Right. Once Sasuke Uchiha put it that way, everyone understood.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had been seriously injured and had failed to recover for a very long time.
Otherwise, he would not have remained in hiding.
Given that, it was perfectly normal for Isshiki to seek out suitable people to serve as his subordinates.
Sasuke swept his gaze over everyone present. "Think about it. A place that needed this many living quarters and such large stockpiles of supplies must have housed a considerable number of people."
"Even if it wasn't full year-round, it must at least have maintained a stable population over a long period."
"But..."
The young ninja still seemed puzzled. "If he formed an organization, why has there never been any word of it in the Shinobi World?"
"Even Konoha's intelligence network hasn't picked up the slightest trace."
Sasuke said nothing.
Naruto answered for him. "Because if they were careful and secretive enough, and their operations weren't aimed at the Great Shinobi Villages at all, then they really could have stayed completely beneath the surface."
"Besides, we didn't even know an enemy called Ōtsutsuki Isshiki existed before, so naturally, we weren't watching for intelligence about him."
"Don't forget, Isshiki's goals are to recover from his injuries and plant the God Tree."
Naruto's voice grew low. "What he wants to do doesn't require any direct conflict with the Shinobi World."
"He just needs to hide in the shadows and send his subordinates out to gather intelligence and complete various tasks."
"If that's really the case..."
One ninja said quietly, "Then the people who used to live in this base were Isshiki's subordinates."
A piece of wood burned through in the fire and collapsed, sending up a few sparks that briefly gleamed in the air before going out.
Sasuke looked up at