A deathly silence lasted for a full three seconds within the main hall.
Everyone was still immersed in a state of shock.
"Pfft—"
A soft chuckle abruptly broke the frozen air.
Sitting on the throne, Naruto rested his forehead on one hand, his shoulders beginning to shake slightly.
At first, it was just a suppressed laugh.
But soon, the laughter grew louder, turning into an unbridled roar that echoed through the empty hall.
"Hahahaha—"
"Lord Naruto?"
Haku looked at Naruto with some concern, thinking that the massive surprise had caused him to lose control of his emotions.
"It's nothing, I just think—it's too funny."
Naruto stopped laughing and wiped his tears, but the mocking look in his eyes reached its peak.
"That idiot Doto Kazahana, bearing the infamy of a usurper, spent ten whole years trying to find the legendary treasure..."
"Yet he didn't know—"
"The real treasure has always been beneath his feet, even used to pave roads, treated as scrap metal."
"It's like a beggar sitting on a mountain of gold, begging for a moldy bun."
"Until he starves to death, never knowing the treasure was right under his feet."
Naruto shook his head and casually tossed that priceless piece of scrap metal back to Yakushi Kabuto.
"Doto Kazahana, your stupidity is simply an insult to the word 'ambitionist'."
Just then, a Hidden Sound ninja appeared via the Body Flicker Technique, kneeling on one knee to report.
"Lord, we have found a lead regarding that treasure."
"It seems to involve the runaway princess of the previous daimyo, Princess Koyuki—should we send people to capture her?"
"Treasure? Princess?"
Naruto's tone was cold as he directly interrupted his subordinate's report.
"Not interested."
"Let things from fairy tales like that rot in the snow."
Naruto ignored those trivial details.
Compared to illusory legends, he cared more about practical things.
Naruto walked slowly to the window.
Outside, the massive railway cutting through the royal capital was clearly visible, flickering in the snow like a winding dragon.
"Yakushi Kabuto."
"Present."
Yakushi Kabuto immediately bowed.
"Send the signal for the fleet to dock."
"Notify Orochimaru to move all the equipment off the ships."
Naruto turned abruptly, his black trench coat cutting an arc behind him as he issued his first command in the Land of Snow.
"Effective immediately, blockade all mines."
"No one is allowed to enter or leave without permission."
"Kill anyone who defies this order!"
A few hours later, the wind and snow continued.
But in the square before the Daimyo's Mansion, trucks loaded with precision instruments and cultivation tanks were already parked.
Since the fleet had been on standby in the coastal area, upon receiving the signal, Orochimaru and his team completed the landing and transfer with incredible speed.
The doors were pushed open.
Orochimaru, dressed in long robes, stepped inside.
"Naruto-kun, why the rush to have us land—did you find something good?"
Orochimaru's raspy voice echoed in the hall.
Naruto said nothing, only gesturing for Kabuto to hand over the rail sample.
Orochimaru took the sample casually, his pupils constricting slightly.
As the top scientist in the ninja world, he sensed its chakra conductivity almost instantly.
"This is—"
He channeled chakra into it; the metal sample immediately glowed with a faint blue light, with almost no transmission loss.
"This purity—this reaction—"
On Orochimaru's face, a rare expression of excitement appeared.
"Although there are many impurities, there is no doubt that this is high-content chakra metal."
"Naruto-kun, where did you find this?"
"It's all over the streets."
Naruto pointed out the window, his tone calm.
"The railways of this country, the equipment of the soldiers, even the geothermal pipes beneath your feet—they are all made from this stuff."
Hearing this, Orochimaru's pale face twitched slightly.
He instinctively glanced at the floor beneath him, his eyes filled with absurdity and disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Looking at the stretching railway outside the window, Orochimaru felt an indescribable sensation.
Such a waste of natural resources was simply a profanity against science!
If one of his subordinates had done this, he would definitely have them die a thousand deaths to vent his anger.
"So, that is why I had you come here."
Naruto looked at everyone and began to deploy the next strategy.
"Next, we will establish a new refinery."
"All the railways, buildings, and other items in this country mixed with chakra metal—tear them all down and melt them down for recycling."
"No problem."
Orochimaru quickly regained his composure, his eyes flashing with greed and excitement.
"I noticed when I arrived that there's abundant geothermal energy here, which can serve as power for the furnaces."
"Give me one month, and I can set up the first production line."
Having finished the industrial arrangements, Naruto turned his gaze toward Haku.
"Haku."
"I am here, Lord Naruto."
Haku stepped forward.
"The people of this country have been under high pressure for a long time; although they are submissive, they lack vitality."
Naruto recalled the scene he saw in the town earlier; it was a zombie-like submission, and such labor efficiency was too low.
"I am not an idiot like Doto Kazahana who only knows how to exploit."
Naruto's tone was calm.
"There is absolutely no need to bleed them dry; that will only lead to hatred and rebellion."
"What we need to do is psychological control."
"Give them enough coal to ensure they don't freeze to death, and give them enough food so they have the strength to work."
"Then, implement the Merit Point System we've been promoting here."
"Tell them that as long as they work hard—whether in the mines or the factories—they can earn points in addition to money."
"And points are more valuable than currency."
Naruto looked at Haku and smiled slightly.
"Besides exchanging for better daily necessities, tell them that this is their only chance to turn their lives around, or even raise their social class."
"You have more charisma than we do; I'll leave this matter to you."
"Make them understand that we are here to save them, not enslave them."
"Yes, I understand."
Haku nodded gently.
"I will make them willingly contribute everything to you."
All arrangements were complete.
The atmosphere in the hall became lively.
Everyone knew that by controlling such a strategic resource, they would enter an incredibly explosive period of growth.
Just as everyone was about to head off to their respective tasks.
Orochimaru was in no hurry to leave.
He walked up to Naruto and lowered his voice, speaking only loud enough for the two of them.
"Naruto-kun, besides these metals—"
"Regarding the experiments on White Zetsu cells, we have made a breakthrough."
"Now, it's up to you."
Hearing this, Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Oh?"
He stood up, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Lead the way."