I simultaneously traverse countless worlds

The Shinobi World Alliance announced its acceptance of the Sand Village and the Land of Wind, and reorganized the administrative divisions of the Land of Wind and the Sand Village. They were no longer called the Land of Wind and the Sand Village, but were renamed and provided with a large number of personnel and resources, thus completely incorporating them into the Shinobi World Alliance...

A few days later, the Ninja Alliance newspaper published a series of bombshell news, which greatly surprised the remaining three major nations and a small country in the Ninja World.

Many daimyo, nobles, and wandering ninjas from small countries only learned about the fact that the Land of Wind, one of the Five Great Nations, had followed in the footsteps of the Land of Water after seeing the newspapers and news published by the Ninja World Alliance, and that even the Sand Village had been disbanded and merged into the Ninja World Alliance.

This was not a temporary alliance between two major ninja villages, or a marriage alliance between the daimyo of two great nations. It was a complete assimilation of a great nation and its ninja village by the Ninja World Alliance. This included the absorption of administrative, military, and financial powers. Even the daimyo and nobles of the Land of Wind were only temporarily appointed to new positions as figureheads. The vast majority of nobles lost their power or were even purged. Their resources and wealth became spoils of war for the Ninja World Alliance.

After all, Li Mo wouldn't step into places he knew were traps. With examples like the Red Bear, the Celestial Empire, and America before him, he naturally knew how serious the hidden dangers were in preserving the power and wealth of those daimyo and nobles.

Even those cases that cannot be openly discussed prove that the parasitic class of daimyo and nobles is purely a negative asset for the Ninja Alliance. Unless Li Mo is willing to use the Seed of Extraordinary Power or arrange for ninjas to supervise them at all times, these guys who have lost power will always want to reclaim their wealth, even if it means relying on the power of the other three great ninja nations and various ninja villages.

Li Mo refrained from immediately launching a massacre in response to this potential threat, considering the existence of other major powers and ninja villages. Furthermore, indiscriminately massacring the old class could easily cause significant negative consequences. However, this does not mean he was powerless against daimyo and nobles. For instance, the former daimyo and nobles of the Land of Water had already been largely eliminated. Apart from a few who were not particularly infamous and were merely used as figureheads, the former daimyo and most nobles of the Land of Water had lost the power to resist.

For the Ninja Alliance, the Land of Wind is actually much easier to handle than the Land of Water. After all, the natural living environment of the Land of Wind is indeed quite harsh, with most of the land being desert or Gobi, which limits the population of the Land of Wind to less than five million. As a result, there are also far fewer nobles than the population, making it easier for Li Mo to clean up and manage the area.

Whether it was the daimyo of the Land of Wind or those nobles who were more like chieftains of desert tribes, they were dealt with by Li Mo's shadow soldiers and ANBU ninjas. They obediently handed over their power and were sent to the territory of the Ninja Alliance. In any case, they could not stay in their original place, just like the daimyo of the Land of Water and those nobles in the past.

As for Sunagakure, one of the five great ninja villages, it was naturally the focus of Li Mo's attention. Yekura's record of becoming the Fifth Kazekage was not broken, but the speed at which she lost the position of Fifth Kazekage was comparable to that of a certain "King of the Pot".

At least, when Shimura Danzo became the so-called Sixth Hokage with the help of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, he nominally enjoyed the position for quite some time before being killed by Uchiha Sasuke. Pakura, on the other hand, served as the Fifth Kazekage for less than five days in total. She simply resigned from the position and merged with Sunagakure after receiving the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's letter of recognition.

You're talking about the Sand Village's rebellion?

As Li Mo said, Ye Cang demonstrated unparalleled strength and eliminated the high-ranking members of Sunagakure, as well as most of the Jonin. With the Shinobi Alliance quickly mobilizing resources and manpower, the disorganized Sunagakure had no choice but to accept this outcome.

