Under Yuji's management, in the fiftieth year of the Hokage era, the Sand Village began accelerating its development under circumstances where only the absolute inner circle of senior leadership knew about the planned campaign against the Land of Rain.

Beyond performing the eye transplant surgeries on Shimizu and the others, Yuji also used this period to help Sasori complete a thorough modification of his body.

With Shimizu handling the administrative work and paperwork on his behalf, Yuji had considerably more time to focus on other areas. These included training in Earth Release and Water Release techniques, studying the Sealing Jutsu lineage inherited from the ninja temple, and most critically, his research into the Impure World Reincarnation technique that Hiruzen had provided as part of the peace agreement.

Beyond all of this, he also needed to address something the Sand Village was facing roughly two years earlier than in the original story, which was the arrival of an infant wave.

Haku had been born to his mother and Shimizu. Kankuro had also arrived several months ahead of schedule. Added to this, Yuji had already instructed the ninja academy to focus on developing Shira and Yome as priority talents going forward.

There were also the newborn children of the Uchiha and Hyuga clan members, along with several descendants of the Kaguya clan members who had been brought from the Land of Water. These young ones were without question the village's future.

With pharmaceutical assistance available, the number of bloodline limit descendants could be expected to increase further over the coming years.

But clan growth and expansion required time. In the short term, the number of bloodline limit clan descendants was still far too small to compare with the original clans themselves.

The Sand Village's top-tier combat power was not lacking. The core fighting forces had been meaningfully strengthened after Shimizu and the others received their Sharingan transplants, along with the selected Sand Village elites who had received cell transplants from the Third Raikage's remains. The area that was relatively lacking was the next generation of major new combat talents.

Looking at those who had already demonstrated clear potential, assessed not from the village's internal perspective but by the standards of the wider ninja world's battlefield intensity, only Pakura and Yashamaru had emerged as standouts at this stage.

Through his training, Yashamaru, who had originally been oriented toward medical treatment and intelligence gathering, had been pushed to the upper limits of what his abilities could reach. Yuji had passed the majority of his medical knowledge and relevant ninjutsu to both Saori and Yashamaru. These two could be considered the inheritors of his medical capabilities.

But in terms of actual combat strength, Yashamaru's profile still could not compare to Pakura, who possessed the Scorch Release. Pakura was oriented toward direct front-line combat, and her practical battlefield value was considerably greater. Unless Yashamaru could reach the same standard, which was essentially impossible, the overall picture remained the same.

Therefore, comprehensively assessed, what the Sand Village was currently most lacking was a strong next generation of major new combat forces.

For this problem, the only solution Yuji could identify was to have Shimizu and the others spend this year utilizing the large volume of ninjutsu resources collected from other villages to intensively train the Sand Village's most promising young ninja. How far they could develop depended on the individuals themselves.

More than the village's internal projects, what occupied Yuji's attention during this period was the situation in the Land of Rain.

In truth, up to this point, the Sand Village had been quietly supplying a significant hidden customer.

That customer was Akatsuki, operating within the Land of Rain.

Akatsuki had already been established for some time, and as the organization continued to grow and expand, it had begun challenging the disorder within the Land of Rain's borders and engaging in repeated fierce confrontations with the Hidden Rain Village's forces under Hanzo's control.

The Hidden Rain Village's limited involvement in the Great Ninja War had been partly because it was already overwhelmed with its own internal problems.

The current chaos throughout the Land of Rain was largely a consequence of Akatsuki's emergence, which had allowed conflict to spread throughout the country. This was the painful period that had to be endured before peace could be pushed forward.

Nagato not only had to contend with Hanzo's forces but also had to suppress various rebel factions and locally armed organizations throughout the country. This situation made Akatsuki extraordinarily eager for the Sand Village's pharmaceutical resources.

Their negotiations with the Sand Village could not be conducted openly. They were an unrecognized private organization after all. Nagato as their leader was also firmly opposed to allowing outside forces to intervene in the Land of Rain's current situation.

Therefore, their procurement of Sand Village medicines could only be conducted through disguise, making contact with the market through the names of trading companies and acquiring goods in bulk through the merchant agents who worked on the Sand Village's behalf.

This approach also served to avoid drawing the Hidden Rain Village's attention to their activities.

However, despite their careful approach, the Sand Village had already thoroughly penetrated the market with its commercial networks, with trade teams participating in the pharmaceutical supply chain spread throughout the ninja world.

Even within the Land of Rain's borders, the Sand Village had its own people operating. Therefore, they could not possibly deceive Yuji's awareness of what was happening.

And the current focus of the ninja world's attention was on the ongoing struggle between the major hidden villages. No one was paying attention to what was happening on the sidelines.

However, information about the Akatsuki organization was gradually spreading through the ninja world regardless. Particularly through the accounts of their several major confrontations with the Hidden Rain Village's forces.

...

In his quarters, after receiving the intelligence report delivered by the Anbu, Yuji began to think.

During this recent period, he had gone so far as to stop visiting the Kazekage building entirely, completely handing over administrative management and devoting his energy and time to other matters.

The Land of Rain at this point could be described as riddled with holes. Ebizo, who oversaw the intelligence division, had no particular difficulty gathering information about the Land of Rain's internal situation. Combined with the merchant caravans that regularly passed through the Land of Rain bringing back news, the Sand Village had quickly come to understand more than half of what was currently happening there.

"I should go and meet him once."

Yuji narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The person he was referring to was Yahiko.

The butterfly effect he had introduced into this world had barely touched the Land of Rain. Theoretically, barring any unexpected development, Yahiko would die before long.

"If Yahiko remains alive, Nagato will not awaken the Rinnegan. And Akatsuki will not turn dark."

Yuji rubbed his fingers together, thinking through this quietly.

Once Nagato opened the Rinnegan and summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, honestly speaking, even Yuji had no certainty he could reliably deal with him. The critical point was that Black Zetsu would certainly be watching all of this from the shadows. Killing an awakened Rinnegan user would be extraordinarily difficult. And Danzo was still alive at this point as well.

Yahiko's survival was critically important.

"If I want to completely control the Land of Rain, even if I let Yahiko survive and prevent Nagato from awakening the Rinnegan, this current Yahiko who sincerely believes in pacifism would never agree to hand his country over to an outside force. He would certainly fight the Sand Village to the last. There is no possibility of him simply yielding."

"Therefore, no matter how I look at it, I will inevitably end up standing on the opposite side from Yahiko. The only thing I can actually do is prevent Nagato from going dark, temporarily force that Nagato variable down through other means, and use that to reduce the threat to the village."

"But if Yahiko does not die, the original story's sequence is completely disrupted. Even if I intervene and save him in the short term, I cannot guarantee Yahiko will continue to survive. Without Hanzo and Danzo, there will be other potential killers who might appear."

"My plan and the original story's plan are in direct fundamental conflict."

Thinking it through, Yuji let out a long breath.

"In the end, there is no avoiding this."

"You walk your path and I walk mine. But now that we must inevitably collide, and the road is only this narrow, we will each have to rely on our own abilities."

A moment later, Yuji's eyes went cold and his resolve settled.

Until now, he had been carefully and deliberately avoiding direct engagement with Madara and Black Zetsu as dangerous variables. But if he truly wanted to reshape the structure of the ninja world, this particular door was one he could not avoid no matter what.

Afterward, Yuji stood up and opened his room door.

"Lord Kazekage."

Baki and Yura, standing at the door, immediately bowed in greeting.

"I am going out for a while. Remember, do not tell anyone. If someone comes looking for me, tell them I am conducting classified research."

Yuji gave his instructions.

"Understood."