Chapter 1303: Root’s Will_2

A machine built solely for bloodthirsty slaughter.

“Is it a demon?”

Nonoyu’s gaze wavered slightly, she touched her chest, feeling her blood begin to heat up.

The Evil God Cult might be even more interesting than she imagined.

The Witch of the Land of Demons possesses special powers to suppress demons.

This country is also the easiest place to come into contact with demonic aura.

To humans, demons can be considered arch-enemies.

They survive by feeding off various negative human emotions.

They share a root with Tailed Beasts, though their essence is somewhat different.

Tailed Beasts have Chakra at their core, and over the long ages, they’ve absorbed the malice of the human world.

In contrast, demons have negative human emotions at their core, wrapped in something like Chakra to solidify and create self-awareness.

The most typical examples are the Mouryou and the Zero-tailed of the Land of the Sky.

They were initially born from human negative emotions, with Chakra merely as a carrier to make them tangible, not their essence; akin to an outer shell. Their souls are the deepest root ‘evil’ within the human heart.

The combination of the two creates a complete demon.

Demons, like Tailed Beasts, are undying entities.

In terms of immortality, demons might be even more troublesome than Tailed Beasts.

“Speaking of which, before the establishment of the one nation one village system, the Five Great Nations were countries with temples and Buddha as their faith, with temples like the Temple of Fire, Temple of Wind, forming the foundation of belief. But as times changed, temple culture was completely suppressed by the powerful arms of the Ninja. The Five Great Nations have completely embarked on the path of hegemony.”

Hakushi reflected on the past history of the Ninja Realm and sighed.

Except for important festivals, monks from these temples generally do not attend actively within the Five Great Nations.

Although these temple monks are not weak in strength and have mastered Chakra utilization, they are too weak compared to the power of the Ninja Village.

Also, the appearance of the Ninja Village made these temples’ connections with the Daimyos of the Five Great Nations even closer, essentially making them the armed private soldiers reared by the Daimyos.

“Does Hakushi-sama mean… the monks of the Temple of Fire will get involved in the Rain Country war?”

Nonoyu heard the implication in Hakushi’s words.

She was once a Konoha Ninja, and a senior intelligence officer in Konoha Root, naturally understanding the ins and outs of the Temple of Fire.

It’s said that a certain mysterious Immortal Technique is still passed down within the Temple of Fire.

Immortal Techniques… are powerful jutsus brought forth by the fusion of natural energy and Chakra.

Though just rumors, it shows these temples’ armed forces aren’t weak.

“Such a possibility cannot be ruled out. What does Nagato intend to do? Although the forces of the Land of Demons have diverted some of the Land of Fire’s attention, he’s also facing no small amount of pressure.”

“Perhaps his heart is hesitating. The tree draws the wind; after all, the Hidden Rain Village is not Akatsuki, but something in the open, and showing too much strength risks becoming a target by other nations, like Hanzou in the past. Now, hiding oneself is the best strategy. But, the Land of Fire doesn’t give the Rain Country this chance; they don’t want an uncontrollable, disobedient neighboring country.”

So, Nagato’s heart wavers.

Hesitating between taking action and holding back.

By not acting, the Rain Country’s situation will only worsen.

If he acts, it may bring many unexpected changes, both good and bad.

Heaven and Hell lie between choices.

Hanzou’s experience is a bloody example.

It’s quite sad for the strength of a nation to rest solely on one individual.

This holds true for nations as well as individuals.

Compared to this, even though Konoha lacks high-end strength now, it is still feared by other nations, as long as the Ninja Clan power remains as its foundation, Konoha can still exhibit a remarkable fighting strength when the real battle breaks out.

“Is it really like that?”

Unlike the Rain Country, the Land of Demons does not need to consider so much.

As long as it doesn’t touch the Land of Fire’s baseline, the Land of Fire wouldn’t dare go to war with the Land of Demons.

Intervening in the Rain Country’s warfare obviously is not the Land of Fire’s baseline.

In the end, it is merely a third-party battlefield not belonging to either the Land of Demons or the Land of Fire.

“I have a general understanding of the Rain Country’s situation. I will assign someone else to manage it, you may go and rest. Establish a complete intelligence system in the Land of Hot Water as soon as possible.”

“Yes.”

Nonoyu asked nothing more, bowed, and turned to leave.

Rain Country.

In the cave, candle holders are embedded in the surrounding walls, with lit candles driving the darkness out of the cave.

Yamanaka Fuu followed Danzo into this temporary Root base; in the center of the cave, ten ninjas stood there.

They are ninjas from the Daimyo’s Mansion of the Land of Fire.

Although Konoha Village is a symbol of military power for the Land of Fire, the principle of not putting all eggs in one basket is also understood by the various Daimyos.

No matter how strong the power of the Ninja Village is, sometimes it does not align with the interests of the Daimyo’s Mansion, thus creating a competitive relationship.

Even though Danzo had a good relationship with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire in his youth, their relationship was not just friendship, they were rivals.

But in the current environment, Konoha and the Daimyo’s Mansion must put aside all prejudices and face external threats together to resolve the international pressure.