Or, to be more precise, even if Sunagakure wanted to rebel, it would be suicidal to do so after losing a number of top experts and elites such as the Fourth Kazekage, Granny Chiyo, and Ebizo, and with only Yashamaru as a formal Jonin. Moreover, with Pakura and a group of Anbu ninjas in charge, and with the help of the ninja army that arrived later, they quickly brought the situation under control and began the reconstruction of Sunagakure.

Similar to the situation in the former Mist Village, which has since been renamed Mist City, and other cities, the Ninja Alliance quickly changed the situation in Sunagakure with a large number of urban infrastructure projects and generous rewards. Even the Sunagakure ninjas, who secretly showed a very tough attitude, still had to rely on completing various commissioned missions to make a living.

As the Ninja Alliance, led by Li Mo, understood very well that if ninjas wielding swords couldn't eat, the consequences would be similar to America's occupation of the Camel Country in the Middle East, where hundreds of thousands of troops were simply disbanded without resettlement. The resulting military expenditures far exceeded the disbandment costs. In the Ninja Alliance's case, with Li Mo as the boss and no shortage of money and resources, they simply followed the same approach as the Hidden Mist Village, spending a large sum of money to reorganize and resettle the Sand Village ninjas.

In the newly named Sand City, the Ninja Alliance demolished various landmark buildings of the original Sand Village and rebuilt a barrier that effectively blocked the intrusion of wind and sand. Li Mo even made a special trip to transform a large area of ​​Gobi Desert around the Sand Village into an oasis, and popularized saxaul trees, sea buckthorn and various drought-resistant plants, which significantly improved the living environment of Sand City.

With this combination of harsh measures and lenient incentives, the numerous Sand Ninja, who had lost their strength, were dismantled and relocated. The Sand Ninja Academy was even abolished, and in its place, the Shinobi Alliance's ninja training base began recruiting, assimilating the Sand Ninja and their students. After a while, very few people considered themselves Sand Ninja anymore.

Even Yashamaru, the brother-in-law of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, had no intention of avenging the Fourth Kazekage Rasa. When his sister gave birth to her third child, Gaara, she died in childbirth. However, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa chose to make his third child, Gaara, the Jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku. As a result, the sealing techniques of the Jinchūriki in Sunagakure were not up to par, which made the young Gaara easily go berserk due to the influence of the One-Tailed Shukaku.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, wasn't particularly kind to his three children. Even though he didn't mistreat them, the death of his wife and his own personality flaws meant he wasn't very close to them. When he discovered that Gaara couldn't control Shukaku and had caused considerable damage to the village several times, he even considered killing his youngest son. It was only because Yashamaru spoke up for him and the situation was unpredictable that he temporarily restrained himself.

For Yashamaru, who had just become a full-fledged Jonin, when Pakura arrived in Sunagakure to seek revenge, he was taking care of Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. As a result, he witnessed the Sunagakure being severely injured and ultimately chose to surrender to Pakura.

To Yashamaru's relief, the Ninja Alliance, aside from its initial simple and brutal approach of controlling Sunagakure and taking in the surrendered Sunagakure ninja, did not massacre the remaining Sunagakure ninja. Instead, it mobilized powerful individuals to upgrade the environment around Sunagakure to the level of a super-large oasis. After renaming it Sand City, it recruited Sunagakure ninja and civilians to work while paying them substantial rewards.

In this regard, the Ninja Alliance, which had no shortage of money or resources, allowed the residents of Sand City to experience what it meant to be rich. A large number of infrastructure projects did not require much skill or experience; anyone with strength could join and get a job. The reward for a day's work was enough to buy a lot of things. As for the Sand Ninjas, whether they were trained to do more advanced construction work or disbanded and joined the Ninja Army of the Ninja Alliance, they all had their own different paths.

Even Yashamaru, as the brother-in-law of the previous four Kazekage, was not treated differently in this regard. He, Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara were brought to Li Mo by Yekura. Apart from taking out and sealing the One-Tailed Shukaku, Gaara was not harmed, and even the legacy of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was successfully inherited.

