UK:GSW Chapter 397 – The Second Shinobi World, the Return of Healthy Nagato
Of course, it wasn't as if the entire Shinobi World could be seen in real time. For example, large areas of open ocean had no floating base stations at all. Those regions were prone to hurricanes—and once a hurricane formed, even platforms floating ten thousand meters high would not be safe.
Still, for the Shinobi Continent itself, the network now covered over 99% of the land. The few places not yet included were either uninhabited deserts or remote mountains and forests where constant signal coverage was unnecessary. If needed, a few floating base stations could simply be moved there temporarily.
In short, the coverage was more than enough for Uchiha Kei and his team's needs.
With the Genjutsu Network now spanning nearly the whole continent, Rōran could finally maintain a 24-hour bottom-layer connection. Through the portal, the signal could also be maintained to link directly with the Second World.
The happiest party besides Konoha was the Land of Snow. This nation had pledged loyalty early on, and with Konoha's help had avoided political turmoil. Now, having connected to the Genjutsu Network's main infrastructure, it could keep in close contact with Konoha at all times.
The Land of Snow's daimyō, Kazahana Koyuki, immediately moved to deepen cooperation—seeking more trade with Konoha and requesting more Konoha personnel to be stationed there for security and advisory roles.
When it came to clinging to a stronger power, Koyuki's skill was unmatched.
Naturally, Konoha did not refuse. They swiftly integrated the Land of Snow into Konoha's development plans via the Genjutsu Network. In return, the Land of Snow's railway expertise would be used to build lines across the Land of Fire, with teams of Snow Country specialists sent to assist.
In fact, this arrangement had been agreed upon long before. The successful deployment of the Genjutsu Network merely signaled the official start of the railway project.
With Konoha as the central hub, four railway lines would radiate across the Land of Fire. The total length exceeded ten thousand kilometers—an unprecedented undertaking in the history of the Shinobi World.
Constructing four major lines at once would require staggering amounts of funding and resources, not to mention enormous manpower. In any normal feudal-era state, such a project would be impossible. Midway through, the strain on the populace could spark uprisings that would topple the ruler.
But now, Konoha could handle it with ease—almost without affecting civilian life.
Konoha's finances were vast, its capacity to mobilize resources unmatched, and thanks to Orochimaru's plant growth catalyst, food shortages were no concern. Grain production was so high that even massive infrastructure projects couldn't trigger famine.
If anything was lacking, it was meat. Livestock and poultry farming had not yet expanded in proportion to grain production. To address this, Konoha had already allocated zones in towns and villages for livestock farming, feeding animals with grain grown via Orochimaru's catalyst.
With the Shinobi World's supernatural productivity, this was only the beginning. Meat production was expected to skyrocket this year and double again next year.
These were simple facts, not exaggerations—especially since Orochimaru's improved stamina tonic could also be used on animals without harmful side effects, drastically increasing breeding rates. For animal husbandry, this was a game-changing miracle.
All of this unfolded as the Genjutsu Network's coverage went live—and naturally, the world noticed Konoha's rapid growth.
As for the network itself, most major powers weren't overly concerned. Konoha hadn't announced the full-world coverage, and regions beyond the Land of Fire's sphere of influence hadn't been activated. Those areas still had no access to the network.
While the Land of Snow had connected, Konoha had publicly framed it as a minor technical breakthrough—enough for a remote, resource-poor nation to link with them. Isolated and snowbound, the Land of Snow wasn't seen as strategically valuable, and without its Konoha ties, most would have ignored it.
The real topic of discussion was the joint Konoha–Snow Country railway project. Many thought Konoha had lost its senses from recent success.
Building four rail lines at once would consume massive resources. And for what? Railways couldn't significantly boost shinobi mobility—the fastest ninja could easily outpace Snow Country's steam trains.
At best, trains benefited ordinary civilians, with little direct value to shinobi operations. Worse, the lines would extend into territories under the Land of Fire's daimyō, likely provoking his displeasure. If tensions escalated, the whole Shinobi World would laugh at the fallout.
Some, however, were uneasy. They suspected Konoha had a hidden agenda—or that this was part of a larger development plan, one worth ignoring conventional wisdom for.
After all, trains' transport capacity was immense, though in wartime, shinobi had more efficient methods like sealing scrolls and summoning techniques. The real benefit of trains was in urban construction and civilian development.
Many concluded Konoha's motive was simple: accelerate national growth.
Yet most still saw it as folly. They believed Konoha was racing down the wrong path—pouring immense resources into an unneeded, risky system. Trains could even aid enemy infiltration: a few shinobi slipping aboard a train could sneak into Konoha undetected and cause massive damage.
Thus, most treated the railway as a joke, with some eagerly watching the Land of Fire's capital for a clash between the daimyō and Konoha.
In truth, the daimyō was furious, outraged at Konoha's unilateral action. But he hid it, believing this was the decisive phase of his coup plan. He intended to lure Konoha's leadership to the capital and eliminate them.
What he didn't know was that every move he made was under White Zetsu's surveillance—and that Konoha already knew of his scheme.
The sudden launch of the railway project without even notifying him was a deliberate show of defiance, baiting him into making the first move.
Konoha's leadership was more than ready. If the daimyō acted, they would have grounds to execute a "purge the court of traitors" operation—a Shinobi World version of the Jingnan Campaign.
They didn't plan to abolish the daimyō system outright, but they were prepared to implement a shogunate model, leaving the daimyō as a figurehead while placing real power in the shogunate's hands. In the feudal mindset, this still "respected" the daimyō while ensuring effective control.
To outsiders, it would simply look like Konoha was restraining an uncooperative ruler—not dismantling the old order.
However, like all things in feudal politics, the daimyō's actions were painfully slow. Though resolved to act, he kept stalling, waiting for the "perfect" moment, never sending the invitation.
Konoha had no choice but to wait.
And then, while they were waiting, something happened—this time in the Second Shinobi World.
Amid the storm brewing in the main world, Nagato reappeared in the Second World.
But this was no crippled figure hidden behind the Six Paths of Pain. This was Healthy Nagato—his body restored and massively strengthened by White Zetsu's cells.
No longer forced to control the Deva Path from afar, this Nagato was the equivalent of the Edo Tensei version who had absorbed tailed beast chakra in the original story—his true power far surpassing the Six Paths of Pain combined.
His chakra reserves had exploded in volume thanks to the enhancements, and his strength had reached epic levels.
For his return debut, Nagato struck the Hidden Cloud Village, launching a surprise attack on its rear lines. His target: the perfect jinchūriki, Killer B, the adoptive younger brother of the Fourth Raikage, A.
A fierce battle erupted. Before the Raikage could arrive, Nagato seized an unconscious Killer B.
But as in the "original," Killer B deliberately left behind a severed tentacle from Gyūki, transformed into a clone of himself. Nagato took it and left—fooled completely.
Even the Raikage was deceived, believing his beloved brother had been taken by Akatsuki.
Enraged beyond measure, the Fourth Raikage vowed to rescue his brother at all costs and make Akatsuki pay dearly. On the spot, he called for a Five Kage Summit to discuss a joint strategy against Akatsuki.
In truth, the Cloud had been considering action against Akatsuki for some time—especially since Konoha had previously shared intelligence revealing Akatsuki's role in multiple jinchūriki disappearances.
But until now, other priorities had kept them from acting.
Now, with his brother "taken," Raikage A was done hesitating. Akatsuki was about to face the full wrath of the Five Great Nations.
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