Inside a small bamboo hut, Nagase Bizen sat draped in a snow-white coat, wearily leafing through a stack of books.
Although a roaring fire blazed in the hearth beside him, he still felt a lingering chill and couldn't help but shiver.
"Every time I read these, I find something new."
The books in his hands were novels and poetry written by Hoshino Mai before her death. In his loneliest moments, he would pore over them to honor the memory of his fallen comrade.
"Are you going to immerse yourself in this grief forever? Do you never intend to walk out?"
Shiraishi's voice arrived alongside the rustle of footsteps. Upon entering and seeing Bizen's melancholic, almost frail state, Shiraishi couldn't help but feel a flicker of irritation.
Compared to Ryoji Morimoto, this man was the epitome of excessive gentleness. He was even more naive than Shikasa, spending these past years stagnating in a prison of his own making.
Facing his teacher's arrival, Bizen rose slowly. His pale cheeks carried a sickly hue, a clear sign that his mental state was fragile.
"Teacher..."
Shiraishi ignored the greeting and sat down unceremoniously, sliding a document across the table. "Ryoji Morimoto has been stripped of his title as Fleet Admiral.
I have already submitted a recommendation to the Jonin Commander's office for the new Fleet Admiral. It will be you."
Bizen gave a bitter laugh and shook his head weakly. "In my current physical condition, how could I possibly manage the Marine Department... let alone compete with the internal factions?"
The Navy was rife with internal cliques. Although Bizen had previously headed the academy system in the Land of Rivers and had many former students under him, Morimoto's core loyalists were a far larger force.
Furthermore, the Jonin Commander's office and the ANBU were watching the Navy like hawks.
"Do you want to stay here for the rest of your life?"
Shiraishi stared at him. "Of the three of you, I originally had the highest hopes for Hoshino Mai because she was a genius. I felt the most pity for Morimoto because he grew up in such harsh conditions.
I never gave you as much attention—not because you weren't excellent, but because you were the most stable of the three."
Nagase Bizen was seasoned and steady; his "nice guy" temperament made him perfectly suited to stabilize the current Navy.
As for Ryoji Morimoto, as the first Fleet Admiral, he had played his part by ruthlessly offending various village factions to accelerate the Navy's construction, effectively paving the way for his successor. To be precise, Bizen was Shiraishi's true ideal for a long-term Fleet Admiral.
At the mention of his old comrade, Bizen let out a soft sigh...
Because his father had been persecuted by the Yamaji family, Morimoto had always pursued a philosophy of "might makes right."
After witnessing the death of their friend, Tokari Soji, during the Kusunoki incident, he had become deeply afraid of death. His desperate hunger for power eventually led him astray.
"The construction of the Navy is vital to the Sand's entire future grand strategic plan. Morimoto can be removed, but the Navy's development cannot stop. You must take up your role and your mission."
Under Shiraishi's piercing gaze, Bizen struggled with himself for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.
No matter what, the Navy was a project he had helped build with his own blood and sweat; he didn't want to see it collapse.
Soon, the official decree was issued within Sunagakure. Ryoji Morimoto was dismissed, and Nagase Bizen took over as Fleet Admiral.
Simultaneously, the three Admiral positions were filled by Ace, Uzumaki Tomoki, and another female Jonin, forming the new core leadership of the Navy.
Shadows Over the Continent
As the turmoil within the Navy subsided, the movements on the mainland remained ambiguous. According to intelligence from Orochimaru, while Ohnoki supported the "Konoha Crush" plan, the Stone Shinobi would never personally take the field.
The alliance between the three Great Shinobi Villages was a relationship that had to be maintained for now. As Ohnoki grew older and more infirm, his wariness and fear of the Sand Village increased daily.
"I hope the Fourth Shinobi World War breaks out while I am still alive."
At a high-level meeting of the Stone, Ohnoki—despite looking like a withered old man—spoke with absolute clarity.
"We must unite with the Leaf and the Cloud to crush the Sand from the ground. We cannot let their Navy lead us by the nose."
Ever since the Sand shifted part of its focus to the sea, the Cloud and the Leaf had, for some reason, also diverted their attention to maritime defense.
This infuriated the Land of Earth, which shared no maritime borders with the Land of Wind.
In their eyes, this was a Sand conspiracy: force the other villages to scatter their strength across the ocean while the Sand's true main force remained on land.
"Aside from the three Great Villages, we must also watch the Land of Rain."
At the mention of the Land of Rain, several Stone officials handed a report to Ohnoki. "Tsuchikage-sama, the Land of Rain has sent an envoy to discuss potential cooperation."
"The Land of Rain just leased the Peninsula Town to the Sand, and now they turn around to seek cooperation with us? Does such a small country really think it can play the Great Nations against each other to reap benefits from both sides?"
"No... the leader of the Rain leaked intelligence regarding the Peninsula Town. The geographical environment of that region is... unique."
The Land of Rain's proactive gesture—specifically leaking key intel about the base they had leased to Shiraishi—indicated that Nagato was now extremely uneasy about the Sand's expansion.
For the Akatsuki to collect the Tailed Beasts, they had to start with the One-Tails. But Sunagakure was currently the most formidable and difficult power to deal with in the shinobi world.
While the time to execute their plan hadn't arrived, the Akatsuki needed to consider how to weaken the Sand's strength.
On this issue, Konan and Nagato remained puzzled: why was the mysterious "Mr. Madara" still so obsessed with orchestrating the conflict between the Leaf and the Uchiha?
Didn't he understand? The strongest village in the world right now was the Sand, and their most troublesome opponent was the Kazekage. How much strength did the Leaf even have left?
If the conflict between the Uchiha and the Leaf leadership exploded now, the balance of power on the continent would be instantly shattered.
"Nagato, do you really believe a struggle between the Uchiha and the Leaf will trigger the Fourth World War?"
The emaciated Nagato sighed. "If the Leaf continues to weaken, it will be the perfect opportunity for the Sand to unify the shinobi world."
Regardless of how the Uchiha-Leaf confrontation ended, the result would favor the Sand. Uchiha Kaede and Shiraishi saw this clearly, which was why they were pushing the conflict toward the breaking point.
"What does that 'Madara' say?"
"He says he hasn't been causing trouble in the Leaf lately."
Although Obito didn't consider himself a scholar and admitted he sometimes acted impulsively, he wasn't blind to the big picture.
With Zetsu and those around him reminding him, he could see the situation. The current internal chaos of the Uchiha—cross his heart—honestly had nothing to do with him.
"Then who the hell is pulling the strings!?"
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