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"Petty little tricks, calling me Usurper. The so-called Five Great Nations can only show their powerlessness like this now."
Hearing his new title, Doto Kazahana didn't even bother to be angry.
As for the blockade of trade routes, the man called Kūjin had foreseen that move long before the war started. The Land of Snow was an overseas territory with scarce resources; its problems had been clear from the beginning.
The guy with the swirl-patterned mask also had ways to bring in supplies.
And how long could this so‑called blockade really last?
Once a ship left port, no one could truly control where it went.
Just endure for a year… That was what Doto thought—until the very next month, when he realized not a single ship was heading for the islands under the Land of Snow's control. It didn't affect the current situation yet, but a faint sense of unease took root in his chest.
"About this, I've already investigated it and was just about to report to you."
Kūjin's voice came from the doorway.
Orochimaru stepped into the room. His posture remained humble, but a playful glint flickered in his eyes.
"All the mainland ports now have shinobi from the Five Great Ninja Villages. It seems they've reached a consensus to inspect the cargo on outbound ships and confirm their destinations."
"As for the surrounding islands… they've invited shinobi from Kumogakure to help patrol their waters, and those shinobi are also conducting surveillance."
As he briefed Doto on the situation, Orochimaru inwardly praised the strategy.
The fact that the daimyo of the Land of Snow was a usurper waging a war of annihilation against the island nations had stirred deep disgust toward the Land of Snow among the other daimyo.
In the ninja world, Daimyo, who lacked personal strength, relied on two things to maintain their status: first, that shinobi were not suited to governance; second, their own legitimacy.
The Land of Snow was a distant, overseas country, and there were no major conflicts of interest forcing them to suppress that resentment.
That made it all the more natural for the ninja villages in their countries to cooperate with Konoha's actions.
Seizing the opportunity under the banner of the Joint Ninja Bureau, they ostensibly "inspected" outbound ships, but in reality, they were steadily expanding the Bureau's reach and authority.
Rather than returning to the old, crude methods of direct suppression, they simply ignored any objections and kept doing exactly what they had planned from the start.
'You're becoming more and more interesting, Roshi‑kun.'
——
Rōshi neither knew nor cared what was going through Orochimaru's mind.
He had returned, after a long absence, to the Land of Lightning—Kumogakure.
"This time, Kumogakure is helping you do what you want again, Rōshi."
In the Raikage's office, A's voice was low.
"However, the threat Kumogakure faces is not over yet."
"Under this kind of blockade, the enemy hasn't made a single move. That means they were prepared long ago—and they've already arranged other channels to bring in supplies."
"When they move again, the one that'll take the direct hit will be Kumogakure, Rōshi."
"Don't tell me they're satisfied with just those few islands. If they were, there'd be no need for them to use such methods."
Rōshi answered, "Yes, but when the enemy is far across the sea and possesses great power, our options are extremely limited."
"And for a small country to dare challenge the Five Great Nations, the ways they could do it are only so many."
The Raikage's gaze slid to Mabui at his side.
The Heavenly Transfer Technique—Kumogakure's unique space-time teleportation—could serve as an emergency method to transport supplies at critical moments.
But even the Heavenly Transfer Technique couldn't move enough resources to support an entire nation, not even a small one.
"Space–Time Ninjutsu, huh…"
"Yes," Rōshi said. "But even the strongest Space–Time Ninjutsu can't create supplies out of thin air. The materials needed to build airships and ninja tools don't just grow on their own."
"So they have other procurement points."
The Raikage's voice turned cold. "Even the Five Great Ninja Villages can't control every merchant."
"True, we can't control everyone—nor do we need to," Rōshi replied with a faint smile. "All major commodity shipments in the ninja world are guarded by ninja. If non-ninja handle security, there's no way to guarantee safety."
"So what we need to do is actually very simple: share information with each other about the types of escort missions—whether they're bound overseas or staying on the continent."
"That way, we can track the movement of critical materials."
"And then control them."
The Raikage studied him in silence for a long moment.
"Do you take me for a fool, Rōshi? What you're talking about isn't just tracking cargo."
"You're talking about the mission system itself."
"Raikage-sama, this is a problem we'll have to face sooner or later," Rōshi said quietly. "Last year, Kumogakure accepted a mission to locate Koyuki Kazahana, which clashed with Konoha's objective. Kumogakure can back down once, back down twice, and Konoha can respond in kind—yield once, yield twice…"
"But what happens when it happens too many times, Raikage-sama?"
"Low-ranked missions are handled by quota, so there's no real risk of conflict. But high-level missions mostly come from rich merchants and influential figures. Under the current system, there's no way to restrict who takes them."
