Escape From Konoha

The civil strife in the Land Of Snow completely subsided overnight.

Of course, for a remote and small country like the Land Of Snow, if they weren't focused on, the five major powers will hardly take any action.

While the Land Of Snow had hundreds of ninjas, their combat power was weak, and they were completely different from small countries such as the Land Of Grass and the Land of Rain that had established ninja villages.

In general, the chaos within the Land Of Snow didn't cause an imbalance in the stable situation of the big countries, or even have any impact. It was just a symbolic letter of congratulations sent to Koyuki when she inherited the name of the Land Of Snow. Other than that, there was no other action.

In the world, the five major powers had a detached status, occupying the most extensive land, the richest population, and the most powerful military force in the world. Any small country trying to fight against the five major powers was tantamount to fighting against a cart.

In this situation, Shiraishi had expected that the power of the Land Of Demons was completely hibernated into the Land Of Snow, and Koyuki, who defeated the Doto, was also the legal heir of the Land Of Snow. In the eyes of outsiders, it was just a change in regime for the Land Of Snow. Based on this situation, they had no excuse to criticize the Land Of Snow or to make any fuss about it.

Post-war recovery took precedence now within the major countries.

"I didn't expect that the treasure left by Sosetsu-sama turned out to be a heater. I thought he really left some important treasure."

Deep within the castle, Asama sighed for a while.

The internal turmoil in the Land Of Snow was over. Next, it was necessary to appease the panic of the people. Those Yuki nins who were defeated in the army didn't necessarily have to be wiped out. For the Genins, it was only natural to accept them all to serve the reconstruction of the Land Of Snow. In this regard, Shiraishi came in handy, and the development plan had already been drawn up before attacking the Land Of Snow.

"No, Asama-san, the heater left by my father is indeed a treasure to me. Because he promised me in the past that he wanted me to see the arrival of spring. I couldn't understand back then, but now I finally do" Koyuki sat on the throne with a solemn attitude.

Asama was just puzzled, but didn't speak. To Koyuki that was indeed a treasure worth cherishing, but to the dead Doto, it was just a pure joke.

"So, in order to let more people see the spring here, I plan to turn the ice lake near the rainbow ice wall into a national tourist attraction to attract people from all over the world. What do you think, Asama-san?"

Asama nodded and replied: "This is indeed a good idea, but now we need to restore people's livelihood as soon as possible, and we need to spend a lot of money. I'm afraid there is no way to implement the plan to build the tourist attraction immediately."

"This isn't a problem. My father will invest one billion ryoin the early stage, so the rest of the work is to recruit skilled craftsmen in the country."

'Ome billion ryo? an upfront investment?' Asama couldn't help but be surprised by the huge financial resources of the Land Of Demons.

"If this is the case, then there won't be any problem. With the start-up capital of One billion ryo, not only can the Rainbow Ice Wall be turned into a tourist attraction, but our can be increased."

With frequent turbulent incidents, it made Asama seriously aware of how important it was to establish a ninja army. If his former lord could squeeze out such huge amount of funds to develop his own army, and train more ninjas, even if Doto had a second heart, he wouldn't dare to act rashly.

In the past, Land Of Snow had an attitude of getting rich and being safe. Looking at it now, the pressure to be bound to the black cart of the Land Of Demons in the future will be far heavier than the pressure brought by the rebellion.

The fact that the current Minister of Military Affairs of the Land Of Demon was a Konoha S-rank rogue ninja was enough to cause a huge international storm in the world.

As an allied countries, the Land Of Snow naturally won't be able to escape the blame, they will also be condemned by the countries.

It's just that things were already done now, so it wasn't time to talk about the relationship between Koyuki and Shiraishi. If the Land of Snow wanted to become stronger and richer, they could only rely on the secret support of the Land Of Demons.

Fortunately, Shiraishi assisted them in taking back power, and he didn't interfere too much with the regime, so Koyuki wouldn't become a puppet daimyo.

If such a thing did happened, it will undoubtedly be a huge blow to Asama. When they finally got over Doto, if more ferocious beasts were to be introduced, there would be no place left to cry.

