In the southern ancient castle of the Land of Vegetables, the main forces of the Dojari clan were annihilated. Arakawa Arashi and Morimoto Ryoji quickly secured the situation, though the death of Dojari Souji cast a long shadow over their victory.
The Eight Heavens Breathing he left behind became a heavy, profound legacy in Ryoji's hands.
There was little time for mourning. Using the black sword left by Ryoji's father as a key, they breached the inner sanctum. The sword acted as a lynchpin for a massive sealing formation, successfully suppressing and re-sealing the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
During the journey back to the Sand, Arashi caught sight of Yamaji Mochun's corpse drifting on the sea. The lingering traces of unique, frozen blue-flame energy told him everything he needed to know about who had finished the battle.
Because the clan head, Taro, had been stripped of his power and their elites wiped out, the remaining Dojari clansmen surrendered.
Out of respect for the late Souji—who had died protecting the interests of the New Hidden Sand and gifted the village a transcendent Taijutsu—Shiraishi chose not to pursue further retribution against the clan.
With the Eight Heavens Breathing, Ryoji's physical prowess grew at an explosive rate, to the point where even Hoshino Mai found it difficult to suppress her rapidly advancing teammate.
As the dust settled in the Land of Vegetables, the island returned to its former tranquility, as if the natural energy disaster had never occurred.
In the Kazekage's office, Shiraishi looked at his two somber subordinates. He waved his hand, granting them an extended leave to adjust their mindsets. One had lost a childhood love; the other, a dear friend.
Meanwhile, the death of Yamaji Mochun (Mochiharu) threw the Yamaji clan into chaos. Having lost two heads within a single year, the clan's internal power struggles accelerated their decline. With the region stabilized, the Sea Train Project finally commenced.
The first phase aimed to link the Land of Rivers, the Land of Vegetables, and the Land of Wind with a massive maritime rail system.
Shiraishi envisioned a future where transport capacity would increase fivefold. However, construction was grueling; it took half a year just to complete the first track between the Land of Rivers and Vegetables.
During these six months, the Akatsuki developed in the shadows. With the addition of Orochimaru and others, their strength peaked.
Shiraishi utilized them as a mercenary group, assigning missions specifically designed to sabotage the Hidden Cloud's maritime trade and land interests.
Shiraishi had not forgotten Raikage Ai's betrayal at the Five Kage Summit. Though the Cloud was physically distant, he orchestrated several incidents to bleed them.
The most significant occurred in August of Konoha Year 48 in the Land of Fangs. The local populace, unable to endure the Daimyo's oppression, overthrew him.
The exiled Daimyo fled to his old ally, the Land of Lightning, for help. The Raikage sent a squad to suppress the rebellion, assuming a single team could handle a local uprising.
But this was no ordinary revolt.
A group of rogue samurai and ninjas in the Land of Fangs had formed a small "Fang Ninja Village." They ambushed and repelled the Cloud squad. An enraged Raikage Ai prepared a larger deployment, suspecting an outside influence.
By the time the Cloud reacted, the Sand had already moved. A massive "Friendly Exchange Delegation" traveled across the continent to the Land of Fangs, establishing a partnership and leasing three Mechanical Dragon puppets to the Fang Village.
The Cloud possessed electromagnetic weaponry, but it paled in comparison to the aerial dominance of the Dragons.
Under Sand training, the Fang ninjas became elusive; they used Tailed Beast Bomb volleys to clear the field and then engaged in guerrilla sniping, never meeting the Cloud forces in a direct head-on confrontation.
When the Raikage demanded Shiraishi cease his support, the Kazekage's office issued a lukewarm statement: "The Sand is not involved in inter-village disputes; the leasing of puppets is merely a friendly private-sector exchange."
Under the table, the Sand poured in explosive tags and kunai. Even Konoha, seeing an opportunity to weaken the Cloud, provided covert aid.
For two months, the Cloud poured men and resources into a conflict they couldn't win. Eventually, Konoha and the Sand stepped in as "mediators."
In the Land of Iron, representatives from the four parties sat down. The Cloud and the Land of Lightning were forced to swallow their pride and recognize the new regime in the Land of Fangs. Shiraishi hailed it as a "symbol of peace."
The Eve of the Nine-Tails
By the time the diplomatic dust settled, it was October of Konoha Year 48. Uzumaki Kushina, wife of the Fourth Hokage, was in the final days of her pregnancy.
The birth of a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was a matter of extreme gravity. During pregnancy, the seal weakens as energy is diverted to the fetus.
The Third Hokage arranged for a delivery room outside the village, protected by powerful barriers and elite Anbu. Biwako Sarutobi and the Anbu medic Taji were to assist, while Minato remained by Kushina's side to maintain the seal.
In the Uchiha district, Uchiha Kaede was on duty.
"Kaede, are you the one on shift tonight?" Uchiha Mikoto asked. She was carrying the infant Uchiha Sasuke in her arms.
"Yes, Lady Mikoto."
"I'd like to go for a walk. Accompany me for a bit."
Having recently given birth, Mikoto required a skilled guardian for security. As Kaede was the only high-level operative currently on duty at the station, he followed her out.
Kaede walked silently behind Mikoto, his expression unreadable. Suddenly, Mikoto stopped. Approaching them from the opposite direction was her dear friend, Uzumaki Kushina...
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