The Land of Wind were suddenly conducting military exercises close to the territory of the Land of Bears, and this move didn't conceal their intentions from other countries.
As one of the five great countries, the Land of Wind naturally attracted the attention of all countries with every move in the ninja world. Sunagakure, embodying the military power of the Land of Wind, became the focal point of attention for all countries.
Even though during the third ninja war, Suna missed the best opportunity to attack Konoha due to Ame's intervention, no county dared to underestimate the might of the Sunagakure.
Suna was the first ninja village to withdraw from the battlefield in the third ninja war. After years of steady development, the military strength of the village had fully recovered. Recovering alongside Konoha and Kumo, Suna had taken a lead.
In this era dominated by peace, it seemed intriguing that Sunagakure would suddenly begin conducting military exercises close to the Land of Bears' territory.
The first to receive this news among the ninja villages of the others was Iwagakure in the Land of Earth.
Nestled amidst rocks and high mountains, Iwagakure possessed the strongest defense capability among all ninja villages.
In the Tsuchikages Building's office, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, already in his 70s, learned about Suna conducting military exercises in the Land of Bears' territory. His immediate reaction was a subconscious thought about whether Suna was planning to launch an operation against Iwa.
Even though Iwa and Suna had once cooperated during the third ninja war, it didn't guarantee that such cooperation would continue indefinitely.
Due to its desert environment, Sunagakure has greater demand for resources like food and water compared to other countries.
So, attacking the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth held no difference for Suna.
However, upon closer examination of the information gathered by the Anbu, Ohnoki realized the military exercises were taking place near the northwest Land of Bears border with the Land of Demins , not the northeast border with Land if Earth.
"Could it just be a facade?"
On the surface, they were close to Land of Demons but perhaps their sights were truly set on Land of Earth instead.
After all, Suna had no reason to attack the Land of Demons. On the contrary, the Land of Earth was different. The hostility among the ninja villages of the five major countries was an indisputable fact.
"Father, I don't think so,"
Kitsuchi on the side, also saw the information submitted by the Anbu and offered his own guess.
"Oh? What's your take then, Kitsuchi?"
"Even if they wanted more development resources, Suna would not attack Iwa now that relations among the five great nations have stabilized. A war between the five major powers would have an immense impact and would be difficult to control, unless Suna is prepared to make another heavy sacrificez wiping out the vitality recovered over the years," Kitsuchi explained.
Though Iwa ultimately didn't fare much better, Suna couldn't act alone.
"That's reasonable logic, but Suna has been ambitious since the Second Kazekage's time... we can't judge them by ordinary standards."
Despite Onoki's age, his vision remained keen.
Today's Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, like the previous two Kazekages, was a young ninja with lofty political ambitions. The Kazekages all focused on building Sunagakure, while considering all means to seek power and potentially cause war. As Kazekage, Rasa might lack power compared to the other Kages, but his inner ambition wasn't inferior to Kumo's Fourth Raikage.
Young people like Rasa troubled Onoki the most. It would be much simpler if everyone was conservative like Konoha's Third Hokage. Now that he thought about it, only Konoha and himself from the original Five Kage had retained their positions. Kiri, Suna, and Kumo had all undergone leadership changes.
In Onoki's eyes, these new Kages in these three villages were all young people from his children's generation, they had at least 20 years of service to be Kage.
In comparison, Iwagakure was somewhat lacking. Currently, there was no young people in Iwa ready to take his place, and his son, Kitsuki, wasn't quite up to the task.
This realization had distressed Onoki more than once. At the age of 70, it was time for him to retire. Not only had his chakra diminished, but his reaction time was incomparable to his youth. Most importantly... he had sacrificed his waist to deceive the Third Raikage, leading to back pain every now and then.
Thinking of all this, Ohnoki felt nothing but pain.
"It's possible. But I heard an interesting rumor recently," Kitsuchi said.
"Rumor?" Onoki was slightly taken aback, but he showed no particular concern.
"When I went to the Land of Demons to purchase medical supplies a while ago, I overheard some businessmen from having a conversation in a wine room."
"What were they talking about?"
"During the third ninja war, Suna was short on funds, so they sought a loan from Purple Rose Merchant Association of the Land of Demons. An important minister from the Land of Wind served as a guarantor. Father should have heard about such arrangements, right?"
"Yes, I did hear about that."
