Of course, the survival of these small nations was also thanks to their own strategic choices.
Otherwise, counting from the Warring States Period to the present day—decades, even a century—there had certainly been cases of small nations being annihilated.
The most typical example was the Land of Whirlpools and the Hidden Eddy Village.
Once a medium-sized nation and ninja village that was one of the strongest below the Five Great Nations...
Didn't it perish just like that?
While the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools had multiple causes, and Konoha, as its ally, played a less-than-honorable role, the fact remained that the Land of Whirlpools was wiped out.
Besides that, in various regions of the ninja world, small nations of varying sizes had been destroyed and disappeared into the river of history. Some nations grew stronger by annexing these smaller ones. Menma's target location this time was the former territory of a small nation annexed by the Land of Waterfalls thirty or forty years ago.
It was a small country called the Land of Necks (Shu no Kuni).
At its peak, it only had a few cities and a population of no more than two or three hundred thousand.
The reason Menma chose to come to this small country was simple: although small, the former Land of Necks possessed a very precious summoning contract scroll.
The scroll for the summoning beast known as the Shiromari (Castle Chameleon).
This was something Menma had looked forward to obtaining long before he left the Hidden Leaf.
A powerful summoning beast could be a significant aid to a ninja.
Especially in large-scale group battles, a powerful summoning beast with a massive physique was a decisive factor.
If strong enough, a summoning beast could even participate as a primary combatant at the Kage level.
Examples included Orochimaru's Manda, Tsunade's Katsuyu, and Jiraiya's Gamabunta.
These summoning beasts were directly comparable to Kage-level strength.
Therefore, before the combat intensity reached the god-tier levels seen in the late stages of the series, the role of a summoning beast was unparalleled.
Just how strong the Shiromari was wasn't shown very intuitively or comprehensively in the original story, but from any angle, its combat power surpassed that of an average summoning beast. Menma wasn't greedy; as long as its strength was as close as possible to the summons of the Three Great Sage Regions, that would be enough.
Even if it was significantly weaker, that was fine. There were simply too many things a summoning beast could do.
"This should be the general area."
Based on the intelligence obtained from Orochimaru, Menma narrowed down the approximate location of the former capital of the Land of Necks and arrived at this region.
"Is this where you said the former capital of the Land of Necks was located, Menma?"
Karin looked at the endless mountain range nearby and turned to Menma with a puzzled expression.
Shouldn't cities be built on plains, or at least in basins? Especially the capital of a country?
No matter how she looked at it, building it in a mountain range seemed impossible.
"Heh, as for the specific location of the Land of Necks' capital, traces can no longer be found. What we are searching for now is the specific location of the Shiromari. Based on the intelligence I gathered earlier, that lizard exists within this mountain range before us," Menma said with a light smile.
His memories of the original story were no longer crystal clear, as this wasn't a major plot point, but Menma still had a general impression. Combining that with the intelligence he had gathered in this life, he could lock down a rough area.
"Oh!"
Karin nodded in understanding.
"Let's go. Although this mountain range is large, the chakra of a massive summoning beast isn't easy to hide. Finding it is only a matter of time."
Both he and Karin possessed the purest Uzumaki bloodline.
Their sensory abilities could cover a ridiculously large area.
Unless the Shiromari wasn't in this mountain range at all, it was absolutely impossible for it to escape their detection.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Speeding into the mountains, Menma and Karin split up. Overlapping their sensory ranges would be pointless.
Splitting up for a carpet search would double their efficiency.
Menma didn't believe a mere giant lizard could slip through their massive sensory net.
In fact, it took less than an hour.
Karin locked onto the target.
After reuniting, the two headed towards the source of the massive chakra signal.
When they saw the rusty, pitch-black "castle" before them...
Karin blinked, looking at Menma with confusion. "Is this that Shiromari lizard?"
"Heh, didn't you lock onto it yourself? Why are you doubting yourself now?" Menma said with a chuckle.
"But... can a summoning beast turn into a castle?"
Karin's brows were knitted together.
Her senses wouldn't lie.
The massive "castle" in front of her was the huge chakra entity she had sensed earlier. Now, at close range, the sensation was even clearer and more intense.
But Karin still felt it was weird. A living summoning beast could transform into a castle?
It wasn't that she thought it was impossible, but the visual impact made her somewhat uncomfortable.
Menma, on the other hand, acted as if this were completely normal.
Having watched the original story so much, strange things were commonplace.
A summoning beast turning into a castle was nothing compared to other weirdness.
"Shiromari, I know this castle is your disguise. I want to have a good talk with you. I hope you can give me a chance!"
Summoning beasts, like humans, were creatures with high intelligence.
Menma didn't need to worry about the beast not understanding him. Although he had made preparations for a fight, Menma still wanted to see if he could persuade the Shiromari with words first.
If violence could be avoided, naturally, that was preferable.
However, the Shiromari clearly wasn't buying what Menma was selling.
More than ten minutes passed after Menma spoke, yet the "castle" remained standing there, deep and quiet, without any reaction at all.
It couldn't be that the Shiromari didn't understand or couldn't hear him, right?
That would be ridiculous.
'Sigh, looks like I have to get tough.'
Menma shook his head helplessly.
"Karin, step back first. Leave this to me."
He turned to Karin and spoke.
Subduing the Shiromari by force was something Menma had prepared himself for before coming here. After all, the most important point in forming a contract with a summoning beast was gaining its acknowledgment.
And demonstrating one's strength was one aspect of that.
A weak ninja could never gain the acknowledgment of a powerful summoning beast.
"Mhm, I understand."
Karin knew very well that in a battle like this, leaving aside the fact that she had no ability to participate, even if she did, she had to stand by.
Menma had to fight alone.
"You be careful too, Menma," Karin said as she retreated.
"Yeah, don't worry, Karin."
Menma smiled.
Once Karin had pulled back to a safe distance...
Menma's gaze sharpened.
Clap!
He slammed his hands together.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon Bullet!"
He molded his chakra instantly.
Lightning surged wildly.
ROAR!
Under Menma's control, a massive lightning dragon formed directly in the sky.