At their current pace, they would soon reach the border of the Land of Demons. Because the lost Ninshu scriptures were found there years ago, it had become one of the holy lands for the revival of Ninshu. Anyone interested in Ninshu thought would seek an opportunity to visit.
Although the Land of Demons wasn't militarily strong, it had become a leading cultural nation. If it were peacetime or if it hadn't been drawn into war, this nation would have fared very well. In the last war, the Land of Demons was indeed not involved, developing steadily throughout.
For this private visit, the Hidden Leaf Village's notification to the Land of Demons only mentioned Uchiha Kagami. After all, Fumori masaki's main body was in the Hidden Leaf Village, and a shadow clone couldn't openly reveal its identity. In the past, the appearance of a ninja village leader would at most be known in the vicinity of the village, but due to the newspapers published by the Hidden Leaf Village, many people now knew what the ninja village leader looked like.
Before entering the Land of Demons, Fumori masaki used a transformation jutsu to disguise himself. To outsiders, he appeared as Uchiha Kagami's attendant. Since they had already been informed, Uchiha Kagami would soon enter the country and head to the capital of the Land of Demons to meet the highly respected Priestess.
It was Uchiha Kagami's first time here, and he was curious about everything. Although the Hidden Leaf Village was also a place where Ninshu culture was passed down, because Fumori masaki leaned more towards academic rather than religious thought, the traditional Ninshu traces in the Hidden Leaf Village were not very obvious.
However, the Land of Demons was different. Although they also studied the new Ninshu promoted by Fumori masaki, traditional traces were ubiquitous here. Everything Uchiha Kagami saw here was closer to the image of traditional Ninshu.
The weather today was excellent, and the air was very fresh and pleasant. Led by the reception staff, the two arrived at the shrine where the Priestess resided. It was exactly as Fumori masaki remembered it; after many years, the shrine seemed to have barely changed.
"The Priestess is waiting for you inside. I will wait by the door as it is not convenient for me to enter," the reception staff said to the two in front of a room in the shrine.
"Thank you," Uchiha Kagami nodded slightly, then gently lifted the door. He saw someone sitting on the floor with their back to them. From her figure and attire, he knew she was the Priestess of the Land of Demons.
Once Uchiha Kagami and his companion entered the room, the guard at the door closed it, leaving only the three of them inside. The woman in the Priestess attire turned around, looking at Uchiha Kagami with a calm expression and dignified beauty, a rare sight.
"Welcome to the Land of Demons, Uchiha Kagami of the Hidden Leaf Village," she spoke, her voice carrying a hint of coolness.
"Hello, Priestess. I am Uchiha Kagami of the Hidden Leaf Village," Uchiha Kagami bowed slightly. "I apologize for having to trouble you this time."
"The Hidden Leaf Village is a friend of the Land of Demons. Since the Hidden Leaf Village needs assistance, we will naturally do our best to help," the Priestess said with a slight smile.
"For the specific situation, he will speak on my behalf; you might be more familiar with him," Uchiha Kagami tilted his head slightly, looking at the disguised Fumori masaki.
"This is...?" The Priestess looked over, a little puzzled.
"Long time no see, Miroku. You've grown up," Fumori masaki dispelled his transformation jutsu, revealing his true appearance. He nodded slightly at the Priestess—Miroku—and smiled.
"It's you?" Miroku showed a surprised expression, clearly not expecting Fumori masaki to be here. "With your esteemed status, why would you come here personally?"
"It's just an ordinary shadow clone; my true self isn't here," Fumori masaki explained. "This matter is quite important, so it's best if I come to oversee it."
"It seems it's not as simple as it sounds." Miroku's expression had softened. Although surprised by Fumori masaki's appearance, as the Priestess of the Land of Demons, she had long cultivated a strong inner self and demeanor towards people, quickly adjusting her state. "My mother should have been the one to receive you."
