Shiraishi arrived at the underground training ground just in the afternoon. With the built-in air conditioning device, the high temperature outside couldn't be felt inside.
"It seems you've both fully understood your new powers."
Shiraishi said, seeing the scene in the training ground. After the duel between the two, he probably knew that after this period of training, both Ruri and Ayane would be able to proficiently use their newly acquired powers. After all, with their talents, as long as they were given enough time, they could integrate the new powers, putting them into actual combat. He wouldn't be surprised.
"Of course, although there is still some power that hasn't been tapped out, it's pretty much the same." Ayane said confidently.
Ruri also nodded slightly in agreement with Ayane's view. Her left Mangekyou eye's 'Eight Lightning Gods.', she was still exploring simce she hadn't been deeply involved with Lightning release in the past. But with her natural talent in ninjutsu, it made her confident about mastering this jutsu over time.
As for research materials on lightning release, the military had collected a lot. In the past, Ameyuri Ringo had left a large amount of research materials on Lightning ninjutsu as a reward before leaving.
In addition, when she left Konoha, she also took some ninjutsu materials from the Uchiha clan with her, including those on lightning release. Making full use of these materials would greatly assist her in learning about lightning. She believed that it wouldn't be long before the problem would be easily solved.
In contrast to the right eye's mental resistance ability, the left eye represented an extreme attack jutsu. Learning and Mastering Lightning release would serve as preparation for advancing to the Eight Lightning Gods.
"Don't be too proud and complacent. Afterwards, you two will summarize your newly acquired abilities and report them to me. Since your abilities have undergone some changes, we need to make certain adjustments to our subsequent coordination tactics." Shiraishi said.
No matter when and where, teamwork was an extremely important tactic that would last forever. This team tactic was also advocated within the Land of Demons's military. The coordination between people, as long as they cooperated properly, could exert a synergistic power far greater than the sum of individual strengths.
This tactic had also been fully demonstrated in previous ninja wars and was highly recognized by ninjas worldwide.
Ruri and Ayane nodded in understanding.
"Uhm.. Shiraishi-kun, the hidden threat have been removed. When will the next step of the expansion plan be carried out?" Ayane asked.
The Land of Demons's expansion plan had completed the first step. Taking Hoshigakure in the Land of Bears as the foothold before slowly taking over the entire country. This plan had already been arranged two years ago.
Now, with the help of the Land of Demons, Hoshigakure had been rebuilt. The council of the original village headed by the Third Hoshikage had also been incorporated into the military system of the Land of Demons.
It was still known as Hoshigakure to the outside world, but in fact it had already become an important military base installed in the Land of Bears, with the number of ninjas amounting to a thousand.
Among the thousand ninjas, there were more than twenty Jōnin. There were more than 400 Chūnin, and the rest were Genin in charge of logistics there. However, after being equipped with the new ninja equipment, if the ninjas cooperated, they could display impressive strength.
For example, the chakra armor being developed at the Land of Snow base, the improved kunai gun from the Land of Sky, flying ninja tools, and so on. These standard ninja tools had initially achieved mass production, and were gradually introduced into formal training. Ninjas with insufficient individual strength could rely on these standard tools to greatly improve their combat capabilities.
it could be said that with the new ninja tools and brand-new combat style, the thousand ninjas at Hoshigakure base could definitely fight head-on with the same number of ninjas from the Five Great Nations on the frontal battlefield, or even surpass them.
But relatively, the cost of maintaining these armaments was likely to have exceeded those of the big countries based on statistics.
Therefore, Shiraishi and other leaders adopted the elite soldier strategy to reduce the number of ninjas as much as possible to avoid expanding military supplies and increasing the financial burden on the Land of Demons.
Dividing the ninjas into official ninjas and reserve ninjas was also a strategic consideration. Official ninjas were naturally those directly incorporated into the army and ready to join the battle anytime. The ninja reserve army was a pool of talent to replenish official ninjas when their numbers were insufficient, to avoid collapse of war efforts due to lack of combat power in emergencies.
