I just returned to Konoha and found that my entire clan was gone.

However, the Akutagawa family that Sasuke brought this time rekindled his interest.

Inside the research and development department, a weapon called the Chakra Cannon was placed on the open ground, and Sasori of the Red Sand was examining this novel object.

The original batteries were replaced by ninjas. The Amegakure ninjas all wore some kind of device on their heads, which continuously transmitted chakra into the cannon through transmission tubes.

As chakra continued to gather, the light from the cannon's muzzle grew brighter and brighter, finally reaching a critical point before being fired in an instant.

The R&D department's area was as if it had been swept by a gust of wind; the launched shells were no less powerful than an S-class escape technique, utterly destroying all the targets in front of them.

As the light from the cannonball completely faded, the recorder in the distance raised his hand and shouted, "Ninth test of the Chakra Cannon, distance 121 meters!"

Upon hearing this distance, both Akutagawa and his son smiled, clearly satisfied with the result.

"The time it took to condense was too long. Although the distance has reached more than 100 meters, it is still not enough."

Scorpion appeared beside Ye Lan at some point and whispered something.

Is there any way to increase the distance?

Ye Lan was not surprised by Scorpion's appearance. You see, although the R&D department doesn't have a department head or anything like that now, Scorpion has been there the longest, and his words sometimes carry more weight than Ye Lan's.

“There must be a way. If we double the size of this thing, the range will be about 200 meters. If we double it, it will be about 300 meters. But the materials and manpower required are too much. Even if we took all of Yuyin’s money, we couldn’t make many.”

Furthermore, there's something Scorpion didn't mention: the further you expand, the smaller the improvement you'll get. The current power is barely enough, but the attack range is the most important thing.

The most classic saying about cannons is: What is the purpose of a cannon's range? It's for measuring the area of ​​a country!

Therefore, to unleash the power of the Chakra Cannon, you need to focus on the distance.

“Scorpion, I remember that your puppet only requires a little chakra to control, so there should be some chakra conversion stuff inside, right?”

“That’s right, but puppets aren’t actually that big. You don’t need a lot of chakra to control them. You mean…”

Scorpion looked at Ye Lan in shock for the first time. This man's ideas were too strange. He could infer the puppet he used from the weapon in front of him.

"You can try experimenting first, try installing this thing inside the cannon. Also, although range is important, we also need to consider other aspects. With this device, we can try to make the chakra cannon easier to carry and shorten the energy gathering time."

"Even if the range is only sixty or seventy meters, with hundreds of these chakra cannons, it will be difficult for us to break through from the front."

Ye Lan's idea revitalized Scorpion's somewhat dormant heart. His eyes lit up, and he could already sense the weapon's function from Ye Lan's description.

"Once developed, this thing will change the way wars are fought. Uchiha Yelan, you are indeed an interesting person."

Scorpion had been feeling somewhat weary from years of researching puppets, but his mood improved after joining the research and development department. Now that he had found a new direction, Scorpion's mind began to stir again.

Chapter 162 Invitations from Other Villages

After observing the effects of the Chakra Cannon, Ye Lan arrived at the tallest building in Amegakure.

This is Pain's residence, guarded by elite Amegakure ninjas. Anyone who comes here, except for Konan, must have Pain's permission to enter.

The reason Ye Lan interrupted his cultivation of Sage Mode was not only to check the talents Sasuke had recruited, but also because Sasuke had informed him through Tanlang that Pain wanted to discuss something with him.

Outside the door, Xiao Nan seemed to have been waiting for a long time before leading Ye Lan slowly into the tower.

"The village has been doing quite well lately."

Once inside the building, Xiao Nan, who was not good at expressing her feelings, surprisingly opened her mouth.

Ye Lan's plan has begun to show results. Yu Yin has not seen such vitality for a long time. Xiao Nan's words are the greatest praise she can give to Ye Lan.

"It's still a long way off. Amegakure is far from having the power to rival other countries right now."

Ye Lan was not complacent about his temporary achievements. Having spent some time in Konoha, he knew very well that once war broke out, the war potential of a great power was far beyond what Amegakure could currently match.

"But did something happen to you that you came to see me?"

Ye Lan understood that Amegakure had already planned many things and didn't need Pain to worry about them. If there were any issues, he could simply communicate them through Konan. The fact that she had been summoned so earnestly meant that there must be something she was having trouble deciding.

Xiao Nan buried her face deep in Xiao's robes, so her expression was not visible, but a hint of struggle could be seen in her eyes.

Ye Lan suppressed her curiosity and didn't ask any further questions, knowing that she would understand what was going on once she saw Payne.

He strode up to the upper floor; Payne was in the highest room of the tower.

A light drizzle fell outside the window, its drops feeling cool on my face. Occasionally, noisy sounds drifted from the village, while the rumbling from the steel factory drowned out the sound of the rain.

The people on the street had more smiles on their faces. The steel factory's export orders had met their daily needs. Although it was not as good as Konoha, their quality of life was now far better than before.

Ye Lan entered the room without disturbing Payne's observation, and quietly stayed to the side with Xiao Nan. This was a time that belonged only to Payne.

"You've arrived."

After a short while, Payne withdrew his gaze and said...

"I never imagined that these factories alone could change Yuyin's decadence. I was right to listen to your advice back then."

Pain was glad he had recruited Ye Lan into Akatsuki, and disregarded the opinions of the other members, keeping Ye Lan and Sasuke.

At first, I accepted Ye Lan's guidance with an attitude of trying it out, but I never expected that it would change Yu Yin's decadence in just a few months.

"No need for formalities, what can I do for you?"

Ye Lan said casually that it wouldn't hurt for him to be more direct with Payne after achieving some results.

As expected, neither Payne nor Konan paid any attention. Payne thought for a moment and then said...

"It's a good thing that the village has become like this, but because of the profits from cars, Yu Yin has received some attention."

Ye Lan paused, then stepped forward and said, "So, someone's already reached out? Some people just want to get something for nothing."

Actually, Payne was also somewhat dissatisfied when he first learned of this news. According to his original plan, Payne would probably have directly killed all those who dared to make a move. However, after spending some time with Ye Lan, he realized that doing so would have many consequences.

Furthermore, this could very well expose Akatsuki's existence. Remember, during the second Chunin Exams, Kakashi tried to infiltrate Amegakure to gather intelligence.

However, under the Rain Tiger Free Technique, Kakashi would be discovered as soon as he appeared near Amegakure, and in the end, the matter was left unresolved.

"Then tell me, what are the conditions these people have? Since you've come to me, there must be more than one."

Anyone with a brain can see the profit margin in cars, and it's not particularly difficult to imitate them. However, other countries don't have as many steel factories and skilled craftsmen as Yuyin, so the quality and production capacity of their products cannot compare to Yuyin's.

Moreover, when the cars were initially produced, Yuyin even created a brand specifically for them, and every car sold came with a special Yuyin purchase receipt.

The nobles, who were already wealthy, were even less likely to buy cars produced in other villages; they all chose to buy from Amegakure.

"Most of the countries that have extended cooperation agreements are the five great nations. Among them, the Cloud Village is the most direct in asking us to hand over all our means of production, on the condition that we form a military alliance with the Rain Village for the next ten years."

Xiao Nan knows these things best; she was the one who compiled this intelligence in the first place.

Ye Lan scoffed. It was just like those bandits. But Yun Yin's words were just empty talk. They were too far from the Land of Rain anyway. Even if they wanted to force their way here, they would have to travel over mountains and rivers.

If someone wants to use a small team of high-level combatants to infiltrate and forcibly seize something, the Akatsuki organization will teach them a lesson. Putting aside everything else, the Akatsuki could currently rival the high-level combatants of any village in the entire ninja world.

Xiao Nan also understood that Yun Yin had only said a few words and then skipped over the rest.

"As for Iwagakure, because they border our country, their approach is rather forceful. They advised us that this kind of thing is beyond the control of a small country like ours, and that we should leave it to Iwagakure. They have a large land area suitable for building factories. They will provide manpower and land for construction, while we can send technical personnel to assist. The final profits can be split 50/50..."

"next."

