Chapter 175: Assuming This is Konoha
Dana had expected a quick result from the "Tectonic Shift" research, but he hadn't expected to get a message from the research department in less than five days. He was summoned to a vacant lot outside the village. The ground here was flat and the area was large, so many of the larger-scale Earth Release or site-specific experiments were conducted here. The only problem was that it was a bit far from the village.
The research was a joint effort between the research department and United Iron & Steel, with the participation of a number of skilled Earth Release users, including Hiroto Uzumaki, who had been specifically requested by Dana.
When he arrived, the vacant lot was filled with all sorts of materials: steel rebar, cement, wood, and stone. Many people were moving the materials around. If you just added a few hard hats, it would have looked just like a construction site from his previous life.
And it was clear that the person in charge of the experiment was very confident this time. He had not only invited him, but also the Third Raikage.
The head of the experiment was named Taro Mine. He was a man in his late forties, a very skilled researcher, and had reached the "Great Circle of the Mediterranean" in terms of baldness, on the verge of breaking through to the "Half-Bald" realm.
"Lord Raikage! Lord Dana!" he said excitedly. "A great discovery! The ninjutsu Lord Dana collected can definitely change the village! No, it could even change the entire ninja world!"
The Third Raikage had heard that Dana had gotten his hands on a special ninjutsu and was taking it very seriously, having assigned a special team to research it. But wasn't this Taro Mine exaggerating a bit?
An Earth Release that could change the ninja world? Even Dust Release couldn't claim to do that.
But then he thought, Well, both Dana and I are here. The number one and number two of the Cloud. So a little exaggeration to curry favor is understandable.
Dana, on the other hand, was very much looking forward to it. He was the one who had brought this jutsu back, and he had even provided some of the initial ideas for the research. He knew how much potential it had.
Taro, oblivious to their expressions, was still in a state of excitement.
"My lords," he said, "let me first show you the original effect of this jutsu."
He handed them two pieces of paper. They were the blueprints for a maze.
At his direction, a ninja took the same blueprint to the center of the field, placed it on the ground, and after receiving a signal, quickly formed a series of hand seals and then pressed his hands on the blueprint.
A cloud of white smoke, a common special effect in the ninja world, and then, in the surrounding vacant lot, countless interconnected earth walls rose up.
The smoke was much smaller than the maze itself, but they could see the earth and rock being automatically lifted and formed. The walls were about three meters high and half a meter thick.
In just a few breaths, a maze of about a thousand square meters was completed.
The Third Raikage was amazed. He jumped to a high point and compared it to the blueprint. "Interesting," he said. "It's exactly the same as the blueprint."
Dana walked into the maze and patted the walls. For a ninja, they weren't very strong, but there were a lot of them. You could break through one, but there were more behind it. And though they weren't tall enough to trap a ninja, they were more than enough to block their line of sight.
In general, it could be used for division, but it was impossible to trap a Jonin with it.
The jutsu was cumbersome, the chakra consumption was huge, and it wasn't very fast. And it was only useful in low-level situations. And if you were fighting a few Genin or Chunin, why bother with all this? A ninja who could use such a complex Earth Release could just take them out with a single punch.
He was beginning to understand why this jutsu was so obscure.
"The coverage of this jutsu is very large," Taro continued. "But to not affect the following experiments, I've just shown you a small-scale version. Without a continuous supply of chakra, these earth structures will gradually crumble."
"At Lord Dana's suggestion," he said, "we have tried to incorporate a steel-reinforced concrete structure into this jutsu, with the goal of creating a permanent structure. And we have made these improvements."
He waved at a tool-man in the field. The tool-man moved to another vacant lot, where a large amount of materials had already been placed: steel rebar, cement, and wood. He took out a new blueprint and then used the Tectonic Shift again.
This time, what appeared was a two-story concrete building.
Now Dana was interested. He took the blueprint from Taro and compared it to the building. It was an exact match. To be honest, even if a professional craftsman had built this house, there would have been some errors. It would have been difficult to be so precise.
"We have modified the original jutsu," Taro explained, "so that it can incorporate materials such as cement, steel rebar, and wood. And we have also incorporated the 'Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld's' ability to control moisture, so that the cement can be quickly mixed with water and then solidified."
Dana patted the still-cool but already hard concrete wall. He was very satisfied. The efficiency was incredible. It even saved them the time of waiting for it to dry.
This steel-reinforced concrete structure was still primitive, but it was an important step forward. Compared to the buildings of his previous life, there was still a lot of room for development in terms of material strength and structural design. For example, there were many different types of cement, and the quality of the steel rebar also varied. And architectural design was a profound knowledge.
"The Tectonic Shift cannot create something from nothing," Taro added. "So you must prepare the materials in advance. For example, if you want glass windows, you have to have glass within the range of the jutsu. And the same goes for other things. After the modification, this jutsu is no longer suitable to be called 'Tectonic Shift.' We hope that you two lords will give it a new name."
Dana was very satisfied. This was a BUG jutsu in the field of construction. If it could build steel-reinforced concrete houses, then it could probably also build roads and bridges. As long as the materials were transported to the designated location, a ninja could just carry a blueprint and build all the way. It was a god-like speed.
Having been born in a country that was famous for its infrastructure, he had a special passion for construction. He was already imagining how he could turn the rugged terrain into a smooth highway. A road from the Hidden Cloud to the Land of Hot Water, a road to the capital of the Land of Lightning...
He would set up a few cement factories, find a way to incorporate ninjutsu into them, and then start a massive infrastructure project.
The Third Raikage was also quite satisfied. This jutsu could greatly enhance the Cloud's construction capabilities. He had been thinking of expanding the village recently, and with this jutsu, it would be much more convenient. If they prepared in advance, they could probably finish it in a week.
This was a speed that was unimaginable before.
But neither of them had noticed the growing fervor on Taro's face.
"But all of this is not important," he said with a wave of his hand. "The true limit of this jutsu is far beyond this! My lords, let me show you its true power! For this, I have specially applied for a multi-department joint experiment!"
The Third Raikage and Dana looked at him, confused.
"For example," he said, pointing at the massive vacant lot in front of them, "let's assume that this is Konoha."
Dana: "?"
Third Raikage: "???"
And then, a rumbling sound came from the sky. A streak of rainbow-colored light shot towards them.
Dana: "!"
Third Raikage: "!"