Many years later, the Third Raikage once again set foot on the Land of Fire.
Previously, he had only come for the joint Chunin Exams, but this time, he arrived with a friendly visit between the two villages—of course, this friendliness was only superficial for now, as the time for the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Leaf Village to determine a victor had not yet come.
The Third Raikage took a deep breath, a look of intoxication on his face.
Seeing this, his wife, Sora, who was beside him, asked, "Why do you look so pleased?"
"The air at the peaks of our Hidden Cloud Village is fresh, but the air here in the Land of Fire carries the scent of the forest; it's quite different after all," the Third Raikage said.
The Land of Lightning's terrain is filled with numerous mountains, and its scenery can be described as beautiful, with clear waters and lush mountains.
However, compared to the abundant forest resources of the Land of Fire, there is still a significant gap.
Of course, the Third Raikage felt that this environmental difference was merely a matter of personal enjoyment; the main disparity came from the fertile soil of the Land of Fire, which brought greater advantages to the nation.
In this feudal state, where industry had not yet begun and production relied mainly on agriculture, whoever possessed more and better land held a huge advantage.
This was also why the Land of Fire had always been coveted.
"How long has it been since we last came?" Sora asked, looking at the familiar scenery.
"Many years, almost five years, I think," the Third Raikage said, shaking his head slightly.
The joint Chunin Exams initially worked well, but later, as the national disparities widened and relations became tense, other ninja villages rarely held joint Chunin Exams because they did not want to expose the abilities of their younger generation to other countries.
The original purpose of the joint Chunin Exams was to make strategic judgments by observing the strength of young people from different countries.
When such intentions arose, the joint Chunin Exams no longer had the ability to maintain peace.
Just as Hashirama Senju's tailed beast distribution policy ultimately failed, the joint Chunin Exams proposed by the Second Hokage also reached its end.
Although it still existed, its effectiveness had greatly diminished.
Now, the third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village has offered a new solution—the Shinobi Alliance, or rather, the current Southern Alliance—by forming an alliance, negotiating seats, avoiding military force, rationally allocating resources among nations, and achieving common development.
Given the experience of the previous two attempts, the Third Raikage had no definite idea whether this alliance strategy could ensure long-term stability, but he could see the potential of this Southern Alliance.
In the past, the Land of Fire dragging along those smaller nations was, to some extent, a burden, but now the smaller nations are beginning to nurture the Land of Fire in other ways.
While the Land of Fire is rich in resources, it also lacks many other resources, which those smaller nations happen to possess.
This allows for mutual benefit and shared prosperity.
Of course, the Land of Fire will undoubtedly have a significant advantage in this, as it is the de facto leader of this alliance.
However, Fumori Masaki is very sensible; he knows not to only look out for himself but to bring along his subordinates, allowing them to enjoy the dividends, and naturally, they are willing to work for the Land of Fire.
This approach is far more efficient than the traditional Shinobi World methods of coercion and enticement.
The Third Raikage himself wanted to implement something similar, but he faced numerous practical difficulties.
The Hidden Leaf Village was founded on the principle of peace from the very beginning, and subsequent Hokage never abandoned this policy.
Fumori Masaki further strengthened it repeatedly, allowing the Hidden Leaf Village to build up its reputation early and gain the trust of smaller nations.
Due to historical reasons, the Hidden Cloud Village, despite the Third Raikage's timely efforts to learn, still lagged behind.
At the same time, the Southern Alliance established by the Hidden Leaf Village mostly consisted of smaller nations.
The only major nation was the Land of Wind, which was vast but resource-poor, and it too had been subdued by the Hidden Leaf Village.
Even the political atmosphere within their ninja villages began to lean towards the Hidden Leaf Village; at least for now, they were wholeheartedly following them.
As for the Third Raikage's side, first, there weren't many smaller nations that could be brought in.
Secondly, there was the Land of Earth nearby, a formidable rival.
That old man Onoki wouldn't be willing to bow down so easily.
Although the Hidden Cloud Village tried its best to exploit the other party, the Land of Earth still retained its vitality.
If the Hidden Leaf Village had joined in, the Land of Earth might have suffered tremendous losses, but the Hidden Leaf Village was not so foolish as to do others' bidding now.
Fumori Masaki promptly withdrew the Hidden Leaf Village from the war, clearly intending for the Land of Earth to counterbalance the Land of Lightning.
And the Third Raikage had to admit that Fumori Masaki's overt strategy was one he had to accept, and the resulting situation was this: the northern forces were difficult to unify, while the south was already a cohesive whole.
The Third Raikage truly admired Fumori Masaki's leadership.
In terms of the sheer number of tactics, he might not be significantly stronger than the Third Raikage, but his strategic vision was truly excellent.
This was what a leader truly should possess.
Due to their traditional ninja origins, the Third Raikage and others had not fully adapted in this regard.
Even Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju of the Hidden Leaf Village had not fully adapted, but Fumori Masaki had directly broken free from the limitations of his ninja background.
"Lord Raikage, the Hidden Leaf Village's people have arrived," his guard said, coming to his side as the Third Raikage was inwardly reflecting.
"Hmm, let's go meet them," the Third Raikage nodded slightly and went with Sora.
Just as they had once received Bunpuku, the Hidden Cloud delegation, led by the Third Raikage, headed towards the Hidden Leaf Village.
Along the way, the Third Raikage was surprised to see the rapidly changing environment of the Land of Fire.
Although a considerable amount of time had passed since the last joint Chunin Exams, such significant changes should not normally have occurred.
The Third Raikage vaguely felt that this might be the result of the formation of the Southern Alliance.
When the southern nations became a unified entity, the vast flow of resources led the country down a path of rapid development.
—Damn it, if only that old man Onoki wasn't so stubborn.
It's a pity that his bottom line makes it impossible to reach the same level as the Southern Alliance.
The Third Raikage understood that Onoki had no intention of admitting defeat.
Perhaps due to the pressure from the Southern Alliance, he might form an alliance with the Land of Lightning, but the ties of such an alliance would not be as strong as those of the Southern Alliance.
After all, the Southern Alliance was integrated with the Land of Fire at its center, facing less resistance, while the North was different; there were too many strong powers.
—I wonder what the Hidden Mist Village is thinking.
It's time to contact them.
While thinking, the Third Raikage followed the Hidden Leaf Village's welcoming party.
After a period of travel, they arrived at the Hidden Leaf Village.
This time, he received the same treatment as Bunpuku.
Although Bunpuku's Hidden Sand Village was relatively weak, it was still one of the Five Great Nations, wasn't it?
"Welcome to the Hidden Leaf Village, though you've been here before," Fumori Masaki said, shaking hands with the Third Raikage amidst a flurry of camera flashes, expressing friendliness.
His wife, Satomi, who was accompanying him, also greeted the Raikage's wife, Sora.
"But this is the first time with such a grand spectacle.
We haven't been able to come here so freely and receive such courtesy in the past," the Third Raikage said with a smile, looking at the propaganda ninja holding cameras.
"Times are different; it's always progressing.
We can't look at it with past perspectives," Fumori Masaki laughed.
The Third Raikage nodded in agreement.
After the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the Shinobi World had been constantly changing.
First, traditional ninja clans lived together, then came the rise of civilian ninja influenced by the Second Hokage, and then Fumori Masaki, who further opened up the landscape of nations and ninja villages.
Now that he thought about it, the situation of the Shinobi World seemed to be entirely influenced by the Hidden Leaf Village, making one wonder if the Hidden Leaf Village was a chosen land.
However, the Third Raikage didn't really believe in such things; he only thought about it occasionally.
"Speaking of which, Kazamori, you really look young.
It's as if we're not of similar age," the Third Raikage said, looking at Fumori Masaki, who was still in his prime.
Compared to him, the Third Raikage already had a beard, looking very dignified but also older.
Fumori Masaki looked only slightly more mature than when they first met.
"Perhaps it's good upkeep, or perhaps it's because the village doesn't give me much to worry about," Fumori Masaki replied.
The Third Raikage chuckled softly; he didn't think it was that simple.
In their previous battle during the last Shinobi World War, he had felt a power different from ordinary chakra from Fumori Masaki.
Later, while searching for the legacy of Kinkaku and Ginkaku within his own country, he did find some clues.
"I hope so.
Alas, if only it were the same on my side," the Third Raikage said, shaking his head.
"After seeing our village, you should have some new ideas.
I think you can seriously consider whether to join the alliance," Fumori Masaki said.
The Hidden Leaf Village was very strong now, but the Hidden Cloud Village wasn't that weak either!
The Third Raikage had gradually grasped the essence of Fumori Masaki's method for strengthening the ninja village: highly efficient systems and new technologies were the key!