Maki put away the military binoculars and spoke to several Hidden Sand Jonin beside him.
"Yes."
Maki finished his patrol.
Although he didn't intend to regard the Land of Demons as an adversary, thinking back to his loss at the hands of a debt collector there recently made him feel it was better to be cautious.
To prevent the flying ninja tools of the Land of Demons, one thousand ninjas were dispatched this time. The explosive tags were adequately supplied, and a hundred precision rapid-fire crossbows for air attacks were brought along, combined with explosive tags, enough to light up the sky.
Under such a high-density concentration of firepower, the flying ninja tools could only meet their demise.
The Land of the Sky had previously used similar flying ninja tools to provoke the Five Great Nations, attacking from the air. Hidden Sand Village employed this kind of covering fire tactics against the Land of the Sky ninjas, causing them heavy losses.
Therefore, necessary confidence is essential, but prudence should not be abandoned.
To stumble twice over the same opponent is something Maki cannot tolerate.
◎
Land of Demons, Shion City, First Military Region.
Inside a vacant room, there were only basic living supplies and a precisely drawn map of the Ninja Realm posted on the wall.
Hakushi had his hands behind his back, looking slightly up at this Ninja Realm map.
Numerous markings had already been drawn on it with a pen.
The Land of Snow, the Land of Shadow, the Land of Bear... and finally the Land of Wind were all marked with intricate detail.
In fact, nowadays, the Land of Snow has already been taken over, the Land of Shadow is just a formal step away, and the Land of Bear is being infiltrated covertly. In a few months, it will succumb as well.
As for the Land of Wind... it has also fallen within the bounds of the game.
Hakushi's eyes focused on the northwestern region of the Land of Wind, which must be captured.
That area is the desert wasteland of the Land of Wind, but according to experts' tests, beneath that desert lie substantial deposits of natural gas, oil, and other critical resources.
The Land of Wind hasn't fully undergone industrialization and can't utilize these resources.
Moreover, the atmospheric resources within the desert are very abundant.
Wind energy, intense light, solar energy... are all renewable and clean energies with minimal environmental pollution.
The exploitation of ocean resources is still in its early stages, without mature technologies, as compared to leveraging land-based resources first, then gradually expanding towards the ocean... proceeding step by step, is the reasonable choice.
Although swallowing it whole is tempting, Hakushi doesn't believe he has such a good appetite to devour such a large piece of cake in one go; he would choke.
"So you're here, people outside are getting worried. Aren't you planning to send someone to explain? Some are even considering spending money to avoid conflict; there's no need to have a clash with the Land of Wind."
At that moment, the door opened suddenly, and Ruri stepped in from outside, speaking to Hakushi.
Indeed, the rumors outside held a pessimistic view toward the Land of Demons; even local merchants felt the same way.
Although Hidden Sand merely symbolically sent a thousand ninjas to 'visit' the southeastern border of the Land of Demons, the pressure it brought on the people of the Land of Demons was substantial.
The absolute dominance of the Five Great Nations deeply ingrained in people's hearts, making them afraid to resist.
Although there are those who refuse to accept this, mainly young people, who believe it's outrageous that Hidden Sand hasn't repaid the debt yet still militarily intimidates the Land of Demons.
But even these spirited young individuals have doubts about the military capabilities of the Land of Demons.
Hakushi turned and glanced at Ruri, replying, "The groundwork has been laid; let them warm up for now. A prosperous commercial nation is not eligible to stand at the top of the Ninja Realm. Developing to this stage, it's this country that's driving us, not just us driving it."
Over the years of policy implementation, the Land of Demons has indeed become the most outstanding commercial nation within the Ninja Realm.
Even surpassing the Land of Fire in commercial power, taking the lead.
However, the more expectations there are, the greater the influence and the more enemies hidden in the shadows.
Being a Neutral Country is not an absolute guarantee of protection.
It depends on whether it threatens the interests of certain entities.
Looking at the excessive reactions from Hidden Sand and the Land of Wind, the rapid development of the Land of Demons indeed attracted greedy beasts lurking in the jungle.
"When do you plan to make a move? Hidden Sand Village has already taken action, while we haven't done anything yet; continuing like this, people will inevitably say our military is timid and fearful."
Ruri seemed eager and ready to act, appearing restless.
"This matter cannot be rushed; ultimately, we must wait for Hidden Sand Village to act first."
Hakushi shook his head, unconcerned with external commentary.
In reality, the Land of Demons hasn't been idle; outsiders simply don't know.
No matter how confident Hakushi is, he cannot be indifferent to the thousand Hidden Sand Ninjas on the Land of Demons' border, and actions must be taken to prevent major accidents.
Carelessness could result in significant civilian casualties along the Land of Demons' border, and when it comes to the character of Hidden Sand Ninjas... Hakushi cannot, in good conscience, fully trust them.
In the past, during battles in the Third Ninja Realm War, they condoned lower-ranked ninjas raiding Land of Rain civilians' food supplies, causing mass civilian casualties, people starving and freezing to death along roadsides.
When facing real combat, they exhibit excellent discipline, but in certain aspects, their discipline is notably poor.
The so-called rule of forbidden civilian harm and robbery during wartime has never been truly upheld — an utterly laughable notion.