"Third Hokage-sama, this...?"
The two girls exchanged looks before simultaneously turning toward the third Hokage, hesitant to speak.
"This mission looks simple, doesn't it? But in reality, it's anything but simple. Its significance to the village is simply too great."
The third Hokage explained gently,
"I considered many candidates, but in the end, I thought of the two of you. You're Shinichi's teammates from the same class, and you've both served as his laboratory assistants. No one is more familiar with his experimental procedures and habits than you are. You're the most suitable candidates. If I entrust this mission to you, I'll be most at ease."
As he spoke, the third Hokage picked up another document from his desk, and Kurenai quickly stepped forward to receive it.
"This is Shinichi's detailed record regarding these three trees, including their characteristics and cultivation status. The two of you should study it carefully later so you'll have a reference point for future observations and records."
The third Hokage paused for a second, then his expression grew more serious.
"Additionally, this matter must remain strictly confidential. It absolutely cannot be leaked. Understood?"
"Yes, third Hokage-sama!"
The two nodded solemnly.
"Alright, you may leave."
The two girls withdrew from the office and gently closed the door behind them.
The third Hokage watched them leave before his gaze returned to the three small bottles shimmering with a faint golden luster on the desk.
An unconscious smile appeared on his lips, but soon, a new thought surfaced in his mind.
What exactly was Shinichi going out to investigate?
In the third Hokage's view, the significance of the three Light trees was immense, yet even something so important had failed to make Shinichi stay behind.
He would rather temporarily set aside matters concerning the three Light trees and apply to leave the village for an extended journey to conduct field research throughout the Land of Fire.
What could possibly be so important that even the three Light trees had been pushed into second place?
The third Hokage did not know the answer, but perhaps it was something capable of changing the entire structure of the Shinobi World.
As this thought emerged, the third Hokage was first startled, then he could not help but feel fortunate.
Fortunately, Shinichi belonged to Konoha.
Konoha could not be without Shinichi Higashino, just as the ninja clan could not be without the Sage of Six Paths.
...
At this moment, the Shinichi whom the third Hokage was thinking about had already arrived in a remote wilderness far from Konoha.
He had just stopped at the edge of a dense forest, and before him was a vast mass of vines clinging to ancient trees and rocky cliffs, densely layered upon one another like green waterfalls cascading down.
Shinichi stepped forward, grabbed one of the vines, and rubbed it forcefully between his fingers before bending it several times.
Experience told him that this thing possessed not only excellent elasticity but also toughness far beyond ordinary vines.
Once stretched, it quickly returned to its original form, and even repeated bending failed to produce any cracks.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on his face.
"Good stuff."
He had been out of the village for less than an hour.
Although he had not yet found the thing he had truly come searching for, he had already stumbled upon this unexpected delight.
The Shinobi World already possessed an enormous variety of plants.
Furthermore, because of the existence of the chakra, this extraordinary energy that influenced ecosystems, many plants had undergone mutations beyond natural evolution. Yet, no institution had ever systematically classified plant species, nor were there any authoritative botanical works worthy of the name.
Shinichi had no idea what these vines were called.
"Let's call them Wheel Vines."
He casually gave them a name.
After returning to the village, Shinichi intended to bring these vines back and cultivate them on a massive scale using the Cultivation Lord talent.
This material was perfectly suited for manufacturing tires.
At least, the early kind of tires, bicycle tires.
That's right, this world also had no bicycles.
From a military perspective, bicycles possessed no combat capability whatsoever. Still, for civilian use, they were an extraordinarily efficient means of transportation, and their significance was even greater for ordinary civilians who lacked chakra.
The only means of travel available to them were their own feet and animal power. The cost of a horse was enough to consume the savings of an average farming household accumulated over most of a lifetime.
A bicycle, however, could allow a civilian to reach a town within two hours that would otherwise require an entire day of walking.
It could allow peddlers to replace the baskets on their backs with rear cargo baskets or even convert them into cargo tricycles.
It could enable agricultural products from remote villages to enter markets at lower costs.
From an economic standpoint, once bicycles became widespread, the industrial chain involved would be enormous.
Wheel vine cultivation, harvesting, and preliminary processing, metal smelting and component forging, vehicle assembly and adjustment, sales and after-sales maintenance, every stage could create vast numbers of jobs and substantial profits.
This was likewise an industry capable of generating tremendous wealth.
Unlike the three Light Water, bicycles targeted a far broader population of ordinary people, and their speed of adoption and scope of coverage would far exceed that of any medicinal product.
Moreover, the bicycle industry possessed another long-term strategic significance.
It could pave the way for the future automobile industry.
At least part of the way.
Tires were also one of the most critical components of bicycles.
As for why he did not simply look for rubber trees?
Shinichi had previously found no trace of rubber trees along the coastal regions of the Land of Fire.
Rubber trees had specific climate and soil requirements.
Perhaps they simply did not exist within the Land of Fire.
Perhaps they could be found on the hotter and more humid peninsulas or islands to the southeast, but that was a matter for the future.
If suitable rubber resources could be found later, naturally, that would be ideal.
If not, he could continue searching among the native plants of this world for alternative materials and use the Cultivation Lord talent for targeted breeding, improving them into superior varieties, and eventually producing more advanced tires.
After all, as far as Shinichi was concerned, the future automobile industry was something he absolutely had to control.
Tires and bicycles were merely the first step on that long road.
Additionally, petroleum as an energy source was of paramount importance.
Yes, this world also possessed petroleum.
From the perspective of natural evolution, it was impossible for the Shinobi World not to have petroleum.
The organic sediments formed through geological processes after the death of carbon-based lifeforms would likewise form in this world, as it possesses oceans, living organisms, and normal geological activity.
The Shinobi World has indeed already discovered the existence of petroleum, but it has not yet been exploited or utilized on a large scale.
Most regions still rely on wood, charcoal, or even chakra for energy. Even oil lamps are still fueled with vegetable oil or whale oil.
As for large oil fields, either they have yet to be explored, or people simply have never paid attention in that direction.