While Ryoji Morimoto still held the final say over personnel changes and the internal mechanics of the Navy, the creation of the three Admiral positions effectively carved away a portion of his absolute power.
It was a calculated move by Shiraishi to weaken Ryoji's "one-man rule" and bring the Navy back under the village's broader oversight.
Once that matter was settled, Shiraishi turned his attention toward the Hidden Cloud Village, specifically concerning the matter of the Seven-Tails.
The return of the Hagoromo clan's orphans to the Hidden Cloud had caused a massive stir in the Land of Lightning four years ago.
The lingering trauma of the Gold and Silver Brothers' rebellion had left the local villagers deeply prejudiced against the Hagoromo name.
However, Hagoromo Matou (Shiraishi's split-body) had displayed such immense talent and strength that he eventually earned the Raikage's acknowledgment.
After several successful missions where he conducted himself as a model shinobi, the Raikage truly began to integrate this "outsider" into their ranks.
Currently, the Hidden Cloud appeared to be leaning on the Leaf and Stone as a front against the Sand, but in reality, they were plagued by internal and external strife.
If the Hagoromo clan could prove their value to the Cloud's interests, the Fourth Raikage was more than willing to let Matou shoulder more responsibility.
Four years had passed, and Matou was now among the top powerhouses in the Cloud. His Sword helped him overcome countless obstacles; he had even personally suppressed the rebellions in the Land of Fangs.
His mastery over Lightning Style, combined with the divine blade, earned him a fearsome reputation across the northern continent, with rumors even suggesting he was a candidate for the next Raikage.
The Fourth Raikage eventually appointed Matou to his personal guard—a definitive sign of trust.
Historically, members of the Raikage's guard were always the primary contenders for the "Kage" seat.
Though the Fourth was the son of the Third, his ascension was rooted in his personal excellence rather than nepotism.
Despite this, the Sand's garrison in the Land of Fangs remained a thorn in the Cloud's side. Unwilling to spark a full-scale war with the Sand just yet, the Cloud leadership remained remarkably restrained.
The Seven-Tails Crisis
Following the death of the previous Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, the Hidden Waterfall Village had kept the beast sealed. However, a coup had recently erupted within the Waterfall, and in the chaos, the Seven-Tails (Chomei) escaped its seal and fled the village.
The moment Chomei vanished, the Leaf, Stone, and Cloud all received word. Even the Akatsuki in the Hidden Rain caught wind of it. Suddenly, the winds of war began to swirl over the northern shinobi world.
Hidden behind a massive waterfall, the Hidden Waterfall Village was surrounded by four nations, yet its unique geography had kept it from ever being successfully invaded.
It was famous for its Hero's Water, which could increase a ninja's chakra tenfold, and its forbidden technique, Earth Grudge Fear.
Years ago, when the First Hokage distributed the Tailed Beasts, the Hidden Sand already possessed the One-Tails and did not require more.
Instead, they demanded vast tracts of land and resources. At the suggestion of the Second Hokage, the First Hokage granted the Seven-Tails to the Hidden Waterfall rather than the other three Great Nations—a famous piece of history known to all.
Now, the escape of their beast had shattered the fragile alliance of the three northern villages. Not only were the Stone and Cloud restless, but even the Leaf was paying close attention.
The pressure from the Sand was simply too great, and the Leaf was currently suffering from a severe shortage of high-level talent.
The appearance of the Seven-Tails offered them a potential shortcut to regain their footing.
A specialized Anbu team from the Leaf was quickly dispatched to the northern lands to track the beast. This elite squad included Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Kaede, and Uchiha Itachi, supported by specialists from various bloodline clans.
The Hidden Cloud sent several members of the Raikage's guard, including Matou. Meanwhile, the Akatsuki dispatched Deidara (due to his familiarity with the terrain) paired with Sasori.
As for Orochimaru, his blatant "quiet quitting" and passive-aggressive attitude had finally annoyed Pain enough to break up his partnership with Deidara.
The Hero's Water and the Shave
"The Hero's Water... a holy liquid harvested every hundred years from a giant tree," Shiraishi mused.
He was far more interested in the water than the Tailed Beast. A tree that could multiply chakra by ten was a biological anomaly that reminded him of the God Tree associated with Kaguya Otsutsuki. The two had to be linked.
With the Hidden Waterfall in the throes of a civil war between its leader, Shibuki, and his brother, Suien, Shiraishi saw an opportunity to investigate the Hero's Water while the Great Nations were distracted by Chomei.
Shiraishi made his decision. Looking at the increasingly thick beard on his chin in the mirror, he felt a sudden pang of reluctance. But for this mission, he had to look the part.
Three days later, in the Hokage's office in Konoha...
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned as he looked at the elegant, wealthy young nobleman standing before him. "And you say you are Lord Lop Nur from the Land of Wind?"
The young man snapped his folding fan shut and shook his head. "I must correct you: I am from the Kingdom of Roran, not the Land of Wind. Though Roran fell only a few years ago, surely the Hokage hasn't forgotten it so soon?"
A survivor of Roran? Hiruzen thought.
Commission requests from the Land of Wind rarely reached the Land of Fire these days. The Hidden Sand was so dominant that it was rare for them to let a mission slip past their borders. Why was this happening now?
According to the documentation, this "Lop Nur" was indeed a distant relative of the Queen of Roran. During Anrokuzan's reign, the family had been merchants. After the kingdom's fall, they had survived by attaching themselves to the Kitajima family—a rising political power in the Land of Wind.
Why would this nobleman travel all this way to seek a commission from the Leaf? Was it related to the Sand? Or was it a trap?
Hiruzen used his sensory abilities to scan the man. There wasn't a trace of chakra fluctuation; he was a perfectly ordinary civilian. "What is the nature of your request?"
After quoting a staggering sum for the reward, Lop Nur explained, "Lord Hokage, I require an escort to the Land of Frost."
A simple escort mission? Why not hire the Sand?
Hiruzen wasn't easily fooled. "What exactly are you transporting? And will this attract the intervention of other villages—specifically the Hidden Sand?"
"I have a letter of recommendation directly from the Kazekage himself," Lop Nur replied, stroking his newly smooth, clean-shaven chin with a cunning smile.
He placed the letter on the desk before Hiruzen. "The Sand is currently... 'unavailable' for long-range escort duties, so they have officially referred this commission to the Leaf."
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