Of course, Yashamaru and his three children had to leave Sand City and move to other cities in the Ninja Alliance. This was something Yashamaru could accept more easily. He also knew that given their sensitive identities, it was indeed not appropriate for them to stay in Sand City. Even though Sand City had already arranged for many outsiders to come in and transferred many former ninjas and their families, he still had to avoid suspicion.

This wasn't just Yashamaru's problem. He explained the situation to the three children as well. Then, he took Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari and, according to the Shinobi Alliance's arrangements, went to another port city. He even arranged for the three children to be educated and allowed them to join the Shinobi Alliance's ninja training camp. It could be said that their future was with the Shinobi Alliance. The matter of the former Sand Village, which was renamed "Sand City," had nothing to do with Yashamaru and his group.

Similarly, other hidden dangers of Sunagakure were eliminated in advance, most of the Sunagakure ninjas were reorganized, and even Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, was taken by Li Mo for research. It can be said that Sunagakure, as the pillar of the Land of Wind's military power, had its existence and name erased. It was precisely because Sunagakure was successfully taken over that Sunagakure and the Land of Wind were swallowed up by the Shinobi Alliance, and their strength and potential were much greater than before.

When Sunagakure and the Land of Wind joined the Shinobi World Alliance, the newly formed alliance gained the territory and population of another of the Five Great Nations, and even expanded its control to the Shinobi World Continent. The other parties in the Shinobi World were shocked and reacted accordingly!

Chapter 51 Reactions from all parties

"They've even annexed the Land of Wind and the Sand Village. The Shinobi Alliance is truly not to be underestimated..."

When the Hidden Stone Village in the Land of Earth received news of the expansion of the Shinobi Alliance, the Third Tsuchikage frowned as he stared at the map in front of him, his brows furrowed so deeply they could have trapped several flies, a stark contrast to his previous indifference when the Shinobi Alliance was established.

Not only the Third Tsuchikage, but even the Daimyo of the Land of Earth, who was also immersed in wealth and glory, had a very indifferent attitude when they learned of the formation of the Shinobi Alliance. The reason was that Iwagakure, located in the inland region of the Shinobi Alliance, was separated from the Shinobi Alliance, which was mainly based on the ocean, by the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Wind. Even if the Land of Earth wanted to be vigilant, it was not their place to be vigilant. The Third Tsuchikage simply strengthened his intelligence gathering work on the Shinobi Alliance and had no other thoughts.

The problem is that the Shinobi Alliance has directly swallowed up the Land of Wind and the Sand Village, and its sphere of influence now borders the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and several smaller countries. This is no longer the insignificant situation it once was, and the Land of Rock and the Land of Earth have become alarmed!

"Lord Tsuchikage, what should we do?"

Upon hearing the Third Tsuchikage's words, the elders of Iwagakure who had been summoned exchanged glances. Then, one of the elders, who was clearly not young, stepped forward and whispered to his village's Third Tsuchikage how to proceed.

It should be said that the establishment of the Ninja World Alliance at most alerted the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Wind. However, after swallowing up the Land of Wind and the Sand Village in one fell swoop, and now bordering the Land of Earth, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth immediately contacted the Village of Iwa. The elders of the Village of Iwa had also read the Daimyo's letter. After removing the tedious and useless nonsense, the core message was to pay money so that the Village of Iwa could quickly prepare for defense.

Compared to the ambitious Daimyo of the Land of Wind, who at least had a private ninja army and had recruited some rogue ninjas and bounty hunters, and whose strength had been severely weakened by repeated defeats, leading to his desire for control, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth was a complete parasite. Fortunately, he was self-aware enough to indulge in fine wine, beautiful women and delicious food. Apart from tightly holding onto his own protective forces and power, he completely left matters like war to the Hidden Stone Village.

