Of course, the continued survival of these small countries was also closely related to their own political and strategic choices.
Otherwise, from the Warring States Period until the present era spanning decades, even centuries. many small countries had already been erased from history.
The most representative example was the Land of Whirlpools and its ninja village, Uzushiogakure.
Once, Uzushiogakure had been one of the most powerful mid-tier nations and shinobi villages, standing just below the Five Great Countries. It possessed an extremely advanced fuinjutsu system and maintained close ties with Konohagakure.
And yet
Wasn't it still destroyed in the end?
Although there were many reasons behind the fall of the Land of Whirlpools ranging from geopolitical pressure to coordinated assaults by multiple nations and although Konoha, as an ally, had played a less than glorious role during that period, the final outcome could not be denied.
Uzushiogakure was annihilated.
That fact alone illustrated the cruel reality of the shinobi world.
Across different regions, countless small nations had similarly disappeared into the long river of history. Some were wiped out entirely, while others were annexed and absorbed by stronger countries, becoming nameless territories on a map.
Menma's destination this time belonged to such a place.
It was a region that had once been part of a minor country, later annexed by the Land of Waterfalls roughly thirty to forty years ago.
The name of that country had long faded from common records.
At its peak, it had possessed only a handful of cities, with a population of roughly two to three hundred thousand people small, even by shinobi standards.
The reason Menma chose this location was very simple.
Despite its insignificance, that country had once safeguarded a highly valuable summoning contract scroll belonging to a rare summoning beast.
A contract tied to the Shōzaki Lizard.
This was something Menma had been planning to obtain even before leaving Konohagakure.
A powerful summoning beast could provide tremendous assistance to a shinobi.
Especially in large-scale battles or prolonged engagements, a massive and powerful summoned creature often served as a decisive trump card.
In fact, for shinobi who had reached Kage level, summoning beasts could still participate directly in combat as core forces.
Orochimaru's serpents.
Tsunade's Katsuyu.
Jiraiya's Gamabunta.
These summons all possessed combat capabilities comparable to Kage-class strength.
Before the battlefield evolved into the kind of high-speed, technique-dense combat seen in later eras, the strategic value of a summoning beast was simply unmatched.
As for the Shōzaki Lizard
Its true strength was not thoroughly depicted in known records, but from the scattered information Menma possessed, it was clearly far above ordinary summoning beasts.
Menma was not overly ambitious.
As long as its strength approached that of the Great Summoning Lands' upper-tier creatures, it would be more than sufficient.
Even if it fell short of that level, it would still be extremely valuable.
After all, summoning beasts were never limited to combat alone.
"Should be around here."
Relying on the intelligence he had obtained through Orochimaru and his own investigations, Menma arrived at the approximate location of the former country's capital ruins.
"This was the former capital?" Karin asked, looking toward the endless mountain range ahead with unconcealed doubt.
"Menma… shouldn't a capital be built on plains, or at least in a basin? This is a mountain range."
No matter how she looked at it, the terrain felt wrong.
"Haha," Menma chuckled lightly. "There's no precise record of where the capital actually stood. What we're looking for isn't the city ruins but the location of the Shōzaki Lizard."
He looked ahead calmly.
"Based on everything I've gathered, that summoning beast is somewhere in these mountains."
The memories from his previous life were vague—this had never been a central plot point but when combined with what he had confirmed in this world, he could narrow the location down to this general area.
"Ohhh…"
Karin nodded in understanding.
"Let's move," Menma said. "This mountain range is vast, but a summoning beast of that size can't completely conceal its chakra. Finding it is only a matter of time."
Both Menma and Karin possessed pure Uzumaki bloodlines.
Their sensory abilities alone were enough to cover an exaggeratedly large area.
Unless the Shōzaki Lizard wasn't here at all, it was impossible for it to escape their perception.
"Whoosh."
"Whoosh."
After entering the mountain range at high speed, the two split up.
There was no point in overlapping their sensory ranges.
A separate, carpet-style search would double efficiency.
Menma was confident
Under the combined sensory coverage of two Uzumaki, even a powerful summoning beast wouldn't remain hidden for long.
And indeed
Less than an hour later, Karin locked onto the target.
The two reunited and moved toward the massive concentration of chakra together.
When the structure finally came into view
A pitch-black, rust-stained castle-like structure stood silently before them.
Karin blinked in confusion.
"Menma… is this the Shōzaki Lizard?"
"Haha," Menma replied amusedly. "You were the one who located it. Why doubt yourself now?"
"But…" Karin frowned deeply. "Can a summoning beast turn itself into a castle?"
Her perception was flawless.
The structure before her matched perfectly with the immense chakra signature she had sensed earlier. Up close, the chakra felt even denser and more ancient.
Still
A living summoning beast disguising itself as a castle was… unsettling.
Menma, however, looked entirely unfazed.
After everything he knew from the shinobi world, this barely ranked as strange.
"Shōzaki Lizard," Menma said clearly. "I know this castle is merely your disguise. I've come to speak with you. I hope you'll give me the chance."
Summoning beasts were highly intelligent beings.
Menma had no concern about being misunderstood.
Although he had prepared for conflict, he preferred to resolve this without force if possible.
Unfortunately
The Shōzaki Lizard had no intention of responding.
More than ten minutes passed.
The castle remained silent and unmoving.
"…So it's ignoring me."
Menma sighed lightly.
It wasn't that the creature couldn't hear him.
It simply didn't care.
"Well then," Menma muttered inwardly, shaking his head, "looks like I'll have to be a bit more direct."
"Karin," he said calmly, turning to her. "Step back. I'll handle this."
Before coming here, Menma had already prepared himself mentally.
Earning the acknowledgment of a powerful summoning beast often required strength.
A weak shinobi could never gain the respect of such a creature.
"I know," Karin replied without hesitation.
In a battle like this, she wouldn't be able to interfere even if she wanted to.
"This is something you have to do alone."
She retreated to a safe distance.
"Be careful, Menma."
"Don't worry," Menma replied with a confident smile.
Once Karin had fully withdrawn
Menma's gaze sharpened.
"Snap!"
His hands clapped together.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Chakra surged violently as it was refined and shaped.
Thunder roared.
Under Menma's control, a massive lightning dragon formed high in the sky, its body crackling with destructive energy
And descended toward the silent black castle below.