Ichihime propped her chin with her fingers, pondered for a moment, and said, "No, we can't take action for the time being."
"Why? The evidence has already..."
"I've thought about it, the situation behind the Land of Waves might be far more complicated than we imagine. Moving now could alert our enemies and put us at a disadvantage. The Daimyo of the Land of Waves certainly isn't the mastermind; there are larger forces supporting him."
Ruri recalled the ninja who attacked her a couple of days ago, with eyes flowing with purple-red chakra. The color of that chakra intrigued her deeply, and she felt a sense of familiarity.
Tailed Beasts!
Although the chakra color wasn't right, the feeling from the purple-red chakra was somewhat similar to a Tailed Beast.
She had secretly sent the assailant to the Land of Demons for investigation and to be examined by instruments to determine the source of that chakra.
Similar to Tailed Beast Chakra, yet somewhat different... It might be a power developed from using Tailed Beasts.
If that's the case, the forces interested in the Land of Waves might be more numerous than she imagined, and the connections behind the scenes even more intricate.
Aside from the Land of Demons and Akatsuki, only the Five Great Nations have the ability to utilize Tailed Beasts.
And the Land of Waves is closest to the Land of Fire among the Five Great Nations.
Konoha has the capability to research Tailed Beast Power. Although the Third Hokage of Konoha is indecisive, he might not openly reveal it, but Konoha is not lacking in such ruthless, extreme thinkers who undertake forbidden research—
The leader of Root, Dark Ninja, Shimura Danzo!
"Have you thought of something, Miss?"
Asked the Jonin from the Land of Demons standing by.
Ichihime nodded without hiding it, and instead asked, "You should have heard, right, that our spies in Konoha have discovered that Shimura Danzo from Root has been conducting some kind of forbidden research in recent years."
"Yes, but the specifics of the forbidden research haven't been investigated yet."
The Jonin from the Land of Demons was contemplative.
"That's it, combined with the previous attack, I suspect that the forbidden research Root is conducting now is related to Tailed Beasts."
"Tailed Beasts?"
"The Dark Ninja, Shimura Danzo. Before I came, the old man explained that the danger of Shimura Danzo far exceeds that of the Third Hokage. Root has been entrenched in Konoha for many years. After the Third Ninja World War, the Third Hokage's authority has been declining, both openly and covertly, Root's influence is rapidly expanding, already posing a subtle challenge to the Hokage's status. Such a formidable elder of the Ninja Realm shouldn't be underestimated."
She's not worried about the Konoha Anbu, but if it's not just the Anbu and Root intends to get involved, then it might be a tough battle.
Unlike the weak Third Hokage, Shimura Danzo is an extremely radical martial arts faction; one should be particularly cautious of his movements.
"Continue to have Kado investigate which forces are behind the illegal operations in the Land of Waves. They've been tacitly allowed to exist within the Land of Waves by the Daimyo, and that's by no means a coincidence. If this trend continues, in a few years, the Land of Waves will gradually become an ungoverned, lawless zone. This isn't a maneuver that a small nation's Daimyo could orchestrate."
The forces behind the Land of Waves are astonishing.
Although not comparable to great nations, they are not forces that can be provoked lightly.
As the leader of a nation, the Daimyo of the Land of Waves is likely just one part of their plan, not the true instigator.
"Yes. And what about Root..."
The Jonin from the Land of Demons seemed hesitant.
"Hmm..."
Ichihime was lost in thought.
As long as it's not a large contingent of Konoha ninja, she isn't afraid of how many Root sends.
Even if outmatched, she can still comfortably withdraw from the encirclement.
However, this time, the personnel following her are still too few; she herself can manage, but other areas can't be taken care of.
Very soon, she gave an answer, "Continue with Kado's plan as usual. As for manpower, I'll have the old man send additional reinforcements over."
Considering the means and influence of Root, Ichihime thought it best to proceed with caution.