As Shinnō spoke, Rasa remained calm, but behind him, Pakura, Michikawa, and Seramu were all visibly startled.
Even though Sunagakure now had power that no longer feared the Tailed Beasts, their very existence was still taboo in the minds of many.
As for Rasa, of course, he had known all of this for a long time.
Leaving aside his own sensory capabilities, the ANBU under his command were not incompetent either.
Especially after the recent Tailed Beast riot, Baki had conducted a thorough inspection of the entire ANBU under his jurisdiction.
"Let's hear what you've come up with."
Shinnō nodded, pointing to the ship and the train.
"Ever since our last meeting with you, Kazekage-sama, we've been working hard on the construction. Initially, we based our design on the concept of using Wind Release as propulsion, like ships at sea relying on wind power. But we quickly realized our expectations were too naïve. The resistance from sand is far greater than seawater. Though Wind Release could indeed move the vessel through the desert, the efficiency was far too low and the chakra consumption immense. Our research reached a standstill until the recent Tailed Beast riot. After witnessing the power of the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki, the way steam poured from his body, we were struck with inspiration."
Even Rasa looked a bit surprised.
Shinnō continued.
"We recalled that, when you first introduced us to the concept of trains, you described a power source called a steam engine, driven by steam."
Rasa couldn't hold back his curiosity.
"Oh? Did it succeed?"
Seeing his interest, Shinnō smiled and nodded.
"Not quite to your expectations, I'm afraid."
Then he turned toward Hōki.
"Hōki-san, please demonstrate the results of our recent work for the Kazekage-sama."
"Understood."
Hōki nodded, and the Four Celestial Symbols Men behind him immediately sprang into action.
Under Rasa's astonished gaze, a nostalgic and familiar scene unfolded before his eyes.
White steam hissed out from the chimneys of the massive ship and the house-sized train, accompanied by a high-pitched whistling sound. Slowly, the wheels beneath both vessels began to turn.
At that moment, Rasa genuinely admired what he saw. He clapped his hands in appreciation.
"Truly remarkable!"
Shinnō's wavered, and he bowed with a smile.
"To receive your praise is an honor, Kazekage-sama!"
Pakura, Michikawa, and Seramu were all wide-eyed as they watched the massive ship and mobile house move without any human effort.
"What's the top speed for now?"
"Currently, since this is the prototype, the speed can only reach around 10 kilometers per hour."
That was quite slow by ninja standards, with chakra-enhanced movement, even an average shinobi could travel at over 30 kilometers per hour. But for Rasa, this was already an impressive achievement. After all, this world wasn't just made up of shinobi. There were many ordinary people too.
"Not bad. What about the power system?"
"Please, come this way."
Led by Shinnō, everyone boarded the ship and entered the cabin.
What met their eyes was a collection of intricate machinery. Of course, it still lay within the bounds of the steam age, with gears, axles, and steel pipes everywhere.
At the center of it all was a black box, engraved with various sealing runes.
"This is what you use to collect Tailed Beast chakra?"
"Yes. And for that, we must thank Hōki-san. The Craftsmen's Village truly has unique craftsmanship in this field. This box, we call it the 'power core', can store Tailed Beast chakra. The runes etched onto it regulate and release the chakra, converting it into steam that drives all the mechanical systems aboard the ship. The chakra of a Tailed Beast is truly astounding. Even collecting just a small amount produced incredible energy. However, this also presents a problem."
Of course, there would be a problem.
"What problem?"
"We did collect some of the Tailed Beast's chakra, but it's really only a small amount. After all… this is a Tailed Beast we're talking about…"
Before Shinnō could finish, Rasa cut him off.
"No need to worry. I'm not that stingy. Besides, your progress has truly impressed me. However, you're right that the chakra supply is an issue. The Five-Tails is already dead. And even if it were alive, no Tailed Beast would willingly."
Suddenly, an idea struck Rasa. His eyes lit up.
"There is a way!"
As he spoke, Rasa took out a scroll.
"Summoning Technique!"
With a puff of white mist, a creature very similar to the Five-Tails appeared before everyone, but it was clearly much smaller.
"What is that?"
Shinnō looked startled the moment he saw the tiny version of the Five-Tails. A flicker of greed even flashed in his eyes.
Hōki and the others were outright frightened.
"The Five-Tails!?"
"No… this isn't the Five-Tails," Rasa explained calmly.
"To put it simply, it's a puppet I created. After capturing the Five-Tails, I extracted a portion of its chakra and sealed it into this body. It's a pseudo-Five-Tails. While the amount of chakra can't compare to the real thing, it's more than enough to serve as a power source for the core engine."
Shinnō narrowed his eyes slightly. Hōki looked shocked and asked,
"Kazekage-sama… may I examine it?"
"Go ahead."
Hōki stepped forward and studied the pseudo-Five-Tails closely, muttering "incredible" under his breath again and again.
Then, as if realizing something, his whole body trembled. He clenched his fists tightly. To everyone's surprise, Hōki suddenly knelt before Rasa on one knee.
"Kazekage-sama, please forgive me for the deception I have committed against you."
The room fell silent in shock. Even Shinnō's face changed dramatically.
Rasa, however, remained composed.
"Deception? What have you been hiding from me?"
Hōki took a deep breath.
"The truth is, I had another purpose when I joined Sunagakure."
He then explained his original plan, to use Sunagakure's access to Tailed Beasts to resurrect Seimei, the founder of the Craftsmens' Village.
Michikawa, Pakura, and Seramu all appeared surprised. However, when they noticed Rasa's calm expression, they understood that he had likely suspected something already.
As for the Four Celestial Symbols Men behind Hōki, their faces were filled with panic.
"Hōki-sama… you… are you betraying Craftsmens' Village?"
"No," Hōki said firmly.
"This isn't betrayal. It's a decision made for the sake of both our village and the Land of Craft. After witnessing Kazekage-sama's battle with the Tailed Beasts, I've come to understand something. Even if we did use Tailed Beast chakra to resurrect Lord Seimei, the revived Seimei wouldn't stand a chance against Kazekage-sama."
The Four Celestial Symbols Men paused, then slowly understood what their leader meant.
"And what happened in the Land of Demons made it clear to me. There is another way to revive our village and our country, a better way than simply resurrecting Lord Seimei."
Now the Four Celestial Symbols Men were completely stunned.
Indeed, if they truly cared about the future of their village and their nation, then what the Land of Demons had achieved was the path they should follow. Their time in Sunagakure had opened their eyes to how terrifying the Five Great Shinobi Villages truly were.
With Craftsmens' Village's power, even if Seimei were brought back to life, they wouldn't stand a chance against them.
Rasa looked at the unexpected turn of events, then reached out his hand toward Hōki.
"Hōki, your honesty came at the right time. From this moment on, I'll overlook everything you've done in the past. And as for your reward, it won't be small."
Then Rasa turned toward Shinnō.
"Well then, Shinnō-san… do you have anything you'd like to say?"