The Third Kazekage scrutinized Qingshui.
His clothes were neat, his face free of sweat, and he seemed full of vigor—not at all like someone who had just finished a grueling training session.
What was noticeable, however, was that his Chakra seemed to have increased significantly since the last time the Kazekage sensed it.
Even though Qingshui was in the fastest growth period of adolescence, he didn't possess the bloodlines of the Senju or Uzumaki clans, so such a substantial increase was unusual.
This phenomenon, instead, was more like...
"Have you awakened a Kekkei Genkai?"
A hint of pleasant surprise flashed in the Third Kazekage's eyes.
He had developed Magnet Release himself and had guided Rasa in mastering it, so he naturally recognized Qingshui's current state.
"Yes, Lord Third. I successfully merged Wind Release and Lightning Release to develop Separation Release, which possesses extremely high destructive power."
Qingshui flipped his left hand, condensing a glowing orb of Separation Release Chakra in his palm.
"It truly is a Chakra nature I've never seen before!"
The Third Kazekage rose from his seat, carefully sensing the Chakra orb.
He understood very well what this meant.
If Separation Release had a high enough developmental ceiling, capable of elevating a ninja to Kage-level, much like Magnet Release, then it meant that after Puppetry and Magnet Release, the Sand Village had gained another top-tier legacy. The probability of cultivating Kage-level experts in the future would increase even further.
Thinking this, the Third Kazekage's eyes burned with intensity as he looked at Qingshui, and the scales in his heart tipped heavily in that moment.
Qingshui was already a recognized genius Puppet Master. In the future, inheriting Chiyo's mantle and becoming the leader of the Puppet Force, he would certainly become a Kage-level powerhouse.
At least in the Third Kazekage's view, if Chiyo were to age, Qingshui could at least take over the Chikamatsu Collection and perform the White Secret Technique, with a fighting prowess not far behind Chiyo's current level.
That alone was enough to put Qingshui on par with Rasa, who had mastered Magnet Release, in terms of competition.
And now, there was a new Kekkei Genkai.
As long as this Kekkei Genkai wasn't too weak, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Qingshui would surpass Rasa in strength in the future.
In the past two years, the Third Kazekage had not been satisfied with Rasa's progress in strength. At this rate, Rasa would definitely not be a match for the current generation of Kage. So how would Rasa lead the Sand Village to contend with the other four great ninja villages? How would the Sand Village defeat Konoha and ascend to the position of ruler of the Ninja World?
Considering Rasa's performance as the deputy head of the Anbu over the past two years, the Third Kazekage wasn't particularly optimistic about him.
Qingshui, on the other hand, first oversaw the construction of the canal, improving the Sand Village's and the Land of Wind's water sources and transportation. Two months ago, he and Chiyo's grandson, Sasori, even tinkered with new Puppetry techniques, greatly increasing the Sand Village's ninja tool production capacity. The Dwarf Puppets he invented had even begun to be deployed among the Sand Village's genin Puppet Masters.
He had truly made immense contributions to the Sand Village over these past few years.
From the current perspective, Qingshui seemed genuinely more suited for the Kazekage position than Rasa, and better as his successor.
"Um... Lord Third?"
Qingshui waved his hand in front of the Third Kazekage, rousing him from his deep thoughts.
"It's nothing."
The Third Kazekage snapped back to attention.
While Qingshui was excellent now, he hadn't yet accumulated enough merit on the battlefield, displayed sufficiently powerful strength, or shown the management ability to command a large number of ninjas.
Ultimately, ninjas spoke through their strength and through victories in war.
If Qingshui wanted to gain the recognition of the many ninjas in the Sand Village, he would need to help the Sand Village achieve victory in a sufficiently large war and make unparalleled contributions in the process.
"Qingshui."
"Hm?"
"After we finish our business, come with me to Training Ground One for a spar. I want to see your current strength."
"Business?"
Qingshui was taken aback.
He had almost forgotten that the Third Kazekage had come to see him for a specific reason, but the news of his mastery of Separation Release had diverted the conversation.
"Do you remember the Chakra Energy Vehicle you and Sasori developed earlier?"
The Third Kazekage plopped back into his seat, asking Qingshui.
"Of course!"
Building vehicles was practically Qingshui's personal superpower.
His experience building new energy vehicles in the DC Universe and Marvel Universe had virtually made Qingshui an expert in the automotive industry.
When the Third Kazekage had asked him if he had any other good ideas, Qingshui had casually brought up this project.
The Sand Village already had a strong foundation in Puppetry, so manufacturing industrial products like cars as puppets was not difficult.
The Third Kazekage said, "Well, when the Puppet Force was test-running the Chakra Energy Vehicles on the village streets, some merchants who came to the village for commissions saw them. After hearing that these vehicles could travel a thousand li a day while carrying a large amount of goods, many wanted to buy them from the village for transport. They're offering a good price, and I wanted to hear your thoughts."
Qingshui asked, "So, how much are they offering?"
"Two million ryo per vehicle. I asked Elder Chiyo, and she said the production cost for one of these is only a few hundred thousand ryo. But since this is something only our Sand Village has, I think it's worth more than that, but I'm not sure how to approach the business."
"We're not selling them."
Qingshui gently shook his head at the Third Kazekage and explained, "Since we're the only ones who have this, it's best if we remain the only ones in the future. At most, we can rent them out. Many people in the Ninja World can afford a car, but there will always be a saturation point. Renting is different."
"To make the cars run, ninjas have to transfer Chakra into the Chakra Capacitor, right? How about this: we offer three models. When a client posts a mission with a reward of 10,000 ryo, we can temporarily rent out a small car. The client must then hire ninjas from our Sand Village as escorts, and a Puppet Master must also be present at all times to handle repairs. A medium car would be 100,000 ryo, and a large car 1,000,000 ryo. If they want to rent for longer, they can pay extra. You can decide on the pricing yourself.
With these cars, clients' mission durations will be significantly shortened. They'll be much more willing to post missions in the Sand Village because we complete them faster. For ninjas, they can perform more missions in the time it used to take for just one, at least doubling their income. This will also bring positive growth to the village's economy in terms of visitor traffic, taxes, and other related areas.
This will become a crucial point for the Sand Village to widen the gap with other ninja villages in the mission sector. The only thing we need to do is ensure that only we can produce and use Chakra vehicles. That way, even if they're captured by other ninja villages, they won't be able to replicate or use them."
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