Business Is War

Six years later, on the top floor of the Hokage Building.

Since the first prototype was built, Orochimaru's laboratory had torn up its plans and started over nine times.

Minato Namikaze stood by the window in his Fourth Hokage Haori, reading a top-secret scroll delivered by ANBU.

At the desk, Uchiha Fugaku reviewed departmental budgets. He wore a dark, high-collared outfit and an armband marking him as the Hokage's Aide.

Minato turned and handed him the scroll.

Some of the exhaustion of the past few days fell away.

"Fugaku, installation of the ninth-generation Biological Geothermal Network is complete."

"The production validation unit passed its full-load test without a hitch. Orochimaru invited us to inspect it."

Fugaku took the scroll and skimmed it.

A rare smile crossed his stern face.

"Six years. That money pit has finally produced a version we can manufacture."

He rose and nodded to Minato.

"Let's go, Minato. I want to see it for myself."

Half an hour later, Minato had notified Minato's Team.

Ye came from the clan compound. Obito and Kakashi met him outside the test area, while Rin remained on standby at the Medical Department.

The group passed through three layers of barriers and reached Konoha's top-secret testing grounds in the Northern Suburbs.

As soon as the heavy iron door swung open, warm, humid air washed over them.

Hundreds of acres of farmland inside the walls were lush and green. Tomato vines climbed wooden frames, and potato tubers swelled beneath the soil.

White frost coated the early-winter frozen ground outside the walls. Inside, life flourished where the season said it should not.

Orochimaru stood beside a production validation unit twice as tall as a person. His white lab coat was stained with dirt and chemical solutions.

His golden, slit-pupiled eyes shone almost frighteningly bright,