"Aren't these just impurities left over from smelting?
I've seen ironsmiths at work too.
These leftover scraps should all be useless, shouldn't they?"
Pakura watched in confusion as Mukai rubbed his hands together and began using Lightning Release again.
It looked just like his earlier iron smelting: on the surface, he was using Lightning Release to stimulate the contents of the big black pot.
Though it looked the same, Mukai had precisely adjusted the voltage.
In his view, the current was still four hundred amps, but the voltage had been adjusted to five volts.
The difference of one and a half volts was not to be underestimated.
After the voltage was increased, a reaction began again in the molten salt.
The residue left over from the electrolysis of iron, which had not taken part in the reaction,
began to yield different substances under the influence of the current.
First, a silvery-gray, spongy substance appeared near the electrodes.
More silvery-gray particles appeared at the bottom.
It was only when a yellow-green gas began to rise from the molten contents
that Mukai used Wind Release to blow the yellow-green chlorine gas away and stopped supplying the current.
"Sasori, pour out the contents of the crucible!
Be careful not to pour out those treasures at the bottom!"
Sasori nodded and used Chakra Threads to control the graphite crucible,
first pouring the molten mixture of salts into a sandpit nearby.
Then he deftly picked out the lumps and particles with his Chakra Threads.
With Chakra Threads, separating the reaction products was much easier.
As she watched Mukai carefully gather and wash the particles,
Pakura's expression changed. She used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside him and picked up a fingernail-sized piece of silvery-gray metal.
"This color, this texture... No way?"
Pakura was a well-traveled Jonin, and few things got her this excited anymore.
She channeled Chakra into the piece of silver metal in her hand, and it began to grow hot.
This heat was different from the fiery red of something being scorched.
Under the influence of her Chakra, the silver metal began to emit a bright orange glow!
This was high-quality Chakra Metal!
Its conductivity was better than that of ordinary Chakra Metal!
What had she just seen?
Mukai, a Genin from the village, had extracted a pile of Chakra Metal particles
from unwanted Iron Sand, right under her nose!
There had to be at least five kilograms of Chakra Metal particles in that pile!
And it was not like the kind the village bought at high prices, which contained only ten to twenty percent Chakra Metal.
The piece in her hand was at least forty percent Chakra Metal!
Top-grade Chakra Metal!
In her eyes, Mukai was practically a gold mine!
At that thought, Pakura suddenly used the Body Flicker Technique several times in succession, circling the entire area.
After checking the surroundings,
she returned to Mukai and Sasori:
"You two brats, hurry up and pack everything.
Let's go into that abandoned puppet repair workshop first."
Sasori and Mukai nodded and put away the silvery-gray particles and molten salt from the crucible.
Mukai carefully gathered the gray, spongy substance from around the electrodes and tucked it away on his person.
After they used a key to open the seal at the entrance, the workshop entrance, concealed beneath multiple layers, finally appeared.
Pakura used a fireball from Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder for light,
and it promptly dispelled the dampness underground.
The underground shelter housed a wartime puppet repair workshop from the Second Shinobi World War, and it had been abandoned for a long time.
The underground structure had been dug out with Earth Release and reinforced with wood and masonry.
Inside were nothing but empty rooms, with no tools at all.
The workshop had several ventilation openings hidden around the cliff, so it was not too stuffy inside.
Pakura checked everywhere and found nothing wrong.
She reactivated the barrier, then placed both hands on Mukai's shoulders, bent down, looked him straight in the eyes, and asked solemnly:
"Mukai, can anyone else use your refining method?"
Mukai shook his head.
"I'm afraid it would be very difficult. It requires extremely precise Chakra control,
as well as a lot of knowledge. It's not that simple.
I'm not bragging, but even the Raikage couldn't control it as precisely as I can.
This smelting method is probably one of a kind in the entire Shinobi World."
Pakura nodded and continued:
"That's good, but you need to understand one thing.
Your ability is too important, and too dangerous.
Even I can't protect you."
Hearing Pakura say that, Sasori asked nervously:
"Wouldn't the village protect Mukai?
Chakra Metal is exceptionally important to puppet masters,
and it's indispensable for the village's ninja tools and other equipment.
In a way, Chakra Metal even determines the village's high-end combat strength.
Mukai's ability should be a treasure to the village!"
Pakura raised her hands and ruffled both their hair.
"Sasori, don't be nervous. Look how calm Mukai is, and he's the one involved.
Mukai, did you already come up with a plan to deal with this?
Don't keep us in suspense now!"
Mukai did not pull away from the hand Pakura had placed on his head.
Instead, he clenched his fist and said:
"Of course. As soon as I discovered I could refine Chakra Metal, I started thinking about what to do.
Sorry, Teacher Pakura. I deliberately dragged you into this.
But I really am going to make you rich along with me!
This will help you too!"
Pakura clenched both hands into fists and assumed a drill-fist pose, threatening him:
"Spit it out!
If you keep us in suspense, watch out or I'll..."
Only then did Mukai speak seriously.
"After what happened with the ambush at the outpost,
you should already have seen the village's problems, Teacher Pakura.
Because of its defeat in the Second Shinobi World War, the village's finances are stretched thin,
and the conflicts within the village have begun to surface.
You're devoted to the village, Teacher, but you can't stop some people in it from thinking only of themselves.
To fight for positions that will let them climb higher and seize more resources, they'll stop at nothing to eliminate anyone who stands in their way.
If this trend is allowed to continue,
those people who would even strike at the ninja of their own village-
what wouldn't they do?
They'll drag the village into the abyss!
Teacher Pakura, are you willing to stand by and watch them drag the village into the abyss?"
As Mukai spoke, he glanced at Sasori, leaving him somewhat baffled.
Naturally, Mukai would not say, Sasori, according to the timeline, in just a few years you would have killed the Third Kazekage and triggered the Third Shinobi World War!
Of course, he might have changed that by now.
The current Sasori was much more cheerful than before, and he firmly believed he was walking the right path!
Mukai clenched his fist and thumped his chest.
"Chakra Metal is worth a whole lot of money.
Just as you said, Teacher Pakura, wealth tempts people.
The three of us alone can't hold on to it.
So we need a big tree to shelter us openly from the wind and rain!
Sasori, you have a way to contact Elder Chiyo in an emergency, right?"
Sasori nodded. He immediately understood Mukai's plan.
And from beginning to end, Mukai had hidden nothing from him.
Now it seemed that Elder Chiyo really was the only suitable choice.
Sasori reached into his robes and took out a small puppet engraved with the Reverse Summoning Cursed Seal.
He quickly wrote a few sentences and placed them in the puppet's mouth,
then slapped the puppet, turning it into a puff of smoke.
All that remained was to wait.
A day later, someone outside activated the restriction at the entrance, and Elder Chiyo's voice rang out:
"I'm here! What's so important?"