Onoki didn't understand why Kitsuchi was bringing this up now.
"That's right. According to the businessmen's conversation, Suna, who should have paid off the loan two years ago, has being delaying until now. They haven't paid back a single ryo to the Land of Demons, they keep finding excuses to refuse. Many businessmen have lost hope of seeing that money returned. They think it would be better for the country to just cut their losses rather than deal with a military power like the Land of Wind."
"... so because of that, they chose the northwestern Land of Bears for their military exercises?"
Onoki was a little speechless. No matter how he looked at it, it was Suna and the Land of Wind in the wrong here. Threatening with military action now was simply unreasonable.
"There seems to have been an additional provocation. Debt collectors from the Land of Demons went to the Wind Daimyo's Mansion to intimidate him, leading the Daimyo to transfer his anger to the Land of Demons... But it's just rumors, who knows how true." Kitsuchi sighed.
"So, it really doesn't have much to do with the Land of Earth. However, we can't be completely unprepared. Dispatch two thousand ninjas to the southwest border. If Suna intends to enter the Land of Earth, stop them there."
"And if they don't?"
"Then just sit on the sidelines and watch the situation change. The Land of Demons' affairs has nothing to do with us. As long as it doesn't harm us or cause excessive conflict, don't get involved."
While the Suna's actions were unreasonable, Onoki had no plans on defending the Land of Demons. Whether it was the Suna or them that got damaged, it benefitted the Land of Earth.
"Yes, then I will..."
Boom!
Before Kitsuchi could finish speaking, a thunderous explosion blasted out over the village. The massive flash was clearly visible even through the office's glass walls.
Kitsuchi stared at the light from the explosion above the village, speechless for a moment.
"I can't believe it, did that brat Deidara pull something again? Father, your disciple is too much of a nuisance...this goes beyond causing trouble..."
"...Kitsuchi, what are you ...mumbling about?! Hurry and rein in that damned Deidara! If this continues, he'll blow up the whole village someday!"
Onoki's face darkened as he trembled with rage. Even without looking, he knew it was his disciple Deidara who had caused the massive explosion over the village.
A talented child. At only ten years old, he possessed an explosive ability that gave even Jonin headaches. He was an essential frontline member even among the Iwa's Explosion Corps. His only flaw was a penchant for "testing" his extremely dangerous explosives in the village, calling it his "Art".
That was bullshit art.
That was clearly dangerous explosives use. Any slipup could send villagers to the afterlife.
Over half the complaint letters from villagers and ninjas were about Ohnoki's disciple Deidara.
Thinking of it all made Ohnoki's reddened nose twist in displeasure.
"Yes. Alas, the kid is still so naughty..."
Kitsuchi sighed helplessly, he opened the window, jumped, and ran swiftly in the direction of the explosion.
.....
The Land of Wind was conducting military exercises on the northwest border of the Land of Bears, and it didn't deceive the border military investigators of the Land of Demons.
In fact, when Suna refrained from launching operations against the Land of Demons, the military's upper echelon had already conveyed an order to monitor the southeast border of the Land of Demons. They were instructed to start reconnaissance from the air and report any situation immediately.
Responding to Suna's actions, the Land of Demons didn't immediately gather ninja troops. It seemed as if they didn't care about Suna's actions or thought that it was merely a normal military exercise, not an attempt to intimidate the Land of Demons.
Suna's ninja troop, consisting of 1,000 ninjas, was stationed in front of devil's ravine in the northwest of the Land of Bears. Devil's ravine faces the territory of the Land of Demons.
As the Land of Demons took no action, the ninjas from Suna refrained from acting.
Leading this Suna force was none other than the Suna ninja who had recovered from his injuries.
Originally, Suna's council decision was to send 500 ninjas for a small expedition. There was no need to use excessive force to deal with the Land of Demons. However, the Kazekage believed that the ninjas in the Land of Demins might lack combat capabilities, and those peculiar equipments could bring trouble to the Suna Army. So, they added 500 more ninjas, totaling 1,000, led by Baki.
Baki held a binocular, observing across devil's ravine. From a distance, he could see villages with smoke rising from the border of the Land of Demons.
Even at a distance, the village's buildings and environment were strikingly beautiful, and the transportation facilities were much more advanced than those in the Land of Winds. It was conceivable that the living standards there were significantly better than most people in the Land of Wind.