"The alliance and cooperation between Konoha and Kumogakure is worth far more than a few hundred million ryō."
"Sharing mission information can effectively avoid conflicts between the two sides and keep others from exploiting us. It's in the best interests of both Konoha and Kumogakure."
A narrowed his eyes at Roshi. "What's next? You're not planning to link Konoha's and Kumogakure's mission systems, are you?"
"Our mission system still contains many national secrets."
Roshi shook his head. "That part can stay separate. What I'm proposing is a new system, only for commissions from outside our countries—one that both sides can access."
He continued, tone earnest. "In the old era, ninja fought each other because that's what their employers wanted."
"In the Hidden Villages, ninjas fought for the interests of their own village."
"There was no way out of the Ninja World's wars. That's why you chose an alliance with Konoha—and over these past few years, you haven't wavered or backed down, no matter the pressure."
"Now both sides are trying to let go of old hatred and build a deeper understanding. Should we really go back, and once again throw ourselves into a cycle of killing just because a client demands it?"
"Maybe one day, the relationship between Konoha and Kumogakure will break apart. But I hope that won't be this year, or next year. That's why I brought up an idea that I know will be controversial, even inside the village."
A fell silent, studying the man in front of him.
"Are all Senju who use Wood Release this whimsical?" he muttered.
"We have to at least try," Roshi replied. "What if it works?"
"Not now," the Raikage answered. "Even if I agreed to your proposal, the area we could actually control would only cover Kumogakure and Konoha."
"It's impossible to pull the other villages in on this alone."
"It's enough that Your Excellency the Raikage is willing to even consider it," Roshi said. "Besides, what I want to discuss this time isn't just that."
"According to the information from the bureau team's first investigation, they were hit by powerful Storm Release attacks, and there was a thin mist hanging over the sea at the time."
A already understood. After the Bureau's investigation team had pulled back, someone had reported the situation to him.
Hiding in Mist Technique, combined with Storm Release.
For ninja who relied on ships for transport and had to fight at sea, that was a terrible matchup.
So last month, he hadn't launched any reckless attacks. Instead, he chose to fully back Roshi in expanding the Bureau's authority and enforcing a blockade.
As long as the Land of Snow couldn't sit still and was forced out to fight, the closer they came to shore, the more tactics Kumogakure could use—and the smaller their losses would be.
As for a frontal assault? If the Land of Lightning attacked alone with such limited intel, the casualties would likely be severe. And as for the other Great Ninja Villages… the Land of Snow sat in the northeastern waters off the Land of Lightning, far too distant from the other four great nations.
The fact that they could even implement such a strict blockade now was already a major show of cooperation from the other four Great Ninja Villages under the joint framework.
Had this happened two years earlier, some villages might have even sent supplies to the Land of Snow.
"You have a way to handle it," A said to Rōshi, his tone certain.
"It's not exactly a solution," Rōshi replied, "but before coming here, I went to the people of Sunagakure. They're willing to dispatch their Aerial Units to assist."
The Raikage's eyes widened.
—
Hiruko had once believed that after completing the Chimera Technique, he would have no more rivals. Even those three known as the Sannin would no longer be his match.
Back then, he dreamed of conquering the world—
Of making everyone see how far a weak person could go through his own efforts.
But the power of the Rinnegan was overwhelming.
Even with the Chimera Technique, he couldn't stand against its wielder, the leader called Pain. And although he had been forced into the organization, Akatsuki had at least helped him complete his forbidden technique—and even produced a Sharingan from somewhere, making all his earlier preparations feel pointless.
So Hiruko could accept remaining in Akatsuki like this, even if it meant waiting around on an airship.
His only real regret was not getting the chance to beat up Orochimaru.
The organization now strictly forbade internal fighting; even Kakuzu hadn't turned in a comrade for a bounty in a long time.
At that moment, the airship began to move. Hiruko stepped out of his luxurious private room. After a month of silence, Kumogakure was finally taking action again, and they were heading out to intercept.
"I wonder if it's that so‑called joint team again this time," Biwa Jūzō said, appearing at his side.
"The ninja world today is truly incomprehensible. In my time, when ninja from Kirigakure and other villages met, there was only slaughter."
Hiruko didn't answer. He walked to the airship's porthole and gazed out over the sea.
A shout came from the control room. "Abnormal units approaching from high altitude!"
Jūzō immediately stepped out through the cabin hatch. The sea breeze rushed against his face as he tilted his head back to look at the sky.
Above the clouds, dozens of dark shapes were moving.
"That is..."
"Sunagakure actually dispatched an Aerial Unit to assist," Jūzō clicked his tongue. "That trade really was a failure. We handed the Sky Ninja over to Sunagakure, and now they're being used against us.
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