"You provoked me on purpose. What are you planning?"
Though his emotions had flared for a fleeting second, Uchiha Itachi had already regained his habitual composure. Despite being only a teenager, the aura he radiated was so heavy that even Uchiha Kaede felt the need to take him seriously.
This Itachi... truly isn't easy to rattle, Kaede thought. To be pushed this far and still respond with such cold logic... he really is a troublesome existence.
Calm, decisive, and resilient—nearly every word of praise could be applied to Uchiha Itachi. Kaede internally admitted that he couldn't compare to such a "saint-like" figure. Of course, such people were also the most terrifying.
Kaede stood back-to-back with Itachi. "What do you think my goal is?"
"The Nine-Tails incident years ago... was that your doing?" Itachi asked. He had been suspicious ever since seeing Kaede's Mangekyo. After all, on the day of the attack, Kaede had been with his mother and had met Kushina Uzumaki.
"During the Nine-Tails' night, I had not yet awakened these eyes. That conspiracy had nothing to do with me."
Faced with Kaede's denial, Itachi chose to believe him instantly. Without another word or even a look back, he walked away.
He just believes me like that?
Inside the mental space, Shiraishi shook his head as he processed the data. "When the Nine-Tails attacked, Kaede had only recently evolved his Three-Tomoe.
Without a massive emotional catalyst at that specific time, a leap to the Mangekyo was biologically improbable. Itachi knows this, so his suspicion was minimal."
"However," Shiraishi continued, "Shisui's suicide will likely accelerate the plans of whoever is orchestrating the Uchiha's downfall from within the Leaf."
The chaos within Konoha needed to persist. As long as the Uchiha existed, the Leaf's internal friction would never end. Shiraishi's goal—and by extension, Kaede's—was to ensure the Uchiha continued to be a thorn in the village's side.
The Grand Construction of the Sand
In the New Hidden Sand Village, five colossal stone statues now towered over the site of the old village.
While the Sand had always had statues of past Kazekage, these were on a different scale entirely. Constructed using advanced Earth Style, they reached a height of 300 meters.
Shikasa had personally overseen the Engineering Corps to rush the project. It was intended to be a grand gift for the Kazekage's upcoming birthday in August—a symbol of the village's rebirth and power.
While Shiraishi cared little for such vanity projects, the rest of the village was deeply invested in them.
"How is the progress on the Navy Department?" Shiraishi asked his staff.
"The three major fortresses and the Naval Headquarters are complete. Furthermore, the new generation of maritime puppet weapons has finished production. Field tests show they far outperform the initial models."
The head of the Navy, Ryoji Morimoto, was a few years younger than Shiraishi. Though only in his early twenties, few veteran Jonin dared to offend this "Iron-Blooded Grand Admiral."
Since the passing of Soji, Ryoji had inherited the Eight Gates of heavenly Breathing and the Black Blade, and he pushed both himself and the Navy to be the most dominant force on the seas.
Late last year, a group of Hidden Mist Jonin on a mission had a "misunderstanding" with a merchant fleet under Sand protection.
Upon hearing this, Ryoji immediately dispatched a carrier fleet to detain the Mist shinobi. The Land of Water viewed this as a national humiliation.
Although they were technically allies, resentment toward the Sand was reaching a boiling point.
Even within the Sand, some criticized Ryoji's arrogance. With the three great nations on land already allied against them, losing the Mist's cooperation at sea would mean the Sand was truly at war with the entire world.
Yet, Ryoji remained defiant. He had even begun using the Navy's strength to take on private contracts for northern island nations to fund the Navy's expansion, creating an independent intelligence network that was increasingly at odds with the village's traditional hierarchy.
The New Hierarchy
Shiraishi was well aware of these frictions. While Shikasa hadn't complained directly, Ryoji's growing insubordination was becoming a concern.
"The Navy has intercepted quite a few private missions over the years, hasn't it?" Shiraishi said, walking up to his former student and setting a cup of tea down.
He held a file containing data on the missions the Navy had essentially "hijacked." "The Jonin Council is accusing you of being a law unto yourself, effectively cutting the Navy out of the village's system."
"Maritime missions should be handled by the Navy," Ryoji replied flatly. "Even if the Jonin Council assigns them, they come to us for execution anyway. I'm just cutting out the middleman."
"Nonsense!" Shiraishi's voice dropped, and a terrifying pressure filled the room, making sweat bead on Ryoji's forehead. "You are openly challenging the rules of this village. Do you think I haven't given the Navy enough? You are overstepping."
Seeing Ryoji's stiff but silent reaction, Shiraishi's temper cooled, and his tone softened. "Managing the Navy alone for these years has skewed your perspective. Currently, everyone below you is just 'Genin, Chunin, or Jonin.' It's too simple."
"Simple?"
"We are going to establish a formal rank system specifically for the Navy to refine its structure."
Shiraishi proposed a new hierarchy. Below the Grand Admiral (Ryoji), he would establish four tiers of Admiral: Admiral, Vice Admiral, Rear Admiral, and Commodore. Crucially, there would be multiple Admirals, which would effectively dilute Ryoji's absolute authority.
Chunin would fill the ranks of Captain, Commander, and Lieutenant, while newly graduated Genin would serve as Petty Officers. Below them, a tier of Enlisted Seamen would be created, primarily filled by regular soldiers from the Daimyo's standing army.
"Ranks represent military standing," Shiraishi explained, handing Ryoji the plan. "They blend honor, pay, and responsibility. It will professionalize the force and improve coordination between different branches."
Ryoji looked over the document, visibly surprised by the depth of the restructuring.
"For now, we will appoint three Admirals," Shiraishi concluded. "You will draft the list of candidates for my approval."
Three Admirals? Ryoji thought. That seems like a lot...
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