Setting out for the Rocket Launcher Factory.
It was where all the Land of Whirlpools' capable people were gathered.
Uzumaki Sasuke sat outside the factory, recovering from his injuries, when he happened to run into Uzumaki Shori.
"Second Uzukage, what brings you here?"
Uzumaki Shori raised the blueprints in his hand.
"I've had another idea. I came straight over to test it."
At the sight of another new piece of equipment, Sasuke hurried over despite his injuries and picked up the blueprints to examine them closely.
"My goodness, how did you come up with this?"
Uzumaki Sasuke exclaimed, holding the blueprints.
"Let's build it and test its combat capabilities first, then see if there's anything that needs improving."
"But the factory..."
Uzumaki Sasuke was so troubled that he could hardly bring himself to say it.
Uzumaki Shori smacked his forehead. Only now did he remember that after the banquet held yesterday, not everyone had returned yet.
"Second Uzukage, if you need help, I can lend a hand."
Seeing Sasuke, still injured, offer to help, Uzumaki Shori didn't refuse. With Sasuke's temperament, turning him down would only make things difficult. He'd just have him pass over the wrenches later.
Tsunade walked over, carrying the well-fed Isobu.
"Why haven't you gone inside yet? Don't just stand around out here."
"Tsunade, perfect timing. Come inside with me, and you'll see why we're standing out here."
Uzumaki Shori led Tsunade inside.
The factory was completely empty. Tools lay scattered across the floor.
Tsunade finally understood what was going on, and asked in puzzlement,
"If there's no one here, can you still build a Weasel Tank?"
Uzumaki looked at the tools strewn across the floor and nodded with satisfaction, pointing at them.
"Don't worry. Your husband will show you what he can do!"
Tsunade glanced around to make sure no one had heard, then smacked him hard.
"Good thing nobody heard you. Aren't you embarrassed?"
Uzumaki Shori grinned. His mood immediately lifted. He picked up some steel from the floor, went over to the boiler, and set the steel he needed in place. Then he formed Hand Seals.
"Fire Style: Plain Burning Technique."
Unlike ordinary Fire Style, this wasn't a one-off burst. It could keep burning continuously.
Next, he added coke to raise the flame's temperature rapidly.
As the steel gradually took shape, Uzumaki Sasuke grew visibly excited. All that remained was to mold it into its final form.
Pointing at the steel, Uzumaki Shori explained,
"There's no need to copy this process later. For mass production, make each piece separately, then fit them together."
He took out the steel, now glowing red-hot. Body Control activated, boosting the precision of his chakra control several times over. He formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Style: Creation Transformation."
He gathered a huge amount of chakra and pressed his hand, still holding the seals, against the blueprint.
Steel was much harder to shape than earth.
On top of that, the high temperature made the chakra difficult to control.
An enormous amount of chakra burst out of his body.
Uzumaki Sasuke saw the amount of chakra the Second Uzukage had unleashed.
It was simply unbelievable.
No wonder they wouldn't use this method for mass production. But they couldn't use it even if they wanted to!
Isobu, nestled in Tsunade's arms, opened his mouth wide in astonishment, staring as if he couldn't close it.
"Which of us is the Tailed Beast here? How can a human have chakra this powerful?"
The immense chakra surged beyond the factory.
Using his sensory abilities, Orochimaru sensed that it was Uzumaki Shori's chakra.
What could he be doing that required such an enormous amount of chakra?
I should go take a look.
Orochimaru pushed open the factory door just as Uzumaki Shori finished crafting the parts.
The engine had taken shape, radiating waves of heat that made the air shimmer.
The steel casing was finished next.
Seeing the industrial-looking tank before him, Orochimaru let out an admiring sigh.
It looked like another ninja tool that could rival the Rocket Launcher.
He hurried over to examine this work of art. Gradually coming back to himself, he quickly said to Uzumaki Shori,
"Sorry, I've seen the hidden weapon of the Land of Whirlpools."
Uzumaki Shori nodded and replied indifferently,
"It's no big deal. You don't have the key technology. Even if we gave you the blueprints, you still couldn't make one."
That left Orochimaru feeling rather awkward.
Tsunade burst out laughing beside them.
Once the parts had cooled, Uzumaki Shori stepped forward and used chakra sensing to check whether they were up to standard.
After inspecting them closely, he concluded that this time they'd succeeded. There were no problems at all.
Uzumaki Sasuke compared the parts with the blueprints, quickly picked up the Chakra Capacitor, and handed it to the Second Uzukage.
He plugged the Chakra Capacitor straight into the engine. The engine immediately lit up.
"Vroom, vroom, vroom!"
The engine started successfully. Seeing this, Orochimaru vaguely recalled fighting the Suna Ninjas and facing one of their fighters.
A memory flashed through his mind: a humanoid puppet.
The humanoid puppet used chakra from its core to control its body.
This really was beyond his expectations.
He hadn't imagined that an engine would—
use the Puppet Technique of the Suna Ninjas.
With the engine tested, it was time to assemble the steel casing. He formed Hand Seals.
"Four Symbols Eight Trigrams Modification."
Sealing Jutsu symbols covered the entire steel casing, then sank directly into the metal.
Seeing the Sealing Jutsu successfully cast, the defensive barrier was finally in place.
Uzumaki Sasuke stepped forward and tried to move the engine, but it didn't budge.
He froze on the spot. He'd only suffered a minor injury, yet he couldn't even move this little thing.
Tsunade stared in disbelief, then stepped forward to stop him.
"Don't underestimate this engine. It weighs a ton, and you're still injured. Let me do it."
She gathered chakra.
"Strength of a Hundred!"
She lifted the engine with ease and placed it in the casing.
Uzumaki Shori eagerly stepped forward to make adjustments. There was only one final step left.
Before long, the connectors, Chakra Capacitor, Kunai Gatling Cannon, and Tank Cannon were all installed. Only the final adjustments remained.
Tsunade jumped in first.
"I want to be the first to try it! Shori, hurry up and come teach me how to drive this tank."
Uzumaki Shori quickly apologized to the two people beside him, then went over, lifted the tank hatch, and climbed inside.
"Tsunade, use Chakra Threads. See those connectors? Link them with your chakra, grip the steering wheel, and press the pedal to accelerate."
Uzumaki Sasuke stared at the tank, practically drooling.
If only I could be the first to take it for a drive.
"It's moving! It's moving!"
Uzumaki Shori jumped up in excitement. This ninja tool could be operated without a ninja. Perhaps the history of the Ninja World was about to change from this very moment.
The Weasel Tank didn't look very big, but it weighed a hefty 3.6 tons. It roared along impressively, crushing the factory floor beneath it and leaving a long trail in its wake.
The moment Orochimaru saw the Weasel Tank move, he knew Uzumaki Shori had succeeded once again.
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