"That's right. Father asked me to find a hidden site as soon as possible, set up a research institute and a weapon factory, and step up the research and mass production of the chakra armor. When the research institute and weapon factory are completed, there will be a second batch of funds from him."

After listening to Koyuki's narration, Asama had a more intuitive feeling about the wealth and power of the Land Of Demons. A powerful ally like the Land Of Demons wasn't necessarily all that bad for the Land of Snow.

....

Shiraishi spent a month in the Land Of Snow before finally leaving. He stayed there mainly to consolidate the military power of the Land Of Snow.

Similar to the Land Of Demons, the military power in the Land Of Snow comprised of ordinary soldiers and Yuki ninjas who only knew how to use chakra.

After the rebellion, the Yuki ninjas involved faced varied consequences. Some major factions were wiped out, some were in prison cells awaiting reform, and about 100 who surrendered were formally incorporated into the military by Shiraishi.

This had been planned with his adoptive daughter. Shiraishi would oversee the military, while Koyuki, the new daimyo, would make the final decisions.

Becoming the Minister of Military Affairs and having control over the military power was sufficient for Shiraishi. Despite Koyuki's young age, with Asama's assistance, managing the Land Of Snow would not be a significant challenge.

The restructuring of the Land Of Snow couldn't be achieved in a day or two.

The military unification came first, followed by deploying the army to clear roads in the Land Of Snow and strengthen ties with the Land Of Demons.

As for future mergers, it was a different matter for another time.

Sith the lessons he learnt from the Land Of Demons, Shiraishi felt more confident about the Land Of Snow's restructuring plan.

Doto's reign had inadvertently provided a solid starting point. His harsh methods against opposing noble forces had weakened them, making it easier for Shiraishi to implement reforms.

So, Shiraishi sincerely hoped the remaining nobles would cooperate; otherwise, he wouldn't hesitate to take ruthless measures than Doto to secure stability. To prevent noble forces from obstructing Koyuki, Shiraishi strategically despised them but tactically valued their role.

In a traditional country like Land Of Snow, it wasn't uncommon for the daimyo to become a puppet of the noble group. To prevent these forces and others from counterattacking, he left ninjas to monitor their every move.

Half of the ninjas who came with them remained in the Land Of Snow, managing the surrendered Yuki ninjas and ensuring Koyuki's safety.

"The matter of the Land Of Snow is now over, and the rest is the Land Of Bear and the Land Of Honey."

Shiraishi planned to regularly monitor the Land Of Snow's development to prevent oversights. If there was no powerful external intervention, the Land Of Snow's affairs seemed secure.

Shiraishi's next plan was to bring the Land Of Honey and Land Of Bears into the fold. These two countries would serve as the best springboards for the Land Of Demons to attack the Land of Wind.

"But it's not so easy to win those two countries." Ayane thought for a while before replying.

The success in the Land Of Snow was partly due to internal chaos and Koyuki's presence. But unlike the Land of Honey, they lacked a suitable excuse for interventing in the Land Of Bears.

"There should be much less resistance to incorporating the Land Of Honey." Shiraishi said.

"Oh?"

"The Land of Honey was plagued by demon in the past. They showed their kindness to the Miko at that time, hoping to merge their country into the Land Of Demons. But, the one back thrn refused." Shiraishi said with a strange expression.

"Refused?" Ayane was surprised.

"If the information I collected isn't wrong, it's true. I don't understand why such a good opportunity would be rejected."

Ayane found it incomprehensible, considering the benefits. Because if it was any of the five nations they wouldn't even waste anymore time.

"I think the Miko from all ages find it troublesome. They don't like participating in secular disputes or they have no interest in participating at all. Their mission is to suppress the demon, and forcing them into other roles might attract their resentment."

Shiraishi recalled the Miko stating that their significance to humans was special. Their mission lay in suppressing the demon, prioritizing their mission over managing a country. In comparison to governing a country, they clearly preferred being with themselves. They didn't like the feeling of being thrown into the spotlight by people, forced to nod and becoming the country's "god" without much choice.

"So the Land Of Honey can be dealt with quickly, right?"