In this regard, the Third Tsuchikage, who was somewhat aware of the original conflict between the Land of Wind and the Sand Village, actually thought it was quite good to have such a self-aware daimyo. However, now that he was facing this daimyo's attempt to curry favor, he really wanted to curse him out loud. But in front of several elders of the Iwa Village, as the highly respected Third Tsuchikage, he really didn't want to do anything too impolite.

Faced with the question from the elder of Iwagakure, the Third Tsuchikage remained silent and pondered for a long time before looking at the map of the ninja world in front of him, pointing to the boundary line of Iwagakure, and making a seemingly conservative but quite prudent decision:

"...Order to double the troop strength guarding the former Land of Wind's border, and triple the number of spies sent into the Shinobi Alliance. Be careful and on guard!"

……

Land of Fire, Konoha Village

Just a few months ago, when the atmosphere was tense during the war with Kumogakure, Konoha Village, having at least signed a peace agreement and gained a few months of respite, has seen a significant easing of tensions, with more caravans and mission commissioners coming and going.

To put it simply, as the nominal leader of the five great ninja villages, having fought three consecutive Shinobi World Wars against multiple ninja villages, and even after the Third Shinobi World War, having gritted its teeth and bled to death with the Hidden Cloud Village until now, it still signed a peace treaty instead of sending Hyuga Hizashi away. The reputation of Konoha Village has not yet declined.

This differs from the original Naruto storyline, where Konoha, under the combined efforts of the Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura, managed to withstand a blow from Kumogakure and even forced the Hyuga clan to hand over Hyuga Hizashi to their deaths. In this case, Konoha was forced into a desperate situation by the abduction of the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter. The Third Hokage gritted his teeth and led the Konoha ninja army in a fierce battle against Kumogakure for several months before finally achieving a peace agreement with Kumogakure through the establishment of the Shinobi Alliance, despite paying a relatively small price.

To outsiders, the fact that Konoha Village, despite suffering heavy losses, still managed to fight Kumogakure undefeated proved that its reputation as the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages was not unfounded. Naturally, more clients and caravans would be willing to come to Konoha Village. After all, Konoha Village's reputation would make it easier to complete the missions. Ninjas who completed more missions would have money in their hands and would naturally be willing to spend it, thus boosting various forms of consumption.

Konoha Village, in particular, is located in the Land of Fire, the most prosperous country in the ninja world. Its natural conditions are much better than those of other ninja villages, and it receives more annual funding from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Logically speaking, its recovery speed after the war should be faster than that of other ninja villages, so the current bustling scene is nothing special.

However, inside the Hokage Building in Konoha Village, the Third Hokage was no longer in a relaxed mood. He, along with the other three members of the Konoha F4, several elite Jonin, and clan leaders, were all looking at the letter from the Daimyo with some worry.

"The Land of Wind and the Sand Village are gone just like that? That's really..."

Seeing the overly silent atmosphere in the meeting room, Mitokado Homura, one of the Konoha F4, spoke up at the Third Hokage's prompting, breaking the somewhat quiet silence and expressing the sentiments of many present.

The Land of Wind and the Sand Village just disappeared like that?

It was only after seeing the Ninja World Alliance newspaper and receiving intelligence from Konoha's spies that the Konoha village leaders suddenly realized that the Sand Village, which had been like a piece of chewing gum to Konoha in the past, and the Land of Wind, which was mostly desert and Gobi, had actually been swallowed up by the Ninja World Alliance.

Even though Konoha Village has experienced many major events in recent years, and all the ninjas have developed a strong heart, the fact that one of Konoha Village's old rivals, the Sand Village and the Land of Wind, which had been entangled with Konoha Village and the Land of Fire for decades, had suddenly disappeared and become nourishment for the Ninja World Alliance, which had become even stronger, was still hard for the Konoha Village's leaders to accept. It was similar to the feeling of having a jackal that used to roam around them eaten and replaced by a more terrifying tiger.

