Shimura Danzo always acted swiftly, and he quickly sent Tobirama's message, under the name of Konoha Ninja Village, to the Land of Hot Water.
The ANBU members responsible there then delivered it to the target through a tacit channel between the two countries.
In the room of the Hidden Hot Water Village's leader, the leader, drenched in sweat, stared at the secretly delivered letter.
It wasn't that Shimura Danzo had said anything outrageous in the letter; in fact, he followed his teacher's orders, and his wording was very subtle, like a kind person reminding someone who had made a mistake.
However, the content of this reminder filled the Hidden Hot Water leader with extreme terror.
There were Jashinists in the Hidden Hot Water Village, and these people even dared to go to other countries, not only kidnapping the families of foreign officials but also not sparing the descendants of the God of Shinobi.
This fact made the Hidden Hot Water leader shiver with fear.
Fortunately, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, did not pursue the matter excessively.
Of course, the Hidden Hot Water leader had no doubt that if anything had truly happened to Senju Kana, even if the Hidden Hot Water Village was unaware, Konoha Ninja Village would never let it go.
After all, she was the descendant of a Kage, and her influence was not comparable to that of an ordinary ninja.
If it were a major power, Konoha Ninja Village might have considered it, but the Land of Hot Water did not have that capability.
Although there wasn't much external pressure, the internal hidden dangers of the Hidden Hot Water Village were considerable.
The Hidden Hot Water leader was very familiar with the Jashinist group; after the Shinobi World War ended, they took root in the Land of Hot Water, and by the time they realized it, they had already become a nuisance that could not be ignored.
Because of the Jashinists' fanatical beliefs, they had committed countless crimes, from small villages to local lords.
The capital had repeatedly ordered the Hidden Hot Water Village to eradicate the Jashinists, but no matter how much the Hidden Hot Water Village cracked down, they could only eliminate the peripheral members of the organization—that is, ordinary civilians—and the true core members were never seen.
Now, seeing the secret letter from Konoha Ninja Village, the Hidden Hot Water leader seemed to understand why they had never been able to find the true stronghold of the Jashin organization.
It turned out they were within the Hidden Hot Water Village itself; with an inside traitor, how could they possibly catch the Jashin organization's weak point?
Upon realizing this, the Hidden Hot Water leader began to hesitate.
He didn't want to believe that his village comrades could be those inhumane Jashinists.
Being a ninja was already considered a relatively cruel profession, and Jashinists were even worse, to the point that even the Hidden Hot Water leader, as a ninja, couldn't accept it.
The Hidden Hot Water leader self-deceptively wondered if this was a conspiracy by Konoha Ninja Village, attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of the Hidden Hot Water Village.
However, Konoha Ninja Village's current actions showed no such intention.
The secret letter clearly stated that all matters were the responsibility of the Hidden Hot Water Village itself, and Konoha Ninja Village would not engage in any interfering actions.
The Hidden Hot Water leader couldn't deceive himself into believing this was false.
Moreover, upon careful reflection, the Hidden Hot Water leader did indeed notice that some people in the village were behaving unusually.
They were very likely hidden Jashinists, but there was no evidence to confirm it.
After much deliberation, the Hidden Hot Water leader had no choice but to call his most trusted companion to discuss the matter.
The other person was his childhood friend, whom he knew inside and out, and he believed that his friend would not be a Jashinist.
"What do you mean?" his friend asked, turning the secret letter over and over several times before placing it on the table.
"I don't know." The Hidden Hot Water leader shook his head painfully.
He was not an ambitious leader, and was even somewhat indecisive.
When the country began to cut back on military spending, he had no intention of salvaging the situation, and even felt a sense of relief.
War was not a good thing for him.
If another ambitious person were in the Hidden Hot Water leader's position, they would not have been as inactive as he was.
For example, the Fourth Kazekage, Gaara's father, in the face of the country's military cutbacks, made a plan to cooperate with Orochimaru, betray the alliance treaty, and backstab Konoha Ninja Village—although the outcome was that he sacrificed himself and led Sunagakure Ninja Village into an even worse situation.
"I know why you're hesitating.
Many of those you suspect of being Jashinists are key figures in the village.
If you arrest them all indiscriminately, it will inevitably shake the foundations of the village," his friend said, calmly looking at the Hidden Hot Water leader.
"However, if we sit idly by, not only will the Jashinists in the country become more rampant, but Konoha Ninja Village won't just stand by and watch either."
Yes, Konoha Ninja Village did indeed let the Hidden Hot Water Village handle it themselves, but the underlying meaning was clear: they wanted them to deal with the Jashinists.
If the Hidden Hot Water Village did nothing, there was no guarantee that Konoha Ninja Village would not interfere personally.