"There's no need. You are the Priestess of the Land of Demons now, aren't you? The previous generation has abdicated. You now represent the image of the Priestess of the Land of Demons," Fumori masaki said.
"You have a point, but I wonder if I can handle it," Miroku said.
"Don't worry, you should be able to. Although this matter is troublesome, as someone living in this country, you should know some clues, however few. As long as there are some clues, that's enough. The one who truly needs to exert effort is Kagami," Fumori masaki looked at Uchiha Kagami.
Uchiha Kagami smiled lightly. They needed Miroku to find the possible location of the Totsuka Blade from back then. If their guess was correct, there should be a passage to its spiritual world there. Normal people certainly couldn't enter, but those with Mangekyo Sharingan or similar doujutsu or corresponding secret techniques might have other possibilities.
"Then, what do you need? Please tell me; I will conceal nothing," Miroku immediately replied.
"Miroku, have you heard of the legend of the Totsuka Blade?" Fumori masaki asked.
"The Totsuka Blade? Of course, I've heard of it. It's a legendary sword. According to the Ninshu scriptures, it was given by the Sage of Six Paths to Susanoo, the protector of Ninshu, to guard the north. He also used this sword to slay demons that emerged from the Land of the Dead," Miroku said, implicitly guessing their purpose and where they needed her help.
"According to Kagami's deduction, the place where Susanoo slew the demon back then might be here. Do you have any clues?" Fumori masaki asked again.
"It is indeed possible that it's here, because in the legends of the Ninshu scriptures, there's a record of a Priestess assisting Susanoo in intoxicating the eight-headed demon," Miroku nodded slightly. "Before the Ninshu scriptures came to light, we never thought there was a connection to our Priestesses. The legend of the Eight-Headed Serpent has existed since ancient times, but the true situation is—"
"After all, the Ninshu heritage was largely lost in the past. Even if some traditions survived, they were altered by folk legends," Uchiha Kagami said.
In the records of Ninshu, Susanoo was ordered to guard the border and slay the eight-headed beast that emerged from the Land of the Dead, with the Priestess of the Land of Demons helping to intoxicate the beast. Later, this transformed into the legend of Susanoo falling in love with a village girl and helping her family eliminate the rampaging Eight-Headed Serpent, with Susanoo using sake to make the Eight-Headed Serpent drunk before severing its heads.
Although the general course of events was very similar, the actual details became vastly different. It must be said that the passage of time changed many realities, and humans, unable to traverse time, obviously couldn't fully grasp the truth of history, only piecing together some clues.
"Are you two looking for the Totsuka Blade?" Miroku asked. "It's not even certain if this legendary sword truly exists. Do you two have confidence in finding it?"
"According to my family's records, the Totsuka Blade truly exists, and we have roughly deduced its mode of existence. We only need the Priestess to help us find the place where Protector Susanoo met his end back then," Uchiha Kagami replied.
"I see. You are from the Uchiha clan, a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths, so it's understandable that you know some records of the Totsuka Blade," Miroku said with a sudden realization. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I understand. I will consult the archives and give you a reply later."
"Understood. Thank you, Miroku, for the trouble," Fumori masaki nodded slightly.
"No trouble at all. As I said, the Hidden Leaf Village is a friend of the Land of Demons. If the Hidden Leaf Village needs help, we will certainly assist," Miroku smiled at Fumori masaki, then said somewhat cautiously, as if fearing Fumori masaki might be angry, "Speaking of which, Mr.Fumori, regarding the Land of Demons not joining the alliance..."
"Ah, I understand. The current situation isn't ideal, and it's perfectly normal for your country to have concerns. We can empathize with others," Fumori masaki immediately understood that Miroku was apologizing for the Land of Demons not immediately joining the alliance. He smiled magnanimously.
Miroku's side certainly intended to join. Their cooperation with the Hidden Leaf Village had been very long, and they trusted the Hidden Leaf Village's reputation, not worrying about being bullied in the alliance. However, reality was not that simple. The Land of Demons was somewhat far from the Hidden Leaf Village and too close to the Land of Lightning. Therefore, the nobles of the Land of Demons had some reservations.
