After arriving in the Land of Craftsmen, Kakuzu's extensive network of contacts surprisingly proved ineffective this time.
But Haruki wasn't there to cause trouble.
After disembarking from the ship, he inquired about a reputable ship merchant and temporarily stored the ship with them. Then he asked the boss for directions.
The group strolled leisurely for half a day and finally reached the Village of Craftsmen.
If Konoha Village could be considered a large town, then the Village of Craftsmen was truly just a village.
From afar, there were only a few main streets.
However, since it undertakes the ninja tool business of various countries and ninja villages, it wasn't deserted.
There were also quite a few lone wolves.
After all, craftsmen who could make Chakra Blades were extremely rare.
The only place where they gathered in large numbers was the Village of Craftsmen.
Of course, such weapons were also quite expensive, and ordinary ninjas couldn't afford them.
In the original story, the most notable Chakra Blade was the weapon of Asuma Sarutobi.
Haruki could tell that the Village of Craftsmen was wealthy. Although the village was small, the buildings and houses were quite luxurious, and the streets were unusually clean and spacious.
As they walked around, the clanging sound of hammering iron could be heard from time to time.
Those with keen senses might notice that the temperature inside the village was slightly higher than outside.
Haruki stayed there for a week.
His main task was to have two samurai swords crafted for Kakashi.
Then, using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he sent the thirty - two craftsmen he had recruited to the research facility in Akihabara.
Of course, only two of them could be called masters.
The rest were used to living in the Village of Craftsmen and weren't short of money, so Haruki had no way to convince them.
After his journey in the Land of Craftsmen ended, Haruki visited almost all the countries and ninja villages in the southeast of the Land of Fire.
Now, if he went further north, he would reach the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers.
After a brief moment of thought, Haruki headed to Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.
It had been nearly two months since he left Konoha.
The pages of his diary, filled with records of his social surveys every night, were now completely full.
He had achieved his goal. If he continued, it would really turn into a pure sightseeing trip.
He was revisiting an old place.
Sunagakure was no longer the same as it used to be.
Without informing the Third Kazekage, Haruki chose to sneak into the village so that he could better experience the changes in Sunagakure.
First of all, there were the results of the tree - planting and afforestation efforts.
What used to be a world full of yellow sand was now mostly covered by towering diversiform-leaved poplars and brightly colored calligonum.
Following Haruki's suggestion, the Third Kazekage had constructed a special shield over the entire Sunagakure.
It has the functions of collecting solar energy and filtering sand and wind.
The solar energy was converted into electricity, which illuminated every household in Sunagakure.
Secondly, there was the infrastructure.
Apart from an underground railway leading to Konoha, in the Land of Wind, the main oases are also connected by railways.
Regarding the railways, Haruki knew that they seemed to have reached some agreement with the Daimyo, but he didn't know the specific details.
Where there were railways, there were also roads.
Compared to the last time he visited, the streets in Sunagakure were at least three times wider.
As Haruki looked around, he could see carriages speeding by from time to time. It was especially lively in front of the "A Happy Union of Gold and Jade" shop.
Judging from their clothing and appearance, they probably weren't ninjas.
There is also a major infrastructure project, the water conservancy system.
The Third Kazekage spent a great deal of time building reservoirs and underground rivers, which were connected to the Land of Water, solving the problems of water shortage and irrigation.
Then there are the ores.
Currently, two main minerals are being mined, iron ore and gold ore.
Well, the Third Kazekage and the future Fourth Kazekage, acting as miners, have played a huge role.
The importance of iron ore is no less than that of gold ore, as it can be used in various fields.
Such as ninja tools, cooking utensils, farm tools, construction, shipbuilding, and machinery.
To relieve the work pressure on the two of them, the Third Kazekage plans to recruit many disciples in the Land of Water to find successors of the Magnet Release.
Lastly, there are the fruits.
In particular, watermelons and grapes are the most widely cultivated.
While Haruki was observing the changes in Sunagakure, the reactions of several other people were all different.
Tsunade knew about the plans he had made for Sunagakure, as she had participated in them herself.
However, such a drastic change really surprised her.
It felt to her like an intrusion from another world.
Haruki actually had a similar feeling to hers.
But he could understand it.
Because in his previous life, he had experienced similar situations. Every time after he graduated from primary school, secondary school, and university, those places underwent expansions and renovations.
When he went back several times, he could hardly recognize them.
The chalk and blackboards of the past had mostly been replaced by multimedia.
All classrooms were equipped with air-conditioners, and there were no more low-lying tile-roofed houses.
Apart from the schools, other changes were similar.
Transportation, electronic transactions, the internet, express delivery, and so on.
Everything was changing every day.
The changes in Sunagakure were just a small thing in comparison.
Kakuzu, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara, who were unaware of Haruki's plans for Sunagakure, were utterly shocked.
Kakuzu was a bit more composed.
But Kakashi and the other two hadn't learned to hide their emotions yet. They all stared wide-eyed and covered their mouths.
In their memories, the descriptions of Sunagakure from their elders or friends didn't match what they saw at all.
However, Haruki thought of one thing.
No matter how slow-witted Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tanzo Shimura were, they should have some understanding of the current Sunagakure.
This might also be one of the reasons why Hiruzen allowed Tanzo to assassinate him.
But to be honest, in their way of thinking, they probably didn't think these environmental transformations had much of an impact.
What they valued most was the change in the strength of ninjas.
And it takes years or even decades for a ninja to grow. For now, Sunagakure is far weaker than Konoha Village in terms of military power.
This chapter isn't over yet!
If a war were to break out, all the efforts Haruki had made would be in vain.
However, the thinking of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tanzo Shimura is too limited.
In the current situation, as long as Konoha doesn't take the initiative to launch an attack, Sunagakure will never betray.
Haruki glanced at Tsunade. Maybe it was time to change the Hokage.
He couldn't let Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others waste all his hard-won efforts.
Before he even got close to the Kazekage Building, Haruki saw the Third Kazekage and Chiyo.
He raised his eyebrows, not surprised at all.
If he hadn't concealed his figure and entered Sunagakure unnoticed, it could only mean that the Kazekage was incompetent.
"Haruki, long time no see."
The Third Kazekage greeted [Haruki and Tsunade] with a beaming face.
It's obvious that he's living a good life.
Well, it makes sense. Before, he used to look at account books full of losses every day. It would have been strange if he was in a good mood.
Now, what he likes most is to flip through the revenue records when he's free.
How many tens of thousands has he earned today? Should he go for some entertainment tomorrow? Should he go for an inspection the day after tomorrow?
Such a life is truly plain and uneventful.
Of course, the Third Kazekage knows who brought all this.
So after getting the news about Haruki, he immediately came out with Chiyo, with whom he was talking, to greet [Haruki and Tsunade].
And Chiyo doesn't look at Haruki and Tsunade with much hatred in her eyes.
Everyone is just working for their own masters.
Now that they're practically allies, there's no need to look gloomy.
Haruki greeted Chiyo and then looked at the Third Kazekage and asked, "Why don't I see Rasa?"
"Ooh, he's mining in the well."
The Third Kazekage waved to an Anbu member and said, "Go and inform him that Haruki is here. I'm sure he'll be very happy."