Chapter 165: The Second Phase of Development of the Eastern Archipelago
The gap between a ninja and an ordinary person in production is even greater than in combat.
Without the power of ninja, the development of the Eastern Archipelago would have been incredibly difficult. Mining would be hard, transportation would be hard, and concealment would be hard. It would be a time-consuming, labor-intensive, and difficult process. But as it was, Dana felt that it was no different from finding a mine in the mountains behind the Hidden Cloud. At most, it would just cost a few more pairs of shoes.
The first batch of chakra metal ore had been sent back to the village. Dodai had also returned to report to the Third Raikage. Even with their initial high expectations, the significance of the Eastern Archipelago had far exceeded them. The original strategy of just mining and leaving was no longer viable. He was here for new orders.
Given the incredible efficiency of ninja, Dana had also been in favor of just mining and running. The Eastern Archipelago was far from the Cloud, and the environment was harsh. Dodai was almost unrecognizable.
But if the Eastern Archipelago was a treasure trove that could provide a hundred years of dividends, then the development method would have to be completely different.
First, although it was not recognized or governed by the Land of Water, it was still closer to it. The geographical distance would increase the difficulty of long-term control.
More importantly, the Cloud's current mode of operation was a secret one. By ninja world convention, a village had no right to claim a piece of land that was not contiguous with its own. They could only use "commercial" channels to extend their influence, and they had to do it slowly, without attracting attention.
In this, the role of the Land of Water, or rather, the Hidden Mist, was crucial. After all, on a scale of decades, another war was a high probability. Even if the Mist was not good at production, they were certainly good at destruction. And even without a war, would they be willing to let the Cloud mine in their backyard?
So, they either had to continue to be secretive, only mining and not developing, or they had to either appease or suppress the Mist.
Dana suddenly thought of the Healing Talisman deal he had made with them. There was a lot of room to maneuver there.
And so, Dana, the Third Raikage, and Dodai spent a whole night, hunched over a map, and by dawn, they had finalized the next phase of the development plan.
First, the scale of development could not be too large for now. There were still natives on the islands, and they had some trade relations with the Land of Water. Too many people would increase the risk of a leak. And of course, they couldn't just kill all the natives. That would expose them, and in a very bad way.
Second, the eleven merchant guilds under United Iron & Steel would be sent to infiltrate the region and the coastal areas on the Land of Water's side. These eleven guilds had been carefully selected and covered a wide range of industries. It didn't matter if they incurred losses for now. They had to first establish a foundation, hire a large number of locals, and slowly exert their influence. The goal was to one day have a kind of "grassroots" control over the region.
Third, the Healing Talisman deal with the Mist could be made, but it had to be a business, not a one-time transaction. They would use the long-term benefits of the talismans to expand their cooperation.
The loyalty of the hidden villages, especially the five great ones, was very high, and they were very alert. Simple, crude methods like subversion or bribery would not work. They could only use benefits to bind the high-ranking officials or the clans, to extend the Cloud's influence into the Mist.
Fourth, a batch of chakra metal would be put into use immediately, to equip the village's elites. And the research department would be ordered to focus on developing more uses for it. Just making weapons was too narrow an application. Such a miraculous thing should have more uses. Before, it had been too expensive to be practical. But now, it was different. They had a mine.
As the first rays of the sun shone into the Raikage's office, the three of them finally finished the next phase of the development plan.
Dana, who had been up all night, was physically fine, but mentally exhausted.
Dodai, as always, was impatient. The moment the plan was finalized, he rushed off to mobilize the various departments, with no intention of getting any sleep. Looking at his bloodshot eyes, Dana worried that he might just drop dead.
He yawned. "Dad," he said, "aren't you going to get some sleep?"
"Sleep?" the Third Raikage sneered. "In half an hour, the secretary will be here, and I'll have to start work again."
"Don't you get tired?" he asked, his respect for his father growing.
"It's fine," he said, waving his hand. "If I get really tired, I'll just shock myself. Hahaha."
"...You're amazing. I can't take it anymore. I have to go and get some sleep. Otherwise, I'll never grow to be two meters tall."
Just as he was about to leave, his father stopped him. "By the way, Dana," he said, "there's one more thing."
He turned back, confused.
"You know how the village has been wanting to establish a 'specialized ninja school'," he said, "but we've never had enough teachers?"
He nodded. The "specialized school," whose main purpose was to train Jonin, was the final piece of the puzzle of the Cloud's education reform, a counterpart to the "Ninja Academy" for Genin and the "advanced ninja school" for Chunin. But to teach Jonin without leading them astray, you had to be an elite among the Jonin. And these people were the pillars of every village. They all had their own positions and jobs, and they were irreplaceable. You couldn't just pull a group of them to be teachers.
Hiroto had been complaining that he had been waiting for the "specialized school" for two years, and there had been no progress.
"The village has come up with a solution," he said. "I think it's a good one. I approved it when I got back. From now on, the 'specialized ninja school' will have a non-fixed teaching system. The elites of the various fields in the village will have to teach a class or two, either every week or every month. The students can choose their classes based on their own direction. You can be a teacher too. Just teach taijutsu."
He scratched his head. It seemed like a lot of trouble. And he didn't think that being strong necessarily made you a good teacher.
Seeing his lack of interest, his father said, "It's not just you. I'll be going too. It's to set an example for the others. Only if we all go will the others be willing to share their core training experience."
He nodded with a sigh and left the office, yawning.
As he was leaving, he ran into the Raikage's secretary, who was just coming to work.
Terrifying. Truly terrifying.