In the wake of the Obito incident, the tension between Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha clan eased slightly, but it was far from a total resolution.
The friction, deeply rooted since the founding of the village, remained. Even with a "scapegoat" provided, the scars of mistrust ran deep—a development Uchiha Itachi had not fully anticipated.
Despite his desperate efforts to alter the course of history, the fundamental opposition between the Uchiha and the village endured.
Obito's true identity remained a mystery; whether he was a fake calling himself Uchiha Madara or not, he was still undeniably of Uchiha blood.
That was a fact that could not be changed in the eyes of the village elders.
Within the clan, the events of that night were known only to Fugaku, Kaede, and Itachi. The rest of the clansmen remained oblivious, and even if they had known, it wouldn't have quelled their burning desire for a coup.
Houzuki Kaigetsu, operating as the Mizukage, saw through the situation clearly: "The conflict will only continue to deepen.
They've avoided a clash for now, but a final confrontation is inevitable." He then looked toward Uchiha Kaede. "Especially with Danzo around; things will never end simply."
Kaede sat silently across from him. The phantom genjutsu seal Obito had placed on him was still there, but after a massive surge of chakra to forcibly shatter it, he regained his composure, looking somewhat exhausted.
While the Ace cells bolstered his fire control, the drain of the Mangekyo Sharingan was still immense.
The "Fire Sage Body" focused more on explosive output than the sheer restorative resilience of the Wood Style.
Because Obito had escaped and the mystery remained unsolved, suspicion lingered. Danzo, for one, was convinced the masked man was merely a pawn presented by the Uchiha to take the blame.
Shiraishi's hand glowed with a specialized healing light as he treated Kaede. "Next, we build your momentum."
In the near future, the Sand's Marine Department would initiate a series of operations on Ryuri Island, and Kaede would need to play his part in a coordinated "performance."
Shiraishi explained, "A genius with a Mangekyo Sharingan even greater than Itachi's, a pure practitioner of Fire Style who prioritizes the clan—such a figure will become the beacon of hope for the entire Uchiha family."
Rumors of Fugaku's secret negotiations with the Leaf high command had "accidentally" leaked, leading to widespread dissatisfaction within the clan. T
o the proud Uchiha, such "defeatist" behavior was unacceptable. Shiraishi's plan was to position Kaede as the next candidate for Clan Head.
Fugaku, wavering and unwilling to commit to total war, was becoming an obstacle. Pushing Kaede to the forefront was the logical next step.
The Second Mirror
Setting aside the Uchiha affairs, Hagoromo Matou spoke up: "How is the progress on the new memory organization?"
"The second set of memories is nearly processed; the repair will be finished soon."
Among the six mirrors in Shiraishi's mental space, the second was approaching completion. Since the first mirror (Fire Fist Ace) had granted Kaede a powerful Sage Body, the other split consciousnesses were eager to see what the next coordinate held.
However, memory reconstruction was a meticulous task. The second mirror was currently at 98% completion.
The original owner of these memories was a Master Pastry Chef in his previous life—many of Shiraishi's culinary skills were derived from this source.
"Ace was stable and had no anti-social tendencies, but that doesn't mean the next one will be the same," Shiraishi warned.
Kaigetsu was surprised. "Did you find something in the fragments?"
"Compared to the last transmigrator who died from the shockwave of Ace's fire, this one was even unluckier. He was killed on the street by a stray shockwave from a sword strike that slit his throat."
The original owner had died just days after arriving in that world, so Shiraishi couldn't confirm much about the setting yet.
However, the fact that a stray gust from a blade could slit a throat from a distance spoke volumes about the power of the swordsmen in that realm.
Consequently, most of the memories in the second mirror belonged to the "Earth" side of the man's life. Aside from being a pastry chef, he had been a polymath and a university professor.
Much of Shiraishi's logistical and administrative knowledge was borrowed from this man's intellect.
To open the "Crossing Barrier" a second time, Shiraishi would need to activate the three great gates again, using the energy of the three oceanic whirlpools to construct a complete Natural Dragon Vein force.
He estimated it would take another two years to prepare the energy for another few seconds of access.
The Admiral's Cloak
At the Marine Department headquarters in the Land of Kusunoki, Ace put on his Admiral's cloak with a look of pure disdain.
"No matter what world I'm in, why is it always this style of clothing?"
The cloak was nearly identical to a Marine coat from his own world, lacking only the word "Justice" on the back.
He wondered who had the twisted sense of humor to design this uniform. In the Sand's version, the characters for "Shinobi Way" were embroidered on the back, a design personally chosen by Shiraishi.
In the next room, Uzumaki Tomoki was also donning the same uniform. On his first day at the Marine Department, he had arrived as a "parachuted" Admiral.
Alongside him were the mysterious Ace and the veteran Nagase Bizen. This "Airborne Command" was set to take over the Navy.
Tomoki's job would be the hardest: he was in charge of the newly established Intelligence Division.
As he walked through the halls, the wary gazes of the veteran soldiers and staff made him realize just how difficult this mission would be.
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