"In more than a month, after the Miko gives birth smoothly, I'll find out what's going on after I ask about it and see how she plans to deal with the Land Of Honey. But compared to Land Of Honey, the most difficult here is undoubtedly the Land Of Bears. It will be very troublesome for a country with a ninja village to be annexed by us."

"Hoshigakure? Indeed, with a well-established ninja village, it would be indeed more troublesome to deal with than the Land Of Snow." Ayane nodded seriously.

Although the Land Of Bears, a small country, it has a relatively mature ninja village system just like small countries like the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain.

The ninja nillage - Hoshigakure. It's said that the ninjas from Hoshigakure were good at using a secret Chakra jutsu called "Mysterious Peacock." which was very famous in the Land Of Bears.

Shiraishi and Ayane felt that dealing with Hoshigakure would be troublesome, but they weren't referring to the fighting power of this ninja village. The biggest difficulty lay on how to legally and how to go unnoticed while annexing the Land of Bears. If the operation wasn't done properly, their full power will be exposed, and the loss outweighed the gains.

The reason why the Land Of Demons has lived so well these years was because the other countries were on the bright side, while the Land Of Demons had always been lurking in the dark, pretending to be harmless while winning the trust of other countries. Coupled with a series of special reasons such as the protection mechanism of being a neutral country, the Land Of Demons was like a fish in water.

"It seems that Yagura will start his operation within a year. Regarding the situation of the Land Of Bears, we can prepare after assisting Yagura's operation. According to the plan, there's still a long time for our side to be used for his arrangement. After confirming Kirigakure's position, the pressure on our side will be reduced."

...

January.

The beginning of the new year also brought a new atmosphere to the Land Of Demons.

After returning from the Land of Snow, Shiraishi found himself juggling responsibilities between his family, the office, and the lab. His main focus in the lab revolved around researching tailed beasts and the Zero Tail.

Currently, among the ninja villages, only Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning had implemented technology utilizing tailed beasts, mainly at the military level.

Shiraishi's vision extended beyond military applications; he envisioned using the power of tailed beasts for the development of medicines and tools, expanding their benefits to the Land of Demons far beyond the military level alone.

This idea wasn't groundless, tailed beasts' chakra had extremely powerful healing abilities and a unique recovery effect. If used for medicines, it could become a significant market success.

Healing was just one effects of Tailed Beast Chakra, it also increase's a ninja's physique and boosting their battle explosive power, potentially even turning an almost defeat into victory.

In essence, as long as thr utilization of Tailed Beast technology is used effectively it could bring endless benefits to the Land of Demons.

As for Zero Tail.... It is a unique life form nor more worse than tailed beasts. And compared to the collected parts of the tailed beasts, the Zero Tail was preserved entirely in the experiment.

Zero Tail, originally controlled by the former Land of Sky, fed on human sadness and despair to evolve itself. Currently the power of the Zero Tails wasn't on par with a tailed beast in power, but Shiraishi believes its growth potential is significant. It's just that Shiraishi didn't allow the Zero Tail to grow without limiting it.

Shiraishi restrained the growth because he couldn't control its consciousness. Allowing Zero Tail to reach the level of a tailed beast without control would bring nothing but trouble.

The Zero Tail currently lies dormant due to its weakened state. He knew that once the Zero Tail fully recovered, it wouldn't be obidiemt. A disobedient weapon can only be destroyed.

The lab houses floor-standing glass cylinders containing tailed beast chakras catalyzed by special medicines, growing to match certain physical characteristics of the tailed beasts.

For ordinary ninjas, this level of the tailed beasts' power was completely enough. Just by absorbing one of them, even a genin migt easily defeat Jonin. But for Shiraishi, they were far from perfect.

In later stages of drug production and ninja equipment development, the Tailed Beast Chakra may be essential for efficiency and cost savings.

Unfortunately, its a pity Rin wasn't a perfect Jinchuriki, otherwise they would have had technological advancements with the Tailed Beast chakra.

Observing the Zero Tail in its glass cylinder, its dark, snake-shaped body hints at an intricate biological specimen. Shiraishi knew that despite the appearance of calmness, the Zero Tail seeked an opportunity to escape from this place.

The glass cylinder, with its high chakra suppression effect and sturdy material, prevented easy destruction. Shiraishi has taken precautions with a specially prepared solution to weaken Zero Tail, ensuring it remained contained.