Admittedly, Konoha and Sunagakure fought three Shinobi World Wars, but Sunagakure never fared well against a serious Konoha. This doesn't mean Sunagakure was a harmless little ninja village. Even as the least powerful of the five great ninja villages, Sunagakure still posed a certain threat to Konoha. In addition, there were other major ninja villages that kept Konoha in check. Otherwise, Konoha wouldn't have hesitated to destroy Sunagakure to ensure its own safety.

Unfortunately, the problem Konoha is facing now is that, without warning, Sunagakure and the Land of Wind have directly attacked the Ninja Alliance, which was previously only perceived as a threat, and has now become a close neighbor of the Land of Fire and Konoha!

"Alright! Enough with the nonsense, let's think about how to deal with this!"

When faced with Mitokado Homura's speech, Shimura Danzo interrupted him abruptly, somewhat agitated. However, when Mitokado Homura and the others saw that Shimura Danzo was missing an arm, they knew that he had lost an arm to the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure during their battle with him using ninjutsu. They knew that if it weren't for the Root ninjas risking their lives to provide support, he would probably be dead. Even if they had some objections, they didn't say anything.

After all, Shimura Danzo was still one of the high-ranking members of Konoha. Even though Root suffered considerable losses on the battlefield against Kumogakure, and he himself lost an arm and was preparing to have a new one transplanted, the other party's current remarks were not considered to have crossed the line!

"Then, we'll raise the level of our control over the former Land of Wind's border, deploy intelligence agents to strengthen reconnaissance, and I also plan to have a talk with the Third Tsuchikage..."

In response to Shimura Danzo's volatile behavior, the Third Hokage silently took a puff from his lit pipe. His eyes, sharpened by the baptism of war, swept over Shimura Danzo and the others, and then he spoke unhurriedly.

At this point, Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Hyuga Hiashi, and others might have different ideas, but unfortunately, none of them could speak up in front of the Third Hokage. Even Shimura Danzo, who used to bargain with the Third Hokage, could not actually disobey the Third Hokage's formal order, especially since he was currently seriously injured and his Root had suffered considerable damage. Since even Shimura Danzo wouldn't speak up, the others naturally wouldn't object to the Third Hokage's proposal.

At the very least, Konoha Village truly cannot withstand another war, even if the enemy is the original Sunagakure Village. How much more so when it is the Shinobi Alliance, which combines Kirigakure Village, Sunagakure Village, and other forces. Naturally, it is necessary to increase vigilance and seek allies!

……

"Damn it, our Cloud Village is bordered by the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. The only real threat the Ninja Alliance can reach is along the coast. How are we supposed to defend against it?"

Meanwhile, inside the Raikage Building in Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage appeared somewhat agitated. He stared at the letter from the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning before him, feeling that the Daimyo's suggestion to increase vigilance was utter nonsense. He didn't even consider the situation surrounding the Land of Lightning. It was completely different from the Shinobi Alliance, with land borders and coastal areas that were hardly within the Daimyo's sphere of influence. Increasing vigilance was simply paranoia.

"Lord Raikage, we should strengthen our defenses along the border and enhance our aerial surveillance. After all, the Sand Village is rumored to have been occupied by an enemy who descended from the sky..."

Compared to the Fourth Raikage, who is straightforward and has a short temper, the dark-skinned female ninja standing next to him seems somewhat helpless. Fortunately, as the Raikage's secretary, she can be said to handle most of the Fourth Raikage's daily affairs on his behalf. Only a few important matters are decided by the Fourth Raikage himself. For example, the letter from the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning this time was one that the Fourth Raikage had to make a decision on personally.

At least, the Raikage's secretary is a sensible person. She was able to persuade the hot-tempered Fourth Raikage. She has demonstrated her abilities in less than two years since taking office. Otherwise, the other high-ranking members of the Cloud Village would not have been convinced that she was qualified and capable of handling the daily affairs of the Cloud Village!

"Yes, Mabui, your suggestion is right, let's proceed with that arrangement!"

Upon hearing his secretary Mabui's words, the Fourth Raikage, who was wondering if the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was terrified by the destruction of the Land of Wind but hadn't voiced this thought, pondered for less than a second before deciding that he couldn't think of a better solution and readily agreed to his secretary's suggestion.

