While Naruto and Satsuki were immersed in the mundane happiness of preparing for their wedding and discussing the ceremony, outside Konoha Village, the undercurrents of the Ninja World did not cease because of this joy.
Some events that were common in the past but have almost disappeared in the stable Ninja World relations in recent years are quietly happening.
Initially, there were only sporadic frictions that appeared to be "business-related".
Several trading companies in the Land of Fire that have long imported certain rare medicinal herbs and minerals necessary for certain tools from the Land of Earth suddenly received an official notice from the Stone Village that, effective immediately, all exports of strategic medicinal herbs and special minerals to the Land of Fire would be suspended, citing the high-sounding reason of "considering the sustainable use of domestic resources and strategic reserves."
Following this, discordant incidents began to occur during joint patrols and logistical resupply missions along the border between the two countries.
Iwagakure's supply teams always "coincidentally" arrive late at the agreed time, or the amount of supplies they deliver is "slightly insufficient." When Konoha raises questions, the Iwagakure teams always adopt a helpless attitude, attributing it to "unexpected road conditions" or "internal allocation oversights."
Meanwhile, within the Land of Earth, a subtly manipulated narrative began circulating on a small scale, implicitly accusing the Land of Fire "habitually taking a larger share of resources" during joint missions, suggesting this was a form of "resource exploitation."
More noticeable actions were seen in the trade sector. Within the Land of Earth, several influential ninja tool craftsmen's guilds and merchant associations suddenly joined forces to accuse the Land of Fire of "unreasonably low-priced" standard ninja tools such as Kunai and Shuriken of "bombarding the market," causing many local craft workshops to struggle to make a living.
They claimed that this was not normal business competition, but a conspiracy by the Land of Fire to "destroy the foundation of our ninja tool manufacturing industry and carry out economic infiltration."
Some incited businessmen began organizing small rallies, displaying banners that read "Resist dumping, protect national craftsmen."
These frictions, which originally fell more into the realm of diplomacy and trade, quickly spread their impact to more sensitive areas.
In some less disputed areas along the border between the two countries, reports began to emerge of small groups of Iwagakure Ninja patrolling beyond their usual range, and the number of confrontations with Konoha border guards quietly increased. Although no direct conflict broke out, the tense atmosphere was like a spring that was gradually being wound up.
The official response from Stone Village was vague yet forceful, calling it a "legitimate act of territorial vigilance" and conversely accusing Konoha of "overreacting and escalating tensions."
Within Konoha Village, ordinary villagers and lower-ranking Ninja were initially more confused and curious about these messages coming from the border and trade routes than immediately angry or panicked.
"What are those people in Iwagakure thinking? Why did they suddenly stop selling herbs? Our cultivation class's own yields have increased, and we're not as dependent on them as before. Using this tactic now will be ineffective."
"And dumping ninja tools? You think you can defeat Iwagakure's craftsmen with that? Do they even believe it themselves? Their specialty has always been heavy Earth Release- style machinery and defensive ninja tools, which are not at all the same as our standard throwing weapons."
When news of the border friction arrived, most villagers expressed confusion.
Why are they resorting to these petty tricks again? Things have been pretty peaceful these past few years, haven't they? I heard that relations between Sunagakure and Kumogakure and us have become much smoother. What is Iwagakure up to?
Most people attributed it to " the Tsuchikage getting old and becoming more stubborn" or "certain factions within Iwagakure stirring up trouble again," without immediately realizing that this might be the prelude to a broader strategic probe.
After all, having lived through more than a decade of peaceful times, ordinary people's first reaction to these rather unsophisticated minor conflicts is often one of scrutiny and doubt, rather than being easily provoked.
Of course, Naruto has no time to deal with these endless diplomatic disputes and border conflicts at the moment.
However, these unpleasant episodes won't last long. When they accumulate to a certain point and try to escalate from "annoying noise" into a real "obstacle," someone will naturally quiet them down.
"We've arrived... this is it."
On the cliff peak atop the outskirts of Stone Village ) in the Land of Earth, the night, like a splash of thick ink, slices the jagged rocks and the scattered lights of distant villages into a tapestry of light and shadow.
