Chapter 306: The Land of Five Elements
Senju Hashirama had never been to the so-called "end of the world," so it was impossible to get any clues from him.
Instead, what Sarutobi Hiruzen said caught Uchiha Dali off guard.
"Could it be that in all these years no one has ever gone overseas?"
"For thousands of years, surely someone must have tried to explore, right?"
He couldn't believe no one had ever reached that place.
What he wanted now was to figure out exactly what secrets lay hidden behind that barrier.
His instincts told him that the other side of the barrier was anything but simple.
Otherwise, whoever had set up such a powerful barrier wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to cut off the ninja world from that area.
"Historians might have some clues. They're in charge of revising national histories, and there may be records hidden in older texts. But personally, I think the chances are slim…" Hiruzen replied.
"Then let's take this opportunity to have representatives from every nation investigate their own histories, and see if anyone has ever gone overseas!" Uchiha Dali ordered.
At that, even Hashirama became deeply curious. "From the way you're talking, it sounds like you've discovered something extraordinary out there, haven't you?"
"So what exactly is it?"
"Yes, Fourth Hokage, have you already found something mysterious overseas?"
Everyone turned to Uchiha Dali, eagerly awaiting his answer.
He shrugged. "Nothing special. If I had to say, maybe the barrier itself counts?"
"The barrier?"
Everyone froze in surprise.
Hashirama furrowed his brows. "You mean there's a barrier out in the ocean?"
"Exactly. This barrier encircles the entire ninja world, about eight to ten thousand kilometers away from land."
"It's incredibly strong—even I can't break it. That means it wasn't set up by just anyone. Which is why I'm so curious."
Hearing Dali's description, everyone was shocked.
They started whispering to each other in astonishment.
Hashirama stroked his chin, looking thoughtful.
But after much discussion, no one could come up with any meaningful leads. Hashirama finally shook his head. "As far as I know, I've never heard of such a thing."
"Eight thousand kilometers… that's an enormous distance. And it's deep in the perilous ocean. No ordinary ninja could possibly get that far, let alone common folk."
After pondering a while longer with no answers, Hashirama sighed and shook his head again.
Seeing that they couldn't learn anything more, Dali didn't press the matter.
He waved his hand to dismiss everyone. But just then, an elderly man in the crowd raised his hand and said, "Fourth Hokage, I may have a piece of information that could count as a lead."
"Oh?"
All eyes turned to the old man.
He shuffled out of the crowd and bowed slightly to Dali. "You see, my ancestors for generations were fishermen at sea. It was only in the past two or three generations that we migrated to settle in Konoha."
"In those days, our forefathers braved the ocean to survive by fishing. I remember there's always been a saying passed down in my family—that monsters lurk in the ocean."
"Monsters?"
Dali looked at him skeptically, unimpressed by the claim.
The ninja world was full of strange things—not just animal sages, but also colossal creatures.
And since the old man himself admitted his family were fishermen, living by the sea for generations, their knowledge would be limited.
To such simple folk, even a shark could easily be mistaken for a sea monster.
Secondhand stories passed down like that weren't particularly reliable.
Still, the old man had spoken with good intentions. Dali didn't dismiss him, but nodded. "That does count as a lead. Thank you."
"I'll have someone look into it further later. For now, we've all been through a lot—let's focus on rebuilding the village so everyone can get some proper rest."
With him saying so, the others had no choice but to put aside their curiosity.
At the moment, restoring Konoha really was the priority.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you find your answer."
"Well then, everyone, farewell."
Hashirama once again bid everyone goodbye.
This time, he truly was leaving. He formed a single seal with one hand, effortlessly dispelling the Impure World Reincarnation on himself. His soul then rose skyward like Uchiha Madara's had, vanishing completely.
…
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and Uchiha Madara had only stirred up trouble within the Land of Fire. Their threat hadn't spread across the whole ninja world.
Thus, the other nations still had no idea what had transpired here.
With Dali and the others working together, Konoha's reconstruction was soon completed.
Everything else proceeded smoothly as well.
About a week later, leaders from the other four great nations, along with smaller countries that had been notified, all arrived in Konoha.
The purpose of their visit was to finalize the establishment of a unified nation.
For the most part, the leaders of smaller villages had little autonomy; they were effectively vassals of the great nations.
So, a decision backed jointly by the Five Great Nations faced no real opposition.
And so, the unified nation of the ninja world was officially established.
But choosing a name for the new country proved to be difficult.
In the vast new council chamber, the discussion began.
"Everyone, let's hear your thoughts. What should the new country be called?" Dali asked.
He already had a few names in mind, but to show a semblance of democracy, he first opened the floor to discussion.
The leaders from the smaller countries were also eager to cooperate, and began to earnestly debate.
Then the Fourth Raikage spoke up. "I don't think it needs to be complicated. Why not just keep calling it the Land of Fire?"
But before he finished, Ōnoki immediately objected. "Absolutely not. The Land of Fire won't do. My view is that it should be called the Land of Five Elements."
"The Land of Five Elements? That name might be worth considering…"
The Fourth Mizukage quickly nodded in agreement.
Others remained silent, but many of them also nodded.
The Land of Five Elements—it encompassed Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water, and Earth. From the name alone, it was obvious this was a nation led by the Five Great Nations.
But not everyone was satisfied with that name.
At that moment, someone snorted coldly. "The Land of Five Elements represents only you Five Great Nations. If that's the case, then where does that leave us small nations? You claim it's a fair and unified country, but in reality it's still you five who call the shots!"