Konoha Year 54, Northern Lands Year 4.
A piece of news shocked the Five Great Nations: the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Snow, the Land of Land of Marshes, the Land of Rice Fields, the Land of Land of Iron, the Land of Waterfalls, and the Land of Grass merged to form the Land of Gold.
The original Yugakure was the Capital City of the Land of Gold, Northern Hidden Village was the only ninja village in the Land of Gold.
People finally understood what kind of power the Northern Lands was; this power, which had silently annexed the Five Great Nations, seemed to have risen overnight.
Its land area is almost on par with the other Five Great Nations, and its geographical location is above the Land of Fire, occupying a considerable amount of surplus land.
Little did they know that the Northern Lands had been developing quietly for several years, and was only now surfacing as it expanded outwards.
"The Northern Lands! They've actually reorganized seven small kingdoms right under our noses, and we didn't even hear a whisper of it!"
In the Raikage's Office Land of Lightning Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage smashed the desk to pieces with a single slap.
The current Raikage was already short-tempered, and upon hearing this sudden news, he became even more enraged.
No wonder none of the ninjas sent to gather intelligence on the Land of Snow returned; they all thought it was Konoha's doing.
"Lord Raikage, this place called Northern Hidden Village is definitely not simple, given that it was able to unify various countries in such a short time!"
In the Raikage's Office, Dodai, Killer B, Darui, Yugito, and other high-ranking members of the Hidden Cloud Village gathered together.
Dodai, as the former Raikage's most trusted bodyguard and a veteran of Kumogakure, was the first to speak.
"Hmph! They actually dare to cause trouble right under the noses of several major powers. Do they really think they can stand up to us by bringing along a bunch of worthless nobody?"
Ai, huffing and puffing, glared at everyone before walking into the meeting room next door.
It's no wonder they were slow to react. Third Great Ninja War was only a few years ago, and countries were still recovering. Even if they were to cause trouble, they would first focus their attention on other major powers.
The Raikage was not angry about the rise of the Land of Gold, but rather that they were completely unaware of such a major event!
The senior executives in the office sensed Raikage's dissatisfaction, and one by one, they lowered their heads and walked into the conference room, unable to say a word.
"Brother, should I go check the situation again?"
As soon as everyone sat down, Killer B, who was always carefree and unserious, also spoke up tentatively.
If anyone besides Dodai dared to contradict the Raikage, it would be Killer B, but the timing wasn't right, so he didn't dare to act recklessly.
"This news was released by Daimyo over there, so it should be true!"
Before Ai could speak, Dodai continued Killer B's words.
"Moreover, the caravans that have come from their side in the past two or three months have confirmed the existence of this force. It's just that we..."
With a complex expression, Dodai lowered his voice at the end, and the others also lowered their heads in shame.
They've been hanging around right under our noses for so long, and they still act so nonchalant. Now that this has happened, they're really ashamed to face us.
Not only was Raikage furious, but they all felt incredibly aggrieved, and the atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became oppressive.
"Tell me your thoughts, what's your opinion on this newly emerged force?"
After a brief silence in the conference room, Ai, whose anger had subsided somewhat, spoke again.
At this moment, he sat imposingly at the head of the long table, his gaze sweeping over everyone like a knife.
"Now that this has happened, let's send someone to make contact first, since we don't have any conflict of interest with them!"
It was Dodai spoke again. After he finished speaking, he looked at Killer B opposite him. The two could be described as one a scholar and the other a warrior, or as the Kumogakure.
Feeling the pressure on him, Killer B ignored it, awkwardly touched his nose, and then looked at a flyer in front of him through his sunglasses.
"A tourist paradise, an entertainment capital, the largest Casino City in the Ninja World, a foodie's paradise, everyone who has been here says it's great..."
Killer B read it aloud involuntarily; it was the leaflet that the Northern Lands caravan had brought earlier.
The others also seemed thoughtful upon hearing this, just as Dodai had said, they had no conflict of interest with this newly emerging force.
Unlike with other major powers, the conflicts with other countries are mostly long-standing and stem from competition for interests.
The ninjas of the Northern Lands had just begun to operate in the Ninja World, and strictly speaking, they had not yet encroached on their interests.
Now that they're promoting and holding events with such great fanfare, isn't it a perfect opportunity for someone to go and investigate?
As Killer B read the contents of the flyer with exaggerated expressions, Ai snatched the flyer from in front of him.
The caravan from the Northern Lands had just left, and unlike usual, it left behind a large pile of leaflets, which he hadn't seen yet.
The flyer showed a lavishly decorated skyscraper with the words "Light of the Northern Land" prominently displayed.
Below are introductions to bars, karaoke rooms, clubs, etc., along with thoughtful pictures, including a series of photos of female service staff dressed in flamboyant attire.
This section alone is enough to make people's minds wander, even though they don't really know what bars and karaoke rooms are.
However, the female dealers, waitresses, and karaoke hostesses are dressed in novel, provocative, and revealing outfits, which makes people want to criticize them after seeing them.
There are also food courts, clothing stores, and limited-edition luxury cars—it's all so dazzling.
It's obviously a money pit; this is the first time anyone has ever done business in their own ninja village.
"Elder Dodai, please send some ninjas to make contact and see what the situation is!"
Seeing that no one could utter a word after a long time, the Raikage had no choice but to make the final decision, as there was simply too little information.
We should wait until we understand the situation before taking any action. What if, like before, a Land of Gold suddenly appears just as we're trying to understand it?
"Yo yo yo check it out, big brother, I think I need to go and investigate myself to see if it's true or not!"
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Killer B reverted to his true nature and started yelling without regard for the occasion.
Raikage didn't hold back either and slapped him to the ground. You could tell from the way the guy clenched his butt that he was either trying to give up or taking a dump.
They must have seen the karaoke bar mentioned above and wanted to go sing and rap there!
"You stay put in Cloud-Lightning Gorge, or I'll break your legs!"
Ai was furious. This troublesome sworn brother of hers, the situation was unclear, what if he ran away and got caught?
They were able to subdue seven small countries, so they must be quite powerful. Even if they can't compare to the Kage of our great ninja village, they must still be formidable.
"Brother, I'll go over quietly and promise not to cause any trouble. Besides, there are many ninjas with me!"
Killer B his face. Sometimes he was really annoyed by his Jinchuriki, unable to even have more freedom.
However, he knew the mission he was entrusted with, so he did not refute the Raikage in front of so many people, but just looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"Send Yugito over there first, and we'll consider it further after we've investigated the situation!"
Ai was a little helpless. She had to reassure him, otherwise he would run away and cause even more trouble!
Although Yugito is also Jinchuriki, he is not as highly regarded as Killer B.
Given her considerable abilities, it might be worthwhile to test the waters first.