earn and maintain funds for experiments.
The current profit pie of Konoha Village has almost been divided up by various ninja clans. If you want to snatch food from them, you will face extraordinary resistance.
Not to mention that the master and the disciple, their supporters are the ninja clans themselves.
Even if Orochimaru was willing to risk his life, he couldn't do so immediately when the war could break out outside at any time.
"Can I have money?" Orochimaru asked bluntly.
"Of course." Lu Nie nodded seriously.
"The village can't give you too much funding." Orochimaru said again: "Although the village is backed by the richest Fire Country, except for necessary expenses, there is not much money. Especially after the war, although we defeated Iwagakure, we did not get any benefits from Iwagakure due to the teacher's operation."
"I just need the permission of the Hokage and the mobilization of some personnel to cooperate." Lu Nie was also very clear about the current financial situation of the village. Even if there was still some savings, they needed to be used to restore the livelihood of the people in the village and train personnel in various departments.
"Tell me about your plan. Are you really going to plant trees in the desert for the Sand Village?"
Orochimaru said jokingly, then looked at Kagawa's expression which said "This is true", and fell silent for a moment.
Although all ninjas are aware that ninjutsu can change the terrain, those who can really do this, especially those who can change the environment on a large scale, are well-known and rare in the ninja world.
Ninjas of this level are already high-level figures with a certain say within the village.
Using Wood Release to plant trees in the desert is difficult to do unless the First Hokage is resurrected. The environmental characteristics of the desert will in turn affect the power of Wood Release.
"Are you serious?" Orochimaru's clever mind was really confused for a moment. He had always known that Luna's thinking was wild and unconventional, and many of his ideas were incompatible with traditional ninja concepts.
He used to think that this was a characteristic of the geniuses of the Nara clan. After maintaining a master-disciple relationship for so many years, Orochimaru thought that he had gradually been able to keep up with Lune's brain waves, but now he discovered that the "surprise" that Lune gave him seemed to still be there.
“Only this kind of big project plan can attract the daimyo of Wind Country and make him pay. I believe that the savings of the daimyo of Wind Country are not as rich as those of the daimyo of Fire Country, but after all, it is still the daimyo of one of the five great countries.
A suitable environment and fertile land can attract more people to live here, providing him with more money and wealth. Besides, don’t the nobles of the Wind Kingdom want to have an oasis of their own in the desert?
Before that, you just need to pay some money.
Since escorting merchants, fighting bandits, and eliminating enemy ninjas can be tasks, why can't environmental governance and other aspects be tasks?
This is a long-term mission that only Konoha can accomplish! We are irreplaceable and unique!
I believe that given the envy and covetousness of the Sand Village and the Wind Country nobles for the Fire Country's land, if there really was such a choice in front of them, they would not be able to resist it no matter what, right?"
"What if they can hold back?" Orochimaru also believed that the nobles and ninjas of the Wind Country could not hold back, but Luna's idea was indeed too wild and fantastic.
It seemed that there had never been such a massive engineering task since the ninjas were hired.
Transforming a country’s environment?
Who could have imagined issuing such a long-term and continuous task?
Ninjas are one-shot deals! And they need competition!
But if it succeeds, it seems that only the Konoha family can accomplish this task. Because apart from the hidden force involving Uchiha Madara, only the Konoha family has Wood Release!
Even if the Technical Development Department had not continued the Wood Release bloodline, Konoha would have been powerless to carry out this mission even if the Wind Country wanted to issue it.
"Then let's use it to study the power of dragon veins." Lu Nie's plan was very flexible.
"Wood Release Ninjas are the treasures of the village. Currently, only a few of the Senju clan are able to use Wood Release and have reached the level of Jonin.
You need to take the initiative to communicate with them." Orochimaru said.
Although the Wood Release Bloodline was revived by him and Lu Nie, his reputation in the Senju clan is not good. After all, too many Senju clan members died in his hands because of the Wood Release Bloodline experiment. Even if most of them volunteered, people's resentment is always inevitable.
Now, those members of the clan who have awakened Wood Release are very popular in the Senju clan, especially after they have moved away from the core power of the village. Most of the few remaining Wood Release clan members have changed their names and entered the Ministry of Education as teachers, and their presence has almost fallen to the bottom.
"Can I go see Senior Tsunade?" Lu Nie calmly lifted up Tsunade. Although it was a bit immoral, Tsunade was still the princess and nominal leader of the Senju clan, so she could still say a few words on this matter.
"Also, there is one more person. I hope you can agree to it, teacher."
"Who is it?" Hearing Lu Nie's request, Orochimaru felt a little uneasy for a moment. He thought that the person that Lu Nie would mention next might be a troublesome person.
As expected, when Luna said the name, Orochimaru suddenly fell silent.
"Are you sure?" Orochimaru looked at Luna and repeated the name dryly: "Uzumaki Kushina?"
"Yes, I need the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Uzumaki Kushina to join this plan. If we want to spread the power of the dragon vein, not just limit it to the transformation of Loulan, the sealing technique she masters is of paramount importance! She is the best candidate for consultant." Lu Nie said affirmatively.
"Teacher and those two advisors will annoy me to death." Orochimaru frowned. Obviously, for this mission, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki must often leave the village, or even stay outside the village for a long time. Without the permission of the Hokage, Luna could not invite Uzumaki Kushina, whose identity was sensitive, to join.
"Why not let Minato-senpai follow and protect her? Besides, Kushina-senpai's own strength is enough to protect herself."
Lu Nie knew that this was because she was worried about the assassination and attacks that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki might encounter after leaving the village, but her own strength was not weak.
"Then let's do this, provided you can reach this agreement with the Wind Country and the Sand Village. If you can earn enough money, all the pressure will not exist."
Orochimaru thought about it and came to a conclusion. This is a big plan, so it is natural to get the approval of the client first. As long as this "environmental governance" project can get the endorsement of the Wind Country and the Sand Village, Konoha will naturally not resist this task.
(End of this chapter)