Based on this premise, although the military's strength hadn't been tested in practice, through comprehensive internal estimates, it could fight head-on with any Great Ninja Village without falling behind.
With such expanded military power, the next military operation would naturally need to be carried out. With Hoshigakure as the core, the Land of Demons military had dispatched personnel to infiltrate the entire Land of Bears through civilian and official channels.
The connecting bridge between the Land of Bears and the Land of Wind had been basically built, lacking only a suitable opportunity.
Ayane was eager to have an all out battle, and Sunagakure Wind could meet her battle needs. Small ninja villages that were crushed like Hoshigakure earlier couldn't be considered real battles at all.
"It is too early to declare war on the Land of Wind now. I'm also planning to convene a meeting to discuss this. No matter from any perspective, it isn't suitable to take military action against the Land of Wind yet. However, time-wise it should be launched in the next two to three years. But before that, the Land of Honey must be incorporated into out territory first so that further naval power will be able.to be deployed." Shiraishi said.
Shiraishi envisioned naval power as a crucial future combat force. Land resources were limited, and ocean resources would eventually become the focus of global attention and competition.
To seize this opportunity first, Shiraishi planned to develop and utilize marine resources efficiently.
The Land of Honey, located close to the ocean in the west of the Land of Demons, becomes a prime choice for this purpose. Additionally, the Land of Snow, with its ports, could be used to establish naval bases and strengthen control over marine resources.
In every era, resources remained a vital foundation for economic and military development in a country.
"Land of Honey? I remember there's no ninja village in that country. It should be much easier to annex than the Land of Bears. Moreover, I heard that they had the intentions to merge into the Land of Demons in the past." Ayane recalled.
The outbreak of the ninja world war was when the ninja village forces of the major countries acted extremely aggressively, which was also a sad song for smaller countries.
Only a special neutral country like the Land of Demons would be free from the invasion of war, they could develop quietly on the borderlands. Even a neutral country like the Land of Iron had experienced civilians being dragged into wars. Although they broke free quickly, they still couldn't change the fact that they were involved in wars for a period.
The Land of Demons only had turmoil once every few decades with the war between the Miko and the demon, which brought unease and fear. Besides that, no other ninja world neutral country was more stable than the Land of Demons.
"Yes, but the Miko rejected the proposal at the time. Out of various considerations, she didn't want to be disturbed too much by the outside world and refused to merge the Land of Honey into the Land of Demons."
Regardless of the Land of Demons's ambitions, once the Land of Honey merged into it, the country would definitely encounter massive international resistance. Especially the major countries, they would surely try to obstruct it.
However, the former Miko was no longer around. Shion was now in charge as the new Miko. Some changes could be made to the strategy, but it had to be done in secret like with the Land of Bears presently, and could not surface publicly yet.
The more this was the case, the more caution was needed and extremely high vigilance had to be maintained. With Yahura bearing some of the pressure for Akatsuki, they just needed to focus on advancing the expansion plan and plug any holes.
"Next, while completing the merger plan for the Land of Honey, I'll have the debt collectors from the association test the Land of Wind and Suna's reactions. Then we'll decide."
Shiraishi made a decision.
.....
Land of Rain, Amegakure.
The torrential downpour continued. The rainwater flowed down steel pipes and into sewers, forming a huge canal outside the village, making Amegakte appear to float alone on water.
In a high tower with dim lighting, White zetsu emerged from the ground. Before him stood Nagato with his emotionless Rinnegan eyes, oppressively chilling.
"Nagato-sama, I've aaked about the matters from the previous discussions." White zetsu reported.
"Tell me."
"Since escaping from the Land of Water, Kisame had been wandering around the world for half a month. When he was found recently, he was taking on two bounties at the black market but was also being watched by the hunter-nin from Kiri. His situation doesn't look good."
Ninja villages had zero tolerance for defectors, especially S-raank ones threatening the village's security. But for Akatsuki, persuading someone of Kisame's caliber was a great opportunity.