Even the Fourth Raikage, a figure of great stature, didn't particularly enjoy dealing with tedious daily affairs. Moreover, the atmosphere in Kumogakure was one of reverence for strength. While the Raikages of each generation might not be the strongest in Kumogakure, they were certainly among the top contenders. Even Jinchuriki were qualified to compete for the position of Raikage. As long as your fists were big enough and you could defeat the other competitors in Kumogakure, no one would question your becoming the Raikage. However, the Raikage always emerged victorious.

Now, the Fourth Raikage knows that he is not good at handling affairs. In addition, facing the expanding Shinobi Alliance, the Hidden Cloud Village also has no good solutions. He is not foolish enough to rashly start a war with the strength of the Hidden Cloud Village alone. So, what the Hidden Cloud Village can do now is to follow his secretary's suggestion and raise the level of vigilance along the border of the Land of Lightning to be wary of enemy air raids.

However, while Kumogakure chose to increase its vigilance, Iwagakure and Konoha made similar choices. But among the other small ninja villages in the ninja world, besides those that had already chosen to lie low or even secretly contact the Ninja World Alliance, there were some people in Amegakure who had other ideas!

Chapter 52 The First Movement of Dawn

The Land of Rain, Amegakure

This small country, sandwiched between the three great nations of the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth, and bordered by smaller neighboring countries such as the Land of Grass and the Land of Rivers, became a battleground for all the major ninja villages from the very beginning of the First Shinobi World War.

Even with the emergence of top-tier ninjas like Hanzo the Salamander, every major ninja village has its own strong members and trump cards. As the ceiling of the smaller ninja villages in the ninja world, Amegakure was only barely saved from being driven by the major ninja villages to become cannon fodder on the battlefield after Hanzo the Salamander defeated the Legendary Sannin of Konoha. Other parts of the Land of Rain were simply not taken care of, allowing the ninjas of other villages to act recklessly.

As the face of Amegakure, Hanzo the Salamander was considered a dangerous top-tier Kage-level ninja by the five great ninja villages. However, they were unaware that Hanzo had already met his demise, and that the true ruler of Amegakure was the Akatsuki, an organization composed of orphans from the Land of Rain.

The demigod Hanzo of the Salamander did indeed take action against the Akatsuki organization, killing Yahiko, one of its founders. However, Nagato Uzumaki, chosen by Madara Uchiha as another key pawn, was assigned by Madara to safeguard his Rinnegan. Even though Nagato himself did not possess Uchiha blood, his distant Uzumaki bloodline was renowned for its massive chakra reserves, allowing him to barely manage to use the Rinnegan.

Therefore, upon witnessing Yahiko's death, Nagato Uzumaki unleashed his full power, using the Rinnegan to kill Hanzo of the Salamander. With the help of his companion Konan, he then took control of the entire Amegakure village, using the remaining Akatsuki members as the core. Few people in Amegakure and the Land of Rain knew this fact. Even the intelligence agents from the five great ninja villages stationed in the Land of Rain still believed that the one in control of Amegakure was still the demigod of the ninja world, Hanzo of the Salamander.

Originally, Nagato Uzumaki planned to use his Rinnegan to control the Ten-Tails, a fusion of the nine legendary tailed beasts, to bring pain to the world and achieve peace in the ninja world by violently defeating several major ninja villages. To this end, the newly formed Akatsuki organization began to establish itself in Amegakure, quietly recruiting powerful rogue ninjas while trying to gather information about the tailed beasts and accumulate funds.

In the original Naruto anime storyline, the Akatsuki organization had been hiding for many years, waiting for the right opportunity to successfully obtain almost all the tailed beasts and activate the Ten-Tails. Nagato Uzumaki was betrayed by Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu, resulting in his death and the loss of his Rinnegan. Even his last remaining family member, Konan, was killed by Obito Uchiha.

