The group entered the shrine, andFumori Masaki told the others to rest well, while he went with the Miko and the official to a meeting room to discuss the aftermath of the incident.
"All the Jashinists have been cleared out, including the helpers they brought,"Fumori Masaki said. "However, this doesn't mean we can relax. Besides these people, there should be other Jashinists active in the Land of Demons, though not necessarily ninjas."
"I know about the Jashinist organizations operating among the populace, and the Miko-sama has also inquired about this matter. I just didn't expect there to be Jashinists even in ninja villages," the elderly official replied. "Originally, they were only preying on ordinary people, but now they're targeting ministers like me. It's simply outrageous!"
The kidnapping of his child filled the elderly official with extreme anger. He hadn't paid much attention to the Jashinists' activities before because they weren't very intense. However, now he wished to eradicate all Jashinists, as they dared to use his family as sacrifices, let alone others.
"Fumori-san, what will be the attitude of the Land of Fire or Konohagakure regarding this?" the Miko asked. She knew that the views of a great nation were the most important. The Jashinists' stronghold was in the Land of Hot Water, a place the Land of Demons could not easily interfere with. To eliminate the threat of the Jashinists, only the Five Great Nations in the current ninja world could accomplish such a feat.
"In my opinion, the Jashinists are a very threatening existence, and eliminating them all is the best method. However, considering the costs involved, the country might not necessarily prioritize it,"Fumori Masaki honestly stated.
InFumori Masaki's view, the Jashinists were dangerous enemies who would affect the Ninshu Revival Project. However, the country would not see it that way. To completely eradicate the Jashinists would require a significant investment of effort and resources. From the country's perspective, the existence or non-existence of Jashinists would not threaten them; it would only threaten the Ninshu Revival.
As an important minister of the country, the elderly official naturally understoodFumori Masaki's meaning. Although the Land of Fire had the capability to deal with the Jashinists, it was highly unlikely they would get involved in such an insignificant matter. Just as he sighed inwardly, he heardFumori Masaki express that he would try to persuade them and help suppress the Jashinists' activities.
"Thank you, Kazamori-san," the elderly official bowed slightly. He used to dislike ninjas greatly, but becauseFumori Masaki saved his child, he developed a certain fondness for ninjas—at least forFumori Masaki himself. When he sought revenge against the Jashinists, the other person was willing to lend a hand, which earned his respect.
"The Jashinists' doctrine is to plunder lives. This ideology is completely contrary to the teachings of Ninshu. As successors of Ninshu, we should not stand idly by and let them continue to run rampant,"Fumori Masaki said.
"Ninshu… Ah, you ninjas are said to inherit the secret arts and scriptures of Ninshu. However, this is my first time seeing a ninja who believes in the Ninshu scriptures," the elderly official said with some surprise. "Speaking of which, Kazamori-san, your purpose in coming to the Land of Demons seems to be to eliminate the Jashinists occupying the old Ninshu site."
"We also hope to see the Ninshu scriptures inside. Both Miss Kana and I feel this way,"Fumori Masaki said.
"I see," the elderly official nodded and chuckled, "Now that the Jashinists are gone, there's no one else to interfere with opening the old Ninshu site. Fumori-san and Miss Kana can rest assured and wait."
"Of course, after resolving such a troublesome matter, we can't go back empty-handed,"Fumori Masaki replied with a smile.
The elderly official smiled and said, "Absolutely, absolutely." Then he stood up to take his leave, stating that he needed to comfort his child and also begin his activities in the imperial court.
After the elderly official departed, the Miko looked atFumori Masaki and said, "Kazamori-san, it's truly wonderful that you were able to rescue the child unharmed. Konohagakure truly lives up to its reputation as the ultimate victor in the ninja wars; its power is unmatched by a small country's ninja village."
"It was just luck,"Fumori Masaki said. "If the Jashinists had performed the ritual, it might have been even more troublesome. Even so, the Jashinists still performed the ritual, and although it seemed to have no effect, I always felt there was something wrong with it."
The Miko didn't know the specific details of the battle, so she was a bit confused. She couldn't help but ask a few more questions before learning about the ritual the Jashinists performed before their deaths. She asked, "Isn't it just because the ritual wasn't performed at the correct time, so the effect wasn't ideal?"
"Is it really that simple?"Fumori Masaki believed that while the Jashinists' minds might be disturbed, they would not bluff about the power of Jashin. Even if they hadn't performed the ritual at the correct time or offered the appropriate sacrifices, it certainly wouldn't be as easily eliminated as that monster.
Fumori Masaki had eliminated it very easily, truly very easily. Don't be fooled byFumori Masaki's relaxed demeanor at the time; in reality, due to his Sage Mode, he had very little chakra left and couldn't even use large-scale ninjutsu—unless he converted the vitality maintaining his life into chakra, which was a measure taken only in desperate situations.
Even if Fumori Masaki hadn't arrived, he didn't think that monster could threaten anyone. Perhaps even Tsunade, Hatake Sakumo, and Hattori Hanzō could have defeated it. Was a monster of this level truly the Jashinists' means of revenge against Konoha ninjas even in their dying moments?
Moreover,Fumori Masaki had already sensed something unusual about the ripples at the time. Although he temporarily set it aside because there were no visible effects, he always kept it in mind. Perhaps it was indeed because no suitable sacrifice was offered and the timing was inaccurate, so Jashin's power did not truly descend upon this world, but... what was summoned was by no means ordinary.
Fumori Masaki first thought of Mōryō, which was said to be summoned from another world. Combining this with the current situation, equating the Jashinists with the Yomi Cult and Jashin with Mōryō seemed to make sense. So, what was summoned by the Jashinists' dying ritual—would it be a life form similar to Mōryō? Or rather, was it Mōryō itself?
If it really was a life form like Mōryō, what state would it be in now? Was it without a concrete form due to the incomplete ritual? Or was its existence a spiritual form, making it impossible to be directly seen by people, and its power extremely weak, unable to even influence others?
It sounded reassuring, but Mōryō was capable of attracting others' negative emotions and amplifying itself. If that life form also possessed the same ability, it might not have an impact now, but that might not be the case in the future.
Of course, these were all Fumori Masaki's speculations, without any evidence to support his views. If he were to actually voice them, he would likely be seen as delusional. Deep down,Fumori Masaki also hoped this wasn't true, but he had to consider the possibility that it might be.
"Miko-sama, if there's anything unusual in the Land of Demons, if you feel there's a problem, don't handle it yourselves. Instead, entrust it to us, the sooner the better,"Fumori Masaki said.
"Alright. Actually, I also hope to discuss the Ninshu teachings more with Miss Kana. I originally wanted to correspond with Miss Kana, but unfortunately, Miss Kana has to return to Konohagakure. Such a long distance, going back and forth, always takes some time," the Miko said, shaking her head with a smile.
This was also whyFumori Masaki asked the Miko to entrust them with the matter early. The communication methods in the ninja world were too backward, not as fast and convenient as in the information age. If they were to be notified late, by the time Konohagakure reacted, the situation might have worsened, making it even more troublesome to deal with.
Kazamori Masaki wished Chakra technology would appear sooner. However, currently, not only were there no finished products, but even the basic theories were lacking. The biggest problem was funding; the ninja village's own income could not support such research, and the Daimyo would not invest large sums of money in such matters.
However,Fumori Masaki already had some ideas. Since his own village and the Daimyo couldn't bear the cost alone, he would expand the group of investors. The primary target would be merchants, who were the most likely group to generate immense wealth. After all, if agriculture couldn't increase the yield of an acre of land, the only way was to expand the cultivated land, but the Daimyo no longer allowed Konohagakure to privately open up new land, and increasing crop yields was not something that could be done simply. For Konohagakure, freely operating merchants were the best source of financial income.
However, getting merchants to invest in Konohagakure's research was not a quick process.Fumori Masaki had to calm his anxious feelings, write a report on the Land of Demons incident, and include his own opinions—this was how Tobirama had interacted with him in recent years; whenever a decision needed to be made, Tobirama would ask for his opinion—and then send it to Konohagakure, awaiting Tobirama's reply.