Even if it kept its promise not to interfere personally, it would only be limited to the ten-year peace period.
Once the peace period passed, Konoha Ninja Village would very likely settle accounts.
"Then, what if we just arrest some people to give Konoha Ninja Village an explanation?" the Hidden Hot Water leader said hesitantly.
As soon as he spoke, he knew he had made a mistake.
His friend rolled his eyes and unceremoniously smacked the Hidden Hot Water leader's head, saying in a displeased tone, "What are you thinking?
This is bowing down to those Jashinists.
Perhaps it can satisfy Konoha Ninja Village, but this will certainly cause a conflict between us and the Jashinists.
Either we surrender and let them rule the village, or we eliminate them all.
You don't think we can just stay in the village peacefully, pretending that neither of us knows, do you?"
"I know, I know, wasn't I just momentarily confused?" the Hidden Hot Water leader pleaded repeatedly.
His childhood friend was just such a direct person.
"You, you're just too indecisive.
That's a good thing for this country, but it's not so wise in handling this matter," his friend sighed.
"Of course, I also know that this matter is difficult to handle.
If we really take action, it's very likely to be the same situation as Kumogakure Ninja Village."
The civil war in Kumogakure, triggered by the rebellion of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, after being suppressed by the Second Raikage, led to a very brutal purge of their followers.
It is said that Kumogakure Ninja Village at that time seemed to be surrounded by a blood mist.
This is, of course, an exaggeration, but it indirectly proves the brutality of the purge carried out by the Second Raikage.
Currently, the high-ranking officials of the Hidden Hot Water Village are basically what are called the 'peace faction,' and it is unlikely for them to take decisive action like the Second Raikage.
The Hidden Hot Water leader's friend was well aware of this.
Although the result of such action was very thorough, Kumogakure Ninja Village now completely obeyed the Second Raikage's voice, and even the peace policy, which was contrary to tradition, was recognized by insiders.
"After much consideration, I still think we should round up all the Jashinists," his friend said in a deep voice after a fierce internal struggle.
"Long pain is worse than short pain.
If we allow the Jashinists to continue like this, it might not just shake the village; the village itself could be destroyed!"
"It's not that I don't know, it's just that I can't be sure if those people are really Jashinists.
Some of them should be, but there might also be people who just have different opinions from us.
If..." the Hidden Hot Water leader said, shaking his head.
His friend fell silent.
The Hidden Hot Water Village had been adhering to a path of peaceful development in recent years, with a harmonious atmosphere in the village, and most people had good relationships, even those with dissenting political views.
In this atmosphere, it was not easy for them to issue such decisive and cruel orders, even if they knew it was for the best.
Their meeting did not result in a conclusion.
However, not long after, orders from the capital came through the Hidden Hot Water leader's secret channels.
Capital officials had also received the intelligence sent by Shimura Danzo, and they didn't care about the camaraderie within the ninja village.
They directly stated—immediately purge the fanatical elements in the village and conduct a nationwide search to completely wipe out the Jashin organization!
—This was to eradicate the cancerous growth in one fell swoop.
The Hidden Hot Water leader felt all his strength drain away, and at the same time, the hesitation in his heart disappeared.
He was also a traditional ninja, and obeying his employer's orders was his duty.
Now that the country, as the employer, had issued the order, he needed to carry it out.
Since they were Jashinists, he had no objections.
If there were innocent comrades among them, he could only say he was sorry.
Perhaps there was a hint of hypocrisy, but he admitted that this was the only way to alleviate his inner pain.
A large-scale purge began in the Hidden Hot Water Village.
Ninjas suspected of being Jashinists were arrested and interrogated.
Although a large number of people died, some intelligence about the Jashin organization was finally obtained.
Then, it was time to search and arrest in their domestic strongholds.
The long-peaceful Land of Hot Water once again ushered in a storm of blood, and it was also the largest battle in the ninja world in recent years.
The Land of Hot Water, deeply troubled by the Jashinists, spared no effort this time.
They had long given up the idea of becoming a major power and now only intended to live peacefully by following behind a major power.
Therefore, these Jashinists became the biggest problem.
Although the operation was quite bloody, after it ended, the nobles and officials should be able to usher in a truly relaxed time.
After this purge, the Jashin organization disappeared, not completely extinct, but no longer able to appear as it once did.
Only some remnants were still active.
This was a joyous event for both the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water itself.
Fumori Masaki and others in the Land of Demons were not yet aware of the purge movement currently sweeping through the Land of Hot Water.
All their attention was now focused on the soon-to-be-developed Sage of Six Paths' old site.
The Sage of Six Paths' classics that might be hidden there were the greatest treasure for the Miko and Kana, and Fumori Masaki also hoped to find clues about the Sage of Six Paths' senjutsu or his intentions within it.