svetikya Chapter 527 Between the Sea and the Sky
Chapter 527 Between the Sea and the Sky
Chapter 527 Between the Sea and the Sky
Nagato was displeased with the results of his personal investigation.
He surveyed the seven island regions closest to the mainland in the body of Pain Deva.
There was no other way; the islands were scattered across the vast ocean, and no one else could match his speed and efficiency.
Even though he set out in person, the details of what he gained remained unclear.
If the intelligence relayed back by the Joint Affairs Bureau is accurate, it means one thing: the other side is either hiding beneath the ocean or in the sky.
With the power of the Heavenly Way, ascending to the heavens is not difficult, nor is entering the sea.
However, checking each case one by one would take too long, and time is exactly what Nagato lacks most right now.
He needs to use Shennong.
Nagato contacted Shennong, who had been lying low on the island for the past two years, developing the Hidden Village, through the ring.
Although he was using the air ninja, he was only using a small number of people. Now it was time to put the enemy's real armed forces to use.
"Search the waters and skies in the near-shore area to determine whether there are any forces outside the organization."
Shennong's response was straightforward: "Yes, Chief."
Although Shennong did not refuse, Nagato was not entirely at ease. According to Konoha's intelligence, in addition to murder and plunder, the other side had also kidnapped people.
Based on his understanding, Shennong's Zero Tail actually has a need for dark power, that is, negative emotions.
His flying fortress and Zero Tail are essentially devices that use living people as dry cell batteries.
In the past, Nagato wouldn't have cared about these things. To achieve ultimate peace, the sacrifices along the way were merely a necessary price to pay.
It is different now.
Akatsuki has entered a new phase. It has established order overseas, provided refuge for exiled ninjas, and brought order and peace to the chaotic islands.
Now that order has been established, there is no reason for people's lives to be wasted needlessly.
Moreover, from another perspective, Shennong was brought back by that person. When that man who called himself Uchiha Madara was active in the organization, Shennong was closer to him, Zetsu, and Orochimaru than to other members.
The man who claimed to be Madara is now dead, and Zetsu and Orochimaru have both left. Shennong, however, is still alive.
He remained silent for two years, behaving like a dutiful person. But was this quietude a sign of giving up hope in another direction, or was he waiting for new connections?
Nagato is unsure which possibility it is.
So he contacted Hiruko again: "You and Shennong will go together to investigate newly emerging forces overseas."
"Yes."
Nagato then made his point even clearer.
"Survey him and find out exactly what he's doing."
Hiruko, sitting opposite the ring, had no further questions: "I understand."
Although Hiruko was also recommended to the organization by Orochimaru, his achievements depended on the organization, and he also needed to rely on the organization more.
More importantly, Beiliuhu had no needs from ordinary people, and he and Shennong did not share any common interests in this regard.
Moreover, entering the air fortress requires good mobility. Hiruko's abilities are well-balanced in all aspects, and he can handle most situations as long as he doesn't encounter someone of Shuji's caliber.
After the investigation tasks were arranged...
A person who always considers himself a god realizes that he is already using the mindset of a weigher to balance the power of his subordinates.
To build all of this himself, he had to confront the rules and calculations he had once scoffed at.
Under pressure, constraints, and doubts, he could no longer make a decisive decision by force.
He could no longer rely solely on Xiao Nan and those two or three truly trustworthy core members to inspect the entire territory under his jurisdiction.
The territory has expanded to this extent, from the southernmost islands of the continent to the northernmost Snow Country, a span that is simply too far.
It was so far that he realized he hadn't set foot on that snow-covered land for almost three months.
The Land of Snow. Orochimaru has fled, but the laboratory he left behind has been ransacked. The man named Fuuka Nutō still holds the title of Daimyo and nominally manages everything in this icy land.
That tyrant was both foolish and arrogant, and could be easily crushed a second time, so he never paid much attention to him.
But it's been three months now. How long has that idiot Feng Hua Nu Tao tolerated this attack, which occurred right under his nose? How many underhanded tricks has he pulled?
Nagato closed her eyes.
Shuji sent someone to deliver a chakra camera.
He spent two months figuring out its principles, and then another four months improving it using his own methods.
The black stick serves as the hub for information transmission, while the camera acts as the terminal. By simply establishing a signal receiving station on each island, the images captured by all the terminals can be aggregated into its field of view.
Mass production has begun. Construction of the signal receiving stations will still take time.
Let's be patient for another month or two. Once this surveillance network is fully in place, there will be no blind spots in his order.
News from overseas couldn't be sent back immediately, and the results of the investigations by the Konoha's secret agents wouldn't arrive too quickly either.
But the harassment faced by coastal residents is a current reality. Even if the nobles are behind it with their machinations and schemes, the Joint Affairs Bureau cannot remain inactive in the open.
Therefore, Kakashi Hatake still needs to make personnel adjustments and deployments.
He summoned Wu Gou.
When the young man from Kusagakure entered the office, he was upright and his steps were steady.
Even when facing the Director of the Joint Affairs Bureau, he showed no sign of unease, only a seriousness and restraint befitting his age.
The son of the leader of Kusagakure was also the most outstanding in terms of both talent and ability among all the ninjas sent to the Bureau of Affairs outside of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Two years is enough time to change many things. The internal purge that swept through the Bureau of Affairs resulted in the transfer and exile of personnel from the five major ninja villages who had joined earlier, which in turn created opportunities for new recruits from other villages to advance.
Aside from the representatives of the five major ninja villages who still hold core authority second only to the director, ninjas from villages like Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Yugakure have gradually established themselves in the various departments under the Secretariat.
"Chief." Wugou awaited Kakashi's instructions.
Kakashi handed him the mission briefing and waited for him to open it before explaining.
"The areas attacked are scattered, and the coastline is too long. Judging from the distribution of hotspots, they are concentrated in the west of the land of rivers, forming a continuous area."
"This includes the countries west of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth."
"The teams directly under the Secretariat are far from enough to set up such a wide defense line."
After reviewing the briefing, Wugou asked, "Are the ninjas from Sunagakure and Iwagakure unable to provide assistance?"
Kakashi stated frankly, "To be clear, there are some potential problems with this matter."
"Since the martial arts competition with Akatsuki was canceled, the other side has been behaving themselves for so long that they are more cautious about sending ninjas to participate in matters that may involve disputes between daimyo."
"Furthermore, the allocation plan for the secretariat's funds pool has reverted to the original version."
"Expecting them to shift military forces to areas outside their territory is unrealistic unless it's a direct statement from the Hokage's office."
"Konoha hopes that the Joint Affairs Bureau can become a place where all ninjas can feel a sense of belonging."
"To achieve this goal, more villages need to participate in the affairs of the secretariat."
Wu Gou understood.
This requires him to coordinate with those smaller ninja villages to mobilize more manpower.
Most of the village leaders are survivors of the Fourth Shinobi World War, and they still retain a strong sense of vigilance. They readily accept being asked to send people into the secret service.
But it wouldn't be so easy to redeploy troops to the point of shaking the foundation of the village.
The current defense needs require precisely this level of preparedness.
Wu Gou did not respond immediately. He went through the briefing again from beginning to end, checking every record, before asking his question.
"What specific hidden dangers are you referring to?"
Kakashi said, "The risk of being eliminated."
"The deployed troops need to remain in place for an extended period until the mastermind behind the operation is identified. Funding is not a concern, but any shift in stance will inevitably lead to a final reckoning."
At this moment, Director Hatake's tone sounded somewhat cold.
"So it won't just be a peaceful garrison. There will be non-combat losses."
"Until it is finally confirmed that even if ninjas adopt a new way of life, it will not have a devastating impact on peace and order, we must all accept the limitations."
"But completely shutting down all possibilities will lead to the same terrible result. So do you understand?"
Wu Gou was able to become someone who directly faces the director within the past two years, which shows that he has been examined and tested.
He and his father, Wuwei, were once people who were willing to sacrifice everything for peace.
Even though the peace at that time was based on the fact that Kusagakure was in charge.
However, over the years, Mugou has come to see things very clearly. For ninjas outside the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Joint Affairs Bureau is the only way forward.