A figure stood silently on the edge of the cliff, his black clothes motionless in the biting mountain wind, only a few strands of his slightly messy black short hair were blown by the wind.
He looked down at the enormous village nestled in the massive cave and mountain below, and after a long while, he let out a barely audible sigh.
A complex emotion flashed in Shisui Uchiha's eyes beneath his mask. Sure enough, after a long period of relative peace, some people couldn't suppress their restlessness and scheming, attempting to throw a few tentative stones into the calm waters, stirring up ripples that shouldn't exist anymore.
As a core member of the [Jin] organization, Shisui was perfectly clear about the organization's core objective. It was not about domination or control, but rather a simple, even brutal, "cessation of war" based on absolute force.
Just as the leader's philosophy dictates, he does not actively provoke conflict, but if anyone attempts to ignite war, in whatever form, then [Ember]'s edge will be aimed at that person.
Therefore, when the intelligence and analysis department within the organization summarized and reported on the series of small actions taken by Stone Village against Konoha, many senior members, including Shisui, did not react with anger, but with a sense of absurd "strangeness".
How many years has it been? What force still dares to so blatantly and clumsily test that invisible red line?
"There really are people who aren't afraid of death." This was a whisper from one of the members at the time, without any sarcasm in his tone, just a habitual, faint sigh.
Therefore, the task of deterrence naturally came to the forefront.
This time, it was Shisui Uchiha who volunteered. He chose to come alone. It wasn't because the organization lacked manpower, but because he clearly remembered what the leader of " Menma " did in Konoha Village back then—to avoid harming any children and achieve the most shocking deterrent effect.
That's what makes [Jin] truly terrifying: he possesses destructive power, yet he uses it cautiously, aiming to remove the "lesion"—the nascent signs of war—instead of indiscriminately destroying the "body."
Of course, Shisui wasn't without his concerns when choosing Stone Village as the location for his deterrence. He thought of Deidara. When Shisui routinely informed his colleagues of his mission location before setting off, Deidara's reaction far exceeded his expectations.
"Deterrence?! In Stone Village?! That's so cool!!"
"Senior! Take me with you! It'll be good for this old man to see my latest art! Hmm!"
In Shisui's eyes, there was no trace of attachment or reluctance to leave his homeland; only a desire for "exhibition" and "shock," as well as a sense of happiness at the prospect of presenting "new works" on the "old stage."
This reaction completely dispelled any thought Shisui had of having Deidara accompany him.
Of course, if the warnings are ineffective and these guys remain stubbornly obstinate... Shisui is not a soft-hearted person. A genius of the Uchiha Clan, Konoha's " Body Flicker Shisui," he too has come from battlefields teeming with corpses and seas of blood. When it's time to kill, he will never hesitate. Hopefully, he won't have to go that far.
"Let's... meet the Tsuchikage first."
As Shisui's thoughts stirred slightly, a scarlet background suddenly appeared behind the eye openings of the mask, and the three Tomoe spun rapidly, eventually transforming into a unique windmill-like pattern.
However, the Dojutsu contained within those Mangekyo at this moment was so immense that Shisui himself was astonished.
It was no longer a limited source that required careful planning and reliance on the special "buttons" left by the leader, which contained enormous Life Energy, to replenish what was being consumed.
Now, he felt as if his Dojutsu was connected to a bottomless ocean, surging and turbulent, almost endless.
This was naturally Naruto's doing. He used the power of [ Manifestation of All Things ] to subtly "modify" reality—not by enhancing the essence of Shisui's Mangekyo Dojutsu, but by simply and brutally "stuffing" into the "container" of his eyes a highly condensed Yin Release Dojutsu equivalent to the total Tailed Beast Chakra.
Shisui needs to be reflected in the Tsuchikage; this doesn't mean they intend to sneak into the village and deliver a visiting card. That would be too slow and doesn't fit the "posture" that [Jin] needs to convey in this operation.
He wanted the Tsuchikage to come to him on his own initiative.
With focused concentration, the immense Dojutsu erupted like a bursting dam!
" Susanoo!!"