Chapter 1238 - 125: Analysis

"Is this the legendary isolated island? It's even more impressive than I imagined."

The luxurious buildings, though packed onto a very small island, feature grand architecture, with many using the finest jade for construction.

Onoki surveyed everything here and couldn't help but express such a sentiment.

If the money spent on building this island were entirely invested in military production, it's unimaginable to what degree a ninja village's development could escalate. Becoming the number one in the Ninja Realm wouldn't be just a dream.

But at the thought that the wealth here would later be divided among the four families, a slight smile appeared on Onoki's face.

First, the Five-tailed Beast disappeared from the village, and his prized disciple Deidara caused widespread destruction within the village before vanishing. Bad news like this had been troubling Onoki greatly.

Now that the wealth of the isolated island was being divided, Onoki's mood slightly balanced out.

This money could be used to train a large number of elite ninjas, including bringing forward the expansion of the Blast Team plan.

"But also because of this, it would surely attract countless covetous eyes. After all, they're just a group of merchants thriving between the great nations, akin to rootless duckweed."

Beside Onoki stood the Fourth Mizukage Yagura.

The sounds of battle continued to echo around them as large numbers of Hidden Mist and Hidden Rock ninjas began clashing with the ninja squad of the isolated island.

The explosions of explosive tags and ninja techniques caused many buildings to collapse, shaking the island and raising thick dust.

Onoki and Yagura stood calmly in the middle of the road, surveying the battlefield as the ninja squad of the isolated island quickly crumbled.

Despite being the efforts of the Isolated Island Merchant Alliance, it ultimately lacked a foundation. Compared to the regular ninja squads of the Five Great Nations, their combat abilities were on completely different levels.

Moreover, the ones brought to the island were the elite Jonin and Chunin from the villages, making the battle almost entirely one-sided.

Under such circumstances, there was no need for them, as the Tsuchikage and Mizukage, to intervene personally.

The reason they personally came here was simply to suppress the isolated island and claim a share of the enormous profits.

Otherwise, as members of the Five Kage, there was no need for them to come in person. A coalition unit dispatched here would be enough to eliminate the resistance forces.

"Still, this will surely alter the international landscape going forward, right? What do you think, Mizukage?"

Onoki floated in midair, but only to a height equal to Yagura's and asked while looking at him.

"What does the Tsuchikage mean?"

"Don't you think the Land of Demons has been too assertive lately? The Land of Waves, the Land of Rain, and now they're targeting an area beyond legal jurisdiction... Where will the Land of Demons aim next?"

Onoki felt an inexplicable and intense sense of crisis.

The source of this crisis was the Land of Demons.

Unlike the current Land of Fire, the top ninjas from the Land of Demons were all very young.

Whether it is Hakushi or the other Uchiha Ruri and Hyuga Ayane, they all possess the capacity to fight thousands, and none of them are over forty years old. For ninjas, this age is when they are in their prime and can exert their full strength.

In contrast, Konoha and Hidden Rock's top ninjas are nearing old age or already at the age of retirement.

This was precisely what worried Onoki.

In addition, the Land of Lightning is also worthy of concern.

Unlike the Land of Demons, the actions of the Hidden Cloud are in the shadows, collecting powerful secret and forbidden techniques across the Ninja Realm and increasing military spending year by year. Even in a time of peace, the Hidden Cloud Village continues to expand its forces, causing neighboring countries much concern.

In terms of aggressiveness, the Land of Lightning matches the Land of Demons.

In the past, there was only one Land of Lightning, which everyone endured. Now, with the Land of Demons seemingly joining the fray, Onoki felt more at unease.

"Our Hidden Mist is far offshore, and we do not wish to get involved in the continental countries' affairs. However, as per my judgment, the reason the Land of Demons acts this way might be to swiftly gain recognition as the Sixth Great Nation. Presently, the great nations acknowledged in the Ninja Realm are still only the Five Great Nations, not six."

Yagura pondered for a moment and gave such a reply.

Yagura and Onoki's thoughts were largely aligned.

The Land of Lightning desires the title of the foremost nation in the Ninja Realm, so this time it joined the alliance to support the Land of Demons, causing the Land of Demons and the Land of Fire to clash, weakening the Land of Fire's power, and sabotaging its plans in the Land of Waves and the isolated island.

The reason the Land of Demons does this is also to boost its reputation by weakening the power of the Land of Fire, the foremost nation.

Defeating the Land of Wind, pushing back the Land of Fire, by that time, even if other countries don't want to acknowledge the Land of Demons as the Sixth Great Nation, it likely won't be helped.

In this struggle, both the Land of Demons and the Land of Lightning are eager for the Land of Fire to weaken.

However, assisting the Land of Demons to balance the Land of Fire leaves Onoki somewhat uncertain if this inclination is good or bad.

But now that Hidden Rock and the Land of Earth have already joined in, there's no turning back for a while.

Otherwise, it wouldn't just be the Land of Demons they'd face, but also the challenge from the Land of Lightning.