Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 202 Communication Problems

"This winter looks a bit cold."

The wet, plush gloves slowly hardened, and Izuna moved her fingers, making a creaking sound from the fur fabric.

The impure body is cold and unable to sense temperature, which causes a major problem. Even if they wear the warmest clothes, without chakra to retain heat, they will freeze as they walk in sub-zero temperatures. Of course, it's the outer layer of clothing that freezes, not the impure shell made of dust.

Uchiha people generally dislike winter. Their fire-attribute power makes them exceptionally sensitive to temperature, intolerant of both heat and cold, making them quite picky. However, since acquiring this body, Izuna has enjoyed playing this game of "wooden figures." It's not that he has any particular hobby, but rather that the sound of ice breaking is very relaxing. Once he's out of this body, he won't be able to play it without being frozen.

After showing off his gloves, Izuna then set his sights on Tobirama's fur collar and armor. Izuna was only wearing his Uchiha civilian clothes when summoned, allowing him to add layers as he pleased, but Tobirama was always in full armor, unable to add or remove any outer garments. This difficulty didn't deter this stubborn ninjutsu enthusiast. Relying on his understanding of genjutsu and with the help of a certain precocious little fellow, he finally figured out a genjutsu array that could conceal the characteristics of the Edo Tensei, and even change clothes occasionally. However, genjutsu is still genjutsu; the eyes can't see through it, but the hands can. Izuna's ability to grab the fur collar was purely skillful; he grabbed it accurately every time, since the guy wouldn't dodge anyway.

"What are you doing?" Tobirama didn't turn around. He was assembling a table full of parts, and when he was pounced on, his hand didn't even tremble.

"Didn't we agree to go on vacation? What are you doing?" There was a hint of resentment in Izuna's tone.

Tobirama remained unmoved, saying, "We were indeed on vacation. Didn't we have fun during the day?"

What about at night?

"Weren't you just handling some business? When someone sends you telepathic messages, you always habitually glance down."

"...Tsk, why are you observing so meticulously? I've already finished dealing with mine, what about you? You've been tinkering since you came in, and you're still not done."

"This is a device that can replace telepathy. If we don't build it soon, communication in some places will become a big problem."

The Mind Transfer Technique requires a foundation of chakra, and can only be used by ninjas. Naruto certainly has plenty of chakra, but that's not how you use it. Recent frequent international conflicts mean there's an increased need for rapid intelligence and emergency communications via the Mind Transfer Technique. Constantly replenishing chakra not only increases Naruto's burden but also raises his risk of exposure. Furthermore, more and more ordinary people are joining the Hidden Blade Technique; the first batch of children trained at the base are eagerly anticipating the world stage, and they won't be able to stop them for long. Therefore, the communication problem must be solved.

The Land of Lightning was quite advanced in its development of electrical appliances, but on a small scale, favoring limited applications. For example, walkie-talkies had a range of only three to five hundred meters, suitable only for small-scale operations. Later, someone invented a wireless microphone, a rather useless device with a range of only four to five meters. Those who thought it was pointless didn't pay attention, but after Hui discovered this little gadget and broadened his thinking, they realized that applying the telepathic communication method used on the battlefield to extend signal transmission distance was also very effective. Attenuated signals were amplified by signal towers and transmitted again, thus achieving ultra-long-distance communication. Although there was a slight delay, it was already quite fast.

This project has been underway since the communication problem first emerged, and over the years, they have actually come up with some new insights.

They found that long-wave signals are stable and have a longer propagation range, but they require sophisticated equipment and consume a lot of energy. Medium and short waves consume less energy, but they weaken quickly, and the only way to compensate for this is by increasing the number of signal towers.

Thus, the initial product research and development led to the birth of the radio. Knowing the intricacies of the technology, Hui, through a multi-faceted organization, achieved a complete monopoly on the industry. He controlled all aspects of radio production, from raw materials and manufacturing to transportation, sales, and even the recording and broadcasting of some programs. However, new products naturally require a period of development. Electricity was extremely scarce in remote areas, making the operation of signal towers problematic. Even in the Land of Fire, only major cities could receive a signal. The daimyo didn't understand the technology itself, but they recognized its value and unanimously made a demand on the factories manufacturing the radios.

They need a radio that can be received from the outside, and its purpose is certainly not just to broadcast a program.

The first batch of equipment put into production were all medium-wave devices, which couldn't be modified further. Hui had certainly considered using this technology, but... the areas where they were based were in places with poor infrastructure, making it impossible to build signal towers, so the idea had to be abandoned. Until the power problem was solved, they could only use traditional communication equipment.

However, since the various daimyo have a need for it and are willing to invest money, their research and development naturally accelerated. The device in front of them is a small gadget that can meet half of the daimyo's needs. Shortwave frequencies are numerous and complex, and the receiver is even more sophisticated; whether it can be detected by others depends entirely on luck.

Izuna wasn't particularly interested in techniques other than ninjutsu. As a favored clan, the Uchiha originally possessed a vast collection of ninjutsu, including countless secret techniques that didn't require special chakra. Unfortunately, their clan was raided twice: first when Madara left the Uchiha clan and took a batch with him, and second, the devastating massacre of the entire clan. Despite their strength in numbers, they managed to recover a number of secret scrolls, but still suffered heavy losses.

The Sharingan can indeed copy ninjutsu hand seals in one go, but copying blueprints requires understanding and being able to draw them. That's much more difficult than ninjutsu itself!

"Can this kind of thing really achieve global communication like telepathy?"

"...It's not possible for now. But our current global communication is also built on Naruto."

Izuna let go of the battered fur collar and sat back down helplessly. He had to admit that none of the core decision-makers didn't feel sorry for Naruto; the kid had endured far too much.

Of course, normal people wouldn't force a child to work. Pushing Naruto into the leadership position was a helpless move at the time, because even though the Uchiha and Senju had died once, they couldn't just reconcile overnight. To temporarily stabilize the two clans, the leader absolutely couldn't be either of them. Shisui made this suggestion, and the adults readily agreed, which is how such a young leader came to be.

However, they didn't expect Naruto to be so serious. From that day on, the boy began to diligently fulfill his responsibilities as leader.