Although the alliance declaration stated that an attack on an allied nation meant an attack on the entire alliance, if such a situation truly occurred, it would mean that the northern forces of the Land of Lightning would not be afraid. If the Land of Demons became a casualty, it would be troublesome, as the Hidden Leaf Village might not be able to provide timely rescue.
The Battle of Uzushio represented everything; under a swift surprise attack, weaker nations might not survive until reinforcements arrived, and the military strength of the Land of Demons was even less than that of Uzushio.
If the Land of Demons were closer to the Hidden Leaf Village, the nobles of the Land of Demons might not have such concerns. Like other allied nations, they were basically concentrated in the southwest, between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. The only close enemy was the Land of Earth, and these smaller nations were mostly troublesome, such as the Land of Rain and the Land of Waterfalls, which were not easily conquered and could fully receive support from the Land of Wind and Land of Fire.
In today's ninja world, the Southern Alliance was already seen as a whole. Any nation within it was a close friend of the Hidden Leaf Village. In other words, they were enemies of the Hidden Leaf Village's enemies. Without self-confidence in its own preservation, the Land of Demons naturally found it unlikely to choose to join the alliance.
Even though the Priestess held a very high status in the Land of Demons, she could not completely control the situation in the Land of Demons. After all, the actual ruler of the Land of Demons was still the Daimyo, and legally, the Daimyo was recognized as the nation's monarch. The Priestess held a lofty position of faith, influencing the political landscape of the Land of Demons, but not completely overriding it.
"Thank you for your understanding. In due time, when the order of the ninja world is more stable, or if the Hidden Leaf Village has better methods, I will certainly do my best to facilitate the Land of Demons' entry into the alliance," Miroku bowed slightly to Fumori masaki.
"Hmm, I await that day. I look forward to all nations on the ninja continent becoming members of the alliance. Everyone will be a member of the alliance, and once it gradually becomes a whole, disputes will no longer be possible. Even if there are occasional setbacks, they will be contained," Fumori masaki said.
"I have read Mr.Fumori's exposition on the Ninja World Alliance. Although I am not very knowledgeable about politics, I believe Mr.Fumori's confidence that intense disputes will not erupt stems from the idea that when the nations within the alliance are closely united, and their economies and politics become intertwined, if you attack another, your own industries will suffer losses. There is you in me, and me in you, thus minimizing conflict to a small scope," Miroku said.
"Even so, it would be an unprecedented peace for the ninja continent. If it truly reaches that point, no matter what, large-scale wars are unlikely to break out, and there might not even be any. If it truly reaches that point, perhaps the Ninja World Alliance would also be on the brink of collapse, but as long as the alliance functions well, such a situation is unlikely to occur," Miroku said with a hint of emotion.
"As long as it operates well, there's no problem. I even think that in the future, as the integration of the Ninja World Alliance progresses further, it might even become a single, common nation. Perhaps not a completely unified one, but a special composite state. In the future, the common external name for the nation could be simplified to 'Nin-Alliance'."
"Can it really reach that point?" Uchiha Kagami originally thought the Ninja World Alliance was already incredible. Now, he could at least see some hope. As for whether the nations within the alliance could become a whole, a so-called composite state, he felt he might never live to see it.
"At least there's some possibility. Even if it doesn't, as long as the Ninja World Alliance operates well and takes care of the interests of the entire ninja continent, it's already strong enough to be unbreakable. As for what happens further in the future, we'll all be dead by then, so there's no need to think so much. Let's leave it to our descendants. If they're not up to the task, even the greatest achievements will be squandered. If they are capable, even with some regrets, they can make up for them. Isn't that what Lord Hashirama's 'Will of Fire' preaches? A flame passed down through generations, never extinguishing, capable of passing on people's will," Fumori masaki said with a smile.