"Is this the Land of Demons?"
In Tsunade's impression, the Land of Demons was just a neutral country located in a remote part of the Ninja Realm, its territory neither too large nor too small. Among the small countries, it was considered mid-upper tier.
But due to its neutral status, it's one of the few havens in the Ninja Realm.
In Konoha's records, it's pretty much the same meaning.
Peaceful, but previously had little presence in the Ninja Realm.
The difference between it and other countries in the Ninja Realm is that it is a country without a Daimyo.
The Daimyo and aristocratic system have existed since a thousand years ago and continue to be passed down.
A country like the Land of Demons, without Daimyo jurisdiction, is indeed unique in the Ninja Realm.
And the root of all this lies with the witches of the Land of Demons.
According to legend, each witch leader of the Land of Demons possesses mysterious powers to suppress demons and foresee the future.
Demons? To Tsunade, they might be similar to the Tailed Beasts.
After all, Tailed Beasts are also referred to as demons by the world.
The demons of the Land of Demons are presumably similar to the Tailed Beasts.
The so-called suppression of demons by the witches of the Land of Demons should be sealing demons within themselves, akin to Jinchuriki sealing methods.
However, upon arriving at the land of the Land of Demons, Tsunade realized that Konoha's records on the Land of Demons should be thoroughly updated.
Interconnected roads, bustling with merchants and travelers.
Even civilians walking on the roads wear bright and clean clothing.
This may not be considered special in Konoha, but throughout the Land of Fire, most civilians wear coarse clothing, with sallow complexions, burdensome taxes, and faces often lifeless and lacking vitality. Moreover, whenever a place becomes prosperous, it suffers bandit attacks, and despite constant missions from Konoha to eliminate bandits, there are thirty to fifty such missions in Konoha annually.
Whereas the Land of Demons is different, its towns are meticulously planned, with rows of shops, residential and commercial areas neatly arranged, offering a pleasing view.
Most importantly, every town has security personnel, equipped with sophisticated weapons, robust physique, and high morale, clearly trained in militarized standards, not a haphazard security organization.
Schools and medical institutions vital to people's well-being are all present.
While not comparable to Konoha in resources, the completeness of institutions seems to match Konoha.
But this is just a town, not a city, much less the capital of the Land of Demons.
If even towns are like this, Tsunade couldn't imagine what the wealthier cities would be like.
"Tsunade-sama, the food here is delicious. Should I buy some more for the rest of the journey to Shion City?"
Shizune, beside Tsunade, was happily eating the takoyaki she bought from a roadside stall.
Now a young lady, Shizune's appearance had matured, and over the years following Tsunade to learn Medical Ninjutsu, she could be said to have fully inherited Tsunade's teachings. Among the many medical ninjas in Konoha, few could surpass her.
Tsunade was on an official outing from Konoha, and Shizune was her only companion.
Originally, Minato wanted to send two additional guards, but Tsunade rejected them outright.
"You eat it yourself."
Tsunade's focus was not on the delicious snacks or luxurious products of the Land of Demons.
Her initial objective was to meet the witch of the Land of Demons and inquire about the prophecies.
The other reason was to visit the Shion Flower Pharmaceutical Company in the Land of Demons, hoping to validate her medical ninjutsu knowledge, or rather to hope the Land of Demons could achieve further cooperation with Konoha in this area.
This desire intensified after arriving in the Land of Demons.
Her eyes were filled with seriousness.
This country... strange yet powerful.
But what exactly was strange about it, how did it differ fundamentally from the Land of Fire, Tsunade couldn't figure it out for the moment.
It could only be said that a country without a Daimyo is just so unique.
"Does Tsunade-sama have something on her mind?"
Shizune slowed her pace in eating.
"No, I'm just surprised by how well-organized the system here is."
"Is that so? Isn't this normal? Konoha is even more prosperous than here."
Shizune didn't find anything strange.
This little town, though nice, was still lacking compared to Konoha.
Both in size and population, it was far less prosperous than Konoha.
Tsunade was slightly speechless, smiling wryly.
All these years, she had kept Shizune by her side, rarely taking her on missions, focused solely on teaching her medical ninjutsu, forgetting the importance of social practice.
Comparing one of the most prosperous villages in the Land of Fire, Konoha Village, with a little-known town in the Land of Demons, Konoha inherently had lost.
"What about compared to the towns in the Land of Fire?"
"Uh..."
Shizune wasn't dumb and quickly grasped the key.
The prosperous areas in the Land of Fire were limited to a few places, Konoha being one of them.
Yet throughout her journey in the Land of Demons, no area was plagued by bandits, and whenever occasional chaos occurred on the streets, security personnel quickly stepped in to restrain the offenders and take them away.
"Do you remember when we entered the Land of Demons?"
"I remember."
Shizune nodded.
The borders of the Land of Demons were strictly controlled by soldiers.
They conducted stern examinations of the people coming and going.
If they lacked clean identification, they would be stopped outside and not allowed to pass.