So he simply nodded: "I will inform my father to send more people, and I will also negotiate with others to provide manpower."
Kakashi said softly, "Thank you very much."
Wu Gou said, "This is also an opportunity for us to receive a generous salary for a period of time."
Kakashi then made his apology a reality.
"This could be the beginning of your village's decline. I'm truly sorry to have you do this yourself."
Wu Gou's face remained unmoved.
"If that future is destined to come, at least Konoha has given Kusagakure the opportunity to gain a position first."
After saying this, he bowed and turned to leave the office.
Kakashi sat back down in his chair, and not long after, Itachi walked in from the doorway.
"Yamato-senpai has sent an intelligence report."
Kakashi lifted his head from the back of the chair and sighed.
"—Hopefully, this isn't some new problem that's arisen."
"Takenori and Kazumi did not tell us anything more about them, and the content of their discussion this time was the same as last time."
Hiashi Hyuga gave a full report in the Hokage's office.
He will depart for home tomorrow.
Shuji leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on Hiashi.
"Is there no topic about foreign visitors to the bamboo tug tribe?"
"Yes. The focus this time is still on the invitation." Hiashi lowered his gaze slightly. "Because the Sixth Hokage had previously instructed me, I did not directly refuse this time."
Shuji watched Hiashi with great interest, waiting for what was to come.
Hiashi remained calm under that gaze. The Sixth Hokage before him had rendered outstanding service, providing the Hyuga clan with unprecedented opportunities for growth, but also bringing with it the greatest uncertainty.
Every word must be carefully chosen.
"If the village allows, I will bring my people back to visit Taketori."
"I'm just too busy with work at the venue recently to make it possible, and I'm sure Taketori Yoichi will understand."
Shuji asked calmly, "Whom do you plan to bring on this return visit?"
Hiashi said in a deep voice, "Both my eldest and second daughters are unwell, so I want to take Neji with me to the Kaguya clan."
"He's already a genin, so it's easier for him to go out."
Shuji's eyes flickered slightly.
When visiting an ally of the caliber of the Bamboo Clan, it is common for the clan leader to bring guards along. However, it takes a different approach when the leader brings children from a branch family.
If it were an ordinary person, Shuji would have thought he was planning to do something to Neji.
If it were Hiashi Hyuga—
Is he planning to use this return visit to completely reshape Neji's position within the Hyuga clan?
Shuji asked, "How long will the follow-up visit take?"
Japan's Japanese football team stated, "As is customary, it takes about a week."
"Okay." Shuji agreed. "Let's set off after the branch's work is arranged. I'll have the head of headquarters assist the branch."
""
Hiashi stood up, bowed, and left the office.
By the time he returned to the Hyuga clan's territory, it was already dark. He walked through the corridor and entered the guest quarters where Taketori and Ichi were resting.
He knelt on a prayer mat, with a silent puppet standing beside him.
He turned his head when he heard footsteps.
Hiashi conveyed the village's permission to him: "Arranging the work of the police department will take more than a month, please do not blame me, Your Highness."
A smile appeared on Yu Yi's face.
When the long-awaited reply finally arrived, the man, who always kept his eyes closed and spoke in a soft voice, smiled more genuinely than ever before.
"No, I also need to prepare something to entertain my relatives."
The following morning, Taketori Yoichi's carriage, guarded by four puppets, drove out of the venue.
The morning light filtered through the sparse trees, falling on the roof of the carriage, flickering in and out as the carriage moved forward.
After a day and a night, the carriage entered the area known as the territory.
Yu Yi remained seated in the car, already planning what to prepare for the next month or so.
The banquet arrangements and the location of the guest rooms —
He was thinking about it.
The carriage suddenly stopped.
It's not the kind of slow, gradual stop.
The carriage came to an abrupt stop, and then shook violently, the curtains fluttering open slightly.
The four guards had broken away from the forward formation; two landed on either side of the carriage, while the other two stepped forward and blocked the middle of the road.
Yu Yi finally lifted the carriage curtain.
A person stood in the middle of the road directly in front of the carriage, blocking the last stretch of their way back.