Xiao Nan was puzzled when Ye Lan was interrupted before she could finish speaking, as she felt that the conditions offered by Yan Yin were already quite generous.

Seeing that Xiao Nan and Payne both looked puzzled, Ye Lan still spoke up to explain.

"Don't be fooled by the seemingly good profit distribution. Iwagakure requires that our factories be built within their country. If we agree to cooperate, things might go well at first, but once they learn this technology on someone else's turf, we'll be at their mercy."

Xiao Nan frowned upon hearing this, finally understanding the other party's intentions.

"Putting aside his strength, the Third Tsuchikage, who has lived to such an old age, is no ordinary person."

Ye Lan had never met any Iwagakure ninjas, but he had heard of the legendary Kekkei Tota Dust Release. Onoki had been able to remain the Third Tsuchikage for many years without causing any trouble, so he must have some extraordinary abilities.

Payne didn't elaborate much. In his view, the five great nations were all cut from the same cloth, and he was discussing these matters with Ye Lan to explore how to help Amegakure overcome this crisis without exposing Akatsuki.

Konan then mentioned Kirigakure and Sunagakure. These two villages did not show the same ambition as Kumogakure and Sunagakure, but they were currently weak and could not offer anything even if they were sincere.

Ye Lan still remembers how Mei Terumi felt the pinch when she offered ten million ryo to rebuild the ninja academy. What could they possibly offer now? Not to mention that Kirigakure is even further away, and the Land of Fire separates Kirigakure from Amegakure, making cooperation virtually impossible.

And then there's Sunagakure. Ever since Rasa helped him that time, Yelan has freed his soul. With his current strength, it doesn't make much difference whether Rasa is there or not.

The current Kazekage is Gaara, whom he once tormented. Gaara does have the goal of revitalizing Sunagakure, but Sunagakure's current financial situation is no different from Kirigakure's. Not to mention, there are a bunch of elders and advisors above them, so Gaara can actually make very few decisions.

"After talking about all the other villages, only Konoha is left."

Xiao Nan gave Ye Lan a deep look. Ye Lan had refused invitations from other villages, which inevitably made people wonder.

Ye Lan thought of that blonde girl with twin ponytails who would never grow old, and chuckled.

"Heh, then let's see what conditions Lady Tsunade has offered us."

Chapter 163 Selection

At Pain's prompting, Konan brought up the treatment Konoha had offered her.

"Konoha wants to establish a car factory like this in their country first. We will send some personnel to provide guidance. Our people cannot participate in the factory's decision-making, but can only provide some technical support. The profits will be split 30/70. Also, Konoha will purchase all its future steel from Amegakure."

Compared to Iwagakure, Konoha's conditions seem more demanding, and the potential profits are not much.

But Ye Lan had already made her decision.

"Then let's choose Konoha."

Ye Lan's decisiveness made Payne take a second look. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ye Lan, but he just needed an explanation.

To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, Ye Lan spoke patiently.

"Konoha's idea is actually easy to understand. To be honest, the current cars don't have much technology. Other villages will definitely be able to figure it out in two or three years."

"Konoha wants to take the lead, hoping to learn from us and create better products, or even a better brand, at the lowest possible cost. Once Konoha grows big enough, few will be able to compete with it."

To put it simply, it's like the joint venture cars of the past. Initially, the country didn't have the ability to produce excellent cars, so it could only reduce costs and learn technology through joint ventures, eventually achieving a leapfrog development in the field of new energy vehicles.

Previously prestigious joint venture brands are now experiencing declining sales and plummeting prices, making them no match for new energy vehicles.

"Then why choose Konoha?"

Konan voiced Pain's doubts, suggesting that even if Amegakure cooperated with Konoha, they wouldn't gain much benefit.

"Let them copy our technology if they want to. Once we open up the market, we can't rest on our laurels. We can continue to innovate, such as making larger and more comfortable vehicles, or off-road vehicles suitable for the city. Once they imitate them, we can use new products to erode the market. It will take them longer to catch up than they imagine."

"How can we guarantee that we can innovate faster than they can imitate us? These are two completely different things."

Xiao Nan was still worried and said with concern.

Ye Lan walked to the window, opened it, and heard the noise from the steel factory.