"Senior Danzo, are you suggesting the construction of a super-long railway connecting Konoha, the Land of Rain, and the eastern part of the Land of Wind?"
In the Hokage's office, Minato, the Fourth Hokage, held the proposal submitted by Danzo and slightly furrowed his brow.
Such a long railway, combined with the complex terrain within the Land of Rain, posed a significant challenge to Konoha's finances and technology!
Danzo, however, appeared very confident.
"Thanks to the surge in military spending this year, Konoha's current financial situation can fully support the construction of this railway."
"Moreover, this plan can be implemented in three phases."
"The first phase involves building the railway from Konoha to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain."
"The second phase will extend into the Land of Rain, connecting to [Wind-Settling City]."
"In the third phase, it will link to the Land of Wind, directly connecting to the mining areas."
"Once this railway is completed, the speed at which Konoha can obtain mineral supplies will greatly increase."
Danzo presented his ideas.
Konoha's push for large-scale industrial construction naturally required a vast amount of steel resources.
Although there were still a few decent iron mines within the Land of Fire, these mines were barely sufficient to maintain Konoha's weapon forging needs, let alone support Danzo's industrial plans.
Therefore, he had to turn his attention to the mining areas in the Land of Wind.
Since taking over these mining areas from the Sand Village, Danzo had ordered the Uchiha and Hyuga clans to quickly move in and lead a large number of miners to begin extraction.
It turned out that the Land of Wind, despite being a barren country, was indeed rich in mineral resources.
The steel production here could fully meet the demands of Danzo's upcoming plans.
But soon, they encountered a new problem.
Transportation!
In the current ninja world, there were almost no complete roads.
Most were dirt paths, or simply no roads at all!
Transporting these ores to Konoha required caravans escorted by ninjas, crossing deserts, climbing mountains, and traversing forests...
The efficiency was appallingly low!
This was why Danzo turned his attention to railways.
If a railway could connect the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, transportation efficiency would see a tremendous boost!
As for the difficulty of building a railway?
For ninjas with various extraordinary abilities, this was actually simpler than repeatedly escorting caravans back and forth.
If this plan were approved, it was foreseeable that those skilled in Earth Release techniques would soon become highly sought after.
"Additionally, building this railway isn't just for mineral transportation; it also offers significant benefits for commercial development."
Danzo began analyzing from another perspective.
"Do you remember the merchant association I mentioned earlier?"
Danzo pointed to a spot on the map, the most prosperous town at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire.
"If we build a railway from Konoha to here, it could attract a large number of merchants to gather in this area."
"Then, we could enact a policy designating this route as a key protected trade route for Konoha's merchant association."
"Konoha would dispatch ninjas to ensure the safety of this route."
"Through this route, we could attract merchants to join our association and charge them a fee."
"Do you think merchants would refuse to pay a certain amount of money to ensure the safety of their goods along this route?"
"More importantly, if this model proves successful, could we not expand new routes based on it, eventually forming a vast network?"
"Wouldn't that mean we are gradually realizing our previous plans?"
Danzo's plan made Minato's eyes light up.
According to Danzo, this railway would not only greatly promote commercial prosperity within the Land of Fire but also significantly increase Konoha's financial revenue!
Moreover, protecting the railway would require manpower, right?
That could also solve the employment issue for Konoha's ninjas.
And the bandits and thieves along the railway would need to be dealt with, right?
That would further maintain peace and stability under Konoha's rule.
This was like killing multiple birds with one stone!
Seeing the sparkle in Minato's eyes, Danzo knew the plan was as good as approved.
For someone like him, a modern man, building a railway was a no-brainer, an absolute necessity!
The saying he often heard in his previous life on Earth, "To get rich, build roads first," was an undeniable truth.
Only with a convenient and safe transportation environment could commerce flourish.
Successfully persuaded by Danzo, Minato quickly agreed to this seemingly risky plan.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Senior Danzo!"
Minato said sincerely.
Sometimes, he couldn't understand how Senior Danzo's mind could come up with so many unique ideas that were completely different from ordinary people.
Compared to Danzo, he felt like a decrepit old man!
To this, Danzo simply replied:
"Don't worry, I'll handle this matter."
After receiving the Hokage's approval, Danzo immediately issued orders to the construction factory.
He instructed them to form a railway survey team to begin on-site reconnaissance of the railway route.
He also assigned two Earth Release specialists to join the team, ensuring timely advice when needed.
After all, the ninja world was different from Earth.
Some tasks that required extensive technical expertise could be accomplished with ninjutsu and chakra.
Things like tunnels and bridges.
In an ordinary world, these might require a large workforce and a long time to complete.
Here, a single Earth Release technique could do the job.
If one wasn't enough, a few more would suffice.
This was why Danzo believed that using chakra for war was a tremendous waste.
Ninjutsu could be used to build the ninja world and drive the development of new productive forces.
Yet, for thousands of years, the locals only knew how to use it for fighting and killing.
What a waste!
After finalizing the railway construction plans, Danzo returned to the Root headquarters.
As soon as he arrived, he received more good news.
"Lord Danzo!"
"It's done!"
"I've succeeded!!"
Danzo looked at the excited Hiruko, slightly furrowing his brow, and asked:
"What's done?"
Hiruko knelt on one knee before Danzo, barely containing his excitement, and replied:
"A new drug! A new drug based on Tailed Beast chakra!"
"By injecting this drug, the user can temporarily gain the power of a Tailed Beast!"
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