Now, despite losing Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu, Nagato Uzumaki was not greatly affected. However, the Land of Rain, where the Akatsuki was located, quickly realized that being neighbors with the Shinobi World Alliance was a completely different situation from the Land of Wind before!

………………

On the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, there is a rare oasis area belonging to the Land of Wind. Thanks to the strange weather in the Land of Rain, where it rains for more than half the year, this area is never short of water. With enough water, vegetation and wild animals gather, allowing humans to survive.

This area used to belong to the Land of Wind. The people of the Land of Rain knew they were weak, and even though they were the weakest of the five great nations, the people of the Land of Wind were still very unfriendly to the Land of Rain. Especially for the Land of Wind, where deserts and Gobi cover 90% of the area, the ownership of a desert oasis used to be a battleground between the two sides. So, it was only natural that some people would die fighting over this piece of land, which had a good environment and received water from the Land of Rain.

The people of the Land of Rain had always been able to tolerate the actions of the Land of Wind. Even the demigod Hanzo of the Salamander and the Daimyo of the Land of Rain could not open a conflict with the Land of Wind and the Sand Village just because this buffer zone had been occupied. This forced the civilians of the Land of Rain to retreat. However, the fact that the Shinobi World Alliance had swallowed up the Land of Wind and the Sand Village seemed to the Daimyo of the Land of Rain no different from the Land of Wind before.

However, the common people of the Land of Rain quickly discovered within a few months that the Ninja Alliance was indeed quite different from the Land of Wind. Not only did it have abundant financial and material resources, but it was also willing to invest heavily in infrastructure and trade!

"Take a look! You can buy one serving of these refined salt packs for only 100 taels, enough for you and your family to eat for a month!"

"The river channel development team is still recruiting. As long as you are willing to work, you can earn generous pay. We are recruiting manual laborers and logistics personnel. If you are interested in applying, come and take a look. For specific salary details, please see the notice board outside. If you want to apply, come to me."

"Buying herbs! We're offering high prices for the Blue Water Lily and Rush Grass from the Land of Rain..."

In this transportation hub between the Land of Rain and the Ninja Alliance, a market was created from scratch in less than a month. Merchants, civilians, and even ninjas could be seen coming and going in the market, with scenes of various commodity trades and manpower recruitment, making it feel like a vegetable market.

However, whether they were members of the Ninja Alliance or merchants, civilians, and ninjas from the Land of Rain, they all obediently followed the rules of the market. Excluding cases where people were hired for work, each transaction in the market had to pay a 10% tax. The official ninja army stationed in the market and a large number of police officers ensured the safety and general fairness of the market. Even if members of the Ninja Alliance made mistakes, they would be severely punished, which had established a strong credibility.

It was precisely because of the fair trade demonstrated by the Ninja Alliance that, within a few short months, many commoners from the Land of Rain came with their families to make a living. Their status in the Land of Rain was not very high. Even though the Amegakure was controlled by the Akatsuki and had a certain bottom line in their daily conduct, the Daimyo and the nobles of the Land of Rain had no bottom line at all. They dared not complain about the ninjas of other major ninja villages, but when they felt that they had suffered considerable losses, they naturally wanted to plunder the commoners to make up for it.

It's no exaggeration to say that the common people of the Land of Rain did not gain any substantial benefits during the period when the Akatsuki occupied Amegakure. Naturally, they did not feel the same hostility towards the Shinobi Alliance as the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Rain. When they discovered that the Shinobi Alliance was recruiting workers on a large scale and paying them handsomely, more and more common people of the Land of Rain obtained temporary residence permits and chose to live and make a living around this new market.

While the nobles and even the daimyo of the Land of Rain certainly felt that the Ninja Alliance, as their neighbor, was dangerous, they would not actually refuse the various novel goods from the Ninja Alliance. In private, they would send people to organize caravans to buy and sell all kinds of goods, and they would also hire ninjas in the Hidden Rain Village for protection, and even sell these goods to neighboring countries such as the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire.