Sandwiched between the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Rain, River Country thrives economically as a loyal vassal of the Land of Fire. It is praised as the "Mini Land of Fire."
In this country, regions near the Land of Fire boast excellent environmental conditions, very similar to those of its powerful neighbor. However, heading further south toward the Land of Wind, the climate becomes increasingly dry, the vegetation scarcer, and the population sparse.
Therefore, the entire economic focus of River Country lies on the side closer to the Land of Fire.
River Country does not have its own ninja village. Normally, domestic ninja assignments are either commissioned to Konoha Village or publicly posted as bounties for rogue ninja, samurai, or underground ninja to carry out.
Of course, the daimyo of River Country still has his own subordinates, but their strength is unremarkable. They serve as the daimyo's final line of defense and rarely leave the mansion grounds.
Like the rulers of other major countries, the daimyo of River Country inherits the title through hereditary succession—meaning they obtained their position not through merit, but purely by bloodline advantage.
From the 'Warring States period,' when warlords rose across the land, until the 'Shinobi no Kami' ended the chaos, established the ninja villages, distributed the Tailed Beasts, and balanced military power across the Shinobi World,
these daimyos have remained in place. Their noble lineage grants them a status similar to the Celestial Dragons of the Pirate World—though not as absolute, their social standing remains largely unchallenged.
The one-village-per-country system meant that all international conflicts were carried out by the respective ninja villages, while the daimyos enjoyed the privilege of being untouchable in war.
In other words, wars could not threaten the lives of daimyos themselves. Instead, they could offer funds or resources as substitutes to ensure their survival.
This tradition, upheld for centuries within the Shinobi World, is a belief observed by all ninja.
As for countries without ninja villages, they naturally became vassals, serving merely as accessories to the great powers, passively sharing in victories or defeats.
The capital city of River Country is called Musashi Castle, named after the founding daimyo, himself once a mighty samurai who was well known even before the rise of ninja sects.
Musashi Castle is huge—every bit as grand as the Capital City of the Land of Fire. Here, industries of all kinds flourish.
Naturally, behind such prosperity were the kinds of entertainment venues favored by the wealthy.
Brilliant lights flashed like laser beams, their colors shifting across the walls of a massive dance hall.
It reminded Saitama somewhat of the discos from the 80s and 90s in his memory—except without the blaring dance music.
Jiraiya sat in a booth that could comfortably accommodate eight people. On both sides sat two modestly dressed women who had fallen on hard times.
These two were recently rescued by Jiraiya. Out of humanitarian concern, he took them with him and invited them to have something to drink and perhaps some light refreshments.
As a renowned author firmly established within the adult literature scene, Jiraiya certainly had both the reputation—and the funds—to indulge here.
Recently, the second installment of his [Make Out Paradise] series had been released. Upon hitting the shelves, it immediately became another bestseller just like the first book, bringing him substantial monthly income.
"Jiraiya-sama, go ahead and eat!"
Beside Jiraiya sat a woman in a purple strappy dress. She plucked a grape, leaned toward Jiraiya's lips, and snuggled up against his shoulder, making him laugh heartily.
"Haha!" Jiraiya wrapped an arm around her, smiling as he swallowed the peeled grape in one bite.
"Tastes great! You should try it too!" Once he'd finished that grape, Jiraiya motioned for her to have one too.
"Jiraiya-sama, have my grapes!"
On his right side, another woman—older-looking than the one on his left—watched with disapproval as the woman to his left made her move. Picking up a grape herself, she forcefully leaned over and pressed her shoulder into Jiraiya's.
She wore black lace clothing with a mature style, very different from the charm of the purple-strappy woman on the other side.
When it came to judging character, Jiraiya never failed to impress. Even when rescuing troubled women, he could handpick the best among thousands.
Hearing the woman on his right speak, Jiraiya readily accepted, turned his head, leaned down, and bit into the grape she offered.
Actually, Jiraiya hadn't come here merely to gather research material—he had another secret reason.
He was tracking down a member of an underground organization, who also happened to be the owner of this establishment.
Since his last failed encounter with Orochimaru in The Rice Country, he'd gone a long time without finding useful intelligence.
So once again, he wandered across the Shinobi World, gathering whatever useful intel he could find.
During that time, he discovered whispers about the Mysterious Organization.
This organization wasn't new—it had thrived for many years as an underground mercenary group.
Initially quite powerful, it started off merely offering its services as a hired military force traveling between minor nations, providing them armed support. But as time passed, it grew even stronger and began taking further actions—manipulating those small countries themselves!
When Jiraiya first reached this conclusion, even he was stunned at first—but immediately after came deep anger.
An organization that violated ninja ethics and broke every rule wouldn't sit quietly in the shadows—they could strike at any moment and endanger the entire shinobi world.
Determined to prepare early, Jiraiya worked secretly while gathering both material for his novel and intelligence about the Mysterious Organization simultaneously.
Not long ago, his disciple—the current Hokage, village headman of Konohagakure—Minato Namikaze, sent him a message via frogs from Mount Myoboku.
The details mentioned in that message closely matched the core members of the Mysterious Organization Jiraiya himself had been investigating.
This was an astounding discovery!
The reappearance of Saitama Uchiha also surprised him greatly.
Jiraiya held genuine appreciation for Saitama—a unique Uchiha ninja whose personality really clicked with him. From Saitama, he saw rare persistence and extraordinary potential.
Though his personality might seem rather cold, there was no doubt he was a principled man.
Unfortunately, according to information from Minato, it was mentioned that Saitama Uchiha had already joined Akatsuki and accomplished much for them, including capturing several Tailed Beasts.
Currently, Jiraiya hasn't yet figured out who the true mastermind behind this organization is. After receiving Minato's report, he had once suspected that Saitama was indeed the founder, but deduction based on timelines rendered this unlikely.
Because this organization seemed to have existed much earlier—it had already been hired by small countries and involved in wars since the early stages of the Third Great Ninja War.
Determined to uncover the truth, Jiraiya disguised himself and tracked down the countries that had worked with Akatsuki before.
River Country, naturally, was among them.
In fact, during its early days, Akatsuki operated primarily as a mercenary force between various nations to earn money.
The entire Akatsuki wasn't made up solely of core members like Saitama, but also countless peripheral members.
Some of them were ninja from Amegakure, others were civilians from Land of Rain—they'd all come under the influence of Akatsuki and willingly became informants and spies in pursuit of peace.
Jiraiya came to this particular hotel because after repeated dead ends and investigations throughout River Country, intelligence indicated that the hotel's owner was a mid-level officer within this mysterious organization.
Grapes in hand, sipping some wine, with one girl on his left arm and another on his right, Jiraiya's gaze continued sweeping around restlessly.
Though he occasionally shared playful glances with the two girls, Jiraiya kept his focus on his target.
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