With manpower now, core inner members were still most difficult to recruit. Orochimaru and the rest worked very hard for the organization. If a powerful ninja like Kisame joined the Akatsuki presently, their plans could be accelerated.
Hoshigaki Kisame was one of the defectors on the watch list this time.
"He's working in the black market after he defected?" Nagato thought for a while.
Honestly, obtaining intel on Kirigakure was most difficult among the five ninja villages. Before the first ninja world war, the Second Mizukage Hozuki Gengetsu followed Konoha's example, establishing the ninja academy and Anbu, strengthening Kiri's military power. Not only that, the Second Mizukage had always advocated on information lockdown policy.
That policy referred to absolute secrecy of a ninja's life and abilities, applied internally between their ninjas and externally against foreign villages. This secrecy doctrine originated from Second Mizukage, finally culminating under his disciple, the Third Mizukage.
Although recent years after Fthe ourth Mizukage Yagura took office saw this so-called secrecy has been abandoned, but considering Kiri's enduring traditions, it wouldn't be removed shortly. This greatly increased the difficulty of intelligence gathering on Kiri for Akatsuki.
With careful consideration, Kiri hadn't appeared on the stage since participating in the first ninja war, then not in the second ninja war nor the the third war. It wasn't until the Fourth Mizukage's coup when he became the Kage. If not for that, the other countries would still be ignorant of Kiri's internal turmoil.
In the third ninja war, while ninja villages suffered heavy losses, Kiri's casualties were purely from internal civil war outbreaks rather than foreign battles. This was why Kiri was secretly ridiculed, although none dared openly underestimate any great ninja village.
In recent years, Kiri had rapidly resumed development with increasing ninja academy graduation rates yearly. Amidst this progress, the Water Daimyo mysteriously died and Hoshigaki Kisame, one of the Seven Swordsmen, defected as an S-Rank rogue nin.
With the idea of recruiting newcomers, Nagato had the intentions of recruiting Kisame. For that, he had asked White zetsu to gather information on Kisame before and after he defected.
Barely after becoming a rogue ninja, Kisame quickly turned to the criminal underworld for work, which shows his current livelihood difficulties without stable income. The underground black market was his only recourse.
But problems remained. Nagato frowned, "What was Kisame's reason for defecting? Did you find out?"
Yes, Kiri never publicized the specific motive behind Kisame's betrayal, only labeling him as an S-rank rogue-nin. In Nagato's eyes, this was incredible. There must be deeper secrets.
Coincidentally, Kisame's betrayal aligned with the Water Daimyo's mysterious death. Not difficult for some to imagine an inevitable connection between the two events. At least, that's what Nagato suspected.
White zetsu smiled and said, "According to information I've gathered so far, when the Fourth Mizukage Yagura visited the Daimyo mansion for a meeting, Kisame suddenly attacked a large number of people in the mansion, including killing the Water Daimyo alongside other top officials, gravely injuring several too. This spiraled into an even greater tragedy."
"What reason did he have to attack and kill the Water Daimyo?" Nagato asked.
The link between both occurrences was evident to any keen observer. But more than that causal relationship, Nagato cared about Kisame's underlying motive behind the aggression. This was pivotal.
White zetsu pondered before answering, "Nagato-sama, you must have heard about the Blood Mist Faction.."
White Zetsu contemplated for a moment and said, "Master Nagato, you should be familiar with the Blood Mist Sect."
The Blood Mist Faction was an extremist group which wielded significant influence in Kirigakure before the Fourth Mizukage, Karatacho Yagura, assumed power.
They implemented an extremely radical strategy to reshape the village's ninjas, conducting widespread purges to eliminate dissidents. As a result, the skies above Kirigakure were perpetually tainted with a foul scent resembling a mist of blood, giving it an ominous reputation.
However, this faction met its death under the rule of the new Mizukage, Yagura, after the successful coup against the Third Mizukage. Currently, in Kiri, the Blood Mist Faction has vanished and left no trace behind.
"So Kisame was from that group?" Nagato asked, having heard about them before.
