Chapter 1275: Annihilation_2

A merchant’s eyes gleamed with a formidable ambition, clenching his fist tightly.

The joint action of the Land of Demons taught them a very important lesson in life. Previously, they focused too much on wealth accumulation, believing that as long as they maintained good relations with great nations, there was no need to invest in training ninjas.

After all, ninjas were merely tools for their amusement, never taken seriously; it was enough to hire some ninjas for self-protection.

However, precisely because of this naive belief, they were utterly destroyed in a joint attack by several countries, swift as lightning.

The Land of Demons demonstrated through real action that their ninja guards, assembled for amusement, were utterly incompetent against a genuine ninja squad.

Without a complete education system or military training and discipline, while they could bully ordinary people, once they faced ninjas from a Ninja Village, their deficiencies became glaringly apparent.

“A Ninja Village? This isn’t an organization that can be established overnight; it requires time, a large number of professionals, and a deep foundation of knowledge.”

As merchants, they were adept at setting up companies for profit.

But the structure of a Ninja Village? In this, they had no experience.

Gathering enough ninjas and forming a large tribe does not make it a Ninja Village.

A place is recognized as a Ninja Village because of its underlying accumulation.

Take Konoha Village, for example, founded initially by Ninja Clans.

These Ninja Clans are the true foundation of Konoha Village.

The many established systems of Ninja Techniques, extensive research literature, when combined, could be used to open a Ninja School, cultivating more ninjas through mature educational institutions, thereby fostering a sense of belonging to the village—not through the cold, hard ties of money.

This is the fundamental reason a Ninja Village can be established.

Foundation.

The Senju Clan, Uchiha Clan, Hyuga Clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio clans, and various other large and small Ninja Clans—their documentary materials are essential.

And these are things that can’t easily be bought, no matter how much money merchants have.

Otherwise, even with ample funds, without these knowledgeable resources and talents as a foundation, establishing a Ninja Village would be a fool’s dream.

Even the Land of Demons’ military was established as a pseudo-Ninja Village based on the academic foundations of the Uchiha Clan, Hyuga Clan, and Uzumaki Clan.

Without these foundational supports, no matter how good the idea, it would be impossible to thrive.

This is a fact merchants can’t ignore.

Previously, they focused only on the amusement aspect of ninjas and had neither the motivation nor the willingness to invest in establishing a proper ninja training institution, viewing it as a waste of money.

The Merchant Alliance is not a country; it is a business organization that doesn’t need a Ninja Village as support.

Money is power.

But now, establishing a Ninja Village is truly imperative.

For without strong protection, no matter how much money they have, it will eventually leave them.

“Let’s discuss this after things settle down; it’s too early to talk about this,”

a merchant sighed.

They, who once stirred waves in the business world, also face difficulties.

A Ninja Village cannot be run solely by pouring enough money into it.

They all came from business families, which rarely collected any Ninja Techniques materials, and their systems were chaotic, a patchwork of bits and pieces, utterly unimpressive.

As for recruiting wandering ninjas… Wandering ninjas are wanderers not only because they are unsettled but also because they lack any Ninja Village background, learning everything they know by theft, all low-level Ninja Techniques, scarcely producing any significant figures.

Even rogue exiled ninjas are more powerful than these wandering ones.

The problem is that the variables with exiled ninjas are too large; investing in them is a last resort.

“By the way, where is that guy from Oyashiro? At times like these, isn’t he going to make an appearance?”

One merchant finally recalled the absent arms dealer at every meeting, expressing his dissatisfaction.

“That guy must have tucked his tail away upon hearing about the isolated island’s demise. A few days ago, I sent an envoy to offer condolences, but didn’t hear from him. It’s better not to contact him. After all, this spot was provided by him. According to him, it’s very secretive; it will take the Land of Demons some time to locate it, so we can live here in peace.”

Another merchant explained dryly.

The rest of the merchants shrugged helplessly. The Merchant of Death, Oyashiro En, was a cautious man who cherished his life. As past partners, they naturally understood his temperament.

Now that the alliance had trouble again, that guy surely intended to hide his head like a turtle, afraid to show himself.

That’s fine; it reduces the risk of exposure.

“Alright then, let’s hold off contacting him until things stabilize. Once settled, we will send someone to liaise with him. For now, let’s discuss the southern migration plan and decide whether to go by land or by sea—”

Buzz!

A low, resonating vibration shook the grand, luxurious villa for an instant, and a moment later, a terrifying roar exploded.

“Wha- what’s happening!?”

Some merchants couldn’t keep their seats and fell from their chairs, sprawled embarrassingly on the ground, expressions panicked, hearts pounding fiercely, turning to gaze around, as the large chandelier on the ceiling flickered, casting the conference room into a terrifying dance of light and shadow.