On the experimental table, there was a purification device with fragments of the Zero Tail's body, which was composed of pure dark chakra which contained emotions of sadness and despair.

Shiraishi wanted to find ways in strip away the 'darkness' from Zero Tail's chakra. The darkness extracted can be used to create poisons capable of weakening an enemy's spirit. The Chakra and darkness within the Zero Tail could be considered as rare treasures. Even the slightest waste was a regrettable occurrence in hus eyes.

"Shiraishi-sensei, the data has been restated. It seems the utilization rate is a few tenths of a percent higher than the previous assessment." Nohara Rin wore a white coat and a white mask on her face. She sat in front of the computer, calculated the data, and informed Shiraishi of the latest experimental results.

"It seems that the technology of maturing the tailed beasts is still quite different."

Tailed Beast chakra was difficult to use. The negative energy contained in them was far more terrifying than that of the Zero Tail, making its removal quite difficult. If the power was used on a human's body, it could cause them to lose their mind, causing even severe trauma to their body and spirit.

In the entire world, the only one capable of fully using the power of a tailed beast was Killer B, Kumo's Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, the brother of the Fourth Raikage.

Shiraishi greatly admired such a character. He could fully dissolve the resentment of the tailed beast chakra and seamlessly integrate with the tailed beast. This wasn't something that could be easily achieved with just words.

It's Killer B himself who has an open mind that was difficult for ordinary people to live in peace with the tailed beast, enabling the tailed beast to open its heart to trust and agree with him.

To him, this was much better than the Wood Release and Sharingan's violent control of tailed beasts. As far as he knew, after so many years in the world, only Killer B har achieved this level of understanding, truly understanding the mind of the tailed beast. Even with people like the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara in the past, they had failed to do this. They used the power of the tailed beast, more or less for personal interests.

Shiraishi felt that he, too, was selfish. He wasn't as broad-minded as Killer B, but it didn't prevent him from admiring someone like him. f he could have a face-to-face conversation, it might be a great inspiration for his research on tailed beasts.

"It's a pity that the Seven-Tails inside hates me and has been reluctant to speak with me." Rin smiled helplessly.

After returning from the Shikkotsu Forest, she's been living in the research facility, helping out in the hospitals and research facilities. Obito who spent more than half a year, and after barely mastering the usage of natural energy, he also returned from the forest and served as an ordinary patrol soldier in the military area alongside his fellow clansmen.

"Humans selfishly define tailed beasts as uncontrollable dangerous creatures, arbitrarily regarding them as symbols of 'disaster' and 'evil,' and they use the excuses as reasons to ignore their own will and impose various restrictions on their freedom. This is a manifestation of arrogance in itself. There's no one else who can become a perfect Jinchuriki. Just work hard towards your goal."

Shiraishi comforted Rin with a smile. Rin was only about thirteen or fourteen years old now, and there was still a long life to deal with the tailed beast.. so there was no need to rush.

"Should the research continue?" Rin asked.

"Of course. I sympathize with the tailed beast, but I'm only criticizing humans from the perspective of a fair third party. But in fact, I'm also a human, and I can't just look at humans from the standpoint of a tailed beast. I just see the fate of the weak being dominated by the strong. Similarly, the benefits that the tailed beast could bring to use are what i pay attention to. The will of the tailed beast itself isn't what I need to consider. Maybe what I just said was heard by the Seven Tails inside, and.. i can guess the beast is sneering with disdain currently." Shiraishi suddenly said with a smile.

"Indeed, it's in a bad mood right now." Rin smiled wryly. 'Any of the tailed will probably feel resentment and dissatisfaction towards Shiraishi-sensei' after hearing his words.'

So much so that this resentment was clearly passed into Rin's body, making her feel the weight of the tailed beast's resentment towards humans. It was a deadlock between tailed beasts and humans that will probably last forever. Tailed beasts for tailed beasts, and humans for humans.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you for the time being, Rin, I'm going out now."

Shiraishi took off his gloves, throwing them into the trash, and was about to leave the lab. According to the time agreed more than a year ago, it was time to go to the shrine to see his newly born adopted daughter.

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