"Yes. He was originally a subordinate under one of the former seven swordsmen, Suikazan Fuguki. After Fuguki's death, Kisame was imprisoned by Yagura but later released for unknown reasons, them becoming one of the new Generation of Seven Swordsmen wielding the greatsword Samehada. That was the information I got." White zetsu recounted.
"Blood Mist Faction member, imprisoned, released, gained status as a Swordsman and Mizukage confidant...then ultimately defected... That's an extremely complicated ninja history." Nagato remarked thoughtfully.
"Not only that. From the information, the Blood Mist Faction's secret backer was the Water Daimyo, controlling them remotely behind the scenes to get his hands on Kiri's military power." White zetsu added.
"So this defection was an act of vengeance by Kisame, harboring resentment over the Daimyo ruthlessly abandoning the Blood Mist Faction?" Nagato nodded thoughtfully, as he figured the key.
Actually, it wasn't difficult to comprehend. While seeming complicated on the surface, the cause and effect were logical once known.
The Water Daimyo had funded the Blood Mist Faction's growth behind the scenes to get control 9ver Kiri's forces. But their extreme methods had aroused strong resistance among Kirigakure ninjas, with ll Yagura as a major opponent.
Yagura's coup eradicated the Blood Mist ninjas, becoming the Fourth Mizukage. Afterwards, the Daimyo readily abandoned the Blood Mist survivors to support Yagura's win.
Despite pardoning Kisame's past and granting authority, Yagura couldn't eliminate Kiri residents' deep mistrust. Enduring the resentment, Kisame's defection was an act of final desperation.
Exploiting the Mizukage's meeting, Kisame used his status to attack officials and bid farewell through vengeance against the Daimyo who forsook the Blood Mist Faction after their failure.
Having understood everything, Nagato knew Kisame's current situation as an S-Rank rogue-nin. Homeless and solely reliant on criminal trading posts to earn a living in the shinobi world after betrayal. His ninja life could be called embarrassing.
"It should be as you guessed, Nagato-sama. Kisame is currently constantly being pursued and targeted by Kiri's hunting squads. If we assist him in evading the pursuit and escape from.them, he will likely express gratitude. We can seize the opportunity to recruit him and add him into the organization." White zetsu said confidently.
In his opinion, persuading Kisame to join would be easy. No matter their past glory, becoming a rogue forced you to start over. Only Akatsuki's support would let Kisame evade Kiri's pursuit. Against an entire ninja village, even top-class nukenin had to strategize.
"Observe him a while longer before hasty judgment. If he's truly reliable, it won't be late to recruit then. You're in charge of this, White zetsu." Nagato decided.
Unlike peripheral members, potential core recruits underwent strict vetting on suitability and capability to contribute to the organization's goals. Personal recommendations from senior cadre bypassed that process.
"Understood. I'll continue investigating and await good news, Nagato-sama." White zetsu smiled before sinking into the floor to leave. Just as he about leaving, Nagato asked,
"What about the Konoha arrangement?
"Cooperation with Danzo is stable currently, and there has been no surprises. Any new orders, Nagato-sama?" White zetsu paused to answer.
"When the time is right, we can offer Danzo some additional assistance if needed. We need him to divert the attention of the Third Hokage. Let Guruguru establish more frequent contact with Danzo, but remember not to divulge your secrets in his presence. Madara's name still has quite a deterrent effect." Nagato instructed.
As long as the Third Hokage's attention remainsled fixed on Konoha, unable to escape the village's internal affairs and not focused on the external world, it will undoubtedly be a significant success for Akatsuki.
Within Konoha, Shimura Danzo was the only village figure who could restrain the Third Hokage within. Therefore, Danzo, the Root leader, was undeniably a valuable target for Akatsuki to win over and collaborate with. His aspiration for the position of Hokage could be strategically manipulated.
White zetsu nodded, expressing his understanding, and vanished into the ground.
After White zetsu departed, Nagato walked to the rain platform outside the tower, his usual spot overlooking Ame from the rain-drenched tower top, silently hoping,
"Kisame, I hope you won't disappoint me..."
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