Fleeing from Konoha-Chapter 544 - 73: Mire and Shion_2

Hakushi was already quite familiar with Ayane’s body, but each experience brought him something different.

That broad embrace that could envelop a man’s body and even drown him was something Ruri couldn’t compare to.

Hmm... to sum it up in one sentence, it was truly magnificent.

◎

Time quickly moved to May.

Konoha and Hidden Cloud had thoroughly engaged in combat.

Hidden Cloud’s strength is far more troublesome than Hidden Rock’s, and most importantly, there seems to be ninja within Hidden Cloud who have mastered high-level Space-Time Ninjutsu, capable of transferring supplies within their camp at will. It’s said that Konoha’s Yellow Flash Namikaze Minato attacked Hidden Cloud’s camp several times but failed to destroy Hidden Cloud’s supply shipments.

Hidden Cloud’s actions proved one point: Konoha’s tactics against other Ninja Villages were ineffective against Hidden Cloud.

Presumably, other Ninja Villages are secretly pleased with Konoha’s struggles while also fearing Hidden Cloud’s strength.

Before the conflict with Hidden Cloud, Konoha had faced a prolonged standoff against Hidden Sand and Hidden Rock, draining their forces greatly. Driving back Hidden Sand and Hidden Rock ninja came with significant costs.

Under such circumstances, Konoha grits its teeth and continues to fight with Hidden Cloud, generally speaking, Konoha is now in a declining state.

Even with the Yellow Flash shifting to Hidden Cloud’s battlefield, the situation cannot be changed quickly.

The battle between Hidden Cloud and Konoha naturally does not affect Hakushi in the Land of Demons.

His primary focus now is not the battle between Konoha and Hidden Cloud, but the strategic planning of the Land of Demons.

The Land of Demons has undergone reforms over the past few years, with every sector full of vitality, in a period of high-speed development.

Especially the economic and military power, progressing at an exceptionally fast pace.

However, limited by territory and population, there is still a significant gap to being a major power.

Population implies productivity, territory implies resource production, both are areas Hakushi particularly values.

In Hakushi’s view, the next strategy of the Land of Demons should focus on capturing population and territory. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The only way to seize population and territory is through expansive warfare.

However, the Land of Demons is a Neutral Country, if it were to engage in expansive warfare, as Yagura indicated, maintaining a neutral stance would be impossible.

To some extent, being a Neutral Country is both a protection and a limitation.

At least for the Land of Demons now, the identity of the Neutral Country is a limitation.

Hakushi has long predicted how future international situations in the Ninja Realm should be addressed.

To weaken the military power of the Land of Fire and even Konoha.

Hidden Mist will be a secret ally and won’t become an obstacle for the Land of Demons.

Hidden Cloud is already in battle with Konoha, serving to weaken Konoha’s power on Hakushi’s behalf, while Hidden Cloud’s strength will also decline as a result.

Hidden Rock’s Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, is living in lethargy and has long lost his ambition. If they were to join an alliance to attack the Land of Demons, they would surely remain as passive observers.

As for Hidden Sand... it’s the easiest target among the Five Great Nations, being the weakest in national power.

Also, it’s close enough to the Land of Demons, sparsely populated, with many resources like oil that Hakushi desires but have yet to be valued by other countries—

Oil.

But to attack the Land of Wind, an appropriate excuse is needed.

Once an excuse is found, there’s another issue.

The Land of Demons is near the Land of Wind but doesn’t share a border.

Two countries need to be dealt with to border the Land of Wind.

The Land of Bear and the Land of Shadow.

The Land of Shadow is influenced by the Land of Demons, with thriving witch culture, always intertwined ambiguously with the Land of Demons.

The development of the Land of Demons has, to some extent, also stimulated the economy of the Land of Shadow.

This country is a favorite for Hakushi as a springboard to attack the Land of Wind.

The Land of Bear presents more difficulty, being a small country with a Ninja Village, and although Hakushi doesn’t fear it, handling it certainly is somewhat troublesome.

Not only that, but the Land of Snow to the north is also a target Hakushi wants to secure.

By merging these small nations together and then tearing a piece from the Land of Wind’s territory, it can achieve the size of a major power like the Five Great Nations.

Ultimately, the foundation of all this lies in its own formidable military prowess.

Once these regions are annexed, the Land of Demons will find it hard to remain hidden... no, it will likely be exposed during the planning process, catching the attention of the Five Great Nations.

However, as Hakushi previously thought, by that time, it will be during a period when the Five Great Nations are each weakened, too busy licking their wounds to manage anything regarding the Land of Demons effectively.

The strongest, Konoha, is separated from the Land of Demons by many countries, at most uttering threat warnings verbally, which is nothing to Hakushi.

The following development plan for the Land of Demons is to continue focusing on domestic economic and military power development, while exporting the unique witch culture of the Land of Demons to surrounding countries.

Finally expanding territory and increasing population.

This plan is named the Ten-Year Plan by Hakushi.

To be completed within the next ten years.

After all, the approach to exporting witch culture, annexing these countries’ territories, and appeasing local populations so they don’t oppose and fear the Land of Demons’ rule would require careful planning. Simply using brute force is not feasible; a long-term ideological guidance effort is needed.

The Neutral Country identity is an obstacle to transformation for the Land of Demons.

This, Hakushi believes, the Mire Witch has long realized.

Therefore, after formulating this strategy, Hakushi must communicate and coordinate with the Mire Witch because exporting the Land of Demons’ witch culture to neighboring countries requires the Mire Witch’s assistance and approval.