Chapter 178: Moving Mountains
After numerous improvements, the "Tectonic Shift" jutsu was renamed the "Roaring Torrent of Ten Thousand Directions Technique" by the Third Raikage, a name that was promptly rejected by Dana, who changed it to the "Thousand-Machine Construction Technique."
Once it had been proven effective, it was immediately put into practical use—the construction part, at least. As for the war applications that Taro had been so enthusiastically promoting, Dana paid them no mind. The Third Raikage, on the other hand, was very interested and had approved several research projects.
The most immediate application was the expansion of the Hidden Cloud Village.
In the past few years, the village had been developing at a rapid pace. And when a region is full of hope, its population will naturally increase, even without any guidance. The post-war baby boom and the influx of new residents, as well as the constant flow of merchants and clients, had made the village increasingly crowded.
The Third Raikage had already planned to expand the village, but it was a massive undertaking, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. The "Thousand-Machine Construction Technique" was a godsend. And Dana, who was very interested in it, had volunteered to lead the project.
First, a village, as a walled community, had to expand its walls to enclose more land. And that involved the village's barrier, so they had to coordinate with the Barrier Corps.
To maximize the effectiveness of the jutsu, Dana had prepared a "blueprint book" with various designs. For the walls, for example, he had prepared a variety of "unit modules." The materials would be piled up at the designated locations before construction, and the ninja would just have to go to the designated area, find the corresponding module in the book, and cast the jutsu. The Barrier Corps would then follow and set up the barrier.
This method was not without its flaws. The connections between the modules might be imperfect and would require a thorough inspection and adjustment before they could be truly used. But the efficiency was still terrifying. Dana and his team of ninja had completed a month's work in just two days. The Barrier Corps couldn't even keep up. They had to use the old barrier for now and gradually expand it.
After the walls were done, the new land had to be planned. For a planner, this was the most important opportunity. Only now, while it was still a wasteland, could he do as he pleased. In the core of the village, every single brick had an owner, which made things very complicated.
Because the Cloud was so mountainous, less than sixty percent of the new land was suitable for construction. After a great deal of thought, Dana decided to undertake a groundbreaking project: leveling the mountains.
The complex mountain terrain not only made planning difficult but also hindered future development. In his previous life, even a country with a strong infrastructure would not have dared to level so many mountains, due to the difficulty and cost. But in the ninja world, it was possible.
He gathered twenty ninja, all Chunin or higher, who were skilled in Earth Release, to carry out the壮举of "moving the mountains."
He chose a medium-sized mountain in the development area for the first attempt.
The twenty ninja stood at the foot of the mountain, a hundred meters apart, forming a circle around it. Dana and Hiroto were also among them.
"We've discussed this many times," he said to all the ninja through his Communication Snail. "Coordinate your chakra output."
"Counting down from five, on my mark: five, four, three, two, one!"
"Earth Release: Great Swamp of the Underworld!"
The combined ninjutsu, cast by twenty Earth Release users at the same time, was temporarily named the "Great Swamp of the Underworld." The effect was astonishing. The mountain, from its base, began to show signs of melting.
"Maintain your chakra output!" Dana commanded.
A few minutes later, the entire mountain had become soft, like a wax figure in a furnace.
"The time is right! Next step!"
The twenty ninja formed their hand seals in unison and released their jutsu.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
The "soft" mountain, following a pre-dug channel, flowed away. The mountain had, in effect, carried itself away.
The flat land that was left behind could now be developed, and the earth and rock from the mountain would be used to level the terrain. When the chakra supply was cut off, they would return to their original hardness, but their rough edges would have been smoothed away.
Dana wiped the sweat from his brow, a sense of accomplishment welling up within him. Humans have a natural desire to transform nature.
The old man in the story knew nothing about moving mountains. If you want to move a mountain, you need a ninja!
"Let's keep it up, everyone!" he shouted. "We'll move three more mountains today!"
"OSU!"
In the Land of Lightning, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, in disguise, entered an underground mission post.
He had used the identity of a mercenary during his travels, and he was familiar with the routine. His identity, at this level, was verifiable, and he even had a decent record.
He had changed his hair to black and had tied it in a high ponytail, giving him the appearance of a tall swordsman. Orochimaru, as his partner, had concealed his signature snake eyes and had made his complexion look more normal. He was the kind of person who would disappear in a crowd.
The two of them clearly had an appointment. They walked to the back of the exchange.
In a soundproof room used for discussing secret commissions, a middle-aged man with his face concealed was already waiting.
"What took you so long?!" he said.
"We're on time," Jiraiya said with a smile. "You're early."
The man was clearly very nervous, practically fidgeting. He impatiently handed a cloth bag to Jiraiya. "The address is inside," he said. "The deposit has been left at the exchange. You can get it with the token inside. Remember, three days."
He then left as if a ghost were after him.
Jiraiya opened the bag. Inside was an address and a token for the exchange.
"This guy is scared out of his mind," he said with a sigh. "Why would they send someone like this?"
"A fool like this is easy to control," Orochimaru sneered.
The middle-aged man thought he was making an anonymous commission, and that this was the first time he had met them. It was a perfect setup.
But what he didn't know was that they had already captured him on the first day, had used a genjutsu to interrogate him, and had then erased his memory.
But as Orochimaru had said, a fool like this knew nothing. He was just a pawn. Even with a genjutsu, they hadn't gotten much information. But an excellent ninja can see beyond the surface. They had still managed to deduce a great deal.
They had been looking for an opportunity to get close to the Cloud, and in this multi-layered mission, they had keenly sensed one.