"Their economy is really strong," .
Even such a small border village had well-established traffic arteries. Baki's initial impression of the Land of Demons was was wealthy and powerful. While the Land of Demons' small territory was a factor, connecting all those transportation lines between villages and towns required massive investment...beyond Baki's imagination.
"Let's wait and see what happens next, and just focus on waiting for the orders from above. Let's go back to camp," Baki said to the several Jonin beside him.
"Yes."
Baki's patrol was over. While he didn't intend to view the Land of Demons as an opponent, recalling the losses suffered from the debt collectors not long ago made him feel it was better to be cautious.
To prevent flying ninjas, a thousand ninjas were dispatched this time, along with plenty exploding tavs. They brought a total of 100 precision continuous-firing ballistas for air use. Combined with exploding tags, these were enough to light up the sky.
Under such high-density firepower concentration, the flying ninja tools could only be shattered into the sand.
In the past, the Land of the Sky used similar flying ninjas to provoke the five major powers and attack from the air. Suna adopted this method of concentrated firepower to target the ninjas of the Land of Sky, causing them heavy losses.
Therefore, necessary confidence was essential, but caution must not be lost.
Falling twice in a row to the same opponent was something Baki couldn't allow.
...
Land of Demons, Oni City, First Military Region.
In an empty room, there were only simple daily necessities and a precise map of the ninja world posted on the wall.
With his hands behind his back, Shiraishi looked up slightly at the ninja world map. It had been drawn many times above with a pen.
The Land of Snow, the Land of Honey, the Land of Bears... and finally, the Land of Wind were marked in extremely detailed.
In fact, the Land of Snow has already fallen into their hands, the Land of Honey was only short of a name, and the Land of Bear is being secretly eroded. They will all fall one after another within a few months. And.. as for the Land of Wind... it too had entered the game board.
Shiraishi's gaze fixated on the northwest region of the Land of Wind. An essential territory to capture.
In the Land of Wind, a vast desert wasteland held significant hidden resources. Professional assessments revealed valuable assets like natural gas and oil beneath the seemingly barren desert.
The Land of Wind hadn't fully embraced industrialization, rendering these resources untapped. Additionally, the desert boasted rich meteorological resources—wind, sunlight, solar energy—all pure and renewable sources with minimal environmental impact.
While marine resource exploitation was in its infancy, lacking mature technology for the exploration, Shiraishi deemed it prudent to establish a foundation on the mainland before expanding into the ocean gradually.
The allure of swallowing the entire cake was tempting, but Shiraishi doubted his capacity to handle such a massive undertaking. Attempting to consume it all at once might result in choking.
"You're here. There's panic outside. Don't you plan to send someone to explain the situation? Some are even willing to pay to avert disaster, saying there's no need to clash with the Land of Wind," Ruri stated as she walked in through the door, addressing Shiraishi.
External rumors painted a pessimistic picture of the Land of Demons. Even local businessmen harbored similar sentiments. While Su.a's dispatch of a thousand ninjas for "sightseeing" along the southeastern border created anxiety, the absolute rule of the five major powers restrained most from resisting, it has been deeply rooted in their hearts.
Though a few, mainly young individuals, contested Suna's motives, viewing it as a tactic to avoid repaying their debts and impose military coercion on the Land of Demons, their dissent was limited. The military might of the Land of Demons left many skeptical.
Shiraishi turned around, glancing at her, and replied, "Preparations have been made. Let them warm.up outside. They think a prosperous commercial country lacks the qualifications to lead the ninja world. The current development is propelled not solely by us but also by the country itself."
Despite years of policy contributions, the Land of Demons had emerged as the premier commercial nation in the ninja world, surpassing even the commercial power of the Land of Fire. Yet, with greater expectations came more hidden enemies.
Currently, being a neutral country didn't provide absolute protection, it depended on whether essential interests were threatened.
Observing the overreactions from Suna and the Land of Wind, Shiraishi acknowledged that the Land of Demons' rapid progress had attracted greesy forces in the ninja world.
"So when do we make our move? Sunagakure has already acted, but we're still waiting. If it continues, our military will be seen as scared and weak." Ruri Ghost Country
"Something like this can't be rushed. We have to wait for Wuna to make the first move,"
Shiraishi responded, shaking his head. Although external opinions criticized the Land of Demons for inaction, the reality was that their efforts were simply undisclosed.
Regardless of Shiraishi's confidence, he couldn't ignore the presence of a thousand sand ninjas along the Land of Demons's border. A single mistake could result in significant civilian casualties.
Shiraishi couldn't vouch for the discipline of the sand hidden ninjas, drawing from their past actions in the third ninja war. Even though their Genin displayed discipline in battles, they poorly adhered to ethical guidelines. Plundering the Land of Rain's civilians during wartime revealed their lack of restraint. To avoid any disturbance to the Land of Demons's people, Shiraishi had already dispatched Ayane and an elite team of 100 ninjas to the border of the Land of Bears in secret.
Hoshigakute was also on standby, prepared to surprise Sunw troops from the rear when the time came. The only element left to anticipate was the eruption of conflict between the Land of Wind and the Land of Demons.
"But observing their stance, it seems they're anticipating our move first.
Ruri understood the current situation and believed that allowing Suna ninjas loiter along the Land of Demons' border would diminish their prestige, potentially triggering troublesome chain reactions.
Ruri was well acquainted with the tendencies of larger countries, often eager to exploit perceived weaknesses. Examples include the Kumo and Iwa, with Kumo particularly thrilled by covert operations stealing medical secrets from the Land of Demons.
Currently, there were nearly twenty Kumo ninjas remaining concealed in Oni City, tirelessly attempting to infiltrate the military for confidential medical information.
Seeing the Land of Demons being pressured by the Land of Wind, yet, they were still remaining indifferent. If it goes on Kumo would undoubtedly see an opportunity to intervene to get a share. If Kumo does intervene at that time, things will inevitably become difficult.
"For war, strategy, tactics, human resources, industry, economy, logistics supplies, mobilization ability, and thinking ability—all are important components. The side that acts impulsively, lacks a complete strategy, or adopts unrealistic tactics will invariably lose the first half," Shiraishi explained with a smile.
Strategic and tactical deployment began years ago within the Land of Demons's army. Compared to Suna ninjas, who were compelled to participate, the Land of Demons had set up a comprehensive series of traps targeting Suna.
As long as things were properly arranged, in terms of strategy and tactics, Suna would be unable to discern the true intentions of the Land of Demons, finding themselves trailing behind.
Industrial, economic, and logistical mobilization capabilities had also been completed ahead of schedule, with the Land of Demons preparing for this war for many years. Suna, on the other hand, was woefully unprepared, showcasing a clear disparity.
"Have you devised a plan?" Ruri inquired, eager to understand Shiraishi's strategy to prompt Suna into taking the initiative.
"Almost. If this continues, the Merchant Association will temporarily suspend the transportation of goods, especially medicine, food, and water to the Land of Wind. It will be announced to the outside world that, due to some unqualified products within the association, all business cooperation with the Land of Wind will be temporarily halted," Shiraishi explained with a meaningful smile.
Since Suna was unable to find a legitimate reason for war, Shiraishi intended to provide Suna with the initiative to.begin the war.
Aside from medicals, disrupting the import-dependent Land of Wind food and water resources would have dire consequences. from not only the Land of Demons but also other countries, the amount of food and water transported by the Land of Demons to the Land of Wind every year isn't a small amount, it would heavily impact Suna.
"I understand. I'll arrange it with the merchant association. However, you're as cunning as ever, leaving them no chance of victory," Ruri remarked, acknowledging that Suna had been under Shiraishi's control from the outset.
From the forced military exercises to potential escalating conflicts, Sunagakure seemed more like puppets under Shiraishi's manipulation.
The Land of Demons' appearance on the big country stage required a dramatic puppet, and Suna were willing to play the role,
"War is no child's game. People will die. Maybe future generations will perceive me as the most terrifying careerist of this century, a terrifying battle fanatic, and infamous in various ways,"
Shiraishi chuckled, prepared to embrace the notoriety. His goal was to change the ninja world, addressing its disregard for human rights and laws. The ninja world, despite possessing remarkable foundations like natural energy and chakra, remained trapped in a cyclical state of war.
Shiraishi aimed to alter this reality, considering peace as a mere byproduct of social, spiritual, and material civilization progress. Liberating thoughts was paramount, questioning how long the ninja world would be governed by the five great powers.
Shiraishi acknowledged the unpredictability of the future but hinted at the quiet commencement of the end of the era of one country, one village under his influence.