Chapter Sixty-One: The True Treasure

The treasure of the Land of Snow was hidden beneath the rainbow ice wall, where a keyhole matching the shape of the hexagonal crystal could be found.

Kazahana Nadare had located this place long ago, though he was unsure if it was truly the legendary treasure. Fuji Fubuki led Orochimaru and him to the rainbow ice wall, her eyes dull and lifeless. When they arrived, Nadare gave an expression of certainty—so this was indeed where the treasure lay.

“Hehehe, treasure at last.” Anticipation gleamed in Nadare’s eyes. He had been seeking this treasure for so long, and though he planned to offer it to Orochimaru, he was still eager to know what it was.

With a clicking sound, Fuji Fubuki inserted the hexagonal crystal. Machinery whirred within, and a powerful surge of chakra burst forth. With a rumble, five black rectangular stones, each the size of an adult, rose from the ground.

Nadare was bewildered. Was this truly the treasure? Just five stones?

In that moment, Fuji Fubuki broke free from the genjutsu. She looked around in confusion and understood that she had opened the treasure. Despair filled her face—it was over; her uncle had succeeded.

A loud hum resonated as the five black stones began to glow, radiating intense heat. Instantly, the surrounding ice and snow started to melt. Underneath, thermal conduits and pipes carried the heat, and within moments, the sound of flowing water filled the air.

“No… it can’t be. The treasure… is a heater?” Nadare’s face was incredulous.

The treasure he had coveted for so long turned out to be nothing but a heater.

“Excellent,” Orochimaru suddenly declared, his expression full of satisfaction, a broad smile spreading across his lips.

Nadare was speechless.

His disbelief was laced with anger—partly because he felt deceived by his brother, partly because he feared angering Orochimaru. After all, he had sworn to present the most advanced technology of the Land of Snow to Orochimaru, only to deliver a heater…

He was afraid Orochimaru would be furious, yet the man seemed genuinely pleased.

“What an unexpected delight,” Orochimaru thought. He hadn’t anticipated such a generous gift just as he had begun to wish for it.

To be frank, if this so-called high technology had been a chakra cannon or some kind of weapon, Orochimaru would have been indifferent. Their current firepower was more than sufficient; another weapon would have been superfluous.

But a heater was different—it had far greater potential!

Within a few breaths, the heater seemed to reach full power. In an instant, the ice and snow evaporated, and greenery spread from the center outward at a visible rate, carpeting the ground with fresh grass.

The Land of Snow was no longer snowbound.

In the Village of Snow Ninja, the former villagers were in the midst of relocating to the mobile fortress—a task made arduous by the perpetual winter. Some grumbled that it would be wonderful if the Land of Snow could become springtime for once.

But it was merely a complaint. The Land of Snow was named for its eternal winter; springtime was a dream.

Yet suddenly, greenery spread from the distance. The ice and snow vanished, and as the wave of warmth reached them, it did not stop but continued on, turning the entire world green before their very eyes.

Spring had come, and the people were dumbfounded.

Back at the rainbow ice wall, Fuji Fubuki sat on the ground, staring dazedly at the grass, immersed in the sea of green. She thought of her late father, recalling their promise—to bring her the spring. Her father had fulfilled his word.

Nadare was still pondering. Perhaps the treasure was more than just a heater? Orochimaru’s pleased reaction suggested he saw something Nadare did not.

Then, as the vibrant green spread before his eyes and the Land of Snow bloomed with life, Nadare was still unconvinced. To him, it truly was just a heater—nothing special.

“Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!” Orochimaru exclaimed, expressing his delight.

Nadare’s heart pounded with uncertainty. What did Orochimaru truly mean? Was he genuinely pleased, or being sarcastic? Nadare could not read him.

No matter—better to admit fault first.

“Lord Orochimaru, I… I did not expect it to be just a heater! I was deceived by my wretched brother!” He watched Orochimaru’s expression carefully, trying to discern his true feelings.

Orochimaru walked into the grass, feeling the spring breeze. He was genuinely in high spirits.

“Nadare, don’t you think this treasure is wonderful?” Orochimaru saw through Nadare’s probing.

Nadare hesitated. Orochimaru truly seemed satisfied with the treasure, but he did not falter—he dropped to one knee. “Forgive me, my lord! Please grant me another chance! I will kill Kazahana Koyuki at once!”

Orochimaru only chuckled, spreading his arms as the spring wind swirled around his fingers. The heater’s power was truly immense.

“Look—the spring breeze of the Land of Snow.” Orochimaru sighed in admiration.

Nadare conceded that, as a heater, it was indeed extraordinary. To melt all the ice and snow in the Land of Snow was no ordinary feat. But what was the use?

Orochimaru spoke again, “To transform a land of eternal winter into spring in an instant—such a colossal amount of heat is required.”

That was it—Orochimaru coveted the heat. If such energy could be harnessed and directed from a single point, it would become a thermal propulsion device!

Nadare, himself a scientist, mused, “Lord Orochimaru, you’re interested in the heat itself?”

There was nothing to hide. Orochimaru nodded, pointing toward the enormous mobile fortress visible even from afar.

“Look at that size. It’s too slow—I need it to move faster.”

The mobile fortress was massive. Compared to ninja, its speed was not bad, but still far from enough. For something called “mobile,” it ought to be at least dozens of times faster than a ninja.

Nadare understood now. Orochimaru wanted to transform the heater into a thermal engine.

“But that’s not all,” Orochimaru continued, gazing up at the sky. “What if a great many such engines pointed skyward?”

“All pointed skyward?” Nadare looked up as well.

With so many thermal engines, even one could propel the fortress into the air. If many were aimed at the sky, the entire planet could be launched into space.

Astounded, Nadare realized Orochimaru’s future plan: to move the Earth itself.

Three days later, all the villagers finished relocating, and the miraculous heater that had brought spring to the Land of Snow was installed in the mobile fortress.

As the fortress made its way toward the Village of Sound Ninja, the entire forces of the Land of Snow and the Utopia joined together, led by Orochimaru and his shadow clones, to study and modify the heater.

On the fourth day, they succeeded in developing the first generation of the thermal propulsion engine, officially designated “DHW-TJ-0001.”