Seeing Jiraiya fall silent, Naruto said no more. Instead, he took a small scroll from his robes and spread it across the table.
"Ideals alone aren't enough. We also need to see the current state of the Shinobi World." Naruto pointed at the complex blueprints and data on the scroll. "These are the design sketches for the Chakra Cannon Kumogakure is secretly developing."
Naruto had indeed drawn this blueprint based on memories from his previous cycles, though he did not know whether it matched Kumogakure's current level of progress.
But at least at the point in time when Naruto was about to enter the cycle, in Konoha Year 68—
If Kumogakure continued its research for another two or three years without any interference, it really could develop a Chakra Cannon capable of destroying the moon.
"What?!"
As the head of the jonin corps, Nara Shikaku was extremely sensitive to the military developments of other nations. He immediately leaned closer to inspect it.
The more he read, the graver his expression became. A bead of cold sweat even slid down his forehead.
Although he could not understand quite a few of the technical terms, he could still grasp the basic structure of the Chakra Cannon.
"Based on my... assessment," Naruto chose his words carefully, "if Kumogakure is allowed to develop like this for another six or seven years, the power of this weapon will be enough to replace the Tailed Beasts. At maximum output, it may even... destroy the entire moon."
At those words, not only Shikaku, but Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, Kakashi, and Jiraiya all changed expressions.
A weapon powerful enough to destroy the moon?
It had already surpassed everything they understood about conventional shinobi warfare.
"So the bloodshed and sacrifice brought by unification may not necessarily be greater than