Chapter 871: Chapter 35: Preparations_3
But it was just another opportunity to hone oneself.
All these years, it has been failing, yet it never summarized the reasons for its failures, merely attributing them to bad luck.
However, next time, it wants to see with its own eyes how vast the world truly is.
Are humans... really beyond redemption as it imagined?
If doing so could bring it closer to that light...
"If I recall correctly, the newly appointed Witch, her name is Shion, right? Mire’s child... The future is truly something to look forward to."
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The successor Witch, Shion, is only five years old.
But for the Land of Demons, this might signify the beginning of a new era.
The succession ceremony of the Witch is entirely organized by the branch Witches.
Emissaries from various nations were also dispatched to witness the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Hakushi stayed in the shadows, observing the emissaries from each nation.
Although it was merely a simple witness ceremony, Hakushi knew these foreign emissaries did not come to the Land of Demons simply to congratulate Shion on her new position as Witch.
They have ulterior motives.
This time, the Land of Demons resolved the Melee chaos faster than ever.
While each country raised its guard, it had already subdued Melee in the Land of Swamps, and the stone soldiers within the Land of Demons, having lost Melee as their core, automatically deactivated their puppetry jutsu and turned into useless piles of stone.
In the past, the Land of Demons definitely couldn’t subdue Melee with such speed.
Even though the Witch possesses the absolute power to suppress Melee, it was difficult to resolve in such a short time.
In the past, while subduing Melee, the Witch consumed a significant amount of time. At that time, neighboring countries were also attacked by Melee’s Ghost Legion, and many towns were destroyed, resulting in heavy casualties.
Especially small countries, which were restless.
Major countries also treated it seriously.
Therefore, the emissaries from each nation came to understand what gave the Land of Demons the confidence to quickly resolve the Melee disaster this time.
Especially since in recent years, the Land of Demons’ economic strength has been approaching that of major nations while simultaneously developing its ninja military strength, establishing multiple military district bases within the Land of Demons to surround its safety.
Although there is no regulation forbidding a Neutral Country from developing its military, once it involves the ninja level, it inevitably arouses some unusual thoughts in other countries.
For instance, what is the actual state of the Land of Demons’ military strength, and how much has its ninja numbers expanded?
This is something that countries need to clarify.
However, compared to the ever-rising commerce of the Land of Demons, its military development is so low-key that many people believe the so-called military reform in the Land of Demons is merely an empty shell.
Thus, the witness ceremony is just an excuse for these emissaries; their real purpose in coming is to investigate the internal details of the Land of Demons.
Hakushi was already prepared for this.
His identity as a Renegade Ninja certainly couldn’t be revealed at this time.
Therefore, having the officials of the Land of Demons deal cautiously with these emissaries is enough.
The covert spies are to be handled by the military.
Every military area has a Perception Barrier, with ninja from the Uzumaki Clan and Hyuga Clan present, guarding in shifts around the clock.
Moreover, there’s a clear division between military and civilians in the Land of Demons, unlike the coexistence of ninja and civilians in a Ninja Village, where military areas are completely different systems.
This undoubtedly increases the difficulty for foreign ninjas trying to investigate the secrets of the military districts in the Land of Demons.
At the end of the ceremony, as Hakushi expected, none of the emissaries left immediately; instead, they lingered, attempting to uncover secrets within the Land of Demons through various means.
The well-prepared military of the Land of Demons handled this issue with ease.
Hakushi did not pay much further attention to this; with the rapid development of the Land of Demons, as long as the officials of various countries are slightly astute, they will surely cast their eyes here to investigate the situation.
This kind of thing is completely unavoidable.
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"Even if it’s just a witness ceremony, as the Fourth Mizukage, there’s no need for you to come in person."
In the reception room, Hakushi looked at the Fourth Mizukage Yagura from Hidden Mist Village, who had personally come to the Land of Demons, and said rather helplessly.
Though the existence of the Witch is quite special to the Ninja Realm, it shouldn’t be significant enough to make Yagura, one of the Five Kage, personally attend.
"Stop joking, you know I didn’t come here for that."
The matter of the Witch, although he knew some of the inside details, wasn’t closely related to Hidden Mist Village and could be left for the Land of Demons to handle on its own.
Moreover, he didn’t come with the Land of Water’s delegation; instead, he brought the Anbu through covert lines to the Land of Demons for a meeting with Hakushi.
"So, did something troublesome happen on your side?"
Hakushi asked.
Yagura said solemnly, "I’ve already arranged for Kisame’s defection plan, and if all goes well, within the next two months, nations will successively receive news of Kisame defecting from Hidden Mist Village."
Kisame completed his espionage training in the Land of Demons more than a year ago.
After returning to Hidden Mist Village, he continued following Yagura’s orders, utilizing remnants of the Blood Mist Faction, provoking villagers’ and peers’ distrust.
With Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, favoring and trusting Kisame, the conflicts between the villagers and ninjas from Hidden Mist Village and Kisame intensified further.
Recently, under Yagura’s covert instigation, Kisame accidentally severely injured two fellow ninjas who provoked him.
With this incident escalating, one might say that in Hidden Mist Village, although Kisame is not quite at the point of being hated by everyone, he is the most discriminated against ninja in the village.
