Hey guys, here is the new chapter hope you will liked and read thru everything.
Sorry for not posting any chapters, I've been busy these past few days and my mind wasn't working right. I'm getting back into it little by little now, so please be patient. I know I owe you extra chapter so you will have them soon
Don't forget to leave your power stones along with your comment if you have any ideas or opinions that could help me, as well as a review to continue showing your support.
Enjoy the chapter!
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A full week had passed since Daigo descended into the darkest depths of the desert and discovered the giant frozen ocean that lay hidden beneath. Exactly seven days in which Sunagakure's greatest secret had remained under lock and key, restricted only to the knowledge of Daigo and Pakura. During those long nights, Daigo's mind had worked at full throttle, stealing hours from his sleep as he reviewed blurry paperwork, including the village's economy alongside Kanzaki, and the tunnels that would soon need repair or maintenance.
During that same week, the routine in the Kage's private training ground had not stopped for a single moment. Guren had continued under the implacable, strict, and ruthless physical conditioning regimen designed by Daigo. Although the girl kept protesting, shouting with indignation and cursing under her breath every morning while the sun barely grazed the horizon, the change in her bodily endurance was already an undeniable fact.
Her legs, which on the first day shook like useless jelly upon finishing the initial jog, now showed a surprising firmness. Her reflexes to dodge the columns of compacted sand and the blasts of sharp stone that Daigo threw at her without warning had improved remarkably. She no longer fell rolling clumsily in the dust; now she was able to pivot, jump with agility, and maintain her balance. The air in her lungs was starting to last twice as long, and her chakra pathways, forced to expand and break through by sheer muscular effort, were slowly adapting and preparing to withstand the monstrous internal density required by her Shōton.
However, despite the evident success with his small and proud apprentice, the dilemma of the subsoil remained an absolute dead end. Daigo knew perfectly well that he possessed the military power to destroy armies, but he lacked the engineering knowledge to manipulate the physics of a massive water extraction without altering the tectonic pressure of his home.
That afternoon, Daigo was sitting behind his noble wooden desk in the Kazekage Tower. The golden light of the desert sunset filtered through the wide windows, casting long shadows over the geological blueprints scattered across the table. The young Kage held a quill between his fingers, spinning it monotonously while keeping his gaze lost on a blank scroll. He was exhausted.
The heavy silence of the office was abruptly broken when the main door opened with a soft click. Daigo looked up immediately, expecting to see Pakura with the usual clan reports or some messenger from the council of elders. However, to his deep surprise, those who entered the office were Sasori and Karinna.
The young and legendary puppet master genius of the Arena walked with his usual serene, straight, and elegant posture. He wore his dark shinobi garments made of reinforced threads, maintaining that expression of cold indifference that characterized him before the world.
But this time, there was a subtly different detail in his body language. Right by his side, the young Karinna walked keeping an unusually short distance, almost brushing the redhead's shoulder. Karinna tried to maintain a firm posture, but an evident shyness gave away her movements; her hands played nervously with the edges of her sleeves and a slight but constant smile formed on her lips, trying to hide the spark of deep admiration and affection that illuminated her eyes every time she glanced sideways at the puppeteer.
Daigo, whose mental sharpness, social perception, and observation skills were at the same level as his strategic intellect, didn't take a single second to scan the scene. The almost imperceptible way Sasori had held the door to make sure Karinna passed first, the reduced distance between them, and the electric yet strangely warm tension surrounding them betrayed a clear, evident, and undeniable romantic tint that had been cooking over a slow fire between the two during the last few days.
A sly, mischievous, and thoroughly amused smile stretched from ear to ear across the Kazekage's face. The opportunity to tease the usually apathetic, logical, and unshakeable Sasori was a treat that Daigo simply had no intention of passing up under any circumstances. The exhaustion of the week seemed to evaporate in a second, replaced by his characteristic sense of humor.
"Well, well... what a pleasing and completely unexpected surprise I have the honor of witnessing this afternoon," Daigo commented, leaning heavily back into his Kage chair and interlacing his fingers behind his head in a totally relaxed and mocking posture.
"My younger brother who hasn't visited me in a while, and my lovely sister-in-law Karinna entering my private office together in the middle of the afternoon. I must admit, from my position as part of the family, that you make an absolutely beautiful couple walking through the streets of the village. Tell me, guys... Have you finally come to ask for my official blessing as Kazekage to formalize things?"
Upon hearing Daigo's blunt and shameless joke, Karinna's face completely lit up in a crimson hue as vivid and intense as her hair. The young woman violently averted her gaze toward a corner of the room, utterly embarrassed, while she tried fruitlessly to hide her trembling hands behind her back so Daigo wouldn't keep reading her like an open book.
Sasori, for his part, stopped dead in his tracks exactly two meters from the desk. His dark and usually serious eyes narrowed, locking a glare loaded with deep annoyance and irritation directly onto Daigo's figure. Sasori let out a long, heavy sigh, crossing his arms rigidly. True to his logical nature, he flatly refused to give his older brother the satisfaction of seeing him lose his composure, deliberately ignoring the comments about his private life, though a slight and imperceptible clearing of his throat betrayed that Daigo's dart had at least hit its mark.
"Spare me your jokes, Daigo, if you surely know it already," Sasori sentenced, looking at Daigo, who still carried a grin on his face. "We were doing something together with Karinna, and I received a message that might interest you."
Daigo's expression changed instantly. The amusement and mischievous spark vanished from his pink eyes in the blink of an eye, replaced by a much more serious attention. The Kazekage leaned forward, propping his elbows firmly on the noble wood of the desk and interlacing his fingers in front of his face.
"I'm listening closely, Sasori. Tell me about that information you received," the Kage said, with a tone that denoted the gravity of the matter.
"I know perfectly well that you were inspecting the lower levels of the village's structure a week ago, and I know logically that you are desperately looking for an engineer to be able to control all that water on a large scale," Sasori continued, earning a look of heightened attention from Daigo.
"Well... the information that reached me says that in a place far from here. A frozen country that nobody suspects anything about because it lacks any relevant military power in the chronicles of traditional shinobi wars. They talk about the Land of Snow."
Sasori made a brief strategic pause, smoothly adjusting the dark sleeves of his outfit before continuing with his report.
"The information states that this country, due to its hostile climate and how difficult it is for the average human being to live there, has completely stopped focusing on the traditional military development of ninjutsu and has begun to invest the entirety of its economic and human resources into an unprecedented technological and industrial advancement on this continent. Creating self-propelled metal mechanisms, autonomous gear systems, and strange metallic alloys that do not depend on the user's chakra flow to operate. I am not logically sure how advanced they really are or if it's all a gross exaggeration by the informants, but if there is a place in this world where someone dwells who understands the mechanical structures that can help you, it's up there."
Hearing the exact words "Land of Snow," Daigo's brain experienced a violent and electric jolt. The rusty gears of his fragmented memories from his past life clicked into place with the destructive force of a hammer, instantly unlocking all the detailed information he had been desperately searching for during the last one hundred and sixty-eight hours.
"The Land of Snow! Of course, damn it, that was the answer!" Daigo thought to himself, while a spark of absolute excitement, triumph, and pure ambition ignited his pink pupils.
"How could I have been so stupid to forget that detail? In the movies and anime of the original Naruto series, that damn frozen country forgotten by the world was capable of developing an industrial technology that completely defied the mystical logic of the Shinobi Nations. They created chakra armor capable of absorbing and amplifying physical energy, massive steam trains in constant motion over metal tracks that crossed frozen mountains, and, most gigantic and important of all, those colossal thermal generators of climatic scale designed specifically to alter atmospheric pressure and change the weather of an entire country!"
The surge of adrenaline and excitement that rushed through the Kazekage's body was so intense that he almost stood up and slammed his hands onto the desk. If the scientists and master builders of the Land of Snow possessed the mathematical, physical, and metallurgical knowledge to channel steam at extreme pressures, move tons of steel on rails, and build massive generators capable of altering the temperature of entire geographic zones without collapsing the natural environment, then they, without a doubt, had the exact answer to design the hydraulic support pillars and automated boilers that would release Sunagakure's frozen ocean safely and controllably.
It was, literally, the missing puzzle piece he needed to kickstart the true and unstoppable industrial revolution in the middle of the Land of Wind's desert.
"Sasori... you are an absolute and utter genius," Daigo declared, a wild, calculating, and highly confident smile spreading across his entire face.
"It is exactly the piece of information I was looking for. I can assure you right here and now: that information is no exaggeration from the informants. The Land of Snow possesses the scientific key to the definitive survival, autonomous wealth, and structural evolution of Sunagakure."
Karinna, having recovered a bit from her intense blushing and the initial embarrassment of the joke, stepped forward. She looked at the young Kage with a mix of genuine curiosity and analytical seriousness.
"Do you plan to initiate a military or diplomatic alliance with them, Daigo?" Karinna asked, adjusting her posture.
"That territory is extremely far from our borders. To get there through traditional means, we would have to illegally cross the vast territory of the Land of Earth, which would start a conflict with Iwagakure, or risk going through the Land of Fire."
"In reality, I'm not looking for military strength, but rather minds that are willing to help Sunagakure change, so it would be more of a commercial proposal or dealing directly with these people," Daigo explained to Karinna.
"I understand, Daigo. Even though I don't know much about the specific subject you're looking into, I can help you with seals," Karinna said.
"Thank you, Karinna. Your seals have been a very big help to Sunagakure."
Daigo was fully aware that a mission of such magnitude, importance, and absolute secrecy could not be entrusted to any common shinobi or ordinary village squads. If the other major military powers, especially Konoha or Iwagakure, noticed that the Kazekage of the Arena was sending a deployment of troops toward the north of the map, they would immediately assume Suna was looking for technology or making a pact with Kumogakure, which would trigger an international crisis or a preemptive war.
Without losing a single second, Daigo channeled a small and precise burst of his chakra into the communication seal carved into the side of his desk.
Within a few minutes, the door opened again and Pakura entered the office with firm steps. She wore her classic tactical combat attire, with her green and orange-toned hair gathered up with impeccable elegance. Upon noticing Sasori and Karinna's presence, her attitude relaxed, though she noticed how her partner's pink eyes seemed to shine brighter than they had in recent days.
"Hello Sasori, Karinna, I haven't seen you guys in a while. You called me, Dai," Pakura said, walking naturally until she stood right next to the other two shinobi, crossing her arms while looking intently at Daigo.
"From the expression on your face, I deduce you finally found the way to resolve the enigma of the subsoil that kept you awake all week."
"That's right, Pakura-chan," Daigo nodded, giving her a look full of absolute trust and silent affection.
"The Land of Snow is our strategic objective from this moment on. That is where the industrial technology we urgently require to release the underground water safely is hidden. And since there is absolutely no one better in the entire expanse of this village to lead a mission of diplomatic infiltration and high-level negotiation, I need you and Sasori at the head of this movement."
Pakura arched an eyebrow. "The Land of Snow? Dai, that's at the northernmost extreme of the continent, completely outside the common ninja transit zones. The land or sea journey will be extremely long, grueling, and the freezing weather will be a hostile factor for our bodies accustomed to the heat."
"For that very fundamental reason, you won't be going alone on this journey," Daigo sentenced, extending his right arm and pointing with an open hand to the other two young people present in the room.
"Sasori will go with you on this deployment; his absolute knowledge of complex mechanisms, gears, puppets, and advanced metallurgy is vital to identify the true genius scientists of the north and evaluate if their mechanical inventions are viable for our village's infrastructure. And Karinna will accompany you as the one who will strike the deal with those who turn out to be good enough to create the vision I have."
Sasori shifted his eyes first toward Pakura and then toward Karinna, analyzing the composition of the team from a strictly logical perspective. After a few seconds of silence, the puppeteer nodded slowly, showing himself completely satisfied and in agreement with the structure of the squad.
The prospect of seeing advanced mechanical technology in operation with his own eyes was beginning to awaken a genuine scientific and artistic interest within him. Karinna, for her part, puffed out her chest with evident pride upon seeing the huge level of trust the Kazekage placed in her ability to negotiate.
"Understood perfectly, Kazekage-sama," Pakura replied, using a formal tone before the subordinates but letting her eyes speak for themselves.
"We will bring those scientists and that industrial technology to Suna. The Arena will have water, I guarantee it."
"I know perfectly well that you will achieve it, I trust my vision in your hands," Daigo concluded, standing up with solemnity and spreading a massive map of the continent across the wooden surface to begin tracing the secondary trade routes and the safest escape points.
"Prepare your supplies and your storage seals this very night. The true structural revolution of Sunagakure begins in the north."
End of Chapter