Chapter 381: Nuclear Weapons Are Very Expensive
"Based on the current refinement rate, the amount of usable material extracted from uranium ore is far lower than expected."
Amamiya Kenichi fell into deep thought as he looked at the machine in front of him.
The excavation of uranium ore had gone quite smoothly. Although he still did not know how much uranium ore existed in that mountain, the deposit did not seem small. Because of that, Kenichi had been fairly confident about producing nuclear weapons.
However, after collecting enough uranium ore and putting it into the machine for refinement, he discovered a new problem.
The usable material content in the uranium ore was pitifully low.
He had fed a considerable amount of uranium ore into the machine, but the final refined output was so tiny that it almost made him want to laugh out of anger.
What kind of concept was this?
If Kenichi wanted to create a nuclear weapon with destructive power comparable to the famous weapons from his previous life, he would need an astonishing amount of refined material. And to obtain that amount, the uranium ore required would be measured in terrifying bulk.
The number alone made him feel slightly dizzy.
Kenichi did not know whether the Ninja World had enough uranium ore overall, but for now, he could only rely on the uranium deposit in the Land of Snow. While a single ton of uranium ore sounded like a lot, in the larger picture, it really was not much.
After all, the density of uranium ore was fixed.
That fact served as a tiny, pitiful comfort.
"In that case, I can't afford to waste material. I need to choose the route with the highest utilization efficiency," Kenichi muttered, shaking his head.
He could have the people of the Land of Snow help with mining, but even then, he had to be cautious. The raw material was too precious, and every bit of waste would make his heart ache.
"An advanced compression-based design, huh…"
Kenichi pondered.
In the nuclear physics books he had once read, there were discussions about different weapon structures. Some were simple, crude, and easier to produce, while others were more difficult but made far better use of the precious material.
Kenichi was most interested in the latter.
The more difficult design route demanded much higher precision. The structure, synchronization, and energy release all needed to be controlled with extreme accuracy. If any part went wrong, the result might be a failed detonation, or worse, the complete waste of the hard-earned nuclear material.
And that would be unbearable.
"Although hydrogen bombs are more powerful, the production difficulty is even higher. It's better not to bite off more than I can chew. I'll start with an atomic weapon first, conduct a test detonation, and if it succeeds, then I'll consider the next stage."
Kenichi recorded his thoughts in his experimental log.
He felt this approach was more reliable. Although hydrogen bombs possessed terrifying power, the cost was also much greater. If an atomic weapon failed, the loss would already make Kenichi feel suffocated. But if a hydrogen bomb failed, his heart might truly stop for a moment.
As for the miners, Kenichi already had an idea.
"Master, according to your command, I have arranged for some Genin who have received your grace to establish a stronghold at the mine." Kazahana Koyuki spoke respectfully.
Kenichi smiled in satisfaction.
Yes, he did not need to mine personally, nor did he need to handle transportation himself. He only needed these loyal ninja to carry out the work. Compared with becoming experimental subjects in his laboratory, Kenichi felt that giving these ninja labor duties was already their greatest reward.
At the very least, working meant they could live.
Not working meant death.
"Mm. Remember to make sure they clearly understand that only this type of ore can be placed in the designated storage area," Kenichi instructed.
Refining usable nuclear material was not an easy task.
"Understood, Master. I have already instructed them that most of the mining must be done using Shadow Clones," Koyuki replied quickly.
She looked at Kenichi expectantly. Clearly, she had followed all his instructions.
Kenichi was very satisfied.
Uranium ore itself carried radiation. Kenichi had used Shadow Clones to mine a small amount before, and now it was time to study what effect radiation might have on a ninja's body.
In his previous life, radiation was something that made people's expressions change. It had even become a daily topic for many pseudoscientists, who liked to talk about cell tower radiation, phone radiation, and computer radiation.
Did those things have radiation?
Naturally, they did.
But as the saying went, discussing toxicity without considering dosage was hooligan behavior. The radiation from ordinary appliances was often not even as strong as what people received from sunlight. Sun exposure brought more radiation than those things.
Uranium was different.
Uranium ore itself was radioactive, though the danger was not especially severe in raw form. The refined material, however, was another matter. Its radioactivity could kill cells in the human body, damage genetic information, and even cause cells to become cancerous.
Moreover, during the process of making nuclear weapons, the overall radiation danger would only increase. If a nuclear weapon exploded close to the ground, the resulting contamination would also be terrifying.
The reason nuclear contamination had not been as severe in certain historical cases from his previous life was because of the height at which those weapons had detonated.
Nuclear weapons were not merely powerful. They were also filthy.
Now, Kenichi could research whether nuclear radiation would affect the bodies of ninja.
As for whether it could?
Kenichi believed it could.
Although ninja looked like superhumans, they were still human in essence. They could get sick. Otherwise, why would Konoha Hospital exist? Ninja could catch fevers and colds. They could also suffer incurable diseases. Kenichi had checked before, and certain incurable illnesses existed in the Ninja World as well.
This clearly proved that while ninja had strong physical capabilities, they were far from divine beings immune to all illness.
They were still human.
Otherwise, Senju Hashirama would not have died.
Of course, Hashirama's cause of death had always been a mystery, with no specific explanation ever given.
"What's the daily mining output? Have the professional miners estimated the total amount?" Kenichi asked, suddenly thinking of a crucial matter.
To make a nuclear weapon, he needed a considerable reserve of uranium ore.
"Master, the current estimate is about twenty thousand tons of the ore you mentioned," Koyuki answered, licking her lips.
Kenichi remained expressionless.
Twenty thousand tons.
That should be enough.
Such a large quantity of ore should be sufficient to refine the material needed for at least one nuclear weapon.
However, to avoid waste, Kenichi felt he still needed to find a way to utilize the other byproducts.
Thinking of this, Kenichi hastily left Koyuki's office.
If he did not leave soon, he was genuinely worried he might lose control and do something dangerous.
"Whew. It's not easy being a superior these days. There are simply too many temptations."
Kenichi shook his head.
Kazahana Koyuki had never given up on tempting him, which left Kenichi feeling both helpless and amused. If not for her age, Kenichi admitted he might already have given in.
"Now that the raw material problem is basically solved, I can start thinking about the weapon structure. Once this issue is resolved, the progress of nuclear weapons will become much smoother."
Kenichi rubbed his hands together.
He had to admit that the machine built from that blueprint was indeed extremely useful. Without that blueprint, obtaining nuclear material of sufficient purity would have been an unbelievably difficult task.
Just the raw materials, chemical equipment, and technical requirements would have been staggering.
The time consumed would also have increased dramatically. But now, he only needed to consider how to complete the weapon design safely and effectively.
"For the casing, I could consider referencing the shape of a thermobaric bomb, but it would need to be modified based on the internal structure. It would also be best to add a Ninjutsu reflection device. Otherwise, if it gets destroyed by Ninjutsu before detonation, that would be troublesome…"
Kenichi rubbed his hands.
The probability was small, but not nonexistent.
Ninja were a group of oddities, after all. And now that Kenichi had pushed airships into the world, every country and Ninja Village had a much deeper understanding of air defense.
Conventional defensive barriers would have essentially no resistance against a nuclear explosion.
"And to ensure the operation proceeds smoothly, perhaps I could also prepare a preliminary rocket barrage, and then…"
Kenichi's hand paused.
"Wait. Can a nuclear explosion be enhanced by adding chakra?"
Kenichi thought of a new possibility.
Chakra, the most unique energy in the Ninja World.
He took out a previous book about the application of chakra and explosives. This book mentioned some methods of mixing chakra with explosives to increase their destructive power. It was quite practical.
However, that involved ordinary explosives.
What Kenichi was working with now was nuclear fission, fundamentally different from conventional explosions.
In essence, nuclear fission was energy produced by the splitting of atomic nuclei. The energy released was enormous and completely different from chemical explosions. Simply mixing chakra into the process in a crude way was clearly not feasible.
Kenichi recorded this idea.
Although he currently had no clue how to approach it, he could try analyzing it later to see whether chakra could improve the utilization of atomic weapons.
"Forget it. I'll focus on the main structure first. The issue that must be solved is the precision of the detonation process. Every part has to cooperate at the same instant, which requires extreme accuracy…"
Kenichi picked up his pen and began calculating the problems he needed to solve for this experiment.
During this process, he could also wait for the ninja of the Land of Snow to mine enough uranium ore for him.
As for the refined byproducts, Kenichi had already instructed Uchiha Shiori to oversee their collection and store them separately in different locations.
Those extracted byproducts would also have their uses, but Kenichi's current priority was the atomic bomb.
How to utilize the remaining byproducts could be considered later.
"Naruto has suffered a lot, Minato."
At that moment, in the capital of the Land of Snow, Uzumaki Kushina rested her chin on her hand and looked at Naruto, who was taking a nap. The emotions in her eyes were difficult to describe.
"Mm."
Minato Namikaze sighed.
He understood what his wife meant.
His wife clearly held grievances toward Konoha, the Village where she had once lived, the Village to which she had dedicated her life.
In truth, he had grievances as well.
Although he had known at the time that being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would make Naruto's life difficult, most Jinchuriki in the villages were treated harshly. But seeing it firsthand still made him feel a deep ache in his heart.
This was his child.
"The Village might have had its difficulties, and Old Man Sarutobi might have had his own concerns, but I am Naruto's mother," Kushina continued.
Minato held his wife's hand.
He could feel her trembling.
"Naruto is very happy with his teacher. I must say, young Amamiya is just as I sensed back then. At his core, he is a very kind person."
Kushina wiped her eyes.
As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and combined with Kagura Mind's Eye, she had been able to sense that Amamiya Kenichi's heart was not evil. That was why she had trusted him enough back then to entrust Kakashi to him.
Minato's mouth twitched.
That kid, kind?
If he had not seen some reports about Orochimaru before, he might almost have believed it.
Although Minato had not finished reading all of them at the time, he knew what Orochimaru had been researching behind the scenes. And Amamiya Kenichi was Orochimaru's student, with a very high level of involvement.
But when it came to his son, even Minato had to admit that Kenichi had indeed done very well.
If not for Kenichi, Minato might have had to wait a very long time before learning what kind of life Naruto had been living.
Moreover, being freed from the Shinigami's belly was also largely thanks to Kenichi.
"I will help him," Minato said, making up his mind.
Although he felt Kenichi's ideas were somewhat unreliable, trying them out would not hurt.
.....
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