Living in the World of Naruto, Marrying Tsunade

Just thinking about the hostility between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Rice Fields gave Chiyo a headache. The two nations could practically be called hereditary enemies.

Originally, the Lands of Claws and Fangs had been the first obstacles to Lightning's expansion. But over the years, while they occasionally resisted, they had quietly stopped obstructing Lightning's ninja and were showing signs of aligning with it.

That forced the Land of Rice Fields to rely heavily on the Land of Iron as an ally. Otherwise, if those four countries united, forming a ten-thousand-man ninja force would be entirely possible—more than enough to rival the Land of Lightning.

Unfortunately, the Lands of Claws and Fangs were unreliable. As a result, Rice Fields and Lightning had fought for decades, building deep resentment between them. Though Rice Fields usually suffered losses and rarely dared confront Lightning head-on, recent events had changed things.

Because of Arata's intervention—and Hiruzen Sarutobi's schemes—the Land of Rice Fields had joined forces with the Land of Iron to intercept Lightning's retreat.

That battle cost Lightning heavily.

What had once been mere hostility had now become outright enmity.

Under such circumstances, persuading the Land of Rice Fields to join the alliance would be extremely difficult. Even Chiyo, confident in her own persuasive ability, wasn't sure she could pull it off—especially with the Third Raikage's explosive temper complicating matters.

Yet she understood how vital the Rice Fields were. It was a key transportation hub of the shinobi world; many routes between great nations passed through it. Without securing that territory, troop movement and supply transport would become a nightmare.

Shamon noticed her hesitation and quickly understood the problem.

He spoke:

"If the Land of Rice Fields is difficult to handle, approach Mifune instead. I've heard he's a reasonable and approachable man. If he joins the alliance, he'll likely agree."

Chiyo's eyes immediately lit up.

Mifune was the leader of the Land of Iron. Beloved by his people and respected by all samurai, he was known for being fair and easy to communicate with. As long as she explained the pros and cons clearly, he would likely agree to join.

And since the Land of Iron was allied with the Land of Rice Fields, once Iron joined the encirclement, Rice Fields would be pressured to follow. Otherwise, it would effectively be abandoning its strongest ally—leaving itself alone against Lightning in the future.

Chiyo hadn't considered that angle before. She felt a new sense of respect for Shamon.

Throughout the entire strategy discussion, she had done most of the talking, while Shamon had barely spoken—yet he still grasped the crucial point instantly.

Clearly, he had thought through the alliance details as well, and his mind was no slower than hers.

On one hand, her respect for the Second Kazekage deepened; on the other, she felt reassured. With such a wise and powerful leader, the rise of the Land of Wind felt inevitable.

And history would prove this true.

Though the Land of Wind would later decline by Naruto's era, during the period between the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars it remained a true military power—not the paper tiger it would eventually become.

Much of that was thanks to Shamon. He strengthened internal governance while expanding international influence through force.

He even nurtured a prodigy—the future Third Kazekage—whose strength would carry the nation forward for years.

If not for the Third Kazekage's mysterious disappearance, the Land of Wind might never have declined so quickly.

Ironically, the culprit behind that future tragedy would be Chiyo's own grandson—Sasori of the Red Sand.

If Chiyo knew this now, she might very well strangle the boy before he ever mastered puppetry.

At this time, however, Sasori had only recently been born and was treasured dearly by Chiyo, who poured into him all the affection she had lost with her son.

Yet the seeds of darkness were already growing within him.

His father had been killed by Arata.

His mother, though never encountered by Arata, chose to die alongside her husband out of devotion.

Left orphaned at a young age, Sasori naturally directed all his hatred toward Arata, growing increasingly cold and withdrawn.

If Chiyo knew that her beloved grandson would one day contribute to the downfall of the Land of Wind, perhaps her love would not have been so unconditional.

After all, in the future, once she learned the truth, she would show him no mercy—because her loyalty to the Land of Wind surpassed even family ties.

But all of that lay far ahead.

For now, Chiyo only felt hopeful about her nation's rise, casting Shamon a grateful glance before continuing.

After finishing with the Lands of Iron and Rice Fields, she went on:

"Besides the countries already mentioned, we must also win over villages that possess tailed beasts. Grass, Rain, and the Land of Rivers all have respectable strength and must be included in the alliance. Overseas nations like the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Waves, and the Land of Bears must also be secured. Next, I'll assign envoys to each one…"

In one breath, she laid out a list of nations and assigned representatives accordingly.

The Grass, Rain, and River nations were small, but because they sat between larger powers, they were essential routes that had to be secured.

Their strength was also respectable.

Especially Amegakure, which currently had Hanzō the Salamander at its helm—a peak Kage-level fighter and one of the most formidable figures in the world. Such a force was too valuable to ignore.

Kusagakure was renowned for strong individual combat ability, particularly exceptional throwing techniques. Their mid-tier combat strength was solid; what they lacked was high-level power.

The Land of Rivers rarely entered wars, but its ninja specialized in Earth Release and possessed strong taijutsu. With a population comparable to Grass, it too was worth recruiting.

As for the overseas nations, they were mostly small countries. Their importance lay elsewhere.

Scattered across the sea east of the Land of Fire, they formed a loose natural encirclement.

If they could be brought into the alliance, pressure on the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire would increase dramatically.