"You're saying… you want the blueprint for the steam train?" Kazahana Sōsetsu looked at Nara Kazuki with visible surprise.
Kazuki nodded. "I'm not that interested in money. But this train tech? That's worth something."
Sure, he understood how steam engines worked in theory—steam-powered propulsion and all—but back in his previous life, Kazuki had been a liberal arts major. He had no clue how to actually build one. Better to ask for the schematics directly.
Kakashi and Guy were off collecting their reward in the universal ninja currency, walking away with a healthy payday. Snow Country might be a small nation, but a king was still a king—Sōsetsu had reserves.
"I'm very interested in this technology," Kazuki continued, rubbing his hands together. The goodies in the movie versions of the world were surprisingly valuable. He recalled one of the films even featured flying tech—which was definitely worth looking into later.
"That's not a problem. I'll have my people bring it to you right away," Sōsetsu answered promptly. As the man who'd saved his life, Kazuki was being treated with deep courtesy.
Kazuki sipped at his own flask of hot tea. "By the way, Lord Kazahana—this 'Great Hidden Treasure' you mentioned… Was that what sparked your brother's murderous intent?"
Sōsetsu's face turned bitter. He wasn't stupid. A man didn't become the ruler of even a small country by being a total fool. True, history had seen its share of idiot monarchs, but he wasn't one of them.
"I suppose there's no harm in telling you," Sōsetsu began, voice heavy. "I funded the development of a massive geothermal heater—a machine that could warm the climate of Snow Country, make it more livable, increase arable land. I called it a 'Great Treasure' because I believed it could transform our nation."
If he had explained things more clearly earlier, maybe things wouldn't have come to this.
Kazuki raised an eyebrow—he already knew all this, of course—but kept up the act. "How far does it reach? Area-wise?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Sōsetsu admitted. "But anything would be better than our current conditions."
From the glint in his eyes, Kazuki could tell—Sōsetsu genuinely cared about his people. He wasn't just a king—he was a good one.
"Actually… if the range is too large, it could spell disaster for you."
Sōsetsu blinked. "Eh? What do you mean?"
"Your country's small. Weak. In this world, weak nations don't get a seat at the table—they get served on it."
Kazuki's voice was calm, but cutting.
He'd been thinking about this for a while now. Snow Country didn't exist in the mainline plot—just in the movie—but in this world, it was real.
So why hadn't the Land of Water, with its might and naval supremacy, claimed it?
Because they were merciful?
Yeah, right.
The same Land of Water that backed pirate-nin squads? That was like trusting imperial Britain to stop colonizing out of kindness.
Might as well trust that Kazuki was secretly the First Emperor of the Fire Country.
The real reason Snow Country still existed? Because it wasn't worth the trouble. Covered in permafrost, hard to settle, even harder to farm. A logistical nightmare.
But…
"If that heater of yours actually works," Kazuki said slowly, "the Land of Water might suddenly find your territory worth the effort. More farmland. More trade routes. Another taxable province."
Sōsetsu went pale.
"And your people?" Kazuki added casually. "Slaves, maybe. Or just 'displaced.' Their homes paved over. Skinned into leather boots, if you're unlucky."
Snow Country wouldn't be wiped out—just crushed beneath a stronger state's boots.
By the time Kazuki left, he wasn't just holding the schematics for the steam locomotive—he also had 200,000 ryō in funding.
Not a huge sum.
But for a small country like this one, that was a significant investment.
"You took two rewards?" Kakashi gave Kazuki a suspicious glance as they shopped in the capital.
Kazuki was browsing goods, planning to bring some back to Konoha and flip them for profit. But choosing what to bring was the hard part. Kakashi didn't know much about economic trends—he was a shinobi, after all.
Kazuki shrugged. "Just stopped this whole nation from being served up on a silver platter."
Kakashi squinted. "Huh?"
He didn't quite get it.
Guy, meanwhile, was doing upside-down pushups on the building next to them.
As far as money-making went, Guy didn't worry. If Kazuki was handling it, he was all in.
"Hey, Kado? Doing business out here?"
Kazuki spotted a familiar figure—a short, shady merchant he'd worked with before.
Kado was surprised to see him too, but after hearing what Kazuki wanted—goods to resell in the Fire Country—he quickly offered advice.
Because profit, after all, was universal.
Kazuki clapped him on the shoulder. "Kado, you sneaky bastard. Maybe if you stayed this honest, you wouldn't get yourself killed in